YouTube thumbnail maker

YouTube thumbnails are 1280 × 720 pixels, a 16:9 ratio that matches the video player. The editor uses this size by default. A thumbnail is shown at many sizes, from a large preview on a TV down to a small image in search results and suggested videos on a phone. Design for the smallest case: if the title and face are clear when the image is the size of a matchbox, it works everywhere.

YouTube also shows the video length in the bottom-right corner, so avoid putting important text there.

Need other YouTube graphics? The channel banner is 2560 × 1440 with a 1546 × 423 safe area, available in the cover photo maker.

• Three to five words at most. The video title already explains the rest; the thumbnail adds the hook.
• Heavy fonts. Pick a bold or black weight from the 40+ fonts, and use uppercase for short phrases.
• Outline and shadow. A thick dark outline or shadow keeps white or yellow text readable on any background.
• Highlight background. A solid bar behind a word gives instant contrast and draws the eye.
• Size it big. The title should cover a large part of the frame, not a strip along the bottom.
• Do not repeat the video title word for word. Complement it: if the title is How I Fixed My Leaky Faucet, the thumbnail can say 10-minute fix.

Use the brightness, contrast and saturation sliders or the vivid and dramatic filters to make a frame from your video pop. A blur on a background photo pushes it back behind the text. Arrows, circles and labels from the shapes and stickers panel highlight the key detail, and all of them can be recolored.

Viewers recognize a channel by its thumbnails. Save your channel colors, fonts and logo in the brand kit, then apply them to every new thumbnail with one click. For a video series, duplicate a finished thumbnail and change only the photo and the episode number, so the set looks consistent in your playlist.

Your designs save automatically in the browser. Save the project file if you also want to edit on another computer.

• Too much text. A full sentence becomes unreadable at small sizes. Cut it to a few words.
• Thin fonts. Light and regular weights disappear on a phone screen; use bold or black.
• Low contrast. Yellow on white or gray on black is hard to read. Add an outline, shadow or highlight background.
• Small faces. A face in the distance does not read; crop in tight.
• Busy backgrounds. Blur or darken the background, or replace it with a solid color or gradient.
• Important content in the corner where YouTube shows the video length.
• A promise the video does not keep. A thumbnail that misleads viewers tends to cost watch time and trust.
• A different style for every video. A consistent layout and color scheme help returning viewers spot your uploads.

Before you download, zoom the editor out until the thumbnail is small, roughly the size it appears in search results on a phone. If you cannot read the title or tell what the image is, simplify.

Download a JPG for photo-heavy thumbnails, which keeps the file small, or a PNG for graphics with flat colors. Check the current file-size and format requirements in YouTube Studio when you upload. There is no watermark and no sign-up, and your video frames and photos stay in your browser the whole time.

Want to test two versions? Duplicate the design, change the color or the wording, and download both. For a side-by-side comparison image, try the before and after photo maker.