The Easiest Way to Add Video to Your Blog

You’ve asked, we’ve answered. One of the most popular TypePad requests is to make it easier to add video to your blog. Earlier this week, we added Video (and Audio) uploads to the Compose toolbar so it's simple click and paste to add video.

New Toolbar Options

To add a video, just click on the Video button -- it looks like a filmstrip --, copy and paste a web page address (URL) and the video will be automatically inserted. There are still some Video players that require HTML to embed a video, so that option is available as well.

Here’s what the Vimeo video I linked above displayed on my blog.

An Action is Worth a Thousand Words
I could describe this feature in a thousand words, but it's so easy I recommend you just give it a try. I’ve added a few links here to get you started. (You can also search Vimeo, YouTube or other video sites for your favorites.) Just copy a link below and add it to your blog via the video button:

• William Kamkwamba’s “Moving Windmills” story: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arD374MFk4w
• Seth Godin’s Sliced Bread and Other Marketing Delights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg
• Guy Kawasaki’s Art of the Start: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3xaeVXTSBg
• Ali Edwards’ Half-Circle Embellishments tutorial: http://vimeo.com/5630744
• TypePad Tips for a Successful Business Blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXD1KnhjSVc
• Or the campiest trailer ever, Mega Shark vs Giant Octupus:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fa7ck5mcd1o

Let us know what you think, or give a link to your favorite video post below.

Bonus Tip
If you haven’t tried out the TypePad Bookmarklet, give it a try. The Bookmarklet is a great way to grab and add videos, quotes, and pictures to your blog as you surf the web. Learn more about the bookmarklet and add it to your browser.

Posted by Mark Simmons.

Comments

[Mike Shwe]

Sweet! thanks for this feature. It is so much easier to be able to see the video in the Rich Text view, instead of having to go to the HTML view.

[Walter Adamson]

It's disappointing that you didn't add the simple customization features available when you add an image - how hard could that be? It's also well known that unless you add the value=opaque as a parameter the videos (or slideshows) will often not show up on Typepad blogs especially when using Chrome, so that should be added.
Walter http://xeesm.com/walter

[Your PlanPlus Online Coaches]

Nice Work , Thanks for this - Mike

[The Typepad Team]

Thanks for the suggestions, Walter.

This is a *big* improvement over the old method, but we're not finished. We'll continue to improve image, video and audio features.

[Mark Simmons]

Glad you like it, Mike.

[Anastasia]

Great feature! I love it!

[JimF]

Correction: Worked on a third try. Looks like my log-in had timed out. Sorry to be misleading.

[Jon Cobler]

Is there an easy way to embed a youtube video (or other) directly from an iPhone? I've managed to use the "Blog it" bookmarklet in Safari, but it's a little sketchy. Is there a mobile version of the posting interface that includes the embed video option?

I would like to be able to record a video on my iPhone, upload to YouTube and then embed to Typepad blog as simply as I can an image...

Thanks!

[Ms. Baltimore]

My video is made on a flip camcorder. Are there instructions on how to embed it directly to my blog without putting it on YouTube or a public website first?

[Jon Cobler]

You can try Pixelpipe... You have to upload your video somewhere that will host it and provide the code for you to "Embed" it, which basically means put it in a player vs. a download link. As far as I know Typepad will let you upload it to their servers which gives you a link, but doesn't give you code to embed a player.

[Brenda Pinnick]

As you are "grabbing" other's videos and pictures, please remember to observe copyright laws and ask first. Just because something is on the web doesn't mean it's yours to use. Please respect the rights of photographers, artists and all intellectual property rights holders...it is the law.
Thank you!

[Jim]

How do I add video that is resident on my hard drive or from a disc?

[Linda Fisher]

Is there a way to re-size the videos from you tube so it does not overlap on the blog?

[Ginevra]

Hi Linda! I asked our TypePad One support team for help with this one.

YouTube offers sizes for their embed code:
http://clip2net.com/clip/m9323/1257381771-clip-18kb.png

Then, you can select the smaller width video and copy the new embed code.

[hewn & hammered]

Hello Ginevra and Linda.

I've found that Youtube's standard sizes just don't cut it for many of the Typepad templates. If your content column is smaller than 480 pixels wide - a 450-wide column in Journal, for example - the right hand side of the video will be cut off. This happens whether you choose to embed the embed code, or use the "one touch" Typepad method, the first choice of the two.

There is a way around this, however.

Simply embed the video as you would normally - go ahead and use the one-touch method - and then edit the post's html, altering both the object and container size - you'll see two sets of measurements, and you want to make sure the width of the video AND the container is the same as your column width; the height should be proportional to that - you can use any online proportion wheel/calculator to figure this out.

I tried it here and it worked well, this is with the Journal theme:

http://www.hewnandhammered.com
It would be great if 6A could do this alteration/calculation for us as part of the video-embedding process though, hint hint ... then it would work for EVERYONE.

[hewn & hammered]

Jim, the easiest way to do this is to upload the video to Youtube and then embed it. The benefit here is that Youtube handles hosting and bandwidth.

[Joel Suggs, PGA Master Teaching Professional]

What if I just want to insert a Video from my Computer or my Flip Video Library?
Thanks!!!

[the WanderingSalsero]

Maybe I'm not 'expert' enough but I don't see the big deal. I never thought it was a problem to add videos the old way...with the HTML code.

Regardless, I still like Typepad.

Art

[Kathy Kelly]

My Window Media Audio files will not load up to blog from my server. The error message is:
"You have entered a URL that is either invalid or a URL for a media that can no longer be found"
Suggestions?

[Mahogany Reef]

How about a fix so mobile postings that have an image attached are automatically scaled to the default posting image setting?? Instead of the current stretching to fit the column...

[JimF]

You can take the embed code YouTube offers, paste it anywhere, Notepad, or after its on Typepad, click the HTML tab, and simply edit the numbers for height and width. You don't need to touch any of the code. Be sure to keep them in proportion, or the image box will be distorted, i.e. if you reduce the width by 22%, make sure you reduce the height number by 22%.

Unfortunately, the standard YouTube sizes don't fit many Typepad templates, which kind of defeats the purpose of the simplifying entry.

[Marin Lacrosse Club]

Would love to upload video from an iPhone as well.

Guessing that as long as you've got the Youtube url once you've uploaded there, it's just one extra step...