Looking back...

It’s hard to believe that just a century ago, YouTube was a fledgling video site for paupers and presidents alike. Today, we celebrate 100 years of YouTube, and we thought we would reflect on our inaugural year with a re-print of our first blog post from 1911. In honor of this milestone, today’s homepage is a reproduction of how you might have viewed it 100 years ago. Check out some of the most popular videos of the time and be sure to try out our new upload mode which summons a horse-drawn carriage to pick up your video submission from your home. Here’s to another epoch of great video!

April 1911

Editor’s note: Welcome to YouTube! Today we’re honored to have President William Howard Taft as our guest blogger to celebrate our official site launch.

Ladies and gentlemen of these United States. We are living in an age in which, by exaggeration of the defects of our present condition, by false charges and responsibility for it against individuals and classes, by holding up to the feverish imagination of the less fortunate and the discontented the possibilities of a millennium, a condition of popular unrest has been produced.

Due to advancements in modern technology and the advent of the Edison kinetoscope, there is hope. And I venture to say that there is no other destination on the web which has taken more real steps of such progress than the YouTubes, making its debut today. Here, instantaneous expression of the people may be upheld. Great feats of strength may be honored! Here, industry may thrive and cinema appreciated in its rightful form.

I should be untrue to myself, to my promises, and to the declarations of the party platform upon which I was elected to office, if the incoming Congress is not aware of the importance of boxing cat videos and our shared human moments of folly. We should encourage this in every way feasible.

It is a very enterprising time in America. The Pedro Miguel Locks have just been completed as part of the Panama Canal, there are Nobel Prize rumors circulating around regarding Ms. Curie’s so-called “radium discovery”, and J.P. Morgan is building a steamship they say is unsinkable. Very enterprising times, indeed. One can only imagine what events will be recorded for all the world to see.

William Howard Taft, President of the United States of America, recently watched “Histeria! William Howard Taft - Theme From Taft.”

More about → Looking back...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answers your questions live on YouTube

Two weeks ago, YouTube and Israel’s Channel 2 News asked you to submit your questions for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Thousands of you responded, from more than 90 countries, and while a large portion of questions were submitted from users across the Arab world, including Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, many also from farther corners like Japan, Pakistan, Canada, Nepal, and Venezuela.

Today, at 11:10 am PST, Prime Minister Netanyahu will answer the top-voted questions from around the world, and you can watch the interview live at www.youtube.com/worldview.

One topic which attracted hundreds of questions by users worldwide was the the fate of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. People also posted about about negotiations and chances for peace with the Palestinians, the recent upheavals in the Middle East, and housing and gas prices in Israel.

To see which questions Netanyahu will answer, and how he’ll respond, please visit the World View channel at 11:10 am or check back later today to see it in its uploaded form.


Alon Chen, Israel Product Marketing Manager, and Ramya Raghavan, News and Politics Manager, recently watched, “Two Questions for PM Netanyahu”.

More about → Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu answers your questions live on YouTube

Music Tuesday: Farewell, LCD Soundsystem and more

Welcome back to Music Tuesday, the weekly blog feature that lets you know what music we’re featuring on YouTube -- and why! Dig in and discover some new -- and old -- music with us this week.

Album Mania!
The cat’s out of the bag by now: Radiohead made their entire new album available on YouTube yesterday. (Let the wild rumpus start!) But this week we aren’t just saluting those deities of indie rock’s Mt. Olympus; we’re also swooning for up-and-coming Swedish alterna-folk act Fredrik. The group crafted a dreamy, album-length video premiere for the soon-to-be-released “Flora.” The video follows a toy wolf named Ylva as she wanders through the small Swedish town of Malmo, and the visuals are almost as hypnotic as the delicately rendered, space-engendering music that accompanies it.



Farewell, LCD Soundsystem
Led by mastermind James Murphy (who only put together a group for live performances), LCD Soundsystem married rock’s edge with electronica’s love for the dance. It was an unlikely experiment which Murphy himself reportedly didn’t take seriously at first, and which saw Murphy vocally aping his inspiration, Mark E. Smith of The Fall. But three Grammy nominations (and one win) later -- and after seeing last year’s release “This Is Happening” hailed on many critics’ end-of-year lists -- Murphy is hanging up the microphone on this particular project. We salute the band the only way we know how: with a playlist.

Aloe Blacc “Loving You Is Killing Me”
Every so often, a video comes along that simply brings joy to your heart. The song is great, and the video just begs to be watched over and over. American soul singer and rapper Aloe Blacc uploaded one of those just a few weeks ago, and we haven’t stopped watching since. Blacc is a compelling figure all on his own, but check out the amazing kid he dances with!



Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Married In Berdichev @ Bocumast Records SXSW 2010.”

More about → Music Tuesday: Farewell, LCD Soundsystem and more

33 million streams in 189 countries around the world: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale

On March 20, the Grand Finale of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 was held at Sydney Opera House and live-streamed to the world on YouTube During the week-long festival leading up to the finale, 101 musicians from 33 countries joined together for the first time—immersed in new cultural experiences, musical mentorship and performances in one of the world’s most iconic symbols of the arts.

During the three-and-a-half hour Grand Finale—and as people in different timezones awoke to re-broadcasts—the event was streamed 33 million times around the world to 189 countries. This included 2.8 million mobile live-streams—making it one of our biggest ever streaming events to date, on mobile and desktop. That means the event was streamed to nearly one-and-a-half times the entire population of Australia, where the event took place.

One of the goals of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is to make classical music accessible; the total data transferred by the stream was a whopping 422 terabytes—the equivalent of 145 million MP3 files of classical music being emailed around the world.

The top 10 countries viewing the performance online were:
1. U.S.
2. Germany
3. Italy
4. France
5. Poland
6. Russia
7. Australia
8. U.K.
9. Brazil
10. Taiwan

Enormous thanks go to all our Symphony members who flew to Sydney from around the world and put their hearts and souls into an extraordinary performance. You surprised and moved people and had some fun along the way!

For the rest of you, you can read about the experience of YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 cellist Mathisha Panagoda in a guest post on the YouTube Australia blog. And if you missed the Grand Finale, you can watch the full concert and highlights from the last week anytime at youtube.com/symphony.



Ed Sanders, Group Marketing Manager, recently watched “YouTube Symphony Sails highlights”.

More about → 33 million streams in 189 countries around the world: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra Grand Finale

We’re turning off our lights, in honor of Earth Hour

In 2007, organizers in Sydney came up with the idea for Earth Hour, a specific time when local residents would conserve energy by collectively turning off their lights. Since then, Earth Hour has grown into a global movement. In 2010, people in 128 countries voluntarily switched off their lights to take part in this event and demonstrate their commitment to the Earth. Learn more:



Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday, March 26, from 8:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. (your local time) and this year YouTube is joining the movement by “turning the lights down” on the site. During this hour, the YouTube watch page will be darkened. If you prefer the normal watch page experience, there will be the option to turn the light switch back “on”.

Remember, you can also participate in this global event by signing up at www.earthhour.org and turning off your own lights at 8:30 p.m.

Ramya Raghavan, YouTube News and Politics, recently watched “Earth Hour Challenge”.

More about → We’re turning off our lights, in honor of Earth Hour

This week's Trends: Rebecca Black, global hits, and babies

Each weekday, we at YouTube Trends take a look at the most interesting videos and cultural phenomena on YouTube as they develop. We want take a moment to highlight some of what we've come across this week:

• We tracked the influx of Rebecca Black covers and parodies that hit YouTube as the 13-year-old became a national phenomenon.
  
  
• We looked at how popular cartoonists in Jordan have reacted to the major events taking place in North Africa and the Middle East.
  
  
• We studied the search and viewing data behind March's three biggest trends.
  
  
• We looked at some of the most popular viral clips from around the world.
  
  
• We teamed up with Urlesque.com to explore why it is that family videos become so popular.
  
  
• And we watched as Pixar Animator and YouTube Singer Nick Pitera's new Disney medley quickly picked up over a million views and became a most-shared clip:

Check back every day for the latest about what's trending on YouTube at: www.YouTube.com/Trends

Kevin Allocca, YouTube Trends Manager, recently watched "Tornado in Hempfield."

More about → This week's Trends: Rebecca Black, global hits, and babies

No video camera? No problem! Create original videos with your own photos, clips or just an idea

More than 35 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, and with the motto of "Broadcast Yourself", it's hard to believe that anyone is left out of the YouTube experience. But the truth is, sites like YouTube do largely leave out people who don't have a video camera. That's changing with the beta launch of youtube.com/create, where anyone can use video creation sites Xtranormal, Stupeflix and GoAnimate to make personal videos or animations and post them directly to YouTube.

Create original animations

Creating animation can be pretty hard and often requires expensive software, but GoAnimate and Xtranormal Movie Maker let you create animated videos with just a text storyline. In minutes, you can make two bears discuss fiction-writing, or create your own cooking show parody.

Use your own photos, clips and music to create dynamic videos

Stupeflix lets you pull together your own images, clips and even maps into a dynamic video slideshow. You can tell a personal story or even make a jazzy promo for your craft company.

Start creating!

To try these out for yourself, visit www.youtube.com/create and click on each title to learn more, watch a tutorial and see video examples. You can make an original creation in minutes--and it's free (though some sites have premium services which you can access from their sites directly).

So give it a test drive. Here are some ideas:

• Create an educational video
• Reenact a scene from your favorite movie or play
• Create a digital 2010 year book, or a 2011 graduation video

This is still early and we look forward to adding more sites, so check them out and give us some feedback in the comments section below. We look forward to seeing what you come up with!

Stanley Wang, Software Engineer, recently watched "First Test on This...GoAnimate App on YouTube" and Shenaz Zack, Product Manager, recently watched "IT'S FRIDAY! (v2)" (created using Xtranormal Movie Maker)

More about → No video camera? No problem! Create original videos with your own photos, clips or just an idea

Why Connecting your YouTube and Google Accounts Matters

Over the last several months many of you who created a YouTube account before May 2009 may have seen prompters asking you to upgrade to a Google account. We first announced this transition in a blog post last July. In the coming weeks, all YouTube accounts created before May 2009 will need to complete the process of linking to a Google account. A Google account is a single-sign in system for accessing all Google products and services. Any existing email address can be used to create a Google account.

You’re probably asking yourself ‘‘Why am I being required to connect my YouTube Account with a Google Account?” Well, let’s use an analogy. Imagine instead of that sleek new mobile phone you bought last year, you were instead carrying around one of those big brick phones from the 90’s. It might still make calls, but it would be slow and bulky and unable to do 90% of what current smart phones do. Your old YouTube account is a lot like that cell phone. It still works, but it’s not as fast, secure and efficient as the Google Account we’re asking you to link to.

While we understand that change isn’t always welcome, we’re confident that this transition will result in a better experience for you on YouTube. Not only does connecting your YouTube account to a Google Account improve your account security, it will also give you better video recommendations and quick access to the very latest updates and features which our engineers are releasing on the site every week.

After linking to a Google Account, your YouTube username will stay the same. However, when you link to a Google Account, your old YouTube password won’t work anymore. After linking, you’ll instead need to use your Google Account password when you sign into YouTube.

If you’re having any issues, we’ve created a series of articles that you can reference for help. By clicking on the links below, you can learn how to easily solve some common issues that may arise in the linking process:

• I Can't Sign Into YouTube After Linking to a Google Account
• I Don't Know Which Google Account I'm Linked To
• I Linked to the Wrong Google Account
• I Can't Remember My Password

If you’re still experiencing difficulties, you can contact our support team. We know this process isn’t always easy, and it can sometimes be frustrating, but hang in there. Connecting your accounts will create a better, more up-to-date and secure YouTube experience and we’ll do our best to do everything we can to guide you through this process.

Michael Ortali, YouTube Web Developer, recently watched “Macarena - Los del Rio”

More about → Why Connecting your YouTube and Google Accounts Matters

Watch Lady Gaga’s exclusive Q&A with Google

Google went totally Gaga yesterday, when the indomitable artist otherwise known as Stefani Germanotta clicked onto the Mountain View,  CA, campus in her impossibly tall black boots.

The diminutive superstar wowed a capacity crowd in a venue that was (literally) packed to the rafters with adoring Googlers. In a wide-ranging interview that saw Gaga taking questions from fans via Twitter and Moderator, the musician spoke about everything from bullying to Rebecca Black, the creative process and her upcoming album. She took questions from the audience—hugging several Googlers in the process—and even became a judge when a gaggle of Gaga-alikes flooded the stage.

True to form, the singer was by turns funny, thoughtful and inspiring. But don’t take our word for it — you can watch the entire Q&A now on YouTube.



Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Lady Gaga - Born This Way.”

More about → Watch Lady Gaga’s exclusive Q&A with Google

Duran Duran’s UNSTAGED concert streams live on YouTube tonight

Duran Duran, the iconic '80s band who’s returned with a new album and tour, will be broadcasting their UNSTAGED performance live at 7 p.m. PT tonight, March 23, on their YouTube channel. The show is part of YouTube’s UNSTAGED concert series, presented in partnership with Amex and VEVO, and it will be directed by famed cult director David Lynch.

Few bands embodied the 1980s like Duran Duran. They had the best hair, the loveliest makeup, outlandish fashion...and they released a slew of amazing pop songs other bands would have killed to have written. “Planet Earth” is a case in point: one of their earliest hits, it encompasses the style that would make them famous.



In recent years, groups from across the musical spectrum have both embraced and been influenced by Duran Duran’s sound. But despite their success, the band hasn’t rested on their laurels. Working with famed producer Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Kaiser Chiefs), they released the new album “All You Need Is Now” this week; the first single is a startling and modern pop confection.



And for fans who are looking to learn more about a group who’s held the public’s attention for so many years, you’re in luck. Director David Lynch has been following the band and capturing amazing behind-the-scenes footage. He’s asked the band about their firsts -- first concert, first band, first moment they were truly starstruck. He’s also been inviting the guys to record their dreams in a video journal. Simon LeBon offers up a fascinating one for your interpretation below.



So don’t forget to tune into Duran Duran’s channel on Wednesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. PT to watch them live in concert. If you miss the live broadcast, catch show highlights on their channel immediately following the event.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Pharoahe Monch ‘Clap (One Day)’ Extended Video.”

More about → Duran Duran’s UNSTAGED concert streams live on YouTube tonight

How to Download Youtube Videos in Computer and Mobile

YouTube is a video-sharing website created by three former PayPal employees in 2005. Now under Google's acquisition, YouTube is the most viewed video sharing website on the internet. As a result, almost 24 hours of video content is uploaded to this site per minute. With so much video content being uploaded, people have felt the need to download videos but YouTube does not allow users to download videos. So what does a user do?

Well nothing, s/he just reads this article and learn the many ways he can use to download Youtube Videos.

YouTube's Video Format: YouTube uses the FLV( Adobe Flash Video) format to display the various types of videos. The reason for this is that FLV files use comparatively less amount of storage space for the same quality of the video.


How to Play YouTube Videos: To play FLV media in browsers, you need to have Adobe's Flash Player plugin installed. To play FLV format in your PC, you need to have a Media Player capable of playing FLV videos. VLC Media player is one such free media player which can easily play FLV files.(To download VLC Media Player and other essential software, visit 5 Essential free software for Windows PC.)


Download Youtube Videos via Internet Explorer: This technique uses copying YouTube videos from Internet Explorer's Temporary Files Cache. A temporary files cache is a collection of items which are stored on the disk to load them quickly from the disk without downloading them again. Not only Internet Explorer, but almost all browsers have a temporary files cache. But most of these browsers store the files in cache without any extensions leading to complexity in finding saved videos. On the other hand, Internet Explorer stores the file "as it is" in its cache. To download YouTube/FLV Videos via Internet Explorer, follow the instructions given below:-


For Internet Explorer 6 and earlier versions:-

1. Play the video of your choice in Internet Explorer.
2. Go to Control Panel. Click on switch to classic view in the sidebar.
3. Click on Folder Options.
4. Click on View Tab and encircle Show hidden files and folders.
5. Go to My Computer.
6. Click on your System Drive.(The drive containing your Windows files.)
7. Click on Documents and Settings.
8. Click on your User name.
9. Click on Local Settings.
10. Copy your Temporary Internet Files folder and paste it to your desktop.
11. Search the pasted folder for "*.flv" without the quotes. And play the files to find your video. Copy your found video and paste it to the location of your choice.

For Internet Explorer 7 ,8 and 9:-

1. Play the video of your choice in Internet Explorer.
2. Go to Control Panel. Click on switch to classic view in the sidebar.
3. Click on Folder Options.
4. Click on View Tab and encircle Show hidden files and folders and de-select Hide protected Operating System Files.
5. Windows XP Users, follow the instructions given above for IE6 after Step 4.
6. Windows 7 and Windows Vista users, navigate to your system drive.
7. Navigate to Usersname\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\.
8. Copy the Temporary Internet Files folder and paste it to your desktop.
9. Search the pasted folder for "*.flv" without the quotes. And play the files to find your video. Copy your found video and paste it to the location of your choice.

Downloading YouTube Videos via third party software: Due to the popularity of YouTube, many third party companies have manufactured many software programs to download YouTube videos. A simple web search containing "free software to download Youtube videos" is likely to return a lot of such software programs.


Downloading YouTube videos via Real Media Player: Real Media Player states that it is the best free media player available to play, manage and download all your mp3, flash and video files. I do not quite agree but still, Real Media Player offers a very good plugin with which you can download YouTube videos easily. Whenever Real Media Player detects a flash video, it offers an option to download the video right on top of it.



Downloading YouTube Videos in Mobiles: Mobile Users can use Bolt Browser to download YouTube videos directly to their mobiles. Bolt automatically re-formats the video into a version supported by the mobile which can then be easily viewed. Opera Mini can also be used to download YouTube Videos directly but Opera has some bugs when it comes to reformatting videos according to specific mobiles.


Downloading YouTube Videos Directly without the use of any Software in Mobiles and Computer:
Update:3outube.com is facing technical difficulties and is not available temporarily. SaveYoutube is a service that works similarly. To use it, just change the URL of a video from "http://youtube.com/your-video" to "http://saveyoutube.com/your-video".

This is the easiest method to download YouTube videos with no brains involved. All you need to do is copy the URL of your YouTube Video.(e.g. http://youtube.com/your-video) Replace the y of YouTube to 3 so that your URL becomes http://3outube.com/your-video. Then press Enter. Click on the the format in which you wish to download and your download will start automatically. (Note: 3outube.com is not Youtube.com. It is a third party site that gives links to download YouTube videos. )

Charlie bit my finger. Most popular Youtube Video

Third Party Websites to Download YouTube videos: There are many free third party websites on the internet which offer you to download YouTube videos just by entering the URL of the video, selecting the format and clicking on the download button. Few such sites are:-

1.  MP4youtube: You can download videos in MP4 format, 3GP format and FLV format in the quality of your choice using this online video downloader.
2.  Vixy: Vixy offers you to download youtube videos in .MP4 format, AVI format, .MOV for Macintosh, .3GP format for mobiles and .MP3 format for Audio Players.
3.  Keepvid: Keepvid allows you to download youtube videos in a wide variety of formats including .MP4, .3GP( high and low quality) and yeah, .FLV format.
 4.  SaveVid: SaveVid  also offers downloading YouTube videos in various formats with the option of downloading them in different qualities.


So,  that brings us to the end of this article. If you know some other ways to download YouTube videos, feel free to send me an email and they will be included in this article.

Note: Downloading Videos is against Youtube's policies.

More about → How to Download Youtube Videos in Computer and Mobile

Music Tuesday: Your guide to discovering music on YouTube

Today we’re launching a weekly blog series in which we discuss the music we’re featuring on youtube.com/music -- and why. We’ll share the videos that have us tweeting obsessively, playlists which delve into all the great new (and old!) music scenes percolating on the site, and even the occasional streaming album premier. Sure, we’re only scratching the surface of YouTube’s vast musical universe -- but you’ve got to start somewhere, right? Welcome to the first edition, and we hope you discover some great music with us!

Dig for Fire’s SXSW Lawn Party Highlights
We had a big presence last week in Austin. Besides our excellent party, we were also psyched to partner this year with the taste-making New York record store Other Music and indie videographers Dig for Fire to present their two-day Lawn Party. The list of performers was stellar: James Blake, !!!, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists and many more. Dig for Fire has graciously put together some exclusive videos for us, featuring live performances and backstage interviews. Kick back and watch; now’s your chance to feel like you had a VIP badge.

Music Discovery: The ‘80s are back...again!
This week also sees the release of a new Duran Duran record and The Cars’ first single in 24 years. Yes, you read that right: it seems the current love affair with the ‘80s is not just inspiring indie bands anymore; it’s actually resurrecting iconic ‘80s bands themselves. Which is, let’s admit it, kind of awesome. Who doesn’t want to hear more from Ric Ocasek?

Why the ‘80s obsession, why now? The ‘80s were a disposable, plastic era that celebrated artifice, and two hallmarks of the ‘80s -- cassette tapes and VHS -- were precursors of the portable entertainment era we now find ourselves in. (It’s no accident both have attained a sort of nostalgic chic in recent years. In the age of the iPod, cassettes are undeniably cute and lo-fi.) But the long, slow boil of this retro trend is actually cooking up some great music, whether you’re listening to the well-known Daft Punk or lesser-known acts like Tape Deck Mountain. We feature both bands -- and oodles more -- in our playlist “The ‘80s Are Back...Again!”

Full Album Premiere: Pharoahe Monch’s “W.A.R.”
If you haven’t heard of Pharoahe Monch, now’s the time to jump on the bandwagon. This underground emcee is one of the lyrical princes of hip-hop, the kind of lyricist others turn to for inspiration. He’s an unflinching truth-teller with a political edge, and his deft, literate lyrics will stun you with their sound as much as their sense: the man is a master of the internal rhyme. Monch returns this week with his third full-length, “W.A.R. (We Are Renegades),” and we’re streaming it to you, in its entirety, this week.



Stay tuned and check back next week to discover more music.

Sarah Bardeen, Music Community Manager, recently watched “Ducktails - Killin’ The Vibe (ft. Panda Bear).”

More about → Music Tuesday: Your guide to discovering music on YouTube

Lights, Camera... EDIT! New Features for the YouTube Video Editor

Nine months ago we launched our cloud-based video editor. It was a simple product built to provide our users with simple editing tools. Although it didn’t have all the features available on paid desktop editing software, the idea was that the vast majority of people’s video editing needs are pretty basic and straight-forward and we could provide these features with a free editor available on the Web. Since launch, hundreds of thousands of videos have been published using the YouTube Video Editor and we’ve regularly pushed out new feature enhancements to the product, including:

• Video transitions (crossfade, wipe, slide)
• The ability to save projects across sessions
• Increased clips allowed in the editor from 6 to 17
• Video rotation (from portrait to landscape and vice versa - great for videos shot on mobile)
• Shape transitions (heart, star, diamond, and Jack-O-Lantern for Halloween)
• Audio mixing (AudioSwap track mixed with original audio)
• Effects (brightness/contrast, black & white)
• A new user interface and project menu for multiple saved projects

While many of these are familiar features also available on desktop software, today, we’re excited to unveil two new features that the team has been working on over the last couple of months that take unique advantage of the cloud:

• Stabilizer - Ever shoot a shaky video that’s so jittery, it’s actually hard to watch? Professional cinematographers use stabilization equipment such as tripods or camera dollies to keep their shots smooth and steady. Our team mimicked these cinematographic principles by automatically determining the best camera path for you through a unified optimization technique. In plain English, you can smooth some of those unsteady videos with the click of a button. We also wanted you to be able to preview these results in real-time, before publishing the finished product to the Web. We can do this by harnessing the power of the cloud by splitting the computation required for stabilizing the video into chunks and distributed them across different servers. This allows us to use the power of many machines in parallel, computing and streaming the stabilized results quickly into the preview. You can check out the paper we’re publishing entitled “Auto-Directed Video Stabilization with Robust L1 Optimal Camera Paths.” Want to see stabilizer in action? You can test it out for yourself, or check out these two videos. The first is without stabilizer.

And now, with the stabilizer:

• 3D - When we first launched our 3D product one of the hardest parts turned out to be actually building our makeshift 3D camera to film our introductory 3D video (two flip cameras mounted to a flat metal bar 10 inches apart and using $8 worth of bolts and brackets we bought at the hardware store). Although the side-by-side compositing needed for 3D uploads isn’t complex, it’s unavailable in free editing tools. This was frustrating because although users could film using a pair of cameras, the 3D feature was still out of reach. And synchronising the two cameras is an added challenge. If you've used a pair of cameras to capture stereographic video, but need the two streams to be synchronized and laid out in a way compatible with YouTube's 3D feature, this new tool will do the work for you. Feel free to try it out.

One of the great things about YouTube is being able to launch products quickly with a small team of engineers that impact hundreds of millions of users from around the world. In this case we had seven engineers and one designer who’ve contributed to this product. We look forward to announcing more Editor enhancements down the road. Let us know what you think and paste links of your stabilized or 3D-ified videos in the comments below.

Sam Kvaalen, software engineer, recently watched “PANGEA The Neverending World - 3D Animation” and Tom Bridgwater, software engineer, recently watched “Die Fantastischen Vier - Danke (Official Video)”

More about → Lights, Camera... EDIT! New Features for the YouTube Video Editor

Become a YouTube star in Europe

Thousands of online video creators across Europe are taking their creative talents to YouTube, generating big followings and earning money as part of the YouTube Partner Program. We want more people from across Europe to join in!

That’s why we’re hosting the first ever European YouTube Partner events dedicated to the producers, directors, writers, artists, video and media professionals of the future. The events will take place in six cities across Europe between March 31 and April.

At 'Becoming YouTube Stars', online video creators will:

• Learn how to create and promote their content on YouTube
• Find out about how to become a YouTube Partner and generate revenue
• Get a sneak peak at upcoming product releases and partner dedicated features
• Hear from a panel of successful YouTube Partners about how they’ve built their channels

Details of all the events are below:

• Madrid - March 31, 2011, at Hotel Silken Puerta América Madrid - RSVP here.
• Paris - April 4, 2011, at Les Docks de Paris - Dock Eiffel - RSVP here.
• Berlin - April 6, 2011, at Postbahnhof - RSVP here.
• Amsterdam - April 8, 2011, at Amsterdam Convention Factory - RSVP here.
• Rome - April 11, 2011, at Salone delle Fontane - RSVP here.
• London - April 14, 2011, at Ravensbourne Design College - RSVP here.

Spaces are limited, so register now to secure your seat.

Sara Mormino, Head of YouTube Online Content Partnerships EMEA, recently watched “Her Morning Elegance / Oren Lavie.”

More about → Become a YouTube star in Europe

YouTube Person Finder: Using video to connect with those affected by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami

Two days ago we built YouTube Person Finder (消息情報), a channel that aggregates video messages from the sufferers of the massive earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Japan a week ago.

We’re in the process of adding more than 80 video messages shot at the shelters by TBS, a major TV station in Japan, and we’ll try to increase the number of videos by adding more more content from other TV stations and news network in the coming days.

We’re also trying to include videos shot by the individuals impacted themselves, but we have to wait until the infrastructure situation there recovers.

You can search for videos via the search box within the module: enter the names of a missing person in Kanji, Katakana, or Hiragana letters (sorry Japanese letters only); the name of the place they lived; or the name of the shelter locations. You can also browse videos by Japanese alphabet on the playlist embedded within the video navigator in middle of the channel.

We also link to the Google Person Finder tool.

Our hope is that this channel will help victims and their families to establish each other's safety, and that the video messages will reach many viewers and motivate them to contribute to the recovery and restoration of the disaster-stricken areas.

Please watch the message videos and pray for their safety and reunion of families and friends involved in the disaster.

Tai Hasegawa, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched "Fighting Against the Invisible: interview with Hyper rescue squad leaders who worked on cooling operation of the nuclear reactors."

More about → YouTube Person Finder: Using video to connect with those affected by Japan’s earthquake and tsunami

Your great sports video. Shown on SportsCenter. Here’s how.

One of the most beautiful things about sports on YouTube is that, on any given day, the best play wins. It can come from a professional athlete in a 35,000 seat arena, or from an inspirational 11-year old swimmer from Hendersonville, Tennessee.

Just in time for March Madness basketball in the US, we’re happy to tip-off the second version of the YouTube + SportsCenter Your Highlight program presented by AT&T – a chance to have your best play shown on air on SportsCenter:

  

Go to ESPN’s YouTube channel, check out the rules, and submit your great sports video before May 5, 2011. SportsCenter’s Emmy-winning producers will select the best videos, which will then be voted on by the YouTube community. The winner will be flown to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., for the taping of a special segment on SportsCenter.

Even if you’re not submitting a video, come back to the channel to see a gallery of the best submissions throughout the season. Good luck!

Andrew Bangs, Sports Manager, recently watched “The Sickest Pass In Basketball? Pat Da Roc Showing Off.”

More about → Your great sports video. Shown on SportsCenter. Here’s how.

Ads Worth Spreading

People use YouTube to create original content that will connect, inform and inspire others across the globe, and we encourage advertisers to do the same. It is our goal to recognize and give praise when brands create content that people seek out, love and share with others. TED, the organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, announced a similar mission late last year with their inaugural Ads Worth Spreading challenge, designed to solicit best-in-class ads that raise the bar, elevate the craft and invent new forms of engagement, both online and in general.

Beginning in early January, TED and YouTube began the call for submissions. In less than a month, nearly 1,000 ads were submitted from around the world, varying in length from 30 seconds to five minutes. The winners were selected by a diverse judging panel made up of 24 artists, business people and thought leaders, including Robert Wong from Google’s Creative Lab and YouTube creative champion Terrence Kelleman of Dynomighty. One-third of the entries came from outside of the U.S., across a wide variety of brands and causes.

In early March, Chris Anderson announced the 10 winners of the challenge from the stage of the annual TED conference in Long Beach, California. The winners represent some of the most creative, compelling and out-of-the-box executions of the past year. They embody a new paradigm for advertising creative, pushing the boundaries on what will move audiences and spur action by embracing longer-form storytelling as advertising.




Video is a powerful medium for spreading ideas. Our mission--like TED’s--is supported in part by advertising. Any great video--whether original content or advertising--should make you think, make you respond, and make you want to share. We hope to continue to see more enthusiasm and more passion in online advertising, solidifying it as the medium that elevates the craft and practice of brands spreading ideas.

The 10 winning Ads Worth Spreading are:

• Chrysler: "Born of Fire" (Wieden+Kennedy)
• The Nike Foundation: “Girl Effect, The Clock is Ticking” (Wieden+Kennedy)
• Dulux: “Dulux Walls” (Euro RSCG London)
• Intel: “The Chase” (Venables Bell & Partners)
• Nokia: “The World’s Smallest Stop-Motion Character Animation” (Wieden + Kennedy London)
• Hornbach and HEIMAT Berlin: “Infinite House” (@radical.media)
• The Topsy Foundation: “Selinah” (Ogilvy Johannesburg)
• Batelco: “Infinity” (FP7/DXB, Bahrain)
• Savory Institute: “Changing Our Future” (Foresight Multimedia)
• Target: “Kaleidoscopic Fashion Spectacular” (Mother NY and Legs Media)

The winning videos can be seen today on the YouTube homepage, and you can also take a look at behind-the-scenes commentary on YouTube Show & Tell, our resource for the best creative marketing on YouTube.

Mark Sabec, Product Marketing Manager, who recently watched “Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man”

More about → Ads Worth Spreading

Coming soon: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 Grand Finale live

What began with auditions from around the world uploaded to YouTube, millions of video views, and hours of rehearsals, finally comes to life this Sunday, March 20. It has been an extraordinary experience for the 101 winning musicians of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, and in just a couple of days their collaborative experience will come to life at Sydney Opera House.

Here’s a preview of what’s to come:


The week-long YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 festival includes musical collaboration between orchestra members and world-class mentors, outdoor performances, local Aussie experiences, ensemble concerts and more. In just a few days, the creativity and technology that have powered this journey will literally light up Sydney Opera House—with animated visuals on the interior and exterior projections on the iconic sails, all synchronised to the music of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011’s performance.

You’re invited to experience this wonderful event, whether you’re inside Sydney Opera House, out around Sydney Harbour, or watching from your computer elsewhere in the world. The Grand Finale will be live-streamed on youtube.com/symphony beginning at 8:00pm Australian Eastern Standard time, and rebroadcast until the concert performance is uploaded in full, so tune in on Sunday, March 20.

Ernesto Soriano III, YouTube Australia, recently watched “YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 Day 4 Highlights.”

More about → Coming soon: The YouTube Symphony Orchestra 2011 Grand Finale live

MyYouTube International Launch: eight new countries, featuring 142 local artists.

After eight weeks of fierce competition, on February 16 we announced the winners of the MyYouTube U.S. contest. Christina Grimmie, Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Bieber claimed the top five spots and received a special winner’s masthead on the YouTube homepage.

Given the high level of involvement in the US program, we decided that MyYouTube couldn’t end there. So we ventured out to other countries to find their top local talent and get them on-board for a new wave of MyYouTube contests.

And on Wednesday, the international competitions began. The MyYouTube Contest launched in eight countries (Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico and Taiwan) and boasts a brand-new catalogue of local artists.

Check out Zoe in Mexico, Los Autenticos Decadentes in Argentina, Malaika Arora Khan in India and 2pm in Korea. Plus, we’ve sprinkled in a few global artists from the U.S. contest as well (Rihanna, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez... to name a few).

In each international contest the artists compete to score the most points. And the only way they can score points is when YOU subscribe to their YouTube channels and share to your friends on Facebook and Twitter.

By subscribing to an artist’s channel on YouTube, you get their latest videos delivered straight to your YouTube homepage, so you can easily stay up-to-date on their latest activity.

To up the stakes even further, every artist (both local and global) is offering five prizes to five people who score points for them in the contest. All you have to do is sign-in to your YouTube account, go to youtube.com/myyoutube and click “Subscribe” and “Share” for your favorite artists! You can also watch the artists’ shout-out videos and discover other YouTube channels recommended by each artist.

So head to youtube.com/myyoutube now and help your favorite artists win the MyYouTube contest in your country!

Check out all the International contests, like the Argentina one below, by clicking on the MyYouTube WorldWide drop-down in the top right corner:

Becky Chappell, Product Marketing, recently watched “Rebecca Black - Friday (Official Video).”

More about → MyYouTube International Launch: eight new countries, featuring 142 local artists.

Cool Spy Gadgets, Gears, Stuff, Toys and Tools

Spy gadgets are usually designed for police investigations or for the private investigation business. Usually, users of these spy gadgets are retired law enforcers or ex – military officials and sometimes, civilians that undergo a special training for this type of investigation. They are the ones who become Private Investigators.
But, not all people can afford to hire a private investigator. So our genius surveillance researchers have come up with this new batch of spy gadgets that were aimed to be user friendly.

Cool Spy Gadgets for Civilians

The trend now in the surveillance industry  is to make gadgets that are user friendly. Their mission now is to bring spy gadgets closer to every normal civilian who needs to investigate something but don’t have the capability to hire a private investigator. Here are some gadgets that anyone, including you, can buy.

Spy Phone Software

This mobile phone software can be used to track personal calls and message logs. It also has GPS Tracking System, SIM change detection and you can actually hear live phone calls through this. This software is very flexible because of its many features. You can use it by installing this software to the targeted phone and that’s it. You’re now an instant spy.

Wireless Spy Camera Pen

This camera has its own features of 1/3 inch CMOS, 60 deg angular field of view and 3Lux illuminations. It also has automatic white balance, 48db S/N ratio, 5 to 35 deg of transmission operation, video resolution of 882 x 240 at 30fps, backlight compensation and 2412Mhz transmission frequency. Do you know what it means? It only means that it is a camera tailor-made for spying purposes. Every second of the target’s transparent activity will be clearly captured. It has a 64MB memory capacity and a 2GB SD/MMC Card. It also has the capability to record MP3 audio at 32-320 Kbps bit rate.

Mobile Phone Jammers

This type of gadget can mess up a wireless phone's signal. So with this capability, it can temporarily remove the ability of a phone to call or even send a message. With this, you can prevent your chatty neighbors from giving out your secrets to the entire neighborhood or prevent communications of your family members with someone you do not want them to talk to.

Wrist Watch Voice Recorder

This simple watch is best used to record conversations with clear quality. It has a multistage equalizer to make that happen. Besides spying, you can also use this as a MP3 Player for listening to music.

Spy Kite

This is a wind flyer that has a digital camera attached on the frame and is capable of taking photographs from air. It is made up of fiber glass and comes with a wireless remote control that enables you to take photographs while your own feet are on the ground; best for aerial surveillance.

Com-Bat

Another form of aerial surveillance, aside from the Spy Kite, is this six-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a bat. It can send information like smell, sound and photographs to its operator. COM-BAT looks like it is designed to have power hunting potential. Its best feature is that it can get recharged through sunlight and wind.

Mini Spy Tracker

This tracker uses a GPS tracking system to locate itself. It has an accuracy of 2.5 meters, so you won’t have any problem about its precision. You can track this gadget through internet because it works with Google Earth. This gadget also records the time, date and location of movements. It has 2 LED indicators, one for GPS lock and the other for battery charge.

“Convenience and Practicality will be the primary weapons of this new generation of spy gadgets.”

This is a guest post. Author Bio and link removed as the author was selling an illegal software.

More about → Cool Spy Gadgets, Gears, Stuff, Toys and Tools

YouTube NextUp: Are you the next big thing on YouTube?

Last year, our top YouTube partners generated more than 100 billion views and drew in millions of dollars through our revenue-sharing Partner Program. Talented Partners drew huge audiences with channels that showed people how to crochet flowers, apply the perfect lipstick - and sometimes just how to have fun.

We believe that the successful singers, dancers, actors, producers, musicians and make-up artists of the future are practicing their craft on YouTube today. As we said recently, Partners are the heart of our platform, and we want to see even more of them take the next step in their YouTube careers and turn their video hobbies into careers or even businesses.

Today we’re announcing YouTube Next’s second initiative, designed exclusively for up-and-coming YouTube Partners: YouTube NextUp. YouTube NextUp is about accelerating the growth of the next big YouTube stars. Up to 25 Partners from around the United States will be selected for the development program, which offers:

• $35,000 in funding to produce a new project, purchase new tools or advance their overall YouTube careers
• A spot at a four-day YouTube Creator Camp in which they’ll benefit from 1:1 mentoring and learn an array of production techniques from leading industry and YouTube experts
• Promotion of their final work and channel
• The opportunity to become better connected with a special community of aspiring and talented content creators from around the world

We’re asking existing YouTube Partners to apply with a short (up to three minute) video that best represents their craft and the initiatives that they’d like to pursue on YouTube--whether it be a new brand of talk show, short film, or other type of new content. We’re also asking for short written responses that explain how they’ll use the $35,000, why they want to be part of the program, and what they hope to learn at the YouTube Creator Camp. Partners can apply at youtube.com/youtubenextup by midnight PT on March 27, 2011.

Our Partners succeed thanks to the support and interest of the YouTube community, so we’re encouraging the community to cast their votes on the long list of finalists from March 29 to April 8 at youtube.com/creators, to indicate who they want to see among the next generation of stars. And after this public voting ends, a final shortlist of Partners will go forward to the final round, judged by a panel of YouTube representatives. Final YouTube NextUp winners will be announced on April 20 at youtube.com/creators.

Who should apply? Up-and-coming Partners (those with less than 300,000 subscribers) who are committed to advancing their YouTube careers and to produce the next generation of fresh, compelling content. Last week, we announced another initiative from YouTube Next, the YouTube Creator Institute - please note that eligible Partners need to choose whether to apply for either that program or YouTube NextUp - sorry, you can’t apply for both! Full program and application rules are here.

Stay tuned for more YouTube Next initiatives over the coming months--both for Partners and creators in the United States and abroad. We’re excited to see what novel new online experiences and genre-pushing productions our talented Partners come up with. Apply today!

Heather Wall, New Business Development, recently watched “Star Wars According to a 3 Year Old.”

More about → YouTube NextUp: Are you the next big thing on YouTube?

Good Work – Enjoy the spotlight at the Cannes Lions Festival for a good cause

We know creative people on YouTube love turning an idea into a brilliant production. We also know they want their work to matter.

With this in mind, we’ve partnered with the 58th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Good Work, a new program that gives creative professionals the opportunity to use their skills to make a difference and gain recognition for their work. Learn more in this video:



Through Good Work, nonprofits from all over the world can submit a brief for a video ad promoting their cause. These organizations often lack the resources and time to create a truly great ad for their cause -- and this is where you can help. Pick a brief you want to work on from the Good Work briefs gallery and make an ad for that organization. Your ad can be inspirational, thought-provoking, funny, or serious -- just make sure it’s also innovative and compulsively watchable.

If you succeed, you might be strutting your stuff at this year’s Cannes Festival - five talented people will win a trip to Cannes and have their work showcased there. Could it be you?

The deadline to submit your entry is May 9, 2011. A jury of top industry experts chaired by Craig Davis, Chief Creative Officer Publicis Mojo and founder of Brandkarma, will announce the winners on May 21, 2011.

Supriya Sharma, Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “WaterAid Cracker Challenge.”

More about → Good Work – Enjoy the spotlight at the Cannes Lions Festival for a good cause

Ooh la la -- ask Gaga a question!

Attention little monsters! Channel your inner Oprah, because now is your chance to ask Lady Gaga everything you’ve always wanted to know. What’s life like on tour? What’s her favorite YouTube video? Was the meat dress really made of meat?

In Gaga’s own words:



You have until midnight PT on March 18 to submit a video or text question, so just head to Gaga's channel to submit your query or vote on the ones you want us to ask. You can also tweet your question with the hashtag #GoogleGoesGaga. We’ll share the interview with you shortly after it’s uploaded to YouTube.

So, what are you waiting for?

Andrew Schulte, Associate Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “LADY GAGA - Born This Way (Cover).”

More about → Ooh la la -- ask Gaga a question!

Steady, as she goes: better video processing with Green Parrot Pictures

At YouTube, we see 35 hours of video uploaded to the site every minute from people all over the world. Some videos are beautifully shot by professionals or aspiring filmmakers using the very latest in HD cameras and equipment. But some of YouTube’s most popular or moving videos are shot using low-quality mobile phones and video cameras. Take, for example, videos of recent protests in Libya. Although emotionally captivating, they can be jerky, blurry or unsteady. What if there was a technology that could improve the quality of such videos -- sharpening the image, reducing visual noise and rendering a higher-quality, steadier video -- all while your video is simply being uploaded to the site? You can imagine how excited we were when we discovered a small, ambitious company based in Ireland that can do exactly this.

Today, we’re pleased to announce we’ve acquired Green Parrot Pictures, a digital video technology company founded by Associate Professor Anil Kokaram at the Engineering School of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. In the last six years, their small team of engineers has built cutting-edge video quality improvement technology that has been used in major studio productions from Lord of the Rings to X-Men to Spider-Man. Their technology helps make videos look better while at the same time using less bandwidth and improving playback speed. If you’re interested in seeing some of the incredible work Green Parrot Pictures has previously done, check out some of the videos on their website.

With the equivalent of over 170,000 full-length movies uploaded to YouTube every week, the team’s experience in this area -- working on solutions for both video consumers and experts alike -- will be a source of new ideas and further innovation at YouTube and across Google. We look forward to working with them to make the videos you upload every minute of every day to our site look even better.

Jeremy Doig, Director, Google Video Technology

More about → Steady, as she goes: better video processing with Green Parrot Pictures

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu open for questions on Israeli democracy, Middle East uprisings and peace with the Palestinians

As the situation in the Middle East continues to unfold, YouTube World View invites you to submit your questions for one of the most influential leaders in the region - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The interview, which is presented in partnership with Channel 2 News, will be 100% comprised of your top-voted questions.


Whether you want to know about the popular upheavals in neighboring Middle East countries, the potential consequences of Iran getting nuclear weapons, peace talks with the Palestinians, or prospects for Israel’s hi-tech industry, ask your question at www.youtube.com/worldview, in either English or Hebrew (half of the interview will be conducted in each language). You can also submit your question via Twitter - just make sure to use hashtag #askNetanyahu.




On Wednesday, March 30, Prime Minister Netanyahu will sit down for a live interview and answer a range of the most popular questions submitted and voted on by you. The interview will be the first event in Israel ever to be streamed live on YouTube.The deadline to submit your question is Monday, March 28th at midnight GMT. As well as his interview with the YouTube community, Mr. Netanyahu will also answer the same “Big Three” questions posed to Prime Minister David Cameron and a host of other well-known personalities, so stay tuned to find out which world leader Mr. Netanyahu would most like to pose a question to.


Alon Chen, Israel Product Marketing Manager, recently watched “Eatliz - Lose This Child (HD Version)”

More about → Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu open for questions on Israeli democracy, Middle East uprisings and peace with the Palestinians