Starting a Tarot YouTube Channel — cards, setup & copyright basics
From choosing your cards and building an original spread to the copyright rules every tarot streamer needs to know before hitting record.
Professional fortune teller & spiritual advisor
KEY TAKEAWAY
Most tarot YouTube channels use a pick-a-pile format built around an original spread of 3-7 cards, filmed with simple, well-lit setups. The single most important decision, though, isn't camera gear — it's making sure the deck you show on screen is legally cleared for public streaming, since YouTube counts as "communication to the public" regardless of monetization. AI-generated decks carry real long-term legal risk and are best avoided for now.
Nyanta
Nekosuke
✦The Basic Styles of Tarot YouTube
There are several common formats you'll see in tarot readings on YouTube.
Pick-a-Pile Reading
This is the most common style. Viewers are asked to intuitively choose from three piles — A, B, or C — and the creator reads each one in turn. Because it invites audience participation, it's engaging to watch as well as to make.
Theme-Based Reading
Here the reading focuses on a specific theme, such as "this month's love fortune" or "a message to boost your career luck." These videos tend to perform well in search and reach a more targeted audience.
Live Individual Readings
In a live stream format, the reader answers viewers' questions in real time while pulling cards. Because it's interactive, it builds a closer connection with fans.
✧What You'll Need to Get Started
Before you start streaming tarot readings on YouTube, prepare the following.
A smartphone camera is perfectly fine, but a higher-quality one is recommended so the artwork on your cards reads clearly. Using a tripod or phone stand to lock down the angle over your cards will keep your footage stable.
For lighting, use natural light or a white LED light so the true colors of your cards come through. Pay attention to how the light falls so you avoid casting shadows.
For your backdrop, a simple, calming cloth or tablecloth will make your cards pop. Avoid a cluttered background — protect the mood of the reading.
An external microphone will give you clear audio. Watch out for air conditioner hum or outside noise as well.
The Types of Cards Used on YouTube
On tarot YouTube, many readers actually combine several different types of cards rather than relying on tarot alone.
Tarot Cards (78 cards)
The most iconic deck. Made up of 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana, tarot can address everything from life's biggest themes to everyday events. Because meanings shift between upright and reversed, readings can go deep.
Oracle Cards
Meaning "divine message," oracle cards center on positive, encouraging messages, letting you offer viewers a gentle, supportive reading. Angel oracle decks in particular tend to feature beautiful artwork and are popular with audiences. They can be used as pick-a-pile options, or drawn at the end of a reading as a closing "message from the angels" — the uses are varied.
Lenormand Cards (36 cards)
Named after a legendary French fortune teller, Lenormand cards feature simple imagery — symbols like "dog," "flowers," or "key" — that make messages easy to grasp intuitively. Since they're read only in the upright position, they're approachable for beginners too. Many creators pair Lenormand with tarot: using tarot to read the big picture, then Lenormand to add concrete advice.
How to Combine Decks
Popular tarot YouTubers often read with a combination of tarot + oracle + Lenormand. For example: tarot for the present and future, oracle cards for a positive message, and Lenormand for concrete advice.
Viewers also enjoy the artwork itself, so keeping a few different decks on hand adds variety to your videos and keeps them from feeling repetitive.
⧗Video Length and Structure
Typical Video Length
Tarot videos on YouTube are typically 30 minutes to an hour long. With three pile options, each one usually gets a 10-20 minute reading.
That said, some readers known for in-depth readings put out longer videos of 1.5 to 3 hours. Deep themes — like seeing into a future spouse — tend to drive strong view counts even at that length.
On the other hand, some channels cater to viewers who prefer shorter content with videos of around 20 minutes. Find the length that fits your own style.
A Recommended Video Structure
Opening (introduce yourself and today's theme)
Present the choices ("Pick A, B, or C by intuition")
Reading for each choice
Ending (wrap-up, preview of next video, etc.)
Adding timestamps lets viewers jump straight to the pile they picked — don't forget to list them in the description.
☾Pick-a-Pile Plus an Original Spread Is the Standard
On YouTube, the dominant style combines pick-a-pile with a custom spread.
The typical flow starts with viewers choosing intuitively from options like "A, B, C" or "1, 2, 3." How those choices are presented varies by creator — three face-down cards side by side, or piles marked with crystals, cute figurines, or animal charms.
From there, each chosen pile is laid out and read using a spread. These spreads are, more often than not, designed by the reader themselves.
Building Your Own Spread
Start by mapping positions to your theme. For a love reading, you might use positions like "their feelings," "the future together," and "advice"; for a career reading, "current situation," "challenges," and "the key to success" — assign positions to whatever your audience wants to know about that theme.
3 to 7 cards works well for YouTube. Too few feels thin, too many drags the video out. If you have three pile options and use five cards each, that's already 15 cards total to read — keeping each pile's count modest makes for a more watchable video.
Aim for a visually clear layout. A single row, a triangle, a cross — choose an arrangement that photographs well.
Sample Original Spreads
5-Card Love Spread
- Your current feelings
- Their feelings
- What stands between you
- Where things are heading
- Advice for happiness
4-Card Career/Life-Change Spread
- Your current situation
- A hidden opportunity
- What to watch out for
- A message for your future
⚖The Cards You Use — Copyright Is Non-Negotiable
This is where things get genuinely important.
Because YouTube counts as "communication to the public" whether or not the video is monetized, you must confirm the copyright status of any tarot deck you show on camera.
Why This Matters
The artwork on tarot cards is protected by the copyright of its illustrator or designer. Using a deck for personal enjoyment is fine, but displaying its artwork in a public video can qualify as "reproduction" or "communication to the public."
How to Choose a Deck You Can Safely Use
Choose a deck that explicitly permits commercial and streaming use. Check the terms of use at purchase, or reach out directly to the maker or seller to confirm.
Luna Factory: every Luna Factory deck is free to use and monetize in streams.
Public domain decks are another option. Designs whose copyright protection has expired — for example, parts of the original Rider-Waite deck — can sometimes be used freely. That said, reissues or newly recolored editions may carry a separate, newer copyright, so proceed carefully.
Creating your own deck is another route. If you draw or design an original deck yourself, you can use it with no copyright concerns at all.
Using a deck without the copyright holder's permission can result in takedown requests, or in the worst case, a claim for damages.
✦Why You Should Avoid AI-Generated Cards
These days, more people are using image-generation AI to create original tarot artwork. However, using AI-generated cards in a YouTube stream currently carries significant risk.
Legal Uncertainty
Copyright law around AI-generated images is still being worked out in many countries, including Japan. There's currently no clear answer to questions like whether an AI-generated image can hold copyright at all, or what happens to the rights of the data the AI was trained on.
The Risk of Future Legal Changes
Debate over AI and copyright is heating up worldwide, and future legal reforms could restrict the commercial use or publication of AI-generated images. Even if a deck is fine to use today, older videos could become a legal problem down the line.
YouTube content stays live for years. If the law changes down the road, you could end up needing to edit or take down everything you've ever uploaded.
The Training Data Problem
Most image-generation AI tools are trained on images scraped from across the internet — some of which may include other artists' work. That means a generated image could end up resembling an existing copyrighted piece.
In short, if you want to run your channel with peace of mind for the long haul, we strongly recommend sticking with an existing deck that has clear copyright permissions.
♡Tips for a Smooth Reading
Keep these points in mind during your actual stream.
Show the cards clearly. Viewers absorb the message partly through the artwork itself. After drawing a card, hold it steady on camera for a few seconds.
Speak at a calm pace. Nerves can make you rush, so slow down and explain things clearly so your audience can follow along.
Talk directly to your viewers. Phrases like "if you drew this card today" or "if this message resonates with you" create a sense of closeness.
Keep the message positive. Avoid readings that stoke anxiety — aim to leave viewers feeling uplifted.
Nyanta
Nekosuke
☀Summary
When running a tarot channel on YouTube, setting up your streaming environment and honing your reading skills matter — but confirming the copyright status of the deck you use is absolutely essential.
Combining tarot with other decks like oracle or Lenormand cards adds depth to your readings and keeps viewers engaged. Building your own original spread on top of a pick-a-pile format is what gives your channel its own personality.
Use a deck with clear copyright permissions, or a public domain deck, to avoid legal risk. Luna Factory's tarot decks are approved for streaming use, so you can use them with confidence.
As for AI-generated decks, we recommend avoiding them for now given the risk of future legal changes.
Choose your cards carefully so you can build a channel you can run comfortably for the long term — and go find the reading style that's uniquely yours, bringing comfort and insight to viewers everywhere.
We're rooting for your tarot channel to bring joy, and connection, to many people.
Reviewed by
Usatoko WHITE
Professional fortune teller specialising in tarot, oracle and Lenormand reading. Usatoko supervises every divination guide at Luna Factory to keep them accurate and beginner-friendly.
Written by the Luna Factory Editorial Team
