Though there are many blockchains on which you can mint NFTs and many tools to do that with, this Playbook focuses on using OpenSea on the Ethereum blockchain as it’s the most widely used NFT minting tool.
Each NFT platform or marketplace has its own pros and cons, and like many software projects these are constantly changing as new features are added. The best way to determine which platform is right for you is to visit their website and read their documentation. Although reading documents notmuch fun, they will help get some basic understanding before you start going mint-crazy.
Before you mint your first NFT you will need an Ethereum-based account/wallet and some gas-tokens in it. MetaMask is one of the most popular account manager (wallet) and it is integrated with most Web3 projects. Metamask also supports hardware wallets such as Ledger and Trezor which is always a good idea to safeguard your assets.
Step 1 - To begin, head over to OpenSea using a browser that you have installed and setup MetaMask on. Click on the wallet icon, shown below, select MetaMask and follow the prompts to connect your wallet.
Step 2 - Now click the "Create" button or follow this link.
Step 3 - OpenSea will make a signature request. Click Sign to accept the Terms and Conditions. This is not a transaction and there are no fees involved.
Step 4 - Review the different elements that are required and the ones that are optional.
First, upload the file you would like to use. This can be an image, video, 3d model or audio file.
Next, give your NFT a name. These are the only two required fields, all others may be left blank.
You may provide a link to a website as well as give a short written description of the NFT.
The next section is optional and allows you to add the NFT to a OpenSea collection. You can do so by hovering over the info tag and following the link in blue text as seen here.
If your NFT will have traits, levels or statistics that differentiate it from others in the collection, you can click the plus icons to specify them.
Toggle the switches if your NFT contains unlockable content or anything deemed NSFW (Not Safe For Work).
Finally, select the blockchain you would like to mint your NFT on, and click Create.
Congratulations! You just minted your first NFT! You can click Visit to see it.
After you are satisfied with the look of your NFT and you are sure you haven't made any typos or other mistakes, you may want to click on "Edit" and then scroll down to "Freeze metadata", flip the switch to “on” and click “submit changes”.
This will prevent the details and content of your NFT from changing in the future which would almost certainly be undesirable for any eventual buyer.