How to Create a YouTube Channel on a Budget in 2021

With the new year upon us, it is time to start reaching for those goals and aspirations you set for yourself to achieve. One of those goals for many people out there is to start a YouTube channel with hopes of becoming the next Alisha Marie or Emma Chamberlain. 

But the only obstacle that seems to stand in their way most of the time is trying to figure out where to start. It seems like most of the successful YouTuber’s out there tend to have the best quality and the best editing out there, so how can you compare to that? 

Not everyone has the funds to begin creating videos on a $2,000 camera, a $300 editing software, and the countless equipment pieces that other YouTuber’s seem to mention in their videos.  

Well, you don’t need all of that fancy stuff to begin your channel on a good foot. Here are some tips for how to begin your YouTube channel on a budget. 

1.    Camera 

The first step to creating a channel and beginning to upload videos is obviously filming the video you plan to post. The question you are most likely asking yourself is, “What should I film on?” There are many options you can take when keeping it to a budget; for example, you can either choose to film on a phone or camera.  

A phone tends to be a bit more accessible for filming because almost everyone seems to own one these days. If you own an iPhone, that camera is going to work perfectly fine for video making. The quality these days is crazy good and sometimes is better than a low budget camera. Any phone, though, will honestly do. 

If you’re looking for a bit of a better-quality camera though, there are some decently priced options out there too. My recommendations would have to be the Canon EOS M50 ($644.99 on Amazon) or the Canon G7 X Mark II ($499 on Amazon). Both are great options but it is all up to your camera preference. 

2.    Lighting  

When you’re on a budget, natural light is going to be your best friend! Easily sit in front of a window or go outside and let the sun rays beam on your face. 

If you are looking to get some artificial lights though, you can often find budget-friendly and cheap ring lights or LED lightboxes for your camera on amazon! 

3.    Editing 

This is typically the creative part of the process of making a video, so it really is going to be the part that stands out. If you are editing on your laptop or phone, the software you are going to use is going to be different.  

If you choose to edit on your phone, an app I recommend for both iPhone and Android users is an app I solely stood by for months on my own channel, which was VLLO. The features it contains are out of this world for being free, I highly recommend.  

For those laptop editors though, those on a Mac should look into iMovie, as it comes embedded into the laptop and is a great free option. Those that own a laptop running on windows should look into Blender; it is free software with many features for beginners.

I hope you found this article useful and we look forward to seeing what all of you create in 2021! Tag us on Instagram or Twitter @HerCampusSJSU, so we can see the YouTube channels you all make in this upcoming year. 

• career
• social media
• youtube