A guide on how to create best You Tube thumbnail in 2023

If you want people to watch your videos, you need more than just a YouTube channel—you also need compelling thumbnails. Not only do you need a catchy title, but it also has to look good. So how can you make the best thumbnail for YouTube?

This guide will explain how to create the perfect YouTube thumbnail for your videos. By following these tips, you'll see a huge boost in clicks on your thumbnails!

What is a YouTube thumbnail, and why does it matter?

On YouTube, a thumbnail is the first image you see when searching for videos. For example, if you search for "best monitor under $899," a list of video titles will appear on your screen—each with its own corresponding thumbnail depicting what's shown in the video itself.

But you only click on a video's thumbnail if its image is compelling enough. Professional YouTubers add irresistible hooks to their thumbnails, enticing viewers to stay and watch. Copy this practice by adding your own special twist!

Even though YouTube gives you the option to choose from freeze-frames when uploading a video, this doesn't help. The frames are not attention grabbing and viewers may overlook them.

The thumbnail is the first thing viewers see, so it affects how many people click on your video. The quality of your thumbnail can make or break the success of a YouTube video. We'll show you how to design an eye-catching, viral-ready image for your next big hit.

How To Create A Thumbnail That Attracts Views On YouTube

Successfully creating a thumbnail requires knowledge of how to best position all elements on the image. Following are some tried and tested techniques that will help you boost your views immensely—

Think about the still image first, before you move on to other formats.

Creating a great YouTube video cover can be easier than you think. You don't need to hire designers or artists—all you have to do is find a good image that makes your channel stand out from the rest!

You should not make your still images the preview images for your videos, but how should you choose them?‍

You can choose to include still images in your video or export an image from the editing window. You may also need to remove the background of a still image for other reasons, like adding text or graphics.

There are different softwares that help you remove image backgrounds. I personally love using slazzer's background removal AI tool, it is extremely easy to use, removing the background of any object with a single click! And best part: it's free :)

Put a title on your story that describes what it is about.

When you are done with the cover photo and remove its background, it's time to add a title. A short 5-6 word line that sums up your video or summarizes what is being said in it. All elements of creating an effective thumbnail depend on each other; none can exist without the others

If you don't include a title, your video will seem unprofessional. But writing something like "This is my new video!" won't tell people what it's about—so make sure to come up with a creative description!

If you watch YouTube videos, you're already familiar with clickbait—even if you don't know the term. You have to include some interesting element in your video (or series of videos) that will catch people's attention and make them want to see what else they can find out about it.‍

Select a font style that is easy to read

Having a well-designed image is an important part of making a video look more appealing.

Consistency is key when it comes to creating effective metadata.  A strong, elegant font style will help you convey your brand identity and represent the content in your YouTube channel's thumbnails.

A consistent font style will help viewers recognize your channel. Make sure it is easy to read and clean—nobody likes spending time trying figure out what the title is!

Choose Appropriate Image Sizes

A good thumbnail can draw viewers to your video and increase the number of clicks you receive, so it's important that the size is just right.

Professional YouTubers recommend that the image dimensions of your cover be 1280 x 720 pixels, and no less than 640 pixels wide. A 16:9 aspect ratio is preferred—and you should save the file in JPG, BMP or PNG format with a minimum size of 2 mb.

Some new YouTubers make the mistake of keeping the size of their images too small.

The preview image that appears on YouTube's website is quite small; however, when fans embed a video from your channel onto their own blogs or websites, it takes up more space.

When you enlarge a small image, the quality decreases. Your thumbnail should meet all requirements of each platform it will be viewed on: your TV screen, computer monitor or mobile device's display.

Find Something That Contrasts

Now that you've chosen an image, sized it appropriately and given it a title, choose the best color scheme for your thumbnail. There are two kinds of color contrast: high (brighter) and low (darker).

A higher-contrast image pairs two colors that are very different from each other—like black and white. A lower contrast uses similar colors, such as red and pink.

If you use low-contrast colors, your title text will probably get lost in the image and not be readable. Therefore, I recommend using complementary or highly contrasting colors.‍

So, choose a vibrant or bright color—but make sure it's in line with your brand identity and corresponds to the content of your video. If you're choosing an image from inside the video itself, go for one that will catch viewers' eyes right away!

Following The Rule Of Thirds

The rule of thirds dictates that an image should be divided into nine equal parts using imaginary vertical and horizontal lines, with the subject located at one of the four spaces created by those intersections.

To create a more dynamic look, place the main subject in the space that makes up two thirds of your thumbnail.

Consistency is important

To make the best YouTube thumbnails, you should be consistent with your color contrast, font style and size of elements across all videos.

If you follow popular YouTubers, you'll see that they stick to a particular color and theme because it helps create a brand identity. ‍

There are several online tools that you can use to create striking thumbnails for your YouTube videos.

I recommend trying a few thumbnail options each time you make a YouTube video. Find the one that works best with your video and use it every time.

Hack most of beginner YouTube do is they Research their competitors' YouTube videos and they learn how they're using thumbnails and titles, then they create something unique that also gets a lot of views.

Takeaway

In summary, here are my pro tips for creating the best thumbnail for YouTube: all of these factors are important and none stand alone. Make sure you take each point into consideration when designing your next video’s image banner!

When you're trying to build a career on YouTube, it's important to spend time crafting each element of your videos: filming, editing and creating thumbnails.

I hope this guide has been helpful. Be sure to let me know which idea you found most useful, and stay tuned for more such guides!

(Above mentioned article is a sponsored feature, This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of IDPL, and IDPL claims no responsibility whatsoever.)