Video Tutorials

The following's a list of Second Life tutorials. This isn't meant to be a complete compilation, but specifically lists tutorials I've personally viewed and have found helpful. I (Torley Linden) started this with the intention of providing an easy-access resource for SL vidtuts, because currently (2007-02-27), they're scarce and hard-to-find.

Please add what you've found useful; all I request is that you keep the presentation consistent so this page serves future generations well, and I'll be revisiting to learn from your knowledge —

"May we watch over the shoulders of our enlightened educators with smiles as plentiful as water!"

Vidtuts in the Knowledge Base

• Current ones made by Torley - You can also see these on my YouTube page, including:
  • How to use gestures
  • How to manage your inventory
  • How to use HUDs
  • How to change your appearance
  • How to open and sell boxes
  • How to use the building grid
  • How to fill in your profile
  • How to create and send a notecard
  • How to use Undo
  • How to make a flag that waves in wind
  • How to to make tiny prims
  • Advanced Snapshot Magic - Take better pictures!
  • Assorted Tips & Tricks - A yummy stew including a hearty helping of FollowCam!

Content creation

• n00b Be Gone series - By Natural Selection Studios.
  • Camera Tutorial - "how to interact with objects, different forms of camera controls, and a few ‘unknown’ tricks"
  • Building Tutorial - "basic building inside Second Life - as well as continuing camera controls learned in the first episode"

• Building in Second Life series - By Ian Monstre.
  • Building a Clock - How to make a timepiece that really works, in 7 parts.
  • Open/Close Door - "how to create a door that opens and closes when touched"
  • Create a Fluttering flag - Flag vidtuts are a great way to show flexiprims in action.

• Building and scripting series - By Seeter Sullivan.
  • How to build a chair
  • How to create an interactive sign
  • How to embed texture onto an object
  • How to embed a notecard onto an object
  • How to link an object to a webpage
  • How to create links within a notecard
  • How to create a dropbox
  • How to create a teleport link

• How to build a bridge - By Noire Mirabeau, in a relatively vintage example of an SL vidtut.

• Assorted resources and links - Includes guides to filming machinima and telling a story, some video tutorials, and movies of inworld adventures. By Thinkerer Melville.

• How to create a forest wall - By Benja Kepler. "shows how to make a 'forest wall' of two wall panels and the way a single photograph can be applied to them both"

• Creating a Sculpted Prim : 1. The Apple - By Benja Kepler. Shows the steps required to create a sculpted prim, and includes close-ups of the build tools so that detail can be seen of the settings and options.

• Using snapshot freeze to take precise pictures - By Bella March. By doing this, you can achieve better action shots without re-shooting multiple times.

• Using Photoshop's "Liquify" tool - By Vint Falken. This can help you smooth out and enhance avatar snapshots dramatically.

• tFinder quickstart - By Cid Vilas. Learn how to use tFinder, the texture search engine.

Machinima

• How to use the Alt-Zoom Camera - moo Money guides us through using this tool to film movies.

Introductory guides

• Top 10 Machinima Tips - By Eric Linden.
• Basic Machinima Tutorial - By The Grid Review.
• How to make a movie in Second Life - By Alt-Zoom Studios.
• Making Machinima in Second Life on Mac OS X - By Aenea Nori. Although specifically discussing the technical aspects of creating Machinima in Mac OS X, the concepts are applicable to Windows users as well.
• Vidder Maker Workshop -- The Six Gates - By Thinkerer Melville.

Misc.

• YouTube search results for Second Life Video Tutorials - The list is small and growing!
• SL Frustration: Video Tutorials, please? - Sometimes when I ask myself "Why am I doing this?" while filming, I read this post and am reminded of how confused I was when I started. It's insightful.
• secondlife.com Community: Media - Showcase of finished, Resident-made machinima.