YouTube’s Edge: Design Tips for Compelling Video Thumbnails

How to Make Video Thumbnails for YouTube

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The video thumbnails you use for YouTube are vital to getting views and subscribers. There are a lot of things that go into making people watch your videos, but your video thumbnail might be the most important factor.

Here are 5 easy tips for creating thumbnails that get views.

1. Have a Consistent Layout
2. Use Your Face
3. Use Graphics/Emojis That is On Topic
4. Make Your Text Huge
5. Keep It Clutter-Free!

Contest now closed.

Edit Your Videos Before Creating Video Thumbnails

1. Have a Consistent Layout

Your thumbnails all must look like part of the same set. You want viewers to recognize your videos like yours, and they are more likely to do that if you build up a standard layout that they can start associating with you.

An example of a standard layout could be you in the middle of the screen wearing an expression that matches the theme of your video, with your title written underneath your face. Every individual thumbnail would still be different, but you and the text would always be in the same spot.

2. Use Your Face

People feel automatically connected and drawn into images that make eye contact. This makes thumbnails which feature faces more click-able than thumbnails which don’t, in most genres (i.e. if you make food videos then this may not apply – featuring the food might be more important than featuring your face). Check out more tips like this here .

Also, if somebody recognizes you in your thumbnail from a previous video of yours, that will go a long way towards making them click.

3. Use Graphics/Emojis that are On Topic

Anybody can take a screenshot of themselves in their video and use it as a thumbnail. To make your thumbnails look polished, consider using small images (like emojis or hearts) to stand out. This will add color and personality to your thumbnail.

Make sure the images you choose are relevant to the topic of your video.

4. Make Your Text Huge

If you use text in your thumbnail (you don’t have to) then it should be to add context. For example, if the main image is just you smiling then you might need some text to let viewers know the video is a makeup tutorial.

Thumbnails might look large while you’re putting them together in your image editor, but when they’re displayed on YouTube they’re a lot smaller. That goes double if a viewer is watching on their phone. So, make sure that any text you use is large enough that it can be read easily on small screens.

5. Keep it Clutter-Free

It’s great to add text and emojis to your thumbnails, but you do need to be careful not to add too much. You never want your thumbnails to look cluttered. Viewers should be able to glance at your thumbnails and know exactly what kind of video to expect – that’s difficult to do if there’s too much to process.

A good rule for text is to use only 1-3 words. That way they won’t clutter your screen, and you can make them large enough to read on small-screened devices.

For even more tips on making great YouTube thumbnails, click here .

Use these tips to make video thumbnails for YouTube, and tell us what kind of results you get!

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

License-Free MCB Video Backgrounds

Free Minecraft YouTube Banners with Templates

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Need Minecraft YouTube banners?

Gaming is the biggest genre on YouTube, and Minecraft resonates strongly with gamers of all ages. If you have a channel that features Minecraft content, and you want a banner that lets viewers know Minecraft is a focus of yours, then you’ve come to the right place!

There are a few sites where you can find Minecraft-themed channel art, and we’ve put together a list of the top 3.

• YouTube - Featured Channel: Netix
• PlanetMinecraft Forums - Artists Section
• Best Business Template

Netix on YouTube

Netix posts Minecraft-themed graphics, and only Minecraft-themed graphics. You’ll find a lot of high quality banners on this channel, and they’re all free to download. Unlike a lot of creators who post one or two free banners, but mostly focus on other gaming content, Netix was at one point consistently posting new channel art (about once a month) for over a year.

Besides Netix, there are a lot of other artists posting gaming or Minecraft-themed banners on YouTube with download links. Just type ‘minecraft youtube banner’ into the search bar.

PlanetMinecraft Forums – Artists Section

Planet Minecraft is a community for Minecraft fans, complete with forums. If you go into the forums, you’ll find an Artists section under Communities where people post all kinds of things they’ve created, including YouTube banners. Here is an example of the kinds of posts you might find.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, you may at least be able to find someone to help you make it.

Best Business Template

Best Business Template has all kinds of graphics and images, including YouTube channel art. If you scroll through this page you’ll see a ton of Minecraft YouTube banners which you can download for free.

Think of a lot of the banners you find on these sites as templates. After downloading the image you’ll use as your background you can still personalize it by adding your channel’s name or logo, and even your posting schedule if you have one (keep these dimensions in mind so nothing gets cut off). This can be done easily, for free, in an online image editor like Canva.com or some other sites ).

Do you know anywhere else creators can get Minecraft YouTube banners?

Record & Edit YouTube Gaming Videos with Filmora

As one of the best video editing software for YouTubers, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface, which saves much time. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Need Minecraft YouTube banners?

Gaming is the biggest genre on YouTube, and Minecraft resonates strongly with gamers of all ages. If you have a channel that features Minecraft content, and you want a banner that lets viewers know Minecraft is a focus of yours, then you’ve come to the right place!

There are a few sites where you can find Minecraft-themed channel art, and we’ve put together a list of the top 3.

• YouTube - Featured Channel: Netix
• PlanetMinecraft Forums - Artists Section
• Best Business Template

Netix on YouTube

Netix posts Minecraft-themed graphics, and only Minecraft-themed graphics. You’ll find a lot of high quality banners on this channel, and they’re all free to download. Unlike a lot of creators who post one or two free banners, but mostly focus on other gaming content, Netix was at one point consistently posting new channel art (about once a month) for over a year.

Besides Netix, there are a lot of other artists posting gaming or Minecraft-themed banners on YouTube with download links. Just type ‘minecraft youtube banner’ into the search bar.

PlanetMinecraft Forums – Artists Section

Planet Minecraft is a community for Minecraft fans, complete with forums. If you go into the forums, you’ll find an Artists section under Communities where people post all kinds of things they’ve created, including YouTube banners. Here is an example of the kinds of posts you might find.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, you may at least be able to find someone to help you make it.

Best Business Template

Best Business Template has all kinds of graphics and images, including YouTube channel art. If you scroll through this page you’ll see a ton of Minecraft YouTube banners which you can download for free.

Think of a lot of the banners you find on these sites as templates. After downloading the image you’ll use as your background you can still personalize it by adding your channel’s name or logo, and even your posting schedule if you have one (keep these dimensions in mind so nothing gets cut off). This can be done easily, for free, in an online image editor like Canva.com or some other sites ).

Do you know anywhere else creators can get Minecraft YouTube banners?

Record & Edit YouTube Gaming Videos with Filmora

As one of the best video editing software for YouTubers, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface, which saves much time. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Need Minecraft YouTube banners?

Gaming is the biggest genre on YouTube, and Minecraft resonates strongly with gamers of all ages. If you have a channel that features Minecraft content, and you want a banner that lets viewers know Minecraft is a focus of yours, then you’ve come to the right place!

There are a few sites where you can find Minecraft-themed channel art, and we’ve put together a list of the top 3.

• YouTube - Featured Channel: Netix
• PlanetMinecraft Forums - Artists Section
• Best Business Template

Netix on YouTube

Netix posts Minecraft-themed graphics, and only Minecraft-themed graphics. You’ll find a lot of high quality banners on this channel, and they’re all free to download. Unlike a lot of creators who post one or two free banners, but mostly focus on other gaming content, Netix was at one point consistently posting new channel art (about once a month) for over a year.

Besides Netix, there are a lot of other artists posting gaming or Minecraft-themed banners on YouTube with download links. Just type ‘minecraft youtube banner’ into the search bar.

PlanetMinecraft Forums – Artists Section

Planet Minecraft is a community for Minecraft fans, complete with forums. If you go into the forums, you’ll find an Artists section under Communities where people post all kinds of things they’ve created, including YouTube banners. Here is an example of the kinds of posts you might find.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, you may at least be able to find someone to help you make it.

Best Business Template

Best Business Template has all kinds of graphics and images, including YouTube channel art. If you scroll through this page you’ll see a ton of Minecraft YouTube banners which you can download for free.

Think of a lot of the banners you find on these sites as templates. After downloading the image you’ll use as your background you can still personalize it by adding your channel’s name or logo, and even your posting schedule if you have one (keep these dimensions in mind so nothing gets cut off). This can be done easily, for free, in an online image editor like Canva.com or some other sites ).

Do you know anywhere else creators can get Minecraft YouTube banners?

Record & Edit YouTube Gaming Videos with Filmora

As one of the best video editing software for YouTubers, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface, which saves much time. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Need Minecraft YouTube banners?

Gaming is the biggest genre on YouTube, and Minecraft resonates strongly with gamers of all ages. If you have a channel that features Minecraft content, and you want a banner that lets viewers know Minecraft is a focus of yours, then you’ve come to the right place!

There are a few sites where you can find Minecraft-themed channel art, and we’ve put together a list of the top 3.

• YouTube - Featured Channel: Netix
• PlanetMinecraft Forums - Artists Section
• Best Business Template

Netix on YouTube

Netix posts Minecraft-themed graphics, and only Minecraft-themed graphics. You’ll find a lot of high quality banners on this channel, and they’re all free to download. Unlike a lot of creators who post one or two free banners, but mostly focus on other gaming content, Netix was at one point consistently posting new channel art (about once a month) for over a year.

Besides Netix, there are a lot of other artists posting gaming or Minecraft-themed banners on YouTube with download links. Just type ‘minecraft youtube banner’ into the search bar.

PlanetMinecraft Forums – Artists Section

Planet Minecraft is a community for Minecraft fans, complete with forums. If you go into the forums, you’ll find an Artists section under Communities where people post all kinds of things they’ve created, including YouTube banners. Here is an example of the kinds of posts you might find.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, you may at least be able to find someone to help you make it.

Best Business Template

Best Business Template has all kinds of graphics and images, including YouTube channel art. If you scroll through this page you’ll see a ton of Minecraft YouTube banners which you can download for free.

Think of a lot of the banners you find on these sites as templates. After downloading the image you’ll use as your background you can still personalize it by adding your channel’s name or logo, and even your posting schedule if you have one (keep these dimensions in mind so nothing gets cut off). This can be done easily, for free, in an online image editor like Canva.com or some other sites ).

Do you know anywhere else creators can get Minecraft YouTube banners?

Record & Edit YouTube Gaming Videos with Filmora

As one of the best video editing software for YouTubers, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface, which saves much time. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett