DeFi MarketYou launch a collection on Liquid NFTs from its Collection Studio, in about ten screens, and it costs nothing but gas. Liquid deploys the smart contract for you. Before you start you need a 500x500 logo, a 2000x667 banner, every NFT file ready to upload, a browser wallet with spare gas, and (only if your NFTs have traits and rarity) your own JSON metadata. Most failed launches come down to one of five avoidable mistakes, listed below.
What it costs to launch an NFT collection on Liquid
Nothing, as far as Liquid is concerned. There's no listing fee and no setup fee, and you don't need a developer. Every collection gets its own smart contract, and Liquid writes and deploys it for you while you fill in the screens.
What you do pay is gas, the fee the blockchain itself charges to deploy the contract and record the upload. On BNB Chain or Polygon that's usually cents. On Ethereum it can be dollars, and it jumps when the network is busy. Our comparison of which chain to use on Liquid has the fees side by side. For most first collections the answer is BNB Chain.
Liquid makes its money later, from a slice of every mint and resale. That's covered in the fee step below.
Prefer to watch? The whole launch in under two minutes.
Before you start: what to prepare
Liquid accepts three kinds of NFT: image, video and audio. Every collection needs the same two pictures, plus the files themselves.
| What | Size and format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Logo | 500 x 500 px (1:1), JPG, PNG, GIF, SVG or WebP | The thumbnail shown in Liquid's menus |
| Banner | 2000 x 667 px (3:1), same formats | Sits across the top of your collection page |
| Your NFT files | Images, videos or audio files | One file per NFT. You can add them from your phone's photo library |
| JSON metadata (optional) | One .json file per NFT | Only needed for traits, rarity values or a fixed mint order |
| Wallet with gas | BNB, POL, ETH or BESC, depending on chain | Keep a cushion, not the bare minimum |
If a picture is the wrong size, the free tool EZGIF will resize or crop it in a minute. Write your collection description before you begin, too. It's the text buyers read, and it's easier to get right in a document than in a form field with a timer running.
The ten screens, in order
Open Collection Studio from the menu on liquidnfts.finance and connect your wallet. Then it runs like this:
1. Choose the blockchain
BNB Chain, Polygon, Ethereum or BESC. This decides your gas costs and which coin buyers can pay in, and you can't move the collection later. Make sure your wallet holds that chain's gas token before you go further.
2. Name, symbol and token type
The symbol is a short code for the name: "Crazy Cats" could be CCAT. Then the one technical choice in the whole process:
- ERC721 if every NFT is unique, with its own image, traits and rarity. Art collections, profile pictures, one-off pieces.
- ERC1155 if you want many copies of the same NFT. Tickets, access passes, game items, an edition of 500 prints.
3. Logo and banner
Upload the two pictures you prepared. Wrong sizes get cropped badly, so resize first.
4. Describe your collection
Paste in the description you wrote earlier. Say what the NFTs are, who made them, and what a holder gets. That last one is the line buyers look for.
5. Supply, price and currency
Set how many NFTs there are and what each costs. Prices are set in FUSD on the chain you picked, and buyers can pay in FUSD, USDC or the chain's own coin (BNB, POL, ETH or BESC). Token numbers start at 1 unless you tick the box to start at 0. If you're unsure on price, look at what similar collections on Liquid actually sold for, not what they were listed at.
6. The fee sliders
This is where your money is decided. By default, 40% of every mint goes to you, 50% is locked behind the NFT as backing a holder can later redeem, and the remaining 10% is fees, half to Liquid and half spread across the backing of existing NFTs on the platform. The 50% is a floor, not a ceiling. Slide your own share down and the backing goes up: take 35% and each NFT carries 55%.
A second slider covers resales. You get a 10% royalty on every resale by default, paid by the platform, and 5% more is added to liquidity. You can take less than 10% and send the difference into your own collection's backing, or to a charity. Our explainer on how Liquid NFTs works walks through a full mint and redemption with real numbers.
Rob's take
Don't max your cut by reflex. On Liquid, buyers can see exactly how much backing sits behind each NFT, and a fatter floor is the main thing that sells a new collection from an unknown artist. A few points off your share can be the difference between a sell-out and a stall. I'd rather earn 35% of a full mint than 40% of a third of one.
7. Launch time and format
Pick the date and time your mint opens, and the format of your NFTs (image, video or audio) from the drop-down. Schedule it at least a day ahead so you can tell people.
⚠ Watch out
If you choose Start now, the clock starts immediately and you only have a few minutes to finish the rest of the upload. Unless your files and metadata are sitting ready to drop in, schedule a time instead.
8. Categories and shared attributes
Pick the categories your collection fits, out of 14, such as revenue share or utility. You can pick more than one. This is how buyers filter the marketplace, so choose honestly. If every NFT shares an attribute (an artist name, a series), you can add it here. Individual traits and rarity go in your metadata on the next screen.
9. Upload your files and metadata
Add your images, videos or audio, from a folder or straight from your phone's photo app. If every file is unique and you don't need traits, Liquid writes the metadata for you and you're done. If you do need traits, rarity values or a fixed mint order, upload your own JSON files here. More on those below.
10. Socials and mint limits
Add your X, Discord, Telegram or website so buyers can find you. Then decide whether each wallet can mint only one, or buy several. One-per-wallet spreads a collection across more holders. Multiples sell out faster.
Check your wallet is still connected and press the button. On a computer, your wallet may ask you to confirm on your phone. Once it's approved, the contract deploys and your collection is live, or scheduled.
The five mistakes that make uploads fail
Liquid's own guide flags these, and every one of them can cost you an afternoon:
- Connecting with WalletConnect. It isn't built for uploading large files, and the upload can fail partway. On a computer, use your wallet's browser extension. Most wallets work through the MetaMask option.
- Too little gas. The fee may be a few cents, but a wallet with only the exact amount can fail at the final button. Keep a comfortable cushion of the gas token.
- Metadata out of order. Metadata file 1 must match image file 1, file 2 must match image 2, and so on. One slip and every NFT after it shows the wrong traits.
- One image for many copies. If you're making 100 NFTs from 4 designs, you need 100 image files, not 4. Duplicate the files and number them.
- A shaky connection. A brief signal drop during the upload can kill it. Use a solid connection, and a laptop rather than a phone for big collections.
Writing your own JSON metadata
Metadata tells the platform, in a format it reads, which file goes with which token and what traits each one has. You don't have to write it by hand. Put your collection in a spreadsheet, one row per NFT, with columns for the name, file name and each trait. Then give the spreadsheet to an AI assistant like ChatGPT or Claude and ask it to produce NFT JSON metadata with attributes, one file per NFT, in the same order as your images. Each file comes back looking like this:
{
"name": "Liquid Karma #1",
"description": "Liquid Karma NFT Collection",
"image": "1.jpg",
"attributes": [
{ "trait_type": "Karma Tier", "value": "Standard Karma" },
{ "trait_type": "Liquid Type", "value": "Emerald" },
{ "trait_type": "Background World", "value": "Neon City" }
]
}Open two or three of the files and check the image names match before you upload. That's the five-minute check that saves the whole collection. For more on getting files and traits right before you mint anywhere, see our guide to minting your first NFT collection.
Before you press the button: the honest bit
Liquid suits a particular kind of creator. You give up some of your first-sale money (up to 40% here, against most of it on other marketplaces) in exchange for a 10% resale royalty that the platform actually pays, and a floor under every NFT that your buyers can cash out. Volumes on Liquid are still small, so a launch here needs your own audience to bring buyers. Nobody finds a new collection by accident.
Questions creators ask
How much does it cost to launch an NFT collection on Liquid?
Nothing to Liquid. Creating a collection is free, and Liquid deploys the smart contract for you. You pay only the blockchain's gas fee, which is usually a few cents on BNB Chain or Polygon and more on Ethereum.
Should I choose ERC721 or ERC1155?
Choose ERC721 if every NFT in the collection is unique, with its own image and traits. Choose ERC1155 if you want many copies of the same NFT, such as tickets or access passes.
Can I launch audio or video NFTs on Liquid?
Yes. Liquid's Collection Studio accepts image, video and audio NFTs. Every collection also needs a 500 by 500 pixel logo and a 2000 by 667 pixel banner.
Do I need to write my own metadata?
No. If every image is unique, Liquid can generate the metadata for you. You only need your own JSON metadata if your NFTs have traits and rarity values, or must mint in a set order.