NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, have received a lot of attention recently. This is unsurprising, particularly when you hear stories about musicians earning tens of millions on a single NFT.
So, we learned how to make an NFT and sell it, and later, we learned how to create an NFT marketplace.
When you peek at the market, you’ll notice that NFTs have exploded in popularity recently.
Because under tracking company DappRadar, NFT trading rose from $100 million in 2020 to an astounding $22 billion in 2021.
And the combined market capitalization of the top 100 NFTs is a whopping $16.7 billion.
However, what is an NFT, and how is one created?
The concept can be perplexing to grasp. But fear not; we’ll walk you through all the necessary fundamentals and methods for creating and minting your own NFT.
Table of Contents
How To Make An NFT: What is an NFT?
NFTs are digital assets that maintain and verify their unique identity on a blockchain (a digital ledger).
Each NFT is non-fungible, which means it cannot be traded for another asset of comparable value.
The most often used NFT assets are photos, video, audio, GIFs, and collectibles.
NFTs retain their value because only one version of the assets is manufactured. In other words, an NFT can only have a single owner at a time—no one can change the owner or mint additional NFTs on the blockchain.
As a result of this scarcity, creators/owners of NFTs can set their asset prices.
How do NFTs work?
NFTs necessitate the creation of digital tokens using cryptography. In the cryptocurrency realm, this process is known as minting.
Typically, minting NFTs requires payment to create intelligent contracts via cryptocurrency.
Smart contracts are snippets of software code that enable the blockchain to securely and transparently store data.
These regulations are ultimately responsible for regulating the ownership and transferability of NFTs.
Do you want to learn how to make an NFT for free? You’re in the right place.
Who can create an NFT?
Anyone with a small budget can create an NFT. Today’s NFT platforms include tools for creating various types of NFTs and for attaching unlocked information to files.
Whether you’re an artist, musician, collector, entrepreneur, or business, you may mint your NFT by utilizing simple minting tools on NFT marketplaces.
Popular NFT examples
Before we delve into the details of NFT creation, let’s look at some famous NFT examples to get you started.
4.1. Everyday: the First 5000 Days
This NFT is a digital collage comprised of 5,000 photos created by Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple. It was minted in a JPG file and sold for $69.3 million in 2021 at a major auction house.
Beeple created the 5,000 daily futuristic photos between May 1, 2007, and January 7, 2021, contributing to its worth.
4.2. Nyan Cat GIF
The nice thing about NFTs is that anyone may create a one-of-a-kind asset. Nyan Cat’s designer decided to turn the enormously popular GIF into an NFT and sell it off to commemorate its tenth anniversary.
Can you guess the successful bid? 300 Ethereum tokens are available! (Moreover, $803,796 was used at the time of this writing, based on Ethereum’s current price.)
4.3. Bored Ape Yacht Club
The Bored Ape Yacht Club is a highly successful NFT collection of 10,000 cartoonish apes.
Four friends were inspired to use apes as their social avatars after learning “aping in,” which refers to those who purchase new NFTs without contemplating the associated hazards.
They had yet to learn that everyone, from business people to celebrities, would copy them and invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in their creations a few years later. (Eminem just paid a stunning $462,000 for a Bored Ape NFT.)
4.4. Doge NFT
Like collectors who pay exorbitant prices for cult toys and rare products, the Doge NFT demonstrates how digital scarcity may increase the value of legendary creations.
For example, the famous meme of a grinning Shiba Inu dog named Kabosu sold for $4 million in June 2021. Interestingly, the investor group that acquired the NFT now sells fractional ownership, which means anyone can own a piece for as little as $1.
Creating and minting an NFT
Now comes the meat of the matter. So, let’s look at the fundamental stages for creating your NFTs. Bear in mind that this is not intended to be an exhaustive guide.
Numerous methods exist depending on the tools you use, so use these suggestions as a guideline.
5.1. Determine the type of NFT that you wish to create.
NFTs are adaptable—you have various options for the type you want to create. For example, you can choose from multiple products, including artwork, event tickets, memes, media and music, games, and virtual items.
You can even create an NFT for real-world objects, such as rare collector figures or a celebrity-signed photograph.
They’re frequently in the form of an image, audio, or video file, such as JPG, PNG, MP4, or MOV.
If you choose to make a simple NFT, you will not necessarily require the services of a developer. However, if your NFT is a more complicated item, such as a game, or contains a complex smart contract (sale conditions), you may require the assistance of a developer.
Consider how you may provide value to your audience while making your first NFT.
For example, if you currently own a business, you can experiment with creating a loyalty card or an exclusive promotional code. Additionally, you may always commission a personalized piece of art.
5.2. Choose an NFT marketplace
There are numerous NFT marketplaces to choose from when minting your piece. Each NFT marketplace has advantages and disadvantages for vendors, so do your research before deciding.
OpenSea, Rarible, and SolSea are three of the most widely used.
These platforms facilitate new creators’ entry into the realm of NFTs.
Some require you to authenticate or write your NFT to the blockchain, while others, such as OpenSea and Rarible, permit “shortcuts,” such as lazy minting.
In lazy minting, you can avoid some fees by offering your NFT for sale without writing it to the blockchain and then passing the cost on to the buyer if it is purchased.
One of the most critical factors for newcomers is fees, frequently called “gas.” Each marketplace has its costs, which vary according to how you intend to mint and sell your NFT.
For example, in some situations, OpenSea charges an initialization fee of up to $100.
5.3. Setup a cryptocurrency wallet
The next step is to create a digital wallet to store your cryptocurrencies and NFTs. A critical factor to consider when selecting a wallet is compatibility with the blockchain and NFT marketplace you intend to utilize to mint your NFTs.
While other crypto wallets are available, most NFT producers use the MetaMask browser extension wallet.
This simple wallet connects to most blockchains that create and trade NFTs, including Ethereum and Binance Smart Chain. Enjin, AlphaWallet, and Trust Wallet are also popular wallets.
Nota Bene: Most NFT wallets are browser-based and only as secure as the underlying browser application. We recommend investing in a hardware wallet, such as the Ledger Nano X, for optimal security.
Hardware wallets securely store your private keys, which are used to manage multiple coins and non-fungible token assets on blockchains.
5.4. Purchase crypto through an exchange
After you’ve created a wallet, you’ll need to buy some cryptocurrency to pay for the gas used to mint your NFTs.
The simplest way to accomplish this is to register with a trustworthy exchange, such as Binance, Kraken, or Crypto.com. The procedure is straightforward and may be carried out entirely on your smartphone.
Once you’ve created an account, you can purchase cryptocurrency.
To begin minting NFTs, you must first buy Ethereum (ETH) or Solana (SOL) coins, depending on the blockchain you wish to mint. Once this is completed, transfer your coins to the wallet you set in the preceding step.
To transfer funds from an exchange to your crypto wallet, follow these steps:
1. Begin by logging into the exchange.
2. Click the Wallets tab in the top or bottom navigation bar.
3. Specify the relevant currency by tapping Withdraw.
4. In the Address field, type your wallet’s address.
5. Choose the right network (ERC-20 for ETH, Solana for SOL).
6. Enter the intended withdrawal amount and click Withdraw.
Integrate your wallet with the NFT platform and start minting.
After topping up your wallet, you must connect it to the NFT platform, where your digital asset will be created. Then, allow us to demonstrate the steps necessary (we’ll use the marketplace Rarible as an example).
1. Navigate to Rarible.com and click the Connect Wallet button in the screen’s upper-right corner.
2. Select a digital wallet (MetaMask) and grant Rarible access to your accounts.
3. Click Connect con, confirm your age, and accept the platform’s terms of service.
4. Return to Rarible’s site and click the blue Create icon in the right-hand corner.
5. Decide whether to create a single digital copy of your NFT or several copies to resell the same item.
6. Add the digital file you wish to mint as an NFT to your uploads.
7. You will then be prompted to select the method to sell your NFT file. It is not required to sell the asset while it is being created. After minting it, you can sell it and choose a minimum price.
8. Decide whether to provide a whole high-resolution version of your NFT or to include unlockable features accessible via a secret download URL or webpage.
9. Specify Rarible as the NFT collection.
10. Add a title and a description to your NFT artwork.
11. Specify the royalty percentage you wish to receive on secondary sales.
12. Specify the parameters of your file, such as its color or size in pixels.
13. Click the Create item option.
14. Authenticate the transaction in your crypto wallet (pay the gas fees).
15. Click Confirm > Upload file and Mint token.
16. Confirm contract integrations in your wallet (a small gas fee will be charged for creating the smart contract).
17. Sign a sell order by clicking Sign in your wallet.
That concludes the discussion. Your NFT is now ready for distribution. To access the newly created NFT, navigate to Profile > My Items. Your NFT memorabilia will appear on your screen.
Your NFTs are more remote than you imagine.
When first learning about NFTs, entering the market independently may appear prohibitively hard or impossible.
However, it is more possible than it seems with sufficient diligence, persistence, and imagination.
And who knows: if you play your cards well, you may eventually join the million-dollar NFT club!
Have you learned something new in this free guide on making and selling an NFT?
In our next post, we will discuss how much it costs to create an NFT for a beginner.
How to create and mint an NFT FAQ
Can you mint an NFT free of charge?
If your chosen NFT platform allows lazy minting, it is possible. This procedure generates metadata about an NFT without actually creating the NFT.
When someone acquires an NFT, it is legally minted, and the buyer is charged for the gas used.
Bear in mind that fees may surprise anyone attempting to buy your creations. Thus, while you avoid minting fees, you may pay the price in lost sales and portfolio chances.
How much does an NFT cost to make?
The cost of minting an NFT frequently varies according to gas and site fees. For example, on the Ethereum blockchain, the cost of securing the token is approximately $70. The average site fee is roughly $300, while some sites let users post non-ferrous metals for free.
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