Optimize your YouTube thumbnails with these dimensions: 1280 pixels wide by 720 pixels tall. A ratio of 16:9 is ideal as it’s used most often in YouTube players and previews.
If you want to grow fast on YouTube, there’s one tactic you can use to get more views: use better thumbnail images.
YouTube thumbnails are just as important as video titles for getting more clicks. A well-designed thumbnail image can capture attention and help you stand out in a long line of search results. Since these image thumbnails also show up on Google’s search engines, they’re essential to maximize your impressions.
In this post, we’re going to discuss everything you need to know about YouTube thumbnails, including the ideal size, how to create them, and the best practices.
What’s the Best YouTube Thumbnail Size?
So, what is the best YouTube thumbnail size? By Google’s own recommendations, your image should be 1280 x 720 pixels. A ratio of 16:9 is recommended, as it’s used in YouTube players and previews.
This surprises most people, but it makes sense; while the thumbnail will be small when showing up in searches, it will be expanded to a full video’s size when it shows up as a suggestion for the next watch. For this reason, you want a larger image size that can be scaled down, instead of a small size that will be scaled up.
The full YouTube thumbnail guidelines are:
- Use dimensions of 1280 x 720 (the minimum width is 640 pixels).
- Accepted image formats include JPG, GIF, or PNG.
- Keep the file size under 2MB for videos and 10MB for podcasts.
How to Create a YouTube Thumbnail with Snappa
YouTube thumbnails are more effective when they’re designed with a polished, professional look.
To make things easy, try using our pre-made YouTube thumbnail templates. Here’s a quick video tutorial that shows you how to make a YouTube thumbnail in less than 2 minutes! No design experience is needed.
Here are steps to help you create a great looking YouTube thumbnail for your channel. You can start by clicking on the YouTube thumbnail template size in Snappa.
You can then choose from hundreds of pre-made YouTube thumbnail templates, all of which are fully customizable. You can also create a thumbnail design from scratch if you prefer.
After selecting a thumbnail image template, you can edit the YouTube thumbnail font, background image, colors, shapes, graphics, and more!
You can also upload your own images, graphics, and logos to use in your thumbnail, or you can choose a photo from Snappa’s built-in stock image library.
To keep things extra easy, you can duplicate saved thumbnail designs to create a similar thumbnail for your next YouTube video.
How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail Image
To add a thumbnail to your YouTube video, scroll down to the “Thumbnail” section under your video description. Then click “Upload file” and select the thumbnail image you created in Snappa. You can also test and compare thumbnails to see which designs perform best.
Once you’ve uploaded your custom YouTube thumbnail, you’ll see a preview of it in the top right corner. You can change a video’s featured image at any time, even after the YouTube video has been uploaded.
YouTube Thumbnail Ideas
Here are some of our top YouTube thumbnails from Snappa. Each thumbnail design is versatile and fully customizable to suit any creative need. Explore more of our YouTube thumbnail templates here.
Travel YouTube Thumbnail
Tech YouTube Thumbnail
Podcast YouTube Thumbnail
Business YouTube Thumbnail
Best YouTube Thumbnail Examples
Now that we’ve hammered out the technical details, we can tackle the creative.
Custom thumbnails will help your videos stand out and will also add a professional touch to your YouTube channel. When you’re deciding what type of image your thumbnail should be, there are a number of options you can choose from.
The first recommendation is a thumbnail with bold text layered on top of a high-quality background image. This thumbnail style is very popular on YouTube because it’s clear, simple, and effective.
Another option is to use a photo collage or a photo grid as the main thumbnail image. This thumbnail format is often used in travel vlogs.
You can also use a still frame image and add arrows pointing to the main subject of your video. This is a great way to build interest and encourage viewers to click on your video.
Keeping things straightforward and minimal by only using text in your thumbnail is also a great idea. This simple method can drive clicks and help increase your views because users will immediately know what your video is about.
Regardless of what thumbnail design you choose, you should strive for consistency across your YouTube channel. Many businesses will add the same distinctive branding to each of their YouTube thumbnails, even if the video topic changes. This makes it extremely easy for users to identify your videos quickly, helping you get more views and build brand recognition.
YouTube Thumbnail Best Practices
In addition to the ideas we shared above, there are a few best practices that you can apply to get better results from your YouTube thumbnails.
Our YouTube thumbnail best practices are:
Take Still Images
If you’re planning on using a photograph as part of your YouTube thumbnail, do yourself a favor and take an actual photograph with a high-quality camera. By taking a moment to set up or pose for a staged photograph, your thumbnail will appear more professional and achieve better results.
Use Contrasting Colors
Using the right color palette can help you get more likes and views on your videos. Contrasting colors, especially when it comes to graphics and text on your images, will immediately draw the eye in. When you’re competing to stand out in the search results, contrast will help.
To add contrast to your YouTube thumbnail, try darkening your background image and using bright colored text. Fortunately, you can use our editing features to darken any image in seconds. You can also adjust the color saturation, blur, and hues as well.
Utilize Negative Space
Using negative space (or whitespace) to your advantage will keep your thumbnail clean and organized. This gives that high-quality look professional images have. Many of our ready-made thumbnail templates use negative space to draw attention to key elements, helping viewers grasp your video’s message quickly, giving you a competitive edge.
Be Concise
Imagine if you had to describe your entire day in one sentence. This exercise makes for great copy, and is essential when it comes to the text that you place on your thumbnail image. Your thumbnail text should describe your video in as few words as possible while still providing viewers with enough information to build interest.
If viewers need more information, they can always watch the video, or read the YouTube video title and description.
YouTube Thumbnail Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve covered all the best practices for making a great YouTube thumbnail, now let’s dive into the common mistakes to avoid.
When it comes to YouTube thumbnail mistakes (aside from just using YouTube’s default thumbnails, or using the wrong thumbnail size), there’s a few to keep in mind:
Too much text
Some text is good and will improve your video’s performance, just don’t overdo it. If users can’t read the thumbnail text in one quick glance, then it’s too much. Stick to a single, concise title with a smaller subtitle underneath. Use just enough text to get your point across without overcrowding the design.
Having text that’s too small
In some cases, YouTubers make the text on their thumbnails small and unassuming so that it doesn’t distract viewers from the image itself. However, if the text is too small to read, it can reduce the number of views you get.
Choosing an image that isn’t relevant or is misleading
This happens more often than you’d think, just like how some blog posts aren’t always titled properly; some YouTube channels use stunning stock photos that don’t relate to their video at all.
A YouTube thumbnail that actually matches the video content will set clear expectations with viewers and build trust. This can lead to better engagement and prevents users from clicking away due to mismatched expectations.
Final Thoughts
Plenty of businesses just use one of YouTube’s automatic thumbnails for their videos instead of a customized featured one. This costs them the opportunity to capture interest and increase views with an engaging custom thumbnail. When creating your custom images for YouTube, make sure your thumbnails are sized properly and follow the best practices.
