Video Tutorials
The following is a list of Second Life video tutorials. This isn't meant to be a complete compilation, but if it's here, you at least know somebody found it useful.
Torley Linden started this page with the intention of providing an easy-access resource for SL vidtuts.
Please add what you've found useful!
Linden-created Video Tutorials
You can also see these in the Knowledge Base and Torley's YouTube page:
Second Life Tip of the Week
An ongoing series which communicates practical info in a fun & fast fashion! Whether you're a newcomer or experienced Resident, you'll benefit from this enjoyable mix of topics showcasing our online world of Second Life. Like this? Share it with your friends & family! "VIRTUAL EDUCATION, REAL RESULTS."
Click on a title to watch it, and you can also download these tips for FREE:
- LOFI = Smaller movies optimized for streaming in Second Life (you'll need QuickTime) — copy the links and share them on your land!
- HIFI = Bigger, higher-quality files. Right-click and save them to disk for keeps.
- How to turn off the typing animation and sound
- How to move your camera further and better
- A yummy mix of user interface tricks
- How to use beacons and highlights
- 3 useful "Show" options in the Tools menu
- More inventory management tips
- A deeper taste of the pie menu
- How to deal with some common annoyances
- How to create and join a group
- How to use the new Search
- Welcome to WindLight!
- How to easily boost viewer performance
- How to show your stuff in our new Search
- How to set multiple permissions easier
- How to get texture info
- How to make a gift box… happy holidays!
- How to run multiple viewers at the same time!
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[**** LOFI] [**** HIFI]
Learn more about Torley's work on the Official Linden Blog.
More!
These are older vidtuts which preceded the TotW. As such, some references may be noticeably out-of-date, but most of the fundamentals are still relevant today.
- 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
- Assorted Tips & Tricks - A yummy stew including a hearty helping of FollowCam!
- Advanced Snapshot Magic - Take better pictures!
- How to send a postcard
Resident-created Video Tutorials
Assorted topics
- Video Tutorials - By Amras Alder.
- Cramped Quarters - Help for your avatar walking in tight spaces.
- Snapshot Magic - Learn a professional approach to taking snapshots.
- Slow Motion Animation - Learn a photographer’s dream option for superior snapshots!
- Joystick Flycam - WAIT! This tip is for those *without* joysticks!
- Finding Hidden Objects - How to find & edit an invisible prim buried in particles.
- Friendship or Calling Card? - Friendship has its disadvantages. Let's have a look.
- Inventory Tricks - Look over my shoulder as I manipulate my inventory.
- Client Paramaters - Learn how to add options to your SL shortcut!
- Alpha Edges - Learn how to alter a thin prim's (modifiable) edge to be transparent.
- Ghost Prims: Epilogue - Corrects misstatement & demonstrates Region Restart.
- Ghost Prims - What they are and what must be done to get rid of them.
- Windlight Beta: ATI Fix - Having Windlight issues with your ATI card? Here's a work-around.
- Particle Grief - Locate a hidden (buried) particle generator and learn your options.
- Test Viewers - Where to find them and why you may not like them.
- Preferences/Graphics - Explains Preferences/Graphics tab item-by-item (viewer 1.18.4 (3)).
- Preferences/Network - Explains Preferences/Network tab item-by-item.
- Lag Meter - Identify the source(s) of your lag with this underrated tool.
- Preferences/Input & Camera - Explains Preferences/Input & Camera tab item-by-item.
- The Beta Grid - Introduction to yet another SL playground!
- Preferences/General - Explains Preferences/General tab item-by-item.
- New Dazzle SL Interface - Peek at the new SL User Interface "Dazzle"
- Sunken Feet - How to pull your buried feet out of the ground.
- Logoff Prevention - Disable automatic logoff when your avatar is idle too long. Hooray!
- IM Window Tricks - Yes, you *can* make the new IM window smaller, and more.
- Map Tricks - How the SL map displays xyz sim addresses, and more.
- Mouse Moves Sun - How to have beautiful sunsets or lighting any time, any place!
- Disable Camera Constraints - How and why it's a good thing, with some extra tips to assist.
- Quiet Snapshots - Take snapshots without default sound and animation.
- Hover Tips & More - How & why to engage/disengage Hover Tips.
- How to hide your HUDs - Remove HUDs from view!
- Ugly Horizon Fix - Get rid of that pesky horizon anomaly.
- Vidéos tutos en Français - By Teruki Shan, in French. Retrouvez toutes mes vidéos tutos sur mon site internet, ou dans la liste suivante:
- S'inscrire à Second Life
- Se connecter à Second Life
- Orientation Island - Move - Mouvements
- Orientation Island - Appearance - Apparence
- Orientation Island - Communicate - Communication
- Orientation Island - Search - Rechercher
- Fonctionalitées de l'Interface de Second Life
- Modifier et Sauvegarder son Apparence
- Ouvrir et Porter le Contenu d'une Boite
- Création d'Objet - Créer un Objet
- Créer un Objet Simple : Une Chaise
- Tutorial video in Italiano sul blog Tumitu - Come si creano Oggetti complessi in Secondlife. A breve ne inseriremo altri.
- Tutorials & Tools - By Vlad Bjornson. These cover topics like Vlad's "Top 10 Building Tips" and sculpted prims.
- Twenty Tutorials - By Benja Kepler. A wide range of subjects, including: how to leave Orientation Island, making furniture, sculpted prims, and scripting.
- How to get started in Second Life - By Mkyschnitzel Campbell, in German and English. general, 34-minute introduction to Second Life. Topics: avatars, communication, Search, interaction, and some locations to show the wide range of possible inworld activities.
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 animate your creations - How to animate your creations with linked prim animation using Puppeteer by Todd Borst.
- How to build a bridge - By Noire Mirabeau — a relatively vintage example of an SL vidtut.
- Assorted resources and links - By Thinkerer Melville. Includes guides to filming machinima and telling a story, some video tutorials, and movies of inworld adventures.
- Using snapshot freeze to take precise pictures - By Bella March. By doing this, you can achieve better action shots without re-shooting multiple times.
External software
- Using Photoshop's "Liquify" tool - By Vint Falken. This can help you smooth out and enhance avatar snapshots dramatically.
- Wings 3D sculpted prim vidtuts - Learn how to use an external modeler good for exporting sculpties to Second Life.
Machinima
- Top 10 Machinima Tips - By Eric Linden.
- 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.
- How to use the Alt-Zoom Camera - moo Money guides us through using this tool to film movies.
- Another Alt-Zoom camera tutorial - Alt-Zoom camera tutorial by Nimrod.
Using specific products
- tFinder quickstart - By Cid Vilas. Learn how to use tFinder, the texture search engine.
- How To Turn a JEVN Vendor into a Hippo Vendor Part 1
- How To Turn a JEVN Vendor into a Hippo Vendor Part 2 - By Rose Evans. Learn how to take a JEVN Vendor, such as a P10 or P20 model (though for the demo I use a 6 panel for speed. :D ), and make it into a Hippo Vendor. As I (Rose) say, if you are converting from JEVN to Hippo you got to build it anyway you might as well use what ya got already set up. :D Best viewed full screen!
Feature demos
These aren't intentionally educational, but highlight specific aspects of Second Life.
- WindLight teaser (slow & relaxing version) - By Torley Linden.
- WindLight atmospheric rendering - By Torley Linden.
- Sculpted prims - By Qarl Linden.
- Flexible prims - By Torley Linden.
Related resources
- How to convert YouTube videos for playing in Second Life - Step-by-step tutorial for when you want to show a fave clip inworld.
- YouTube search results for Second Life Video Tutorials - The list is growing!
- SL Frustration: Video Tutorials, please? - Sometimes when I ask myself "Why am I doing this?" while filming, I (Torley) read this post and am reminded of how confused I was when I started. It's insightful.
- How to convert YouTube videos for playing in Second Life - An answer to a question that many ask.
- teachtube.com - Because K-12 institutions routinely block YouTube, it can be difficult to show great educational examples of Second Life, as well as those wonderful tutorials by Torley and others. However, TeacherTube.com as a purely educational alternative. The list is small.