Guides

YouTube Thumbnails

Guides on making YouTube thumbnails, from creating an image from scratch to improving one you already have. Tools, design, size and testing.

Create a thumbnail from a topic or improve an image you have. Pick a style, add text, download 16:9.

How to describe your video so an AI thumbnail maker gives you an image you can use, and where it falls short.

What free thumbnail makers usually give you, what the free plan covers here (one a month) and who it suits.

Three ways to make a thumbnail compared, and four questions that tell you which one suits your channel.

A 15-minute routine for making a thumbnail: decide, get an image, build it, check it and upload.

The size, shape and file rules for a YouTube thumbnail, plus the safe area and a pre-upload check.

Three weak thumbnails taken apart and fixed, and the six principles behind the fixes.

Five questions that decide whether a thumbnail needs text, and rules for writing and placing it.

How to read your click-through rate, what common patterns mean and what to change first.

Twelve yes or no checks in four groups to run before you upload a thumbnail.

Eight thumbnail layouts that cover most videos, and how to make a template your own.

Three questions that give you a thumbnail idea, and eight ideas matched to the kind of video.

A three-part palette method for thumbnail colors, with three contrast tests and four starting recipes.

How to test thumbnails with YouTube Studio, what to change first and how to read the result.

Five thumbnail background types, when each fits and how to cut a subject out cleanly.