Getting Started

Want to learn how to play tennis? Then you've come to the right place! This quick-start guide will teach you everything you need to know. This will lead you though producing a simple 1v1 6-round tennis "vanilla" match with a partner.

Let's say you're a brand new player with no prior works and no prior knowledge of tennis. Here's the basic guide to get you through a full match. This guide assumes you have a PC/Laptop, however it is completely possible to create tennis videos with a modern smartphone or tablet.

Starting a Match

A Match is the formal name for a tennis project. To start a match, there are two things you can do:

• Ask around the community to see if someone wants to play. This is more common when you are more established as a player, as people know what they are getting into if you already have videos to share! This technique can also allow you set rules and guidelines for how the match should play out before anything gets made.
• Create a serve, then see if anyone wants it. A serve is the first round of a tennis match. This is a better idea for new players, as it helps them break into the scene. However, if you're just looking for some fun, you can always start something out of the blue and see who bites!

For this scenario, you decide that make a serve first, and then ask around once it's done.

Gathering Material

You now need to get the material you want to put into your video! There are tons of ways to do this:

• Using a video downloader, like youtube-dl or JDownloader (easiest)
• Ripping/Burning Content from CDs and DVDs, or even VHS
• Using a screen recorder, like OBS
• If you're especially daring, record footage yourself with a camera

See the respective articles for instructions on any of these methods. Most serves only start with a few sources, but you can have as many sources as you want!

Selecting an Editor

This is often the most daunting task. Knowing an editor is very important for making a solid video, but we all have to start from somewhere.

The most common point of entry for tennis is through Vegas. This remains the most common editor on PC, however there are many, many more! Premiere Pro is another popular option, but may be a bit expensive (and hard to crack, if you're willing).

Common editors for mobile devices include KineMaster and CapCut, among many others that can found on the App Store and/or the Google Play Store.

Editing the Video

This is the fun part! Use the editor you selected to create whatever you want. Here are some guidelines to get started:

• The average tennis round is approximately 1 to 3 minutes. Serves tend to be a bit shorter, often around 30 to 90 seconds.
• Keep things simple. Part of the fun of tennis is seeing how chaotic things get towards the end. However, especially with less experienced players, starting too strong can can be overwhelming! Let things build up naturally.
• Looking for inspiration? Try watching other works, or even other YTPs! Other common sources of inspiration have come from movies/TV, demoscenes, art pieces, and more.
• Build things in a way that makes it easier for your opponent to respond to. It doesn't matter exactly how, as long as they can think of something to do with your work. The fun of tennis comes from the communication!
• See The list of Techniques for many of the common types of edits that people do.

You can follow as many or as few of this guidelines as you want. As long as you can complete a video, you're golden!

Initiating the Match

You now have a video to share with the world. Almost all tennis activity happens on YouTube (Hence the 'Y' in YTP), so it'd be a good place to upload there. Most descriptions go like this:

Round X vs. player

(some notes about the round)

Sources Used: (a list of all the sources you used)

Having a source list is optional, but can be helpful for your opponent to know what you used, as they can more easily build off what you started. It also is useful for the viewers, as not everyone is perfectly versed in every piece of media in existence! You don't want comments of "what did you use at 0:35?" popping up all the time.

Now that the serve is out there, you need to find someone to play. The two largest tennis hubs are YellowTealPurple (a forum website) and The Tennis Isles (a discord server). There's much more than this, however!

Follow the examples of others on how to advertise your own round, and wait for someone to accept! It may take a little while.

Continuing the Match

Someone said yes! Now a match can begin.

Give your opponent a few days to make their response. It can take anywhere from a few hours to a few months! The sweet spot is for both of you to pass the next video within a turnover of about 3 to 5 days. This not only gives you time to recover your creative juices, but also stops you from losing interest in the match, slowing things down or making it fall apart altogether!

Eventually, your opponent responds with their round 2 - also known as a volley (as with all other rounds that aren't the serve). The pattern remains the same as before:

• Download your opponents round and pop it into your editor of choice
• Add new sources (if you want)
• Unlike the serve, this new round is now your primary source. Try to edit as much of it as possible!
• Upload your new round and repeat!

Conclusion

Eventually, we have made it to six rounds, which is generally the stopping point for an average tennis match. You say words of congratulations to your opponent, and they do the same. Remember - there isn't a competition here. "Nobody wins at tennis, ever!" (Except in tournaments, but still, that's nothing more than bragging rights!)

With your first match complete, there are a few more things you can do:

• Set up a roster - this shows all the games you've played, their progress, links to watch, a wishlist, and anything else you'd want. Examples can be found here and here!
• Start another game! What's the fun of only doing one? You could do another 6 round 1v1, or maybe shake it up a little! See here for some common variants.

With that, you are done. Hopefully this gives you enough to get started. So get out there and make some cool stuff!