How to make a YouTube thumbnail that gets clicks
Your thumbnail and title decide whether anyone watches. The best thumbnails are simple: one clear subject, three or four big words and strong contrast, so they still read on a small phone screen.
Step by step
- Open Social Media → Normal Post. Choose the 16:9 Landscape size.
- Add your photo. A close, expressive face or the main subject of the video.
- Add three or four words. Big, bold and high-contrast. Don't repeat the title.
- Export and upload. Upload it as a custom thumbnail in YouTube Studio.
Make it pop
Brighten and add contrast to your photo in the Photo Editor first, and use a bold font such as Bebas Neue or Anton. Check it by shrinking it right down: if you can't read the words at the size of a phone thumbnail, use fewer, bigger ones.
Keep a consistent look
Using the same fonts, colours and layout across your thumbnails makes your videos recognisable in search results and suggestions. Make one thumbnail you're happy with, then reuse it as a template by changing the photo and words.
Questions
What size should a thumbnail be?
YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 pixels; Postscript's 16:9 size is 1920 × 1080, which is the same shape and sharper.
Is it free?
Yes. Free exports carry a small Postscript watermark, which Pro removes.
Is there a file size limit?
Yes, YouTube limits thumbnails to 2 MB. Use the free image compressor if yours is bigger.
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