How to Prevent Thumbnail Absence in Shorts Uploads

Video thumbnails are important since they encourage people to click and watch the video. But what if your set YouTube Shorts thumbnail is not showing? YouTube will use a random part of the video as the thumbnail. It may be an unflattering or uninteresting shot. Then, your Shorts video is doomed.

That said, it is a problem you want to solve. Here are 7 FAQs about YouTube Shorts thumbnails. They may help you with fixing this issue.

Q1. Can I Customize YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Yes, you can. YouTube did allow short-form video creators to upload custom thumbnails for their Shorts. However, they aren’t that optimized. For instance, some people may not see them on the Shorts shelf. Also, if you share a link to the video somewhere else, the old video thumbnail may show instead of the new one.

Adding a custom thumbnail for YouTube Shorts is the same as adding one for long-form videos on the platform. Follow these steps:

• Open the YouTube mobile app. Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom center > “Create Short.” Upload, edit, and post your video.

• Get to your desktop computer or laptop. Open your channel’s YouTube Studio.

• On the left navigation menu, click “Content.”

• Click the “pencil” icon next to the Shorts you just uploaded. This video should be at the top of the list.
• Navigate to the Thumbnail section. Click “Create Thumbnail.”

Q2. Why Are YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Not Showing?

It’s not you who’s the only one with Shorts thumbnails not showing. Many short-form content creators on the platform are also facing this issue. A YouTuber took to Reddit to complain about how he uploaded custom thumbnails for all his videos. The thumbnails are correct in the editor. However, YouTube still displays a random frame as the thumbnail on the Shorts shelf.

“They ALL have randomly selected different parts of each video I have uploaded & somehow generated a new/unknown thumbnail that was neither what I uploaded as the custom option nor 1 of the 3 that YouTube auto populated.”

YouTuber on Reddit

The reason behind this is the difference in the thumbnail size. Regular YouTube video thumbnails are in the ratio of 16:9. Meanwhile, Shorts uses a ratio of 9:16. The thing is that YouTube does not yet allow you to upload 9:16 thumbnails. Thus, the thumbnail for Shorts may show correctly on the video section but not on the Shorts shelf.

Q3. How to Fix YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Problem?

Unfortunately, there is no reliable fix to this problem yet. YouTubers have tried different things in hopes that YouTube will display the correct thumbnail for their Shorts.

Some YouTubers have tried using different images. Others have experimented with changing the aspect ratio of the thumbnail or using Adobe editor for ratios. Clearing histories and cache, using different browsers, resizing, and changing the images’ resolution have also been done. Sadly, these are all failed attempts.

Q4. How To Boost Views When I Have no Control Over YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Attracting viewers on Shorts is the same as attracting viewers on the main YouTube. You use interesting thumbnails and video titles. Since thumbnails are out of the options, selecting great video titles has become even more important.

Here are some pointers. Your title should be at most 40 characters. Also, it should be concise and irresistible. And forget about SEO since no one is searching for YouTube Shorts anyway. People consume what they see in their feeds. So instead, the title should be “snappy.” It should intrigue, entertain, or enlighten the viewers. That will net you some views for your Shorts content.

Q5. How To Get More Views on YouTube Shorts?

Forgoing the intro is the way to go. An intro will just prolong the video when people are in Shorts to find bite-sized videos. So jump right into the video content. You can also start the video with a still frame instead. Using hashtags, captions, and text effects are also recommended. And interacting with your audience through comments and pinned comments will keep them coming back to your Shorts channel.

Of course, ensuring that the video quality is high is key to getting more views. For that, you need a good video editor. You can try Wondershare Filmora , a powerful and easy-to-use video editor.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

Click here

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

Visual Ventures: FREE Themes to Elevate Your Channel

Free YouTube Channel Art Templates - Find Them Here

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Looking for free YouTube channel art templates? Good channel art can be the difference between a visitor to your channel thinking of you as a YouTuber instead of just someone who posted a few videos. Branding your channel with a banner doesn’t only make your channel look nicer, it makes you look like you’re serious about YouTube.

Here are 7 places where you can find templates for YouTube channel art.

• Filmora Free Banner Art Templates
• Canva
• Wondershare PixStudio
• Fotor
• Visme
• YourTube
• Banner Snack

1. 50 Free Banner Art Templates from Filmora

You can download 50 free YouTube channel art templates right here on filmora.io. We have 10 categories of banners: gaming, beauty, travel, comedy, education, minimalist, funky, comics, galaxy, and bright. There’s something for everyone.

You will have the option of downloading either PSD files you can edit in Photoshop, or PNG files you can customize in a free online program like Canva.com. Click here (link) to learn more and download your free channel art templates.

2. Canva

Phil from Video School Online’s Canva tutorial.

Canva is a free online program you can use to create all kinds of graphics easily (learn how to use Canva here ), and they even have templates you can use to make YouTube channel art. Using a template on Canva is as easy as clicking on the one you want and then dragging and dropping in your own images (if you don’t want to use theirs) and changing what the text says.

Although Canva is free to use, and includes many free options for graphics and stock photos, it does also have some premium images and clip art which cost $1 each to use. Making a free banner is as easy as making sure none of the paid elements are in your design (they’re watermarked, so you’ll know).

3. Wondershare PixStudio

Wondershare PixStudio is an all-in-one and powerful online graphic design maker for everyone. It has various types of templates for YouTube Thumbnails, Logos, Posters, etc. You can create a beautiful design by simply dragging and dropping the elements and photos. The online platform is free to use all templates, just One-Click to download your creations and share to your Facebook, Instagram Story, and YouTube Thumbnails, etc. immediately.

PixStudio has special features to remove the image background. With a single click, you can quickly remove the image background, and use your image with more flexibility. Just payment of $7.99 per month to use the features.

4. Fotor

In the above video, YouTuber BBelleGames walks you through all of the features you can use to build your channel art in Fotor.

Fotor is another free online drag-n-drop program with YouTube channel art templates. You can create your banner with Fotor in 4 steps. First open the Design feature and choose a template. Second, either choose a design or build one from scratch. Third, overlay images and any text you want over your background. Finally, save your banner and choose a format to export it in.

The free version of Fotor will work well enough for most YouTubers, but you can also upgrade to their paid Pro program to unlock more content and features.

5. Visme

Visme offers 50 YouTube channel art templates which you can customize the text of for free. You just create a free account, choose the template that best suits your channel, insert your own text and edit that text’s font and color.

6. YourTube

YourTube has a ton of really nice looking channel art templates you can download for free. The downloads include both PSD (Photoshop) files and the background images without text. This is great because you’ll have an editable file you can build on in Photoshop, if you have it, and an image file you can use in combination with a free service like Canva if you don’t.

7. Banner Snack

Banner Snack is for all kinds of social media graphics from YouTube channel art to Twitter headers. It’s a high quality service that’s been used by a lot of major brands, like Lego and Xerox. The only downside of Banner Snack is that their free service is limited and has a watermark. You need to be paying at least $7 per month in order to get rid of the watermark.

Let us know if you know anywhere else to get free YouTube channel art templates!

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

Looking for free YouTube channel art templates? Good channel art can be the difference between a visitor to your channel thinking of you as a YouTuber instead of just someone who posted a few videos. Branding your channel with a banner doesn’t only make your channel look nicer, it makes you look like you’re serious about YouTube.

Here are 7 places where you can find templates for YouTube channel art.

• Filmora Free Banner Art Templates
• Canva
• Wondershare PixStudio
• Fotor
• Visme
• YourTube
• Banner Snack

1. 50 Free Banner Art Templates from Filmora

You can download 50 free YouTube channel art templates right here on filmora.io. We have 10 categories of banners: gaming, beauty, travel, comedy, education, minimalist, funky, comics, galaxy, and bright. There’s something for everyone.

You will have the option of downloading either PSD files you can edit in Photoshop, or PNG files you can customize in a free online program like Canva.com. Click here (link) to learn more and download your free channel art templates.

2. Canva

Phil from Video School Online’s Canva tutorial.

Canva is a free online program you can use to create all kinds of graphics easily (learn how to use Canva here ), and they even have templates you can use to make YouTube channel art. Using a template on Canva is as easy as clicking on the one you want and then dragging and dropping in your own images (if you don’t want to use theirs) and changing what the text says.

Although Canva is free to use, and includes many free options for graphics and stock photos, it does also have some premium images and clip art which cost $1 each to use. Making a free banner is as easy as making sure none of the paid elements are in your design (they’re watermarked, so you’ll know).

3. Wondershare PixStudio

Wondershare PixStudio is an all-in-one and powerful online graphic design maker for everyone. It has various types of templates for YouTube Thumbnails, Logos, Posters, etc. You can create a beautiful design by simply dragging and dropping the elements and photos. The online platform is free to use all templates, just One-Click to download your creations and share to your Facebook, Instagram Story, and YouTube Thumbnails, etc. immediately.

PixStudio has special features to remove the image background. With a single click, you can quickly remove the image background, and use your image with more flexibility. Just payment of $7.99 per month to use the features.

4. Fotor

In the above video, YouTuber BBelleGames walks you through all of the features you can use to build your channel art in Fotor.

Fotor is another free online drag-n-drop program with YouTube channel art templates. You can create your banner with Fotor in 4 steps. First open the Design feature and choose a template. Second, either choose a design or build one from scratch. Third, overlay images and any text you want over your background. Finally, save your banner and choose a format to export it in.

The free version of Fotor will work well enough for most YouTubers, but you can also upgrade to their paid Pro program to unlock more content and features.

5. Visme

Visme offers 50 YouTube channel art templates which you can customize the text of for free. You just create a free account, choose the template that best suits your channel, insert your own text and edit that text’s font and color.

Click here

6. YourTube

YourTube has a ton of really nice looking channel art templates you can download for free. The downloads include both PSD (Photoshop) files and the background images without text. This is great because you’ll have an editable file you can build on in Photoshop, if you have it, and an image file you can use in combination with a free service like Canva if you don’t.

7. Banner Snack

Banner Snack is for all kinds of social media graphics from YouTube channel art to Twitter headers. It’s a high quality service that’s been used by a lot of major brands, like Lego and Xerox. The only downside of Banner Snack is that their free service is limited and has a watermark. You need to be paying at least $7 per month in order to get rid of the watermark.

Let us know if you know anywhere else to get free YouTube channel art templates!

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

Looking for free YouTube channel art templates? Good channel art can be the difference between a visitor to your channel thinking of you as a YouTuber instead of just someone who posted a few videos. Branding your channel with a banner doesn’t only make your channel look nicer, it makes you look like you’re serious about YouTube.

Here are 7 places where you can find templates for YouTube channel art.

• Filmora Free Banner Art Templates
• Canva
• Wondershare PixStudio
• Fotor
• Visme
• YourTube
• Banner Snack

1. 50 Free Banner Art Templates from Filmora

You can download 50 free YouTube channel art templates right here on filmora.io. We have 10 categories of banners: gaming, beauty, travel, comedy, education, minimalist, funky, comics, galaxy, and bright. There’s something for everyone.

You will have the option of downloading either PSD files you can edit in Photoshop, or PNG files you can customize in a free online program like Canva.com. Click here (link) to learn more and download your free channel art templates.

2. Canva

Phil from Video School Online’s Canva tutorial.

Canva is a free online program you can use to create all kinds of graphics easily (learn how to use Canva here ), and they even have templates you can use to make YouTube channel art. Using a template on Canva is as easy as clicking on the one you want and then dragging and dropping in your own images (if you don’t want to use theirs) and changing what the text says.

Although Canva is free to use, and includes many free options for graphics and stock photos, it does also have some premium images and clip art which cost $1 each to use. Making a free banner is as easy as making sure none of the paid elements are in your design (they’re watermarked, so you’ll know).

3. Wondershare PixStudio

Wondershare PixStudio is an all-in-one and powerful online graphic design maker for everyone. It has various types of templates for YouTube Thumbnails, Logos, Posters, etc. You can create a beautiful design by simply dragging and dropping the elements and photos. The online platform is free to use all templates, just One-Click to download your creations and share to your Facebook, Instagram Story, and YouTube Thumbnails, etc. immediately.

PixStudio has special features to remove the image background. With a single click, you can quickly remove the image background, and use your image with more flexibility. Just payment of $7.99 per month to use the features.

4. Fotor

In the above video, YouTuber BBelleGames walks you through all of the features you can use to build your channel art in Fotor.

Fotor is another free online drag-n-drop program with YouTube channel art templates. You can create your banner with Fotor in 4 steps. First open the Design feature and choose a template. Second, either choose a design or build one from scratch. Third, overlay images and any text you want over your background. Finally, save your banner and choose a format to export it in.

The free version of Fotor will work well enough for most YouTubers, but you can also upgrade to their paid Pro program to unlock more content and features.

5. Visme

Visme offers 50 YouTube channel art templates which you can customize the text of for free. You just create a free account, choose the template that best suits your channel, insert your own text and edit that text’s font and color.

6. YourTube

YourTube has a ton of really nice looking channel art templates you can download for free. The downloads include both PSD (Photoshop) files and the background images without text. This is great because you’ll have an editable file you can build on in Photoshop, if you have it, and an image file you can use in combination with a free service like Canva if you don’t.

7. Banner Snack

Banner Snack is for all kinds of social media graphics from YouTube channel art to Twitter headers. It’s a high quality service that’s been used by a lot of major brands, like Lego and Xerox. The only downside of Banner Snack is that their free service is limited and has a watermark. You need to be paying at least $7 per month in order to get rid of the watermark.

Let us know if you know anywhere else to get free YouTube channel art templates!

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

Looking for free YouTube channel art templates? Good channel art can be the difference between a visitor to your channel thinking of you as a YouTuber instead of just someone who posted a few videos. Branding your channel with a banner doesn’t only make your channel look nicer, it makes you look like you’re serious about YouTube.

Here are 7 places where you can find templates for YouTube channel art.

• Filmora Free Banner Art Templates
• Canva
• Wondershare PixStudio
• Fotor
• Visme
• YourTube
• Banner Snack

1. 50 Free Banner Art Templates from Filmora

You can download 50 free YouTube channel art templates right here on filmora.io. We have 10 categories of banners: gaming, beauty, travel, comedy, education, minimalist, funky, comics, galaxy, and bright. There’s something for everyone.

You will have the option of downloading either PSD files you can edit in Photoshop, or PNG files you can customize in a free online program like Canva.com. Click here (link) to learn more and download your free channel art templates.

2. Canva

Phil from Video School Online’s Canva tutorial.

Canva is a free online program you can use to create all kinds of graphics easily (learn how to use Canva here ), and they even have templates you can use to make YouTube channel art. Using a template on Canva is as easy as clicking on the one you want and then dragging and dropping in your own images (if you don’t want to use theirs) and changing what the text says.

Although Canva is free to use, and includes many free options for graphics and stock photos, it does also have some premium images and clip art which cost $1 each to use. Making a free banner is as easy as making sure none of the paid elements are in your design (they’re watermarked, so you’ll know).

3. Wondershare PixStudio

Wondershare PixStudio is an all-in-one and powerful online graphic design maker for everyone. It has various types of templates for YouTube Thumbnails, Logos, Posters, etc. You can create a beautiful design by simply dragging and dropping the elements and photos. The online platform is free to use all templates, just One-Click to download your creations and share to your Facebook, Instagram Story, and YouTube Thumbnails, etc. immediately.

PixStudio has special features to remove the image background. With a single click, you can quickly remove the image background, and use your image with more flexibility. Just payment of $7.99 per month to use the features.

4. Fotor

In the above video, YouTuber BBelleGames walks you through all of the features you can use to build your channel art in Fotor.

Fotor is another free online drag-n-drop program with YouTube channel art templates. You can create your banner with Fotor in 4 steps. First open the Design feature and choose a template. Second, either choose a design or build one from scratch. Third, overlay images and any text you want over your background. Finally, save your banner and choose a format to export it in.

The free version of Fotor will work well enough for most YouTubers, but you can also upgrade to their paid Pro program to unlock more content and features.

5. Visme

Visme offers 50 YouTube channel art templates which you can customize the text of for free. You just create a free account, choose the template that best suits your channel, insert your own text and edit that text’s font and color.

6. YourTube

YourTube has a ton of really nice looking channel art templates you can download for free. The downloads include both PSD (Photoshop) files and the background images without text. This is great because you’ll have an editable file you can build on in Photoshop, if you have it, and an image file you can use in combination with a free service like Canva if you don’t.

7. Banner Snack

Banner Snack is for all kinds of social media graphics from YouTube channel art to Twitter headers. It’s a high quality service that’s been used by a lot of major brands, like Lego and Xerox. The only downside of Banner Snack is that their free service is limited and has a watermark. You need to be paying at least $7 per month in order to get rid of the watermark.

Let us know if you know anywhere else to get free YouTube channel art templates!

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

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