A successful YouTube channel is a powerful asset. You can drive brand awareness and grow your audience through the video platform—so long as you package your videos to attract views. Beyond giving your video a compelling title and description, an attention-grabbing thumbnail can increase the chances a user will watch your video.
Learn how the right dimensions allow your YouTube thumbnail to display properly, so you can get more subscribers on YouTube.
What are YouTube thumbnail images?
YouTube thumbnails are still images that represent videos. Users see these images while browsing YouTube—they appear in search results, on YouTube profile pages, and on web pages with embedded YouTube players.
A YouTube thumbnail image is more than a placeholder—it’s the digital equivalent of a book cover. The image should capture a viewer’s attention and offer insight into the contents of the video. Most successful YouTubers design and upload custom thumbnail images for each video.
Specifications for YouTube thumbnails
To create the perfect YouTube thumbnail size, consider image resolution, image dimensions, and file size:
- Dimensions. According to YouTube’s guidelines, the ideal YouTube thumbnail size is 1280 pixels x 720 pixels and the minimum width is 640 pixels.
- Size. The maximum allowable file size is 2 MB for videos.
- Aspect ratio. Images should have a 16:9 aspect ratio.
- File type. YouTube accepts several image formats including JPG (or JPEG), PNG, and GIF.
Follow best practices for image sizing to ensure that your YouTube video thumbnail displays correctly in viewers’ feeds.
🌟If you enjoy success on YouTube, there are also many creative ways to make money—even if that may not have been your reason for starting your channel.
Tips for creating a YouTube thumbnail
- Use eye-catching colors
- Represent your content
- Incorporate text
- Include a person
- Develop a signature style
- Test before posting
The technical details are only one aspect of creating a good thumbnail. Use a graphic design tool like Photoshop or a YouTube thumbnail maker and follow these tried-and-true techniques for creating thumbnails that pop:
Use eye-catching colors
How does a peacock attract a mate? With those flashy feathers, of course. Opt for vibrant colors to captivate potential viewers with visually appealing thumbnail images. Choose bright, contrasting colors to help text and design elements stand out from the background—and other videos.
🌟Color theory is the idea that colors affect our moods and impressions. Here’s how you can use color theory to guide your branding.
Represent your content
The best YouTube thumbnails highlight the appeal of the video. The image you choose should give the viewer an idea of what the video is about and why they might want to watch it.
Make sure it accurately represents your video content—misleading images could create a poor user experience. For example, imagine you click on a thumbnail depicting a basket full of kittens and discover the video is a recipe for lasagna. You’d probably feel disappointed and click away, even if you like lasagna. A video thumbnail that creates false expectations can lead to a higher bounce rate (people leaving immediately after clicking).
Incorporate text
Thumbnails are an opportunity to highlight what’s unique about your video. Adding text can help get more information across.
Choose short, exciting phrases related to your video content. Keep in mind that thumbnails appear alongside titles in search results. Since users can read your video’s title, use text to add supplemental information. For example, for a video titled “We Built a Massive Ice Cream Sundae,” you could add the short phrase “200 lbs of hot fudge” to the thumbnail to show an interesting aspect of your video.
Make sure the font is large enough to be legible on a mobile device—more than 60% of YouTube views are mobile.
Include a person
According to a study from Thumbnailtest.com, YouTube thumbnail images that incorporate faces attract a higher click-through rate than those without. That’s because seeing a face can build trust and create an emotional connection with viewers. Creators often choose a video frame that shows a person.
Develop a signature style
Aim to create a recognizable design style for your thumbnail designs so users can identify your videos by sight. Using consistent colors, fonts, and graphic elements supports brand recognition. Consider using YouTube thumbnail templates to make thumbnail creation quicker and maintain uniformity.
Even though the best YouTube thumbnail size is 1280 pixels x 720 pixels, you have creative freedom to make an impact.
Test before posting
Export and review your image before posting to avoid common YouTube thumbnail mistakes like blurriness and unreadable text. Preview your image on a mobile device to ensure the focus is crisp and the text elements are large enough to read when on a small screen.
How to upload a YouTube thumbnail
Users can upload thumbnails when they publish a new video or use the YouTube Studio dashboard to edit thumbnails for previously published videos. Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to upload your own custom thumbnails during the initial publishing flow:
1. Upload a video
Click the camera icon next to your profile picture and select “Upload video.” Choose your file or drag it into the pop-up screen to upload it to YouTube Studio.
2. Tap “Add thumbnail”
After the video finishes uploading, the platform will direct you to a publishing screen where you can add a video title and description. The thumbnail selection tool is beneath the description box. YouTube will automatically pull several frames from your video as suggested thumbnails. Click the gray box with the plus sign to upload a custom YouTube thumbnail.
3. Select your image file
Select the file you’d like to upload, or drag your image onto the screen. Tap save and check the preview image in the upper right-hand corner to ensure that you’ve uploaded the correct image.
Examples of the best YouTube thumbnails
Check out these examples from real YouTubers and get inspired to create your own thumbnails:
Claire Saffitz
Pastry chef, YouTube star, and cookbook author Claire Saffitz used text and cutout images to create a YouTube thumbnail that perfectly encapsulates her video titled “I Tried Making Cosmic Brownies at Home.”
The thumbnail provides extra context by showing an image of classic Cosmic Brownies (useful for those unfamiliar with the treat) next to her homemade version. Each has a clear label so the viewer can see the similarities. The cutout images are crisp and large enough to show detail. The background image shows Claire smiling in her kitchen, giving the viewer insight into the setting.
Karen Puzzles
Karen Puzzles creates YouTube videos about puzzle solving. The thumbnail for her video “The most confusing jigsaw puzzle in the world” pairs two images of the YouTuber, one pointing at the other, who is solving the puzzle.
The text within the image reads, “I’m trying it again,” which hints to the viewer that perhaps this puzzle is so complicated she couldn’t solve it the first time. The digital clock in the upper left-hand corner shows how long it took to complete the project.
Lone Fox
Design and interior influencer Lone Fox makes it easy for a user to understand the contents of his video, “Thrifting Home Decor to Sell on Facebook Marketplace!” The title tells the viewer this post is about selling furniture and the video’s thumbnail shows how much he paid for the item and earned after renovating the piece. Adding the short phrase “DIY” to the image hints that a viewer could also take on a similar project.
YouTube thumbnail size FAQ
Is a YouTube thumbnail a PNG or JPEG?
You can upload thumbnails to YouTube as JPEG or PNG files—the best format depends on your design and the custom thumbnail image size. JPG files are often smaller than PNGs, but PNGs can better preserve fine image details.
What is the best size for YouTube thumbnails?
YouTube recommends uploading large, high-quality images for the best image thumbnail experience. The ideal YouTube thumbnail dimensions are 1280 pixels by 720 pixels and the maximum file size is two megabytes for videos.
Is the YouTube thumbnail ratio 16:9?
Yes, the ratio for YouTube thumbnails is 16:9.
