With the growing popularity of NFTs, more and more creators want to enter the market to share and sell their digital works, whether it be art, music, collectibles, in-game assets, and much more. However, the path to the NFT world is not always easy, especially for those who are unfamiliar with the technical nuances. Newbies often have questions:
- How do you create an NFT?
- What is the difference between creation and minting?
- What are marketplaces like OpenSea?
- Do I need to create my own website, or can I use a platform?
- Which blockchain network is most popular for issuing NFTs?
In this article, we will take a detailed look at the differences between creating and minting NFTs, the different ways to issue them — through a marketplace or manually — and the pros and cons of each approach.
What is NFT creation and minting?
NFT creation is the process of preparing a digital asset (image, music, video, etc.) that will later become part of a non-fungible token. This can be a hand-drawn picture, generative art, virtual tickets, and more.
NFT minting is the recording of a token on the blockchain. It is from this moment that the NFT becomes proof of ownership of the digital object that you previously created and uploaded.
Process overview
The complete process of creating and releasing an NFT includes:
- Defining the digital asset (art, ticket, collection, etc.);
- Selecting the format (manual or generative);
- Configuring the smart contract in which the assets will be “packaged”;
- Uploading to the blockchain (Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, etc.);
- Launching a public sale (if applicable);
- Listing the NFT on a marketplace for secondary trading.
On platforms such as OpenSea, you can create an NFT simply by uploading a file. The user-friendly interface allows you to set metadata, description, name, and other characteristics without programming.
After uploading the asset, you select the blockchain for minting. Ethereum, Polygon, Solana, and Klaytn are available on OpenSea. The process is intuitive and does not require technical knowledge.
“Lazy minting” is a feature of some platforms: the NFT is listed, but it is only actually minted (recorded on the blockchain) at the moment of purchase. In this case, the buyer pays, and the author does not have to pay gas fees.
You prepare the asset, create metadata, and manually write everything into a smart contract. This requires programming knowledge and an understanding of how to work with IPFS (or other decentralized storage), contract configuration, and website deployment for minting.
An alternative is to use smart contract templates and tutorials (for example, from codeSTACKr) to simplify the process.
The most popular blockchains for minting
Ethereum remains the leading blockchain for NFTs in terms of volume and significance. However, high fees (sometimes $50–100 per transaction) make it less convenient for beginners.
Polygon is a popular alternative: a Layer-2 solution based on Ethereum with much lower fees ($0.05–0.10).
Solana, Klaytn, Tezos, and others are also gaining popularity.
Pros and cons of the two approaches
Advantages:
- No technical knowledge required;
- Low or no fees for lazy minting;
- Access to a wide audience;
- Quick start.
Disadvantages:
- Some platforms store data centrally;
- Limited settings (for example, you cannot set royalties above 10%);
- Platform fees (for example, 2.5% at OpenSea);
- Difficulty standing out among thousands of other projects.
Independent minting
Advantages:
- Full token customization;
- No listing or sales fees;
- Ability to use your own website and storage;
- Control over branding and positioning.
Disadvantages:
- Programming skills and understanding of Web3 are required;
- You need to promote the website yourself and find an audience.
Conclusion
So, should you choose a marketplace or independent release? The answer: it’s best to combine both approaches. You can create a collection with the help of a specialist or template, and then place your NFT on a marketplace for maximum reach.
NFTs open up enormous opportunities — and the more you know, the more confident you’ll be when starting out in this field.
