YouTube Upload Guide

Overview

The Upload tab (Hermod) handles batch uploading to YouTube. It supports multiple channels, scheduling, playlist management, and all YouTube video settings. Videos must have metadata and thumbnails before uploading.

YouTube OAuth Setup

Before uploading, you need to set up YouTube API credentials. This is a one-time process.

Step 1: Create a Google Cloud Project

1. Go to Google Cloud Console
2. Create a new project (or select an existing one)
3. Name it something like "Loki Studio Upload"

Step 2: Enable YouTube Data API

1. In your project, go to APIs & Services > Library
2. Search for "YouTube Data API v3"
3. Click on it and press Enable

Step 3: Configure OAuth Consent Screen

1. Go to APIs & Services > OAuth consent screen
2. Select External user type
3. Fill in the required fields:
   • App name: "Loki Studio" (or your preference)
   • User support email: Your email
   • Developer contact: Your email
4. Click Save and Continue through the steps
5. Add test users: Add your own email address

Step 4: Create OAuth Credentials

1. Go to APIs & Services > Credentials
2. Click Create Credentials > OAuth client ID
3. Application type: Desktop app
4. Name: "Loki Studio"
5. Click Create
6. Download the JSON file or copy the Client ID and Client Secret

Step 5: Enter Credentials in Loki Studio

1. Go to the Upload tab (Hermod)
2. In the OAuth Credentials section, enter your Client ID
3. Enter your Client Secret
4. Click Save Credentials

Adding YouTube Channels

Add Your First Channel

1. Click Add Channel
2. A browser window opens for Google authentication
3. Sign in with your Google account
4. Authorize Loki Studio to access your YouTube channel
5. Return to Loki Studio - your channel should appear in the dropdown

Multiple Channels

You can add multiple YouTube channels. Each requires separate authorization:

1. Click Add Channel again
2. Sign in with a different Google account
3. Select the channel from the dropdown when uploading

Channel Management

• Validate: Check if the channel connection is still working
• Remove: Disconnect a channel from Loki Studio

Uploading Videos

Prerequisites

Videos must have the following before uploading:

• Metadata (title, description, tags)
• Thumbnail
• Video file

The Dashboard shows "Ready" status for upload-ready videos.

Upload Queue

1. Go to the Upload tab
2. Select your channel from the dropdown
3. Ready videos appear in the "Videos Ready to Upload" list
4. Use checkboxes to select which videos to upload
5. Reorder with ▲▼ buttons (uploads happen in order)

Upload Settings

• Privacy: public, unlisted, or private
• Category: Gaming, Education, Entertainment, etc.
• Made for Kids: COPPA compliance setting
• Playlist: Add to an existing playlist

Start Upload

1. Configure all settings
2. Click Start Upload (N) where N is the count
3. Monitor progress in the log panel
4. Each video is uploaded sequentially

Scheduled Publishing

Schedule videos to publish automatically at specific times:

Enable Scheduling

1. Check Schedule Uploads
2. Set Start Time: HH:MM format (24-hour)
3. Set Days Apart: Interval between videos

How It Works

• First video: Scheduled for the start time on the next available day
• Subsequent videos: Spaced by the "Days Apart" setting
• Videos are uploaded as private, then scheduled to go public

Playlist Management

Select Existing Playlist

1. Click Refresh to load playlists from YouTube
2. Select a playlist from the dropdown
3. Videos will be added to this playlist after upload

Create New Playlist

1. Click Create New
2. Enter the playlist name
3. The new playlist is created and selected

Dry Run Mode

Preview what will happen without actually uploading:

1. Configure all your settings
2. Click Dry Run (Preview)
3. The log shows what would be uploaded:
   • Video files and sizes
   • Metadata that would be used
   • Scheduled publish times
   • Playlist assignments

Power User Settings

Fine-tune upload behavior in Power User Settings (Ratatoskr tab):

YouTube Upload Defaults

• Allow embedding: Let other sites embed your videos
• Show view count: Display view count publicly
• License: Standard YouTube or Creative Commons
• Audio Language: Primary audio language
• AI-generated content: Disclose AI usage
• Paid promotion: Disclose sponsorships

Processing Settings

• Chunk Size: Upload chunk size in MB
• Max Retry Attempts: Retries on failure (default: 3)
• Retry Delay: Seconds between retries
• Upload Timeout: Minutes before timeout
• Verify upload: Confirm upload completed

Profile-Based Defaults

Each profile can have its own YouTube upload settings:

• Playlist Name: Default playlist for this profile
• Days Between Uploads: Default scheduling interval
• Release Time: Default publish time
• Privacy Status: Default privacy setting
• Made for Kids: Default COPPA setting
• Category: Default YouTube category
• Description Header/Footer: Text added to all descriptions

Configure these in Profile Settings > YouTube Upload Settings.

Troubleshooting

"No channels configured"

You need to add a YouTube channel. Click Add Channel and complete the OAuth flow.

OAuth error or "Access Denied"

• Verify your Client ID and Client Secret are correct
• Ensure the YouTube Data API is enabled in Google Cloud
• Check that you're a test user in the OAuth consent screen
• Try removing and re-adding the channel

Upload fails or times out

• Check your internet connection
• Reduce chunk size for unstable connections
• Increase timeout in Power User Settings
• Large files (> 10GB) may need multiple attempts

Quota exceeded error

YouTube has daily API quotas. If you hit the limit:

• Wait 24 hours for quota reset (resets at midnight Pacific)
• Request quota increase in Google Cloud Console
• Upload fewer videos per day

Video not appearing on YouTube

• Check privacy setting - it might be private or unlisted
• For scheduled videos, check YouTube Studio for pending publishes
• YouTube may still be processing the video

Thumbnail not uploading

• Verify the thumbnail file exists
• Check file size (must be under 2MB)
• Ensure it's JPG or PNG format
• Your channel may need to be verified for custom thumbnails