Summary: This article outlines the general steps for preparing a video item for uploading.
Please note: Certain types of Videos have specific requirements to sell the item on Envato. Please refer to the Technical Requirements under this theme category for more specific information related to your item type.
3. Create a Preview Video & Using the Watermark
5. Adding Audio references to Video Items
1. Save your Main File(s)
It is important to organize your project file making sure to include only files or assets that are necessary for your project to function properly.
The different categories of files that you can submit to Envato are:
- After Effects Project File - Ensure that your project file meets the requirements outlined in this article.
- Apple Motion Templates - Ensure that your project file meets the requirements outlined in this article.
- Motion Graphics File - Ensure that your project meets the submission requirements outlined in this article. The accepted file formats are:
- Quicktime MOV
- MP4
- Stock Footage File - Ensure that your file meets the requirements outlined in this article. The accepted file formats are:
- Quicktime MOV
- MP4
- Cinema 4D Templates - Ensure that your project file meets the requirements outlined in this article.
- Add Ons:
- After Effects Script - Ensure that your script meets the requirements outlined in this article.
- After Effects Plugin - Ensure that your plugin meets the requirements outlined in this article
- Premiere Pro Templates - Ensure that your template file meets the requirements outlined in this article.
Please make sure that your main file has been compressed before uploading. Files exceeding 3GB in total size may be rejected if compression has not been optimized. If your file exceeds 500MB, use FTP upload process to submit your project.
2. Check your Assets
Licenses:
- Make sure you have the correct licenses for any assets you have included in your item.
- This includes assets that are in your Item Preview only; you will still need a commercial license for preview assets.
- If you have assets that are linked to the main file, be certain you've included them in your .zip file.
- For these assets you will need to ensure you have a commercial redistribution license (the rights to re-sell that asset).
- Check if any of the assets you have used require attribution
- Please read What assets can i use in my items? For more information on choosing assets to include in your items.
Malicious Content
- Check that your item does not contain any malware or viruses.
- We take security very seriously, and may need to take action such as removing items or accounts and contacting affected customers if viruses or malicious software is found in your item.
3. Create a Preview Video & Using the Watermark
Create an H.264 MP4 or FLV version of your video at 1920x1080 (or 960x540 for half resolution) and overlay the video watermark when applicable. This will help prevent copyright breach and unauthorized use of your file.
You should only use the watermark in the preview videos for the items where your preview shows the actual item being purchased. For Project Files, or other categories requiring customization, the watermark is not required since customers need access to the source files in order to use the video.
Following categories DO require watermark in the preview videos:
- Stock Footage
- Motion Graphics
Following categories DO NOT require watermark in the preview videos:
- After Effects Project Files
- After Effects Add Ons
- Premiere Pro Templates
- Apple Motion Project Files
- Cinema 4D Project Files
Watermark Image
The video watermark has been provided as a transparent PNG file in the following two resolutions:
- 1920x1080 (For full resolution preview videos)
- 960x540 (For half resolution preview videos)
Please note that any video submissions that do not follow the above watermark resolution will not be accepted.
Applying the Watermark
Follow these steps to apply watermark to your previously created preview video:
Full Resolution Preview Videos
- Place your full resolution video on the timeline.
- Place the appropriate watermark image on a layer above the video.
Half Resolution Preview Videos
- Create a new video with 960x540 resolution.
- Place your full resolution video onto the timeline.
- Scale your video down by 50% so that it fits the full frame of the preview resolution.
- Place the 960x540 version of the watermark image on a layer above the video.
Render or export the watermarked video in either MP4 or FLV format.
Other Preview Requirements
- The video watermark should not be altered in any way, shape, or form. It should be applied exactly how it is been provided.
- Preview videos should be clear and free of any compression artifacts.
- Compressing the video can sometimes make the watermark less visible or not appear smooth. In this case, you should render your preview video with a higher bitrate setting.
- As we do not have an official file size restriction for preview videos, it is best to keep it as small as possible as this will ensure fast load times for customers. You should render a few versions of your preview with different compression settings to find the best quality image that can be achieved with the lowest file size.
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Please note apart from the official VideoHive watermark, we do not accept submissions with additional watermarks or branding.
4. Create a Help File
Every project file on VideoHive is required to have a built-in help file. This help file is intended to serve as a quick guide for customers walking them through your organizational methods, naming conventions, compositions, layers, and effect parameters. The help file should be a short and effective guide on your file within the software.
What Should I Add to my Help file?
Put yourself in a customer's shoes, and think about your file, and what elements within it you'd want to change if you bought the file for a project.
1. Folder Structure
Right off the bat, you're going to want to explain your folder structure. Making a clean folder structure to begin with makes this part easy. Explain how your compositions are set up, and then touch on some important layers within those compositions. For example, let's say your project has one main placeholder image that can be replaced with the customer's asset. You're going to want to tell the customer where the placeholder can be found within the project. The following text would be appropriate:
"To change the main placeholder, navigate to the folder "Compositions" and then open the composition titled "Main_Placeholder". From there you will see two layers. Your asset needs to be placed on the top layer."
This way you can help your customer getting familiar with the structuring of the project file making it easy to navigate through your project folder and locating essential elements.
2. Customization Process
This is where you can guide through the customization process. Below is a list of elements that you should explain to your customers. While discussing these elements, not only should you explain where they are, but also explain any tips or hints that will make modifications easier.
- Placeholders - Explain where the placeholder compositions are located, and how a user should approach replacing them.
- Text & Titles - Explain where the text compositions are located, and how these can be modified.
- Backgrounds - If your project contains extra backgrounds, or one background can be modified, explain how to replace them.
- Colors - If you have any means of controlling color, through an effect or another form, explain which attribute within the effect changes the color.
- Extending or Shortening the Animation (not required, but appreciated)
3. Tools and Tips
When explaining these changes, try to include any tips or hints that will make these changes faster. Doing this also allows you to explain modifications in a shorter process.
Always remember that you are not teaching customers how to use the software, you are teaching them how to modify your project. A good strategy is making effective use of pre-compositions so that customers only need to open a folder called Modify (or something along those lines).Within this folder would be all the compositions that could be modified.
Some authors choose to cover handy tips which customers always appreciate. For instance, you could explain how to replace the current layer with the new one. While retaining any effects, keyframes, or settings that were on the original placeholder layer, by holding the ALT key on the keyboard and dragging the new asset on top of the selected layer.
4. Which Format Should I Choose?
At this point, you need to choose which format of your help file. And this really comes down to your preference. We accept the following formats that are cross OS compatible (Windows & Mac), and that can effectively explain the process:
- Video Tutorials - Many authors find screen recordings much easier to create. Especially in terms of time. Videos are also preferred by many customers. Video tutorials must be provided in the MOV or MP4 formats.
- RTF - Simple and to the point.
- HTML
Choose the format, include the required information, save it, and then add it to your main file's zip folder. Your project file along with the help file will be reviewed by our team, and if anything needs to be changed or added, they will get in touch with you.
5. Adding Audio references to Video Items
If you have used a watermarked AudioJungle track in your video preview to showcase your item, then you will need to add a credit (otherwise known as attribution) to your item description. Please note that these are preview only and you cannot include watermarked items from other authors in your item download.
Follow these steps to add the credit:
- Navigate to the Market item Edit page.
- Click the Update Description tab and go to the AudioJungle Items Used in Preview attributes.
- Select the appropriate option between "AudioJungle Items Used in Preview", "Non-AudioJungle audio is used in preview video" and "N/A" for Not Applicable.
- In the case of "AudioJungle Items Used in Preview" option being chosen, open the AudioJungle item page in another browser tab. Copy the last part (ID) of the URL e.g: https://audiojungle.net/item/folk-acoustic/20255460 - In this example, the AudioJungle ID is 20255460.
- Navigate back to your video item page and add the AudioJungle ID into the text field. If multiple AudioJungle files are used, separate the IDs with a comma and spaces, eg: 123456, 123349, 8764589.
- You also need to put in your item description box (in HTML, or use the Text Description box if the item is also on Envato Elements) that the music is not included in the download of your item, and paste in the Item ID or link again. This is so customers can easily click the link from your item description to get the matching music to your video.
- Select the appropriate options between Yes and No for the attribute "External Audio is Used in Preview Video".
- Click Save Changes and then you’re done!
Important! If this item is on Envato Elements as well, you will need to add the AudioJungle Item ID and Authors' Username into your Text Description Field on your item Edit page. Elements does not support HTML.
6. Final Steps
- Check that your title, description and tags follow our Metadata Requirements and that your previews and thumbnails meet the Item Presentation requirements.
- Combine your finished project file and all supporting files/folders into a single zip folder.
- Upload Your File: refer to Uploading instructions or go straight to VideoHive if you already know how to upload.
Please note: Stock Footage authors will have submission limits restricting the amount of items they can upload on a weekly basis. This amount will change depending on a number of factors, but you will be able to see your current limit when you upload your items. No other categories within Video currently have submission limits.