How to make a YouTube thumbnail people click

Size and format

YouTube recommends 1280×720 pixels (16:9), in JPG, PNG or GIF, under 2 MB. You may need to verify your account before you can upload custom thumbnails.

But design for the small size: most people see your thumbnail on a phone, often smaller than a stamp. Anything you can’t read at that size doesn’t exist.

What makes a thumbnail work

• One idea. One subject, one clear focal point. Busy thumbnails become noise when small.
• Contrast. Bright subject on a darker or plain background. Avoid colours that blend into YouTube’s white or dark interface.
• A face with emotion, when it fits your channel. Expressions draw the eye, as long as they match the video.
• Little text. Three to five words at most, large and bold, adding something the title doesn’t say.
• Show the result or the tension. The finished dish, the before/after, the problem about to happen.

Thumbnail and title work together

Don’t repeat the title in the thumbnail. If the title is “I Tried the 5 AM Routine for 30 Days”, the thumbnail can show your tired face and “Day 1”. Together they tell a story that neither tells alone.

Check it before you publish

1. Shrink it. Look at it at phone size. Can you tell what it is in one second?
2. Put it next to other videos in your niche. Does it stand out or blend in?
3. Check it on both light and dark mode.
4. Read the title with it. Do they make sense together?

Our free thumbnail preview shows your thumbnail and title in YouTube’s home feed, search and phone layouts, in light and dark mode, before you upload.

TipKeep important elements away from the bottom-right corner: YouTube puts the video length there.