How to make thumbnails for youtube videos?
A thumbnail is the first visual impression of your video. It’s what viewers see before they click to watch, and it can make or break whether they stay or hit “unsubscribe”. Creating compelling thumbnails for your YouTube videos is something that most content creators struggle with.
Thumbnail images need to be eye-catching, but not so much that they give away what happens in the video. Whether you’re uploading a new video or editing an old one, creating a winning thumbnail can seem like an impossible task.
We get it—making thumbnails is hard! Luckily, we’ve created this blog post to help you out with everything you need to know about how to create great thumbnails for YouTube videos. Keep reading to learn more!
Don’t Forget: Your Thumbnail is a Marketing Tool
We mentioned earlier how thumbnails are the first visual impression of your video.
They are also the first impression of your video’s brand. Your thumbnails have to reflect the same tone and style as your other branding elements, such as your channel art and logo. If they don’t match, then you’re sending mixed messages to your viewers.
That can impact how they feel about your brand, and whether they continue to view your content.
Your thumbnails should be compelling enough to grab your audience’s attention, but not so much that they give away what happens in the video.
If you want to test out how your thumbnail would look on your videos, you can use the YouTube Thumbnail Creator.
You can also use the Thumbnail Creator to find out how your thumbnail will look on different devices.
A good thumbnail is clear, concise, and visually interesting. It needs to be simple enough that it catches viewers’ attention, but also complex enough to be engaging and memorable.
Good thumbnail youtube videos should have a combination of all these elements
Compelling graphic
A compelling graphic is one that catches viewers’ attention and makes them want to click on your video. This could be an eye-catching photo, an intriguing graphic design or illustration, an interesting collage of images or text… you get the idea! The more interesting it is, the better.
Emotion
A great thumbnail should evoke some sort of emotion in your audience. That could be laughter (if you’re making comedy videos), excitement (if you’re making action-packed videos), sadness (if you’re making sad music videos), or anything else! It just has to make them feel something when they see it.
You want your viewers to click on your video because they feel emotionally compelled by what they see in the thumbnail.
Focus
A good thumbnail should focus on a key aspect of your video’s content.
If you’re making a music video for example, then you can focus on the artist performing live on stage at a concert—whatever element is most important to communicate the feel of the song and/or performance at that moment.
Your thumbnails are marketing tools—they have to sell your content and entice your viewers to click on them.
YouTube Thumbnail Creator tools
The popular YouTube Thumbnail Creator tools like Canva, Snappa, PicMaker, and many others have become extremely popular because they allow you to easily create custom thumbnails for your YouTube videos.
I’ve been using Canva for years, and I highly recommend it. It’s free, easy to use, and has a ton of features that make it easy to create professional-looking thumbnails.
– Canva
Canva is a free graphic design tool that helps you design everything from posters, flyers, Facebook covers to social media images (like the one above) or YouTube thumbnails.
It’s a great resource if you’re looking for an easy way to make custom YouTube thumbnails without needing any design skills whatsoever. Just choose your preferred dimensions, select a template that matches the feel of your video (you can preview how it looks before you save it), add in your text/images/logo – then click “Create.” It’s as simple as that!
– Snappa
With Snappa, you can create custom YouTube thumbnails for free – just choose your preferred dimensions and upload your image. Snappa will automatically crop it to the correct aspect ratio for you and give you the option to add text.
– PicMaker
Also, PicMaker, Creating thumbnails for your videos can be challenging. It requires a ton of time and effort, and it’s easy to make mistakes that could cost you a lot of money. However, with Picmaker, you can create stunning thumbnails for your YouTube videos in just seconds. It’s easy to use and you don’t need any special skills or knowledge to create great thumbnails. You can import images, text, and audio clips to create visual stories. This makes it easy for your audience to understand what your video is about and what you do.
– PicMonkey
PicMonkey is a paid ($29/month or $299/year) graphic design tool that’s really easy to use (and is one of my personal favorites). It has all of the same features as Canva, plus it has a ton of awesome design templates that make it easy to get started with your YouTube thumbnail design. You can even try out PicMonkey for free!
It’s important to note that these tools are great if you’re looking for custom thumbnails but aren’t good at designing graphics yourself. If you have experience with graphic design software like Photoshop, Illustrator, or Gimp then I highly recommend using them instead.
Know Your Audience
Before you do anything, you should know who you’re creating these thumbnails for. Your thumbnails will vary depending on your audience. If you’re creating thumbnails that appeal to a younger audience, you’ll want to use a different visual than you would if you were creating them for older viewers.
If you’re not sure what your audience would prefer, you can :
Ask them through surveys, polls, or social media.
It can also be helpful to look at other videos that are similar to yours and see what their creators are using for thumbnails. That way, you can get a general idea of what your audience members would prefer.
When you’re creating a thumbnail, it’s important to make sure that your image is eye-catching. You want to make sure that your thumbnail will get people to click on your video in the first place.
The best way to get an idea of what your audience would prefer is by doing a survey or poll. You can either do one yourself or use one of the many free survey websites out there (like SurveyMonkey).
You can even ask people on social media or forums.
The more information you have about what your audience wants, the easier it will be for you to create thumbnails that are appealing and eye-catching.
While there are no set rules when it comes to creating thumbnails, there are some things you should keep in mind as you’re working on them:
Create thumbnails that are simple yet eye-catching.
This will increase the chance of people clicking on your video.
Make sure you use high-quality images for your thumbnail. This will make it easier for people to view your thumbnail and will make it look more professional.
Don’t forget to use text on your thumbnail!
You can use text to describe what’s in the video or to add a bit of intrigue to it. Just make sure that the text is easy to read and doesn’t take away from the image itself.
If you’re going with a screenshot, be sure that you crop out any unnecessary parts of the image so it looks nice and clean. If there’s too much going on in the screenshot, it can be distracting and take away from your message or story in the video itself.
Remember: you don’t have to stick with one image for every single video you create. As long as you make them eye-catching, interesting, and relevant, try experimenting with different images for each video that you create!
Don’t Be Afraid to Be Creative
We know what you might be thinking at this point:
“How can I be creative when there are so many rules about what makes a good thumbnail?”.
We get it, as we mentioned before, creators often find themselves stuck on what to do with their thumbnails.
You don’t want to break any of the rules outlined above, but it’s also important that you don’t fall into a routine where your thumbnails all start to look the same. One way to boost creativity is to look at other types of media that you enjoy.
For example, if you’re into TV shows, check out their thumbnails and see what they do differently. You can also check out art galleries, or even toy or board games to get some inspiration. Anywhere you find images that catch your eye, take a look at what makes them so visually appealing.
What is it about them that stands out? How can you apply these ideas to your YouTube thumbnails?
If you still feel stuck and just aren’t sure what to do with your thumbnail, don’t worry!
Take a break from making thumbnails for a little while.
It might sound counter-intuitive but if you give yourself some time away from the task, it allows you to approach it with fresh eyes when you come back.
You’ll be able to look at things in a new way and hopefully come up with some great ideas.
If none of these ideas are getting the gears in your brain turning, then it might be time to seek help or advice from someone else.
Whether you ask one of your friends or family, or even someone outside of YouTube, sometimes working with other people can give us fresh perspectives on our own work.
They may even have some good suggestions that we never would have thought of before!
The most important thing is to not give up on trying new things.
Even if something doesn’t work out the way that you hoped, remember that every single video is an opportunity for growth and learning.
You only have a few seconds to convert people to view your video.
As we mentioned before, your thumbnail is the first visual impression of your brand. It’s also the first opportunity you have to convince people to click on your video.
If you want to get more people clicking on your video, you need to make sure your thumbnail is as user-friendly as possible.
A good rule of thumb is to keep your thumbnail simple.
You don’t want to try to cram too much into one image.
That will make it look cluttered and confusing.
That’s not what you want at all. You want your thumbnail to create intrigue, and make it easy for people to click on your video.
How can you do that? Simple:
- Your thumbnail should tell a story.
- Your thumbnail should be bright and eye-catching.
- Your thumbnail should have a clear focal point.
- Your thumbnail should reflect the tone of your video.
What’s the best format for Thumbnails for YouTube Videos?
The good news is that there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to which video format is best for your YouTube thumbnail.
You do have to keep in mind that YouTube shrinks your video down to a smaller size when it displays it on its homepage.
So, when creating the thumbnail for your video, you want to make sure that the most important part of the image is in focus.
That said, you do have some options when it comes to choosing the format for your thumbnail. Some top creators use square images, while others prefer portrait-oriented images.
There are no studies that indicate one format is more effective than the other, so it’s really a matter of personal preference.
If you want to find out what format other creators are using, go to the homepage of your favorite YouTube channel and see which thumbnails you like the most.
With that in mind, here are some suggestions for how to create a thumbnail for your video:
If you want to make the thumbnail for your video stand out, try using a color that is not used anywhere else in the image.
Doing this will make sure that it catches viewers’ attention.
Use an image with a focal point.
This will help people know what they’re looking at as soon as they glance at it.
A good rule of thumb is to use an image that is 16:9 ratio in size. This means it should be 1080 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall (if 1080 pixels wide) or 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall (if 1280 pixels wide).
Try not to have too many things going on in your thumbnail because this will be distracting and confusing for viewers. Also, avoid having text on your thumbnail because it makes it difficult for people to read from a distance or on small screens like mobile phones.
Your YouTube channel page is where people can learn more about you and connect with you on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Why does this matter?
Because having social media links on your YouTube channel page can help you get more subscribers. That’s because viewers who click on those links can check out all of the other platforms where they can follow you.
Try Different Thumbnails for Your Videos
If you’re new to YouTube and don’t yet have many subscribers, it’s worth trying out different thumbnails for your videos and seeing which ones get the most clicks.
You don’t want to keep using the same thumbnail over and over again because viewers will quickly become tired of seeing the same image every time they go to watch a video.
This is especially true if your channel doesn’t have many subscribers yet because viewers will only see your thumbnail when they go browsing through videos on their own—not when they’re being suggested videos by YouTube’s algorithm.
For example, if you upload three videos in one day and use the same thumbnail for all three videos, then viewers are likely going to get bored after a while because they’ll have already seen that thumbnail a few times throughout the course of their day.
Instead, it’s better to switch up your thumbnails so that viewers are more likely to click on one of them (and hopefully watch your video).
This is why it’s important to not only experiment with different thumbnails but also change them up regularly so that viewers never get tired of seeing them.
If you need some inspiration for new thumbnails for your videos, then check out some of the thumbnails on your favorite videos and see if you can come up with a similar style that you could use for your own channel.
Try Different Text Layouts
With each video you upload, you have the opportunity to change your title, description, and thumbnail. This is a great way to test out different types of thumbnails to see which one performs best.
Moreover, you can also experiment with different kinds of text layouts for your video titles and descriptions.
For example, you can try putting your most important information in bold, or you can try putting a call to action at the beginning or end of your description. These are just a few examples of the different kinds of text layouts you can experiment with.
Use a License Free Photo
One thing we’ve heard lots of creators talk about is using a license-free photo to create their thumbnails.
It might sound like a bad idea at first, but in reality, it’s a great solution if you’re struggling to come up with the perfect thumbnail. We know that licensing can be confusing, especially when you’re a beginner.
However, there are lots of websites that host images that you can use for free.
You can also use websites that offer royalty-free images.
You don’t have to worry about breaking any laws by using a license-free photo for your thumbnail.
This type of imagery is meant to be used for marketing and promotion, so you won’t get in trouble for using them.
Banks of quality images for Thumbnails for YouTube Videos
If you’re looking for a great website to use for your thumbnail, we suggest checking out Pixabay. This website offers over 1 million high-quality photos that you can use for free. If you aren’t sure what type of image you want to use, then this is a great place to start. You can browse through their photos and see what inspires you.
You can also check out the Popular page to see which photos are getting the most views and shares.
The other thing we like about Pixabay is that they have a desktop app that makes it easy to search for images on your computer.
There are lots of times when we have an idea of what we want our thumbnail to look like, but it takes us a while to find the perfect image or video clip.
The desktop app allows us to search through all of their images from our computer so we don’t have to waste time waiting on a webpage or mobile app.
If Pixabay doesn’t offer the type of photo you want, then there are plenty more websites that offer free imagery on the internet.
We suggest checking out Flickr Creative Commons, which often has some great images that can be used in your thumbnails!
And also Pexels, Unsplash, Gratisography, and StockSnap.
Check Out What’s Working For Other YouTubers
If you want to create great thumbnails for your videos, then it’s important that you understand what makes a good thumbnail.
This is something that many YouTubers struggle with because they don’t know what makes a good thumbnail or they’re too afraid to experiment with different styles.
However, there are plenty of examples of great thumbnails out there that you can look at to get inspiration for your own channel.
All you have to do is head over to YouTube and start searching for videos in your niche and take note of the thumbnails that are being used on each video.
You’ll probably notice a few trends when it comes to thumbnail styles:
- You should take note of how clear and eye-catching the thumbnail is.
- This means using text (such as “New Video!”) so that viewers will immediately know what each video is about without even having to click on it. The text should be big enough so that it doesn’t get lost in the image, but not so big that it looks tacky or unprofessional.
- If possible, try taking screenshots from within the video itself (or at least from within the first few seconds) so that viewers can see what they’re going to be watching before they even click on your video.
- If you’re using a screenshot, make sure that the image is cropped properly. Don’t just take a screenshot of the entire screen and then upload it as-is.
- YouTube is constantly making changes to its platform so it’s important to stay up-to-date with current trends in order to maximize your channel views and engagement.
The great thing is that most of these updates are user-friendly because they don’t require any fancy equipment or special software. All you need is a little time, effort, and creativity to create awesome videos that your viewers will love!
Find the most important part of your video and
showcase it
At the end of the day, your thumbnail serves as a summary of your video. It’s what people see before clicking through to watch your video, so it’s important that it catches their attention.
That said, it can be difficult to know what to put in your thumbnail to make it as eye-catching as possible.
The first thing you should do is figure out what the most important part of your video is.
That could be the part with the most visual interest, the part with the most information, or even just a really funny moment.
Whatever that is, find it and put it in your thumbnail!
The second thing to keep in mind is that you want your thumbnail to be visually consistent with your video.
If you’re making a tutorial video about how to do something on a computer program, then make sure that you show an image of the program in your thumbnail. Similarly, if you’re making a review video about a new smartphone or tablet, then make sure that the device is visible in your thumbnail.
The last thing to keep in mind is that you want your thumbnails to be clear and understandable.
If people can’t tell what they’re looking at within an instant of looking at it, they won’t watch the video.
That means that if there are any questions left unanswered by your thumbnail (like what exactly is being reviewed or how exactly something works), then try to answer those questions with text overlays or captions (we’ll talk more about those soon).
If we were creating thumbnails for this blog post, we might include one of us using our computer as we write this article for one of our images (perhaps holding up a sign explaining what article we’re writing), and another image where we explain what thumbnails are with text overlays (perhaps over a picture of an old VHS tape).
And finally: Always test and try different types of Thumbnails for YouTube Videos!
While we’ve given you a bunch of tips on how to create great thumbnails for YouTube videos, there’s one thing we haven’t talked about yet: testing.
We know that it can be a bit confusing to keep track of trends in visual marketing when the rules seem to change every year. In reality, creating great thumbnails takes a lot of trial and error.
You’ll never know what works best for your marketing strategy unless you try different types of thumbnails and measure how they perform.
If you want to make sure that you’re creating effective Thumbnails for YouTube Videos, you first need to understand what makes an effective thumbnail.
Then, you need to make sure that your thumbnails reflect that. Finally, you need to test out different thumbnails to see which ones resonate best with your audience!
Conclusion
Thumbnail images are the first visual impression of your video. They are also the first impression of your video’s brand. Your thumbnails have to reflect the same tone and style as your other branding elements, such as your channel art and logo.
If they don’t match, then you’re sending mixed messages to your viewers.
That can impact how they feel about your brand, and whether they continue to view your content.
Your thumbnails should be compelling enough to grab your audience’s attention, but not so much that they give away what happens in the video.
The Thumbnails for YouTube Videos are clear, concise, and visually interesting. It needs to be simple enough that it catches viewers’ attention, but also complex enough that it’s engaging and memorable.
Check out my article: YouTube Advertising: 15 Tips for Successful Campaigns
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