An NFT (non-fungible token) is a unique digital item stored on a blockchain. There are many different types of NFTs, including art NFTs, music NFTs, profile picture NFTs, gaming NFTs, and photography NFTs, and they can each be displayed in various ways.
What are NFTs?
An NFT (non-fungible token) is a unique digital item stored on a blockchain. Some NFTs are solely virtual items, while others have a virtual and physical component (known as a phygital NFT) while others are redeemable. But regardless of whether your NFT has a physical component or not, there are multiple ways to display your NFTs.
Types of NFTs
Before we dive into how to display your NFTs, let’s review different types of non-fungible tokens holders may choose to display.
Art NFTs
An art NFT is a piece of art minted onto a blockchain, becoming a non-fungible token (or NFT). Art NFTs can be physical pieces of artwork that are digitized, or they can be natively created using digital tools.
Music NFTs
A music NFT uses blockchain technology to verify and secure ownership of a piece of music or music-related content. Music NFTs minted on the blockchain often have an audio and a visual component. The NFT owner would be able to display the visual component of a music NFT, for instance, a music video or album artwork.
Photography NFTs
Similar to art NFTs, photography NFTs represent a digital piece of artwork, in this case, a photograph or moving image.
Profile picture (PFP) NFTs
PFPs are digital items that represent ownership of a unique and collectible image or piece of artwork that can be used as a profile picture. Profile picture NFTs can be used as an avatar, a collectible, or can serve as membership to a community.
Gaming NFTs
A gaming NFT is an NFT associated with any digital item from the realm of online gaming and the metaverse: in-game items, characters, skins, customizations, maps, modes, tickets, collectibles–any digital creation that one would use in a gaming environment.
Displaying NFTs in real life
Printing + regular frames
NFTs that have a .png or .jpeg component can be downloaded and printed as static images or on canvases in the same way that other pictures would be. These can be hung in homes, offices, or in any space.
In conjunction with printing the images (photography, artwork, or album artwork, for instance), NFT owners can also add a QR code alongside the printed image to help validate NFT ownership.
Digital frames
NFTs can be displayed in digital frames, and users have options that span affordable, in-store options to Smart TVs to NFT-specific digital framing services. Affordable and traditional digital frames like Aura that cycle through image carousels have preceded the prevalence of NFTs but can support most NFTs. Smart TVs, like Samsung’s Frame TV and LG’s smart TVs, have virtual art components that also support NFTs.
NFT owners can take their digital frame displays a step further by using services like Tokenframe, which offers framing services for art NFTs, or Infinite Objects, which focuses on framing video NFTs. The added feature of many NFT-specific digital framing services is that they require crypto wallet syncing in order to validate the ownership of the NFT before being able to use their services.
IRL galleries
As NFTs’ popularity has increased over the years, more art galleries are creating NFT-specific exhibitions or whole galleries dedicated to showcasing NFT art. For instance, Blackdove in Miami hosts NFT exhibitions.
Displaying NFTs online or in the metaverse
Profile pictures
As mentioned above, profile picture NFTs can be used as a collectible or an avatar or profile picture on social media sites, or anywhere an avatar may be used to represent you. Profile pictures, as a whole, are one additional way to showcase your NFT publicly and easily. They also make it easy to connect with others within a community.
Social media
Show off your NFTs on your social media accounts. Unless you want to keep your NFTs private or disconnected from your public-facing usernames, a great way to show off your NFTs is to simply post them to your various channels. Similar to using them as a profile picture, it’s a great way to connect with the community an NFT collection has built.
Virtual conferencing backgrounds
Some people like to use their NFTs as backgrounds on virtual conferencing apps like Zoom. Or, if you prefer to stay anonymous, use them as their avatars when video conferencing.
Community dashboards
Some projects have community dashboards where holders can come together to show off their NFTs. An example of this is Moonbirds. Their community dashboard shows “recently nested” Moonbirds alongside the names and avatars of their holders.
Virtual galleries
Virtual art galleries that house and showcase your NFTs exist in the metaverse. This would allow you to “invite” others to see your work virtually, whenever they would like, as long as they enter into the metaverse.
Spatial is a metaverse company that allows users to create NFT galleries of their artwork. Spatial offers users tools like their MetaMask integration, pedestals, frames, token gating, Go Live feature, and descriptive caption panel for art that helps users display the NFTs they own.
How can I showcase my NFTs on OpenSea?
Those who own NFTs actually have the ability to showcase their NFTs directly on their OpenSea account. You can organize and showcase the NFTs you’ve collected by creating a shelf of featured items. These shelves will show on the Featured tab of your OpenSea profile. We’ve broken down all the steps here.
As the NFT world continues to evolve, so will the ways to display your NFTs in the virtual and physical world. But, as a reminder, the ways you currently showcase your favorite physical artwork can often also apply to showcasing your NFTs. For instance, creating a wallpaper for your phone or tablet or using the image as a desktop wallpaper for your computer. The world is your art gallery.
🧠 Q&A
Web3 technology is still new and constantly evolving, so while no single action guarantees protection, there are best practices that can help. The best rule of thumb is that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Never share your wallet’s seed phrase, be careful when taking actions using your wallet, and make sure to thoroughly evaluate NFTs before buying.
OpenSea also has an icon visible via a blue checkmark badge on a collection or account. A blue checkmark badge on an account means that account has been verified. A blue checkmark badge on a collection means the collection belongs to a verified account and has significant interest or sales. (OpenSea does not endorse verified accounts or badged collections, and OpenSea makes no representations regarding the NFTs in a verified account or badged collection.)
OpenSea makes no representations or guarantees regarding the collections highlighted in this article. Users must do their own research and use their own judgment before buying any NFT, including those included in the collections highlighted in this article. The descriptions of the collections highlighted in this article were adapted from descriptions provided by the NFT creators, not OpenSea.
NFTs operate on blockchain technology, making it possible to verify their ownership and easily transfer them from one owner to the next. Ethereum, Solana, and Klaytn are three examples of blockchains that store NFTs.
A blockchain is a digitally distributed ledger that records transactions and information across a decentralized network. Most blockchains are verified by many nodes (read: computers), which is why you’ll hear them described as “decentralized.” Different blockchains may verify their transactions using different methods but ultimately operate similarly.
Blockchain technology allows users to easily transfer, collect, and verify their NFTs. The provenance of an NFT is one of its biggest advantages.
In web3, the term “gas fee” refers to the payment needed to execute transactions on the blockchain. Gas fees increase when more people use applications that run on top of a blockchain’s network, therefore competing for space within the block. Think of it like Uber’s surge pricing model that increases the cost of booking a ride during the busiest commuting times. OpenSea also doesn’t control gas fees, set gas fees, or receive any of the gas fees incurred by users on the platform. Instead, they all go to network validators or miners.
When you start the NFT purchase process using OpenSea, you’ll see the gas fee broken down by your wallet provider, so you can watch the fee refresh and complete the transaction when it’s low.
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