How to Make Thumbnails for YouTube

An Easy Guide on How to Make Thumbnails for YouTube

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YouTube is the best source of watching videos. It is one of the largest platforms where millions of viewers watch videos on a regular basis. On a platform where more than a billion users watch videos regularly, the market competition for getting your own YouTube video ranked becomes incredibly challenging. The fact of the matter is, you could’ve uploaded one of the most engaging videos up on the platform, but you might have fallen short in getting a response which you may have expected. Are you wondering why? Well, it could be improper optimization, but that’s not the only factor you need to pay attention to. Just as much as your YouTube video’s content & proper optimization is important, so is the fact your video must also feature an interesting thumbnail. 

Do you want to learn how to make thumbnails for YouTube? 

Here’s a simple guide to educate you on how you can make YouTube thumbnails easily. This article’s inspiration is taken from Hubspot’s marketing blog, which has clearly described the entire process. 

So without further ado, let’s begin with what we have learned recently.

 

How to Make Thumbnails for YouTube? 

According to Clifford Chi, the @BigRedDawg16, a YouTuber can create an interactive thumbnail in four simple steps. If you follow the steps, then you can easily create visually stunning thumbnails to help your video cut through the noise. Before you know it, your video will get a high-boost in click-through-rates. 

These steps are as follows: 

  • Step # 1: Visit a YouTube Online Thumbnail Maker 
  • Step # 2: Upload a Photo, or Choose a Thumbnail Maker’s Template 
  • Step # 3: Add relevant clip art, text, background or anything else you want to add 
  • Step # 4: All done? Download the complete thumbnail & add it to your YouTube video 

Let’s discuss these four steps in more detail. 

Step # 1: Visit a YouTube Online Thumbnail Maker

The internet is full of a variety of different YouTube online thumbnail makers which can allow you to create interactive thumbnails with just a few clicks of a button. To list down a few, 

Snappa – If you want a YouTube thumbnail maker with loads of high-resolution images and the best templates, Snappa can provide you with everything within a single platform. If you’re new to the designing field and you’re not quite aware on how to create thumbnails, Snappa can give you the perfect liberty to create remarkable designs. There’s plenty of customization options so you can add as many fonts, backgrounds, shapes, & many other design elements. It is available in both FREE & PAID versions. 

Canva – Canva is another great tool which offers multiple templates to create exciting YouTube thumbnails to put on your YouTube videos. Besides just the templates, one can also find more than a million graphics, interesting photos & mesmerizing images to add to their thumbnail art. One of the most incredible things about Canva is its easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder, which allows quick video making for newbie users. The Canva is free to use; however, there are many premium elements that you can only access if you purchase a premium account. 

These are the two top picks if you want an online easy-to-make YouTube online thumbnail maker. 

Step # 2: Upload a Photo, or Choose a Thumbnail Maker’s Template 

There’s a relatively high chance for a YouTube video to get clicked if they face an image on their thumbnails. Therefore, it is essential to upload a photo or choose a thumbnail maker’s template which already has images with faces on them. According to Research Gate, Instagram photos get 38% increased likes and 32% more comments on images with faces on them. Getting attracted to human faces is an innate trait as it kicks in our survival instinct to identify if a person you’re dealing with is a friend or a foe. If you want to bring more audience to your YouTube, then you can always upload a photo. 

 

Step # 3: Add relevant clip art, text, background, or anything else you want to add 

While uploading an image on your YouTube thumbnail has incredible benefits, to make it shine out more, you can always add more relevant clip art, text or a remarkably engaging background to it. 

Most YouTubers add the video’s title as a headline within the thumbnail. Putting up a lighter toned text on a dark background is not only easily readable but the color contrast can make it stand out. 

You can reverse the logic in case your thumbnail has a lighter background.

Step # 4: Fully Satisfied? It’s Time to Download Your Masterpiece on Computer

Done with adding all the nitty gritty’s, it’s finally time to download the end-result. To do so, all you have to do is find the save button or Download button on your YouTube thumbnail maker’s options. 

Canva & Snappa both provide you with the appropriate options. 

You can title your thumbnail with whatever you think is best for remembrance. Mostly, people choose the title header as the preferred choice of saving the thumbnail. Now download the thumbnail & save it as a JPEG or PNG format. The recommended resolution for Thumbnail approximates 1280 x 720 pixels. 

So there you go. Here are the four steps to creating your guide for making YouTube thumbnails. Did you find the article informative? Do you want to get animated cartoons or characters displaying your brand on social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube? Prolific Studio can help you. 

Get in touch with our professional animators now. 

 

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