How to Send a Video via E-mail
Video files can be huge and especially unwieldy when sent as e-mail attachments. Learn how to attach a video, but consider making it more accessible by posting it online and sending the link instead.
Instructions
- Step 1: Embed your video on a website, blog, or social network page. Video hosting sites like YouTube offer an "Embed Code" that can be copied and pasted.
- Step 2: Once the video is on a website, e-mail the website's URL to your potential viewer.
- FACT: In 2006, Universal Tube and Rollform Equipment sued YouTube when their similarly named website, Utube.com, became overloaded with YouTube-intended traffic.
- TIP: Videos should be in a file format acceptable to the hosting service. For example, YouTube allows AVI, MOV, and MPEG-4.
- Step 3: Post your video online at a video hosting service. Choose a service with easy uploading and the ability to send video links to potential viewers via e-mail.
- TIP: Microsoft Office Movie Maker's "send in e-mail" function automatically resizes a video file for easy attachment in most e-mail systems.
- Step 4: Know your e-mail service's file size limits for attachments. Consider using online file-sharing software that sends download links for large video files.
- Step 5: Reduce the video's file size in a video editing program before attaching it to e-mail. Some allow you to set a specific file size, but image quality can suffer.