How to Embed a Large Video on your WordPress Website

There are many options for embedding videos on your WordPress blog or website. However, sometimes YouTube or a separate video host don’t fit the bill. There are a few steps to take, however after installing the plugins and going through the process of uploading and embedding your videos a few times, it gets very easy!

This post is for you if:

• You want to host your video files on your own website hosting server
• You have large video files, but you don’t want to use an external service to host them
• You want to embed your videos in a custom video player that fits your website design

1. Installing the required WordPress Plugins

Install and activate the 2 following plugins:

Add From Server – Add From Server Plugin
This plugin will add a section to your media library and retrieve the video files you have uploaded to your host server.

ProPlayer – ProPlayer Plugin
This plugin will provide the player to embed your videos. There are many option to customise the design of your player. Go to ‘Settings’, then ‘ProPlayer’ and customise your options.

Under ‘Skin File (JW FLV Player)’, you can select your player skin, using the drop-down menu. You can review the entire library of player skins here: Choose your Video Player Style here. Simply choose the skin that best fits your WordPress website design!

2. Uploading your video files to your server.

To upload your video files to your server, you will need access to your File Manager. This can usually be accessed from your hosting service’s c-panel, or you may also use an external file manager or FTP service such as Filezilla. You can also ask your website manager to upload the files for you.

1. Your video file must be uploaded to the ‘uploads’ folder, under the current year and month.
2. Follow the path below in your File Manager to reach the current month folder:
   public_html/YOURWEBSITE.com/wp-content/uploads/YEAR/MONTH
3. When you’ve reached the destination folder, simply upload your video file.

3. Add your video file to your Media Library in WordPress

1. Head back to your WordPress dashboard and under ‘Media’, select ‘Add To Server’.
2. In the ‘Quick Jump’ menu, click on ‘Content Folder’. Then select the ‘Uploads’ folder below and follow the path to the Year and Month of your uploaded file. Find your video file, tick the box next to it, and click on the ‘Upload’ button.
3. In your Media Library, you will now see your video file uploaded. Click on ‘Edit’ to see the details and grab the file URL. You will need it to embed the video in the next step.

4. Embed your video on a post or page

Use the code below to embed your video on a page or post:
[pro-player type='video'] INSERT VIDEO FILE URL[/pro-player]

Here are some handy customisations:

To specify the width and height of the video:
[pro-player width='506' height='360' type='video'] INSERT VIDEO FILE URL [/pro-player]
 

To include a custom splash image:

Make sure to upload your image to your Media Library first!
[pro-player type='video' image=’INSERT IMAGE URL’] INSERT VIDEO FILE URL[/pro-player]
* Note the closing bracket “]” after the image URL!

Example of full code:
[pro-player width='506' height='360' type='video' image='http://spunkebusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/splash-image.png']http://spunkebusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/video.mp4[/pro-player]
 

I hope this helps you upload your large videos on your WordPress website, and embed them in a custom video player that fits your website design!