How Do I Create An NFT?

An NFT is an odd name for a digital image, similar to a JPEG or PNG.

An NFT is essentially a trading card.

Logically, an NFT is just like a traditional print, or a Giclée. A run of prints of a photo or of actual inkprints might have 30 unique copies, thus increasing their value. The artist pledges not to make any more in that run, often, so that there is some gravitas to each copy. It is '1 of 30'. Seven of Nine.

A giclee is a digital print copy of a canvass or other work of art, but with real paint added to the borders and often surface to give it texture and life. This allows artists to 'cheat' and deliver a halfway-to-an-original. Not an original, but still way more fun to look at than a printer copy.

An NFT is an odd name for the exact same thing, digitally.

NFTs have a lot of potential future applications.

For our purposes, we're looking at them in their function as unique digitally-signed copies of art - digital prints, 1 of 1, or 1 of 5 - or as wholly unique works - or as guarantors, certificates of authenticity that go along with a physically purchased work of handmade art.

Making An NFT: Step 1

Get a picture you want to make into a permanent web thingy.

It can be an archival-quality photo of your masterpiece(s), or it can be a giphy pixely 222x221 nightmare.

Nobody cares - no rules out here.

Making An NFT: Step 2 - Get NEAR!

In this example, we're using Mintbase and NEAR, because that's what we use at the Provocateur.

Step 2 is: Make a NEAR Wallet, and get yourself some NEAR.

This is way cheaper than other options, such as 'minting' aka 'stamping' or just 'creating' your NFT with something like Ethereum, for obscure redditable reasons.

See Here: NEAR Wallet - wallet.near.org

Making An NFT: Step 3 - Mintbase

Are we there yet?

Muddle the NEAR and add tequila.

Your next instruction is simple - make a mintbase.

If you're stuck on how to make a NEAR wallet or how to actually get some NEAR, the oracle will help you.

Making An NFT: Step 4 - Minting

As a synaesthetic I really think 'stamping' is a better word for what happens next here, but I'm just a website.

Once you have your picture + your wallet and your

Mintbase , then you can make an NFT!

It's not too much more complicated than adding any photo to anything on the internet.

Inside your new mintbase, you click 'create' or 'mint' or whatever they've changed the button to say now that the market has collapsed and whoever is left is bored enough to ruin what was a good logo and turn it into a sad red squiggle.

You'll probably screw up at least once and end up spending NEAR to create an NFT you don't exactly love, or that is priced weird, or whose description is screwball.

Don't worry about it. You're making trading cards for a world that we may never see.

Just start minting like crazy like Warhol and never look back.

Example Store

Making An NFT: Step 5 - Getting It Right