How to make a YouTube thumbnail
- Pick a template. Each one is built for a kind of video: filter them by Teach, Entertain, Money & reviews or Lifestyle, or see all 30 at once. Switch any time: your words and your photo move to the new one.
- Write 2 to 5 big words. Click the text on the thumbnail and type. Put *stars* around a word to make it pop in another colour or in a box.
- Add your face. “Photo” puts your picture where the template’s face is, and the AI cuts you out of the background with a sticker outline, right in your browser. Then every template in the list shows your face.
- Make it yours. 18 thumbnail fonts, outlines, 3D and glow text, arrows, circles, labels, ratings, emoji, gradients, rays, speed lines and halftone backgrounds.
- Compare. Make a version B or C and see them side by side on YouTube, down to the smallest size it shows.
- Download. A JPG under 2 MB that uploads from the YouTube app too, a 4K JPG, or a PNG. Or copy it and paste it in YouTube Studio.
Everything happens in your browser: your photos never leave your device, and your thumbnails are kept on this device for next time.
Which template for which video
| Video | Template | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Tutorial, how-to | How-to, Lesson | A promise in big words and your face pointing at it |
| Reaction, opinion | Reaction | A strong expression and speed lines pull the eye |
| Comparison, test | Versus, Before/after | Two sides you understand in half a second |
| List, tips | Top list | One giant number says “easy to watch” |
| Money, business | Money | A before and after number with a growth arrow |
| Podcast, interview | Podcast, Story time | A quote from the episode sells the conversation |
| Review, unboxing | Review, Unboxing | A rating or a “new” burst gives the verdict away |
| Gaming | Gaming | Neon glow and slanted text, ready for a game screenshot behind |
| Vlog, travel | Travel vlog | Warm colours and a handwritten line feel personal |
| News, commentary | Breaking, Essay, Exposed | A news bar, a calm serif title that stands out among loud thumbnails, or a red circle on the proof |
| Advice, mistakes | Do / don’t, Checklist | A red cross and a green tick explain the video before the title does |
| Rankings, debates | Tier list, Big question | Everyone has an opinion on a ranking or a question, so they click to compare |
| Data, facts | Big number | One surprising number is a promise the video has to explain |
| Cooking, fitness, daily life | Recipe, Workout, Routine, Minimal | The result and the time it takes, in two lines |
| Tech, music | Tech, Music | The object itself, big, with one short line |
| Deep dives, streams | Documentary, Live | A film look for long videos, a red LIVE badge for streams |
Your face, cut out in your browser
Thumbnails with a face cut out and outlined in white are everywhere for a reason: a face reads at any size. Here it takes one step:
- Put your photo in the face spot and the background is removed on its own. The AI model runs in your browser: the first time it downloads once (about 13 to 26 MB, then your browser keeps it), and your photo is never uploaded. Any other photo gets a “Remove background” button.
- A product or object on a plain wall or a green screen: open “Erase a colour instead”. “Erase from edges” finds the colour around it and removes it; “Pick a colour” removes the colour you click.
- A PNG that’s already cut out gets the outline and shadow as soon as you drop it in.
The AI is made for people. “Restore original” always brings your photo back as it was.
YouTube thumbnail size (2026)
| What | What YouTube asks for | What you get here |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | 16:9 | 16:9 |
| Size | At least 640 px wide; 3840 × 2160 recommended | 1280 × 720, or 3840 × 2160 (4K) |
| File | JPG or PNG; 2 MB from the phone app | JPG under 2 MB, 4K JPG or PNG |
| Title | Up to 100 characters | Counted in the preview |
Text, shapes and effects are drawn again at full size for the 4K file, so they stay sharp. Your photos stay as sharp as the photos you add.
What makes people click
- One idea. One face, one object or one number, big. If it needs explaining, it’s too much.
- Few words, huge. Three to five words that add to the title instead of repeating it.
- Contrast. Light words on a dark background or the other way round, with an outline or a shadow when the background is busy.
- A real expression. Surprise, doubt or joy, close up, with the eyes visible.
- The bottom-right corner stays free. YouTube puts the video’s length there. The “Show what YouTube covers” button above the thumbnail marks it.
- Same look every time. Use the same fonts and colours on every video so people recognise your channel in the feed.
Test it before you upload
Switch to Preview on YouTube and type your title and channel name. Your thumbnail appears among other videos on the home page, in search results, in the YouTube app on a phone and in the “Up next” list beside a video, in light or dark mode. “Real sizes” shows it at the widths YouTube really uses, down to 120 px, and puts your versions side by side.
Next to a video, YouTube shows thumbnails only 168 px wide. If your words are hard to read at “Real sizes”, use fewer and bigger ones.
