Elevating Your Content: Choosing Right YouTube Duos/Groups

How to Find YouTube Collaboration Partners?

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

The following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.

1. Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
   1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
   2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers
   3. Create quality content consistently
2. Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
   1. Use the person’s name when you contact them
   2. Keep it simple
   3. Have ideas
3. Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
   1. Networking is important in finding collab partners
   2. Don’t stray too far from your other content
   3. Thank the people you work with in your videos
4. Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
   1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’
   2. Ask questions
   3. Use Twitter

Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .

Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:

1. Approach people you already have a relationship with

This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.

2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.

People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.

3. Create quality content consistently.

If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.

Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin

This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:

1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.

This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.

2. Keep it simple.

When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.

3. Have ideas.

Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.

Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer

Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.

1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.

Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.

2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.

Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.

3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.

If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.

Collab advice starts at around 2:10.

Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva

Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.

1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.

If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.

2. Ask questions.

If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.

3. Use Twitter.

Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.

Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?

Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time

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 following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.

1. Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
   1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
   2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers
   3. Create quality content consistently
2. Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
   1. Use the person’s name when you contact them
   2. Keep it simple
   3. Have ideas
3. Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
   1. Networking is important in finding collab partners
   2. Don’t stray too far from your other content
   3. Thank the people you work with in your videos
4. Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
   1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’
   2. Ask questions
   3. Use Twitter

Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .

Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:

1. Approach people you already have a relationship with

This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.

2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.

People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.

3. Create quality content consistently.

If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.

Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin

This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:

1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.

This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.

2. Keep it simple.

When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.

3. Have ideas.

Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.

Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer

Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.

1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.

Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.

2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.

Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.

3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.

If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.

Collab advice starts at around 2:10.

Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva

Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.

1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.

If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.

2. Ask questions.

If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.

3. Use Twitter.

Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.

Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?

Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time

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 following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.

1. Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
   1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
   2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers
   3. Create quality content consistently
2. Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
   1. Use the person’s name when you contact them
   2. Keep it simple
   3. Have ideas
3. Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
   1. Networking is important in finding collab partners
   2. Don’t stray too far from your other content
   3. Thank the people you work with in your videos
4. Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
   1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’
   2. Ask questions
   3. Use Twitter

Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .

Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:

1. Approach people you already have a relationship with

This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.

2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.

People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.

3. Create quality content consistently.

If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.

Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin

This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:

1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.

This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.

2. Keep it simple.

When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.

3. Have ideas.

Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.

Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer

Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.

1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.

Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.

2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.

Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.

3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.

If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.

Collab advice starts at around 2:10.

Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva

Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.

1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.

If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.

2. Ask questions.

If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.

3. Use Twitter.

Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.

Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?

Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time

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 following is a guide to YouTube collaborations - specifically, it’s a list of tips for finding and approaching collab partners. Here are videos from 4 YouTubers who have done successful collabs about how they were able to get other creators to work with them.

1. Tips from Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake
   1. Approach people you already have a relationship with
   2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers
   3. Create quality content consistently
2. Tips from YouTube Guru Nick Nimmin
   1. Use the person’s name when you contact them
   2. Keep it simple
   3. Have ideas
3. Tips from Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer
   1. Networking is important in finding collab partners
   2. Don’t stray too far from your other content
   3. Thank the people you work with in your videos
4. Tips from Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva
   1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’
   2. Ask questions
   3. Use Twitter

Also, check out these tips on how to grow your channel using collab videos .

Tips From Tech YouTuber Roberto Blake

Roberto Blake is a YouTuber who does tech reviews and graphic design tutorials in addition to providing great information about being a creative entrepreneur. He has done several collab videos and has a lot of advice about how to find potential partners. Here are 3 of his biggest tips:

1. Approach people you already have a relationship with

This could mean friends, people you have met at events like VidCon, or people who are subscribed to your channel. It is easier for someone to want to collaborate with you if they feel like they know you.

2. Think about what your potential partner could have to offer your existing subscribers.

People sub to Roberto for tech advice, for example, so it makes sense for him to collaborate with people who have insights into technology. Collaborations should never be all about bringing in new subs – make your videos for the people who already watch your channel.

3. Create quality content consistently.

If you approach somebody about collaborating and they see that you haven’t posted in over a month, or that you don’t have many videos, it might be harder to get them to agree to work with you. The same goes if they watch your videos and don’t think they are at the same quality level as their videos.

Tips From YouTube Guru Nich Nimmin

This is a collab video about collab videos! Nick Nimmin’s channel is all about YouTube, and Brandon’s channel OnePercentBetter has tons of cool self-development animations. It’s Brandon giving the tips in this video, and 3 of his best are:

1. Use the person’s name when you contact them.

This might seem obvious, but it is an easy mistake to make. If you send someone an email where you don’t use their name (maybe you just say ‘hey’) it will seem like you aren’t interested in them. Talking about a video of theirs you like can also help show your interest in them as a creator.

2. Keep it simple.

When you’re approaching someone for the first time, don’t overwhelm them with a long email. Limit yourself to around two paragraphs.

3. Have ideas.

Don’t make your potential partner do the work of pitching ideas to you. Be open to their ideas, but come up with 1 or 2 ideas of your own you can mention when you approach the creator you want to work with. People will be more likely to say ‘yes’ to a specific idea than to the idea of collaborating in general, if they don’t already know you.

Tips From Freelancer / Lifestyle Vlogger Amy Schmittauer

Amy Schmittauer of Savvy Sexy Social does vlogs, lifestyle videos, and provides tips on being a freelancer. After doing several collabs in one week, she posted this video about how collaborations work best and how you should approach people you might want to work with.

1. Networking is important in finding collab partners.

Be nice to other creators when you meet them, offline or online, and build real relationships. Amy got to collaborate with Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) even though she had not met him before because Austin Evans - who she had built a friendship with – vouched for her with him. When you are networking, think beyond what the immediate payoff could be.

2. Don’t stray too far from your other content.

Aim to make your collab videos similar, content-wise, to the other videos on your channel. That way the new viewers you get from having the guest YouTuber in your video will be able to make an informed decision about whether they want to subscribe to you.

3. Thank the people you work with in your videos.

If you appeared in someone else’s video, you would probably appreciate it if they thanked you for being there, told their viewers to go check out your channel, and provided a link for them to do so. So, when you host someone else in one of your videos, that’s the kind of treatment you should give them. If you don’t, then the next person you want to collaborate with will see that and probably won’t want to work with you.

Collab advice starts at around 2:10.

Tips From Lifestyle and Fashion YouTuber MyLifeAsEva

Eva Gutowski (MyLifeAsEva) is a lifestyle, fashion, and DIY YouTuber who has done numerous collaborations and believes in making real friends on YouTube. In the video above she shares some of her experiences and talks about how to come across as a real person when you approach other YouTubers about collaborating.

1. Don’t approach other YouTubers as a ‘fan’.

If you want to be friends and collab partners, talk to other YouTubers as if you are their equal (which you are!). If you want to work with someone it’s probably because you like their videos, and there’s nothing wrong with saying so. Being all ‘omg, I love you, please subscribe to me too!’ isn’t likely to lead to a collab, though.

2. Ask questions.

If you’re just trying to break the ice with someone, it is a good idea to as them a question – potentially about YouTube or one of their videos. This will give them something to engage with, and it’s also a good way to let them know you’re a YouTuber too.

3. Use Twitter.

Twitter is the best place to make YouTube friends, in Eva’s opinion. It’s an easy place to casually introduce yourself and ask questions.

Do you have any of your advice on YouTube collaborations?

Excellent YouTube Video Editor Always Save Your Time

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Step-by-Step Guide to Elevating Video Presence Through Thumbnails

How To Add Custom Thumbnails to Your YouTube Videos

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube custom thumbnails are a great way to get people’s attention to your YouTube video. It’s a pretty simple process but if you are wondering how to create a thumbnail and add the thumbnail to YouTube video and customize it with the correct size. You have come to the right place. While in this article, I will show you how to create and add a thumbnail to a YouTube video and how to customize the YouTube video thumbnail. Follow these easy steps below and add eyecatching customed thumbnails to your YouTube videos in no time.

• Part 1: Create and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube
• Part 2: Tools to Create Custom YouTube Video Thumbnails
• Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube
• Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a YouTube Custom Thumbnail
• Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails to Get More Clicks
• Part 6: YouTube Thumbnail FAQs

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How To Add Custom Thumbnails to Your YouTube Videos [Steps, Tools and Tips]

We have just made a video tutorial about how to make a YouTube video thumbnail, check it below to find out the tips and tricks of making customized YouTube thumbnail.

Part 1: How to Make a Thumbnail for YouTube and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube

After you’ve verified your account and made your thumbnail, it’s finally time to upload it to your video and make a custom thumbnail. To do this, go to Creator Studio and then Video Manager. You’ll see a button labeled “Edit” next to each video, and an arrow pointing down. Click Thumbnail Editor.

In Thumbnail Editor, you can use the still images in the video as a thumbnail, choose a solid background color for the thumbnail, or add other images from your computer. I will show you the steps of how to customize the video still as a video thumbnail.

1. Preview the video and choose the target video still. You can click the Playback button and check the video and pause it at the desired frame. Or, you can step through each frame by clicking the Preview Frame button and Next Frame icon. Click Next to continue.

2. And now, you can add text, image and shape overlays to the thumbnail. You can change the text font, size, opacity and more.

3. Click Next to save the thumbnail and you will see how the thumbnail displays on different platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Click Save to save the video thumbnail.

In this way, you can add a custom thumbnail to the new videos and change the video thumbnail of the previously uploaded videos.

Part 2: Thumbnail Makers to Create Custom YouTube Thumbnails

Of course, you can use some of the best tools to make a YouTube video thumbnail. In this part, we will show you some of the best tools to create custom YouTube thumbnails.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

1. Create YouTube Thumbnail with Online solution - Canva

Canva is a free, powerful online image editing program with tons of great templates to get you started. One of their templates just happens to be YouTube thumbnails. Open Canva and select the “YouTube Thumbnail” design type. Use your own photo or choose from a huge library, then add text and effects to really make it stand out. Save and share — easy as that.

Check this video tutorial to see how to Make a Youtube Thumbnail using Canva.

You may also like: Best online Photo Editor

2. Design YouTube thumbnail with a Desktop solution - Gimp

Gimp is one of the most popular image editing programs around for one very simple reason: it’s powerful and free! Where Canva uses a lot of templates, Gimp gives you absolute, full control over how you want your image to look. Make a 1280x720 image and start putting together your eye-catching thumbnail exactly how you want to.

Check this video tutorial to see how to make professional Thumbnails for YouTube Videos with Gimp:

Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube

Note: YouTube allows verified YouTube accounts (accounts that provided YouTube with a working phone number) to upload custom thumbnail images and change them accordingly.

In this part, we’ll be going over how to change a thumbnail image on YouTube. There are pictures to make it easy to follow along.

• After signing into YouTube with your Google account, click on your profile on the top right corner. Click on YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.

• On the left side of the page, click on Videos and then find your video and click on the details button.

• Find the Thumbnail section in the basic video details tab, and then click the Upload thumbnail to select the image that you want to upload.
• Finally, click on the Save button on the right upper corner. And just like that, in seven easy steps, we’re done changing the thumbnail of a YouTube video.

If you don’t have an image to upload but you want to check out some online resources to make your own, check out our Top YouTube Thumbnail Makers .

Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a Custom Thumbnail

• About the proper YouTube video thumbnail size: Your thumbnail should be 1280x720 pixels in size and be less than 2MB. The minimum width of the image is 640 pixels.
• About the YouTube Image thumbnail format: Use .JPG, .PNG, .GIF or .BMP files for your thumbnail image.
• You’ll want your thumbnails to stand out. Bright colored text is a simple, easy way to draw people’s attention. Red, white, yellow, or orange are all popular choices.
• You can even do a little homework to see what colors others are using for similar videos to yours, and then choose different colors to stand out.

One word of warning: your thumbnail should be related to the content of your video. Misleading thumbnail images, if reported, will reflect poorly on your channel. You’ll get a negative rating in the community status part of your channel. This can actually remove your ability to use custom thumbnails, so keep it honest!

You may also like: How to Make YouTube Channel Art

To make a creative YouTube video, you may also need a powerful video editing software. Check how to edit a YouTube video in Filmora video editor and download it to try.

You may also like: Best video editing software for YouTube

Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails - Get More Clicks

The thumbnails of your videos play a huge role in convincing people to watch them; a good YouTube thumbnail will get you more views and more potential subscribers. This part will give you 6 tips on creating thumbnails that help grow your channel. Now let’s learn how to make thumbnails using Wondershare PixStudio.

1. Stay On Topic

Your thumbnail should tell a story; it should be clear from looking at it what viewers will get out of watching the video, be it knowledge or entertainment. If your thumbnail sets expectations that your video doesn’t deliver on, people will click away quickly. You may get views quickly, but you won’t get much watch time. That will tell YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people aren’t getting what they want from this, rank it lower’. That leads to fewer views over time, and gives the people who do manage to find your video a negative opinion of your channel.

Very few people intentionally use thumbnails that have nothing to do with the content of their videos – i.e, most people understand not to use a picture of a kitten in the thumbnail for their tech review, unless maybe their kitten is the one doing the review (which would be adorable, someone should do that). People who want serious advice won’t click, and people who click to see a kitten will click away fast.

This thumbnail had better be for a kitten’s iPhone review video or people will click away. Fast.

A mistake a lot of creators do make is creating a thumbnail that is meant to evoke an emotion which the video itself does not justify. For example, if you see a picture of a YouTuber looking nervous alongside text that reads ‘My Secret’, you will think they are going to share something deeply personal. You will be curious, and you may even be worried about them. You’ll probably click. Then, if their secret is that they don’t like pineapple on pizza, you’ll probably be angry. This technique gets clicks, but not a lot of watch time and it will lose you subs in the long run.

2. Don’t Be Mysterious

A good thumbnail doesn’t make people guess. Your thumbnail should tell people what’s in your video, not make them wonder about it. People want to know what they’re being asked to spend time watching.

Often, they will be looking for the answer to a specific question and will completely ignore anything that doesn’t show – in the thumbnail – that it has their answer.

Sometimes big channels can get away with stuff like this, because large portions of their audiences are interested in them as people and will already be curious about anything they post. This technique will not bring in new viewers, though.

If this came up in a search for ‘smoky eye tutorial’, would you click it?

When people want answers, they want to feel confident that they video they click on will have those answers. If you have great content, then let people know it!

3. People Like People

Viewers are more likely to click on a thumbnail if they feel a connection when they look at it. One of the best ways to create a feeling of connection is through eye contact, and you can apply that principle to your YouTube thumbnails easily.

Just make sure you’re in them.

You can either compose a photo to use as your thumbnail, or use a screenshot from your video. Ideally, the image of you will convey the emotional tone of the video and tell potential viewers what it is about, besides you.

So, if you want to post a funny video that is also about making brownies, maybe a picture of you smiling while holding up a tray of brownies would be a better direction than just showing the brownies?

4. Check Out The Competition

Before you post your video, type your topic into YouTube’s search engine and see what comes up. This will give you insight into what kinds of thumbnails are performing well for other people, as well as what you can do to stand out in comparison.

Phil starts talking about thumbnails at 6:09, and he has great tips on checking out your competition!

For example, if all five of the top-ranked videos for the search ‘how to build a cabinet’ show images of the YouTuber smiling while holding a power tool, then your thumbnail for a video on the same topic should also be a picture of you smiling and holding a power tool. You know that works, so why not do it?

5. Use Color in Interesting Ways

You want to use colors that will help you stand out from the other search results. While checking out your competition if you notice that all the people in the other thumbnails are wearing black or navy blue, it will be a good idea for you to wear a brighter color for your shoot to grab a bit more attention.

Beyond simply using colors that are different from other people’s colors, you should consider the emotions different colors trigger.

Maybe don’t use a lot of green and yellow in the thumbnail for your angry video rant?

6. Make Your Text Huge

Usually, you’ll want to use a bit of text in your thumbnail. It might be the full title of your video, or just a keyword or phrase. You don’t want to use a full sentence because you won’t have room for it if you’re using huge text.

The reason you should use huge text is so that people can read it. Remember that when people see your thumbnail in their search results, it will be much smaller than it will look while you are creating it. Text that looks big enough while you are creating your thumbnail will be much smaller when people are actually trying to read it, and that goes double for viewers watching on their small smartphone screens.

Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Thumbnail

1. What is YouTube Thumbnail?

When you upload a video on YouTube, YouTube gives you three images to choose from in the selection of your video’s thumbnail image. These three images are just freeze-frame snapshots from different parts of your video, which may not tell your viewers what your video is really all about.

2. Can You Change YouTube Thumbnail After Publishing?

Yes, you can replace the auto-generated thumbnail with the customized thumbnail you like. But YouTube only allows verified YouTube accounts to upload custom thumbnail images.

3. How Long Does It Take for a Thumbnail to Change on YouTube?

Normally, if you have a good internet connection, you can see the thumbnail is changed within 10 seconds.

4. Why YouTube Thumbnail is Important?

When you get more people watching your video for longer, it increases your watch time and tells YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people like this, rank it higher’. Being ranked higher gets you more views, and even more watch time. It’s a wonderful cycle that all begins with a great thumbnail (paired with a good title and the right tags).

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube custom thumbnails are a great way to get people’s attention to your YouTube video. It’s a pretty simple process but if you are wondering how to create a thumbnail and add the thumbnail to YouTube video and customize it with the correct size. You have come to the right place. While in this article, I will show you how to create and add a thumbnail to a YouTube video and how to customize the YouTube video thumbnail. Follow these easy steps below and add eyecatching customed thumbnails to your YouTube videos in no time.

• Part 1: Create and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube
• Part 2: Tools to Create Custom YouTube Video Thumbnails
• Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube
• Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a YouTube Custom Thumbnail
• Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails to Get More Clicks
• Part 6: YouTube Thumbnail FAQs

---

How To Add Custom Thumbnails to Your YouTube Videos [Steps, Tools and Tips]

We have just made a video tutorial about how to make a YouTube video thumbnail, check it below to find out the tips and tricks of making customized YouTube thumbnail.

Part 1: How to Make a Thumbnail for YouTube and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube

After you’ve verified your account and made your thumbnail, it’s finally time to upload it to your video and make a custom thumbnail. To do this, go to Creator Studio and then Video Manager. You’ll see a button labeled “Edit” next to each video, and an arrow pointing down. Click Thumbnail Editor.

In Thumbnail Editor, you can use the still images in the video as a thumbnail, choose a solid background color for the thumbnail, or add other images from your computer. I will show you the steps of how to customize the video still as a video thumbnail.

1. Preview the video and choose the target video still. You can click the Playback button and check the video and pause it at the desired frame. Or, you can step through each frame by clicking the Preview Frame button and Next Frame icon. Click Next to continue.

2. And now, you can add text, image and shape overlays to the thumbnail. You can change the text font, size, opacity and more.

3. Click Next to save the thumbnail and you will see how the thumbnail displays on different platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Click Save to save the video thumbnail.

In this way, you can add a custom thumbnail to the new videos and change the video thumbnail of the previously uploaded videos.

Part 2: Thumbnail Makers to Create Custom YouTube Thumbnails

Of course, you can use some of the best tools to make a YouTube video thumbnail. In this part, we will show you some of the best tools to create custom YouTube thumbnails.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

1. Create YouTube Thumbnail with Online solution - Canva

Canva is a free, powerful online image editing program with tons of great templates to get you started. One of their templates just happens to be YouTube thumbnails. Open Canva and select the “YouTube Thumbnail” design type. Use your own photo or choose from a huge library, then add text and effects to really make it stand out. Save and share — easy as that.

Check this video tutorial to see how to Make a Youtube Thumbnail using Canva.

You may also like: Best online Photo Editor

2. Design YouTube thumbnail with a Desktop solution - Gimp

Gimp is one of the most popular image editing programs around for one very simple reason: it’s powerful and free! Where Canva uses a lot of templates, Gimp gives you absolute, full control over how you want your image to look. Make a 1280x720 image and start putting together your eye-catching thumbnail exactly how you want to.

Check this video tutorial to see how to make professional Thumbnails for YouTube Videos with Gimp:

Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube

Note: YouTube allows verified YouTube accounts (accounts that provided YouTube with a working phone number) to upload custom thumbnail images and change them accordingly.

In this part, we’ll be going over how to change a thumbnail image on YouTube. There are pictures to make it easy to follow along.

• After signing into YouTube with your Google account, click on your profile on the top right corner. Click on YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.

• On the left side of the page, click on Videos and then find your video and click on the details button.

• Find the Thumbnail section in the basic video details tab, and then click the Upload thumbnail to select the image that you want to upload.
• Finally, click on the Save button on the right upper corner. And just like that, in seven easy steps, we’re done changing the thumbnail of a YouTube video.

If you don’t have an image to upload but you want to check out some online resources to make your own, check out our Top YouTube Thumbnail Makers .

Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a Custom Thumbnail

• About the proper YouTube video thumbnail size: Your thumbnail should be 1280x720 pixels in size and be less than 2MB. The minimum width of the image is 640 pixels.
• About the YouTube Image thumbnail format: Use .JPG, .PNG, .GIF or .BMP files for your thumbnail image.
• You’ll want your thumbnails to stand out. Bright colored text is a simple, easy way to draw people’s attention. Red, white, yellow, or orange are all popular choices.
• You can even do a little homework to see what colors others are using for similar videos to yours, and then choose different colors to stand out.

One word of warning: your thumbnail should be related to the content of your video. Misleading thumbnail images, if reported, will reflect poorly on your channel. You’ll get a negative rating in the community status part of your channel. This can actually remove your ability to use custom thumbnails, so keep it honest!

You may also like: How to Make YouTube Channel Art

To make a creative YouTube video, you may also need a powerful video editing software. Check how to edit a YouTube video in Filmora video editor and download it to try.

You may also like: Best video editing software for YouTube

Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails - Get More Clicks

The thumbnails of your videos play a huge role in convincing people to watch them; a good YouTube thumbnail will get you more views and more potential subscribers. This part will give you 6 tips on creating thumbnails that help grow your channel. Now let’s learn how to make thumbnails using Wondershare PixStudio.

1. Stay On Topic

Your thumbnail should tell a story; it should be clear from looking at it what viewers will get out of watching the video, be it knowledge or entertainment. If your thumbnail sets expectations that your video doesn’t deliver on, people will click away quickly. You may get views quickly, but you won’t get much watch time. That will tell YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people aren’t getting what they want from this, rank it lower’. That leads to fewer views over time, and gives the people who do manage to find your video a negative opinion of your channel.

Very few people intentionally use thumbnails that have nothing to do with the content of their videos – i.e, most people understand not to use a picture of a kitten in the thumbnail for their tech review, unless maybe their kitten is the one doing the review (which would be adorable, someone should do that). People who want serious advice won’t click, and people who click to see a kitten will click away fast.

This thumbnail had better be for a kitten’s iPhone review video or people will click away. Fast.

A mistake a lot of creators do make is creating a thumbnail that is meant to evoke an emotion which the video itself does not justify. For example, if you see a picture of a YouTuber looking nervous alongside text that reads ‘My Secret’, you will think they are going to share something deeply personal. You will be curious, and you may even be worried about them. You’ll probably click. Then, if their secret is that they don’t like pineapple on pizza, you’ll probably be angry. This technique gets clicks, but not a lot of watch time and it will lose you subs in the long run.

2. Don’t Be Mysterious

A good thumbnail doesn’t make people guess. Your thumbnail should tell people what’s in your video, not make them wonder about it. People want to know what they’re being asked to spend time watching.

Often, they will be looking for the answer to a specific question and will completely ignore anything that doesn’t show – in the thumbnail – that it has their answer.

Sometimes big channels can get away with stuff like this, because large portions of their audiences are interested in them as people and will already be curious about anything they post. This technique will not bring in new viewers, though.

If this came up in a search for ‘smoky eye tutorial’, would you click it?

When people want answers, they want to feel confident that they video they click on will have those answers. If you have great content, then let people know it!

3. People Like People

Viewers are more likely to click on a thumbnail if they feel a connection when they look at it. One of the best ways to create a feeling of connection is through eye contact, and you can apply that principle to your YouTube thumbnails easily.

Just make sure you’re in them.

You can either compose a photo to use as your thumbnail, or use a screenshot from your video. Ideally, the image of you will convey the emotional tone of the video and tell potential viewers what it is about, besides you.

So, if you want to post a funny video that is also about making brownies, maybe a picture of you smiling while holding up a tray of brownies would be a better direction than just showing the brownies?

4. Check Out The Competition

Before you post your video, type your topic into YouTube’s search engine and see what comes up. This will give you insight into what kinds of thumbnails are performing well for other people, as well as what you can do to stand out in comparison.

Phil starts talking about thumbnails at 6:09, and he has great tips on checking out your competition!

For example, if all five of the top-ranked videos for the search ‘how to build a cabinet’ show images of the YouTuber smiling while holding a power tool, then your thumbnail for a video on the same topic should also be a picture of you smiling and holding a power tool. You know that works, so why not do it?

5. Use Color in Interesting Ways

You want to use colors that will help you stand out from the other search results. While checking out your competition if you notice that all the people in the other thumbnails are wearing black or navy blue, it will be a good idea for you to wear a brighter color for your shoot to grab a bit more attention.

Beyond simply using colors that are different from other people’s colors, you should consider the emotions different colors trigger.

Maybe don’t use a lot of green and yellow in the thumbnail for your angry video rant?

6. Make Your Text Huge

Usually, you’ll want to use a bit of text in your thumbnail. It might be the full title of your video, or just a keyword or phrase. You don’t want to use a full sentence because you won’t have room for it if you’re using huge text.

The reason you should use huge text is so that people can read it. Remember that when people see your thumbnail in their search results, it will be much smaller than it will look while you are creating it. Text that looks big enough while you are creating your thumbnail will be much smaller when people are actually trying to read it, and that goes double for viewers watching on their small smartphone screens.

Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Thumbnail

1. What is YouTube Thumbnail?

When you upload a video on YouTube, YouTube gives you three images to choose from in the selection of your video’s thumbnail image. These three images are just freeze-frame snapshots from different parts of your video, which may not tell your viewers what your video is really all about.

2. Can You Change YouTube Thumbnail After Publishing?

Yes, you can replace the auto-generated thumbnail with the customized thumbnail you like. But YouTube only allows verified YouTube accounts to upload custom thumbnail images.

3. How Long Does It Take for a Thumbnail to Change on YouTube?

Normally, if you have a good internet connection, you can see the thumbnail is changed within 10 seconds.

4. Why YouTube Thumbnail is Important?

When you get more people watching your video for longer, it increases your watch time and tells YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people like this, rank it higher’. Being ranked higher gets you more views, and even more watch time. It’s a wonderful cycle that all begins with a great thumbnail (paired with a good title and the right tags).

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube custom thumbnails are a great way to get people’s attention to your YouTube video. It’s a pretty simple process but if you are wondering how to create a thumbnail and add the thumbnail to YouTube video and customize it with the correct size. You have come to the right place. While in this article, I will show you how to create and add a thumbnail to a YouTube video and how to customize the YouTube video thumbnail. Follow these easy steps below and add eyecatching customed thumbnails to your YouTube videos in no time.

• Part 1: Create and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube
• Part 2: Tools to Create Custom YouTube Video Thumbnails
• Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube
• Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a YouTube Custom Thumbnail
• Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails to Get More Clicks
• Part 6: YouTube Thumbnail FAQs

---

How To Add Custom Thumbnails to Your YouTube Videos [Steps, Tools and Tips]

We have just made a video tutorial about how to make a YouTube video thumbnail, check it below to find out the tips and tricks of making customized YouTube thumbnail.

Part 1: How to Make a Thumbnail for YouTube and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube

After you’ve verified your account and made your thumbnail, it’s finally time to upload it to your video and make a custom thumbnail. To do this, go to Creator Studio and then Video Manager. You’ll see a button labeled “Edit” next to each video, and an arrow pointing down. Click Thumbnail Editor.

In Thumbnail Editor, you can use the still images in the video as a thumbnail, choose a solid background color for the thumbnail, or add other images from your computer. I will show you the steps of how to customize the video still as a video thumbnail.

1. Preview the video and choose the target video still. You can click the Playback button and check the video and pause it at the desired frame. Or, you can step through each frame by clicking the Preview Frame button and Next Frame icon. Click Next to continue.

2. And now, you can add text, image and shape overlays to the thumbnail. You can change the text font, size, opacity and more.

3. Click Next to save the thumbnail and you will see how the thumbnail displays on different platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Click Save to save the video thumbnail.

In this way, you can add a custom thumbnail to the new videos and change the video thumbnail of the previously uploaded videos.

Part 2: Thumbnail Makers to Create Custom YouTube Thumbnails

Of course, you can use some of the best tools to make a YouTube video thumbnail. In this part, we will show you some of the best tools to create custom YouTube thumbnails.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

1. Create YouTube Thumbnail with Online solution - Canva

Canva is a free, powerful online image editing program with tons of great templates to get you started. One of their templates just happens to be YouTube thumbnails. Open Canva and select the “YouTube Thumbnail” design type. Use your own photo or choose from a huge library, then add text and effects to really make it stand out. Save and share — easy as that.

Check this video tutorial to see how to Make a Youtube Thumbnail using Canva.

You may also like: Best online Photo Editor

2. Design YouTube thumbnail with a Desktop solution - Gimp

Gimp is one of the most popular image editing programs around for one very simple reason: it’s powerful and free! Where Canva uses a lot of templates, Gimp gives you absolute, full control over how you want your image to look. Make a 1280x720 image and start putting together your eye-catching thumbnail exactly how you want to.

Check this video tutorial to see how to make professional Thumbnails for YouTube Videos with Gimp:

Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube

Note: YouTube allows verified YouTube accounts (accounts that provided YouTube with a working phone number) to upload custom thumbnail images and change them accordingly.

In this part, we’ll be going over how to change a thumbnail image on YouTube. There are pictures to make it easy to follow along.

• After signing into YouTube with your Google account, click on your profile on the top right corner. Click on YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.

• On the left side of the page, click on Videos and then find your video and click on the details button.

• Find the Thumbnail section in the basic video details tab, and then click the Upload thumbnail to select the image that you want to upload.
• Finally, click on the Save button on the right upper corner. And just like that, in seven easy steps, we’re done changing the thumbnail of a YouTube video.

If you don’t have an image to upload but you want to check out some online resources to make your own, check out our Top YouTube Thumbnail Makers .

Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a Custom Thumbnail

• About the proper YouTube video thumbnail size: Your thumbnail should be 1280x720 pixels in size and be less than 2MB. The minimum width of the image is 640 pixels.
• About the YouTube Image thumbnail format: Use .JPG, .PNG, .GIF or .BMP files for your thumbnail image.
• You’ll want your thumbnails to stand out. Bright colored text is a simple, easy way to draw people’s attention. Red, white, yellow, or orange are all popular choices.
• You can even do a little homework to see what colors others are using for similar videos to yours, and then choose different colors to stand out.

One word of warning: your thumbnail should be related to the content of your video. Misleading thumbnail images, if reported, will reflect poorly on your channel. You’ll get a negative rating in the community status part of your channel. This can actually remove your ability to use custom thumbnails, so keep it honest!

You may also like: How to Make YouTube Channel Art

To make a creative YouTube video, you may also need a powerful video editing software. Check how to edit a YouTube video in Filmora video editor and download it to try.

You may also like: Best video editing software for YouTube

Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails - Get More Clicks

The thumbnails of your videos play a huge role in convincing people to watch them; a good YouTube thumbnail will get you more views and more potential subscribers. This part will give you 6 tips on creating thumbnails that help grow your channel. Now let’s learn how to make thumbnails using Wondershare PixStudio.

1. Stay On Topic

Your thumbnail should tell a story; it should be clear from looking at it what viewers will get out of watching the video, be it knowledge or entertainment. If your thumbnail sets expectations that your video doesn’t deliver on, people will click away quickly. You may get views quickly, but you won’t get much watch time. That will tell YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people aren’t getting what they want from this, rank it lower’. That leads to fewer views over time, and gives the people who do manage to find your video a negative opinion of your channel.

Very few people intentionally use thumbnails that have nothing to do with the content of their videos – i.e, most people understand not to use a picture of a kitten in the thumbnail for their tech review, unless maybe their kitten is the one doing the review (which would be adorable, someone should do that). People who want serious advice won’t click, and people who click to see a kitten will click away fast.

This thumbnail had better be for a kitten’s iPhone review video or people will click away. Fast.

A mistake a lot of creators do make is creating a thumbnail that is meant to evoke an emotion which the video itself does not justify. For example, if you see a picture of a YouTuber looking nervous alongside text that reads ‘My Secret’, you will think they are going to share something deeply personal. You will be curious, and you may even be worried about them. You’ll probably click. Then, if their secret is that they don’t like pineapple on pizza, you’ll probably be angry. This technique gets clicks, but not a lot of watch time and it will lose you subs in the long run.

2. Don’t Be Mysterious

A good thumbnail doesn’t make people guess. Your thumbnail should tell people what’s in your video, not make them wonder about it. People want to know what they’re being asked to spend time watching.

Often, they will be looking for the answer to a specific question and will completely ignore anything that doesn’t show – in the thumbnail – that it has their answer.

Sometimes big channels can get away with stuff like this, because large portions of their audiences are interested in them as people and will already be curious about anything they post. This technique will not bring in new viewers, though.

If this came up in a search for ‘smoky eye tutorial’, would you click it?

When people want answers, they want to feel confident that they video they click on will have those answers. If you have great content, then let people know it!

3. People Like People

Viewers are more likely to click on a thumbnail if they feel a connection when they look at it. One of the best ways to create a feeling of connection is through eye contact, and you can apply that principle to your YouTube thumbnails easily.

Just make sure you’re in them.

You can either compose a photo to use as your thumbnail, or use a screenshot from your video. Ideally, the image of you will convey the emotional tone of the video and tell potential viewers what it is about, besides you.

So, if you want to post a funny video that is also about making brownies, maybe a picture of you smiling while holding up a tray of brownies would be a better direction than just showing the brownies?

4. Check Out The Competition

Before you post your video, type your topic into YouTube’s search engine and see what comes up. This will give you insight into what kinds of thumbnails are performing well for other people, as well as what you can do to stand out in comparison.

Phil starts talking about thumbnails at 6:09, and he has great tips on checking out your competition!

For example, if all five of the top-ranked videos for the search ‘how to build a cabinet’ show images of the YouTuber smiling while holding a power tool, then your thumbnail for a video on the same topic should also be a picture of you smiling and holding a power tool. You know that works, so why not do it?

5. Use Color in Interesting Ways

You want to use colors that will help you stand out from the other search results. While checking out your competition if you notice that all the people in the other thumbnails are wearing black or navy blue, it will be a good idea for you to wear a brighter color for your shoot to grab a bit more attention.

Beyond simply using colors that are different from other people’s colors, you should consider the emotions different colors trigger.

Maybe don’t use a lot of green and yellow in the thumbnail for your angry video rant?

6. Make Your Text Huge

Usually, you’ll want to use a bit of text in your thumbnail. It might be the full title of your video, or just a keyword or phrase. You don’t want to use a full sentence because you won’t have room for it if you’re using huge text.

The reason you should use huge text is so that people can read it. Remember that when people see your thumbnail in their search results, it will be much smaller than it will look while you are creating it. Text that looks big enough while you are creating your thumbnail will be much smaller when people are actually trying to read it, and that goes double for viewers watching on their small smartphone screens.

Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Thumbnail

1. What is YouTube Thumbnail?

When you upload a video on YouTube, YouTube gives you three images to choose from in the selection of your video’s thumbnail image. These three images are just freeze-frame snapshots from different parts of your video, which may not tell your viewers what your video is really all about.

2. Can You Change YouTube Thumbnail After Publishing?

Yes, you can replace the auto-generated thumbnail with the customized thumbnail you like. But YouTube only allows verified YouTube accounts to upload custom thumbnail images.

3. How Long Does It Take for a Thumbnail to Change on YouTube?

Normally, if you have a good internet connection, you can see the thumbnail is changed within 10 seconds.

4. Why YouTube Thumbnail is Important?

When you get more people watching your video for longer, it increases your watch time and tells YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people like this, rank it higher’. Being ranked higher gets you more views, and even more watch time. It’s a wonderful cycle that all begins with a great thumbnail (paired with a good title and the right tags).

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

YouTube custom thumbnails are a great way to get people’s attention to your YouTube video. It’s a pretty simple process but if you are wondering how to create a thumbnail and add the thumbnail to YouTube video and customize it with the correct size. You have come to the right place. While in this article, I will show you how to create and add a thumbnail to a YouTube video and how to customize the YouTube video thumbnail. Follow these easy steps below and add eyecatching customed thumbnails to your YouTube videos in no time.

• Part 1: Create and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube
• Part 2: Tools to Create Custom YouTube Video Thumbnails
• Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube
• Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a YouTube Custom Thumbnail
• Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails to Get More Clicks
• Part 6: YouTube Thumbnail FAQs

---

How To Add Custom Thumbnails to Your YouTube Videos [Steps, Tools and Tips]

We have just made a video tutorial about how to make a YouTube video thumbnail, check it below to find out the tips and tricks of making customized YouTube thumbnail.

Part 1: How to Make a Thumbnail for YouTube and Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube

After you’ve verified your account and made your thumbnail, it’s finally time to upload it to your video and make a custom thumbnail. To do this, go to Creator Studio and then Video Manager. You’ll see a button labeled “Edit” next to each video, and an arrow pointing down. Click Thumbnail Editor.

In Thumbnail Editor, you can use the still images in the video as a thumbnail, choose a solid background color for the thumbnail, or add other images from your computer. I will show you the steps of how to customize the video still as a video thumbnail.

1. Preview the video and choose the target video still. You can click the Playback button and check the video and pause it at the desired frame. Or, you can step through each frame by clicking the Preview Frame button and Next Frame icon. Click Next to continue.

2. And now, you can add text, image and shape overlays to the thumbnail. You can change the text font, size, opacity and more.

3. Click Next to save the thumbnail and you will see how the thumbnail displays on different platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Click Save to save the video thumbnail.

In this way, you can add a custom thumbnail to the new videos and change the video thumbnail of the previously uploaded videos.

Part 2: Thumbnail Makers to Create Custom YouTube Thumbnails

Of course, you can use some of the best tools to make a YouTube video thumbnail. In this part, we will show you some of the best tools to create custom YouTube thumbnails.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

1. Create YouTube Thumbnail with Online solution - Canva

Canva is a free, powerful online image editing program with tons of great templates to get you started. One of their templates just happens to be YouTube thumbnails. Open Canva and select the “YouTube Thumbnail” design type. Use your own photo or choose from a huge library, then add text and effects to really make it stand out. Save and share — easy as that.

Check this video tutorial to see how to Make a Youtube Thumbnail using Canva.

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2. Design YouTube thumbnail with a Desktop solution - Gimp

Gimp is one of the most popular image editing programs around for one very simple reason: it’s powerful and free! Where Canva uses a lot of templates, Gimp gives you absolute, full control over how you want your image to look. Make a 1280x720 image and start putting together your eye-catching thumbnail exactly how you want to.

Check this video tutorial to see how to make professional Thumbnails for YouTube Videos with Gimp:

Part 3: How to Change A Thumbnail On YouTube

Note: YouTube allows verified YouTube accounts (accounts that provided YouTube with a working phone number) to upload custom thumbnail images and change them accordingly.

In this part, we’ll be going over how to change a thumbnail image on YouTube. There are pictures to make it easy to follow along.

• After signing into YouTube with your Google account, click on your profile on the top right corner. Click on YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.

• On the left side of the page, click on Videos and then find your video and click on the details button.

• Find the Thumbnail section in the basic video details tab, and then click the Upload thumbnail to select the image that you want to upload.
• Finally, click on the Save button on the right upper corner. And just like that, in seven easy steps, we’re done changing the thumbnail of a YouTube video.

If you don’t have an image to upload but you want to check out some online resources to make your own, check out our Top YouTube Thumbnail Makers .

Part 4: Things You Need to Know Before Making a Custom Thumbnail

• About the proper YouTube video thumbnail size: Your thumbnail should be 1280x720 pixels in size and be less than 2MB. The minimum width of the image is 640 pixels.
• About the YouTube Image thumbnail format: Use .JPG, .PNG, .GIF or .BMP files for your thumbnail image.
• You’ll want your thumbnails to stand out. Bright colored text is a simple, easy way to draw people’s attention. Red, white, yellow, or orange are all popular choices.
• You can even do a little homework to see what colors others are using for similar videos to yours, and then choose different colors to stand out.

One word of warning: your thumbnail should be related to the content of your video. Misleading thumbnail images, if reported, will reflect poorly on your channel. You’ll get a negative rating in the community status part of your channel. This can actually remove your ability to use custom thumbnails, so keep it honest!

You may also like: How to Make YouTube Channel Art

To make a creative YouTube video, you may also need a powerful video editing software. Check how to edit a YouTube video in Filmora video editor and download it to try.

You may also like: Best video editing software for YouTube

Part 5: Tips on How to Make Good YouTube Thumbnails - Get More Clicks

The thumbnails of your videos play a huge role in convincing people to watch them; a good YouTube thumbnail will get you more views and more potential subscribers. This part will give you 6 tips on creating thumbnails that help grow your channel. Now let’s learn how to make thumbnails using Wondershare PixStudio.

1. Stay On Topic

Your thumbnail should tell a story; it should be clear from looking at it what viewers will get out of watching the video, be it knowledge or entertainment. If your thumbnail sets expectations that your video doesn’t deliver on, people will click away quickly. You may get views quickly, but you won’t get much watch time. That will tell YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people aren’t getting what they want from this, rank it lower’. That leads to fewer views over time, and gives the people who do manage to find your video a negative opinion of your channel.

Very few people intentionally use thumbnails that have nothing to do with the content of their videos – i.e, most people understand not to use a picture of a kitten in the thumbnail for their tech review, unless maybe their kitten is the one doing the review (which would be adorable, someone should do that). People who want serious advice won’t click, and people who click to see a kitten will click away fast.

This thumbnail had better be for a kitten’s iPhone review video or people will click away. Fast.

A mistake a lot of creators do make is creating a thumbnail that is meant to evoke an emotion which the video itself does not justify. For example, if you see a picture of a YouTuber looking nervous alongside text that reads ‘My Secret’, you will think they are going to share something deeply personal. You will be curious, and you may even be worried about them. You’ll probably click. Then, if their secret is that they don’t like pineapple on pizza, you’ll probably be angry. This technique gets clicks, but not a lot of watch time and it will lose you subs in the long run.

2. Don’t Be Mysterious

A good thumbnail doesn’t make people guess. Your thumbnail should tell people what’s in your video, not make them wonder about it. People want to know what they’re being asked to spend time watching.

Often, they will be looking for the answer to a specific question and will completely ignore anything that doesn’t show – in the thumbnail – that it has their answer.

Sometimes big channels can get away with stuff like this, because large portions of their audiences are interested in them as people and will already be curious about anything they post. This technique will not bring in new viewers, though.

If this came up in a search for ‘smoky eye tutorial’, would you click it?

When people want answers, they want to feel confident that they video they click on will have those answers. If you have great content, then let people know it!

3. People Like People

Viewers are more likely to click on a thumbnail if they feel a connection when they look at it. One of the best ways to create a feeling of connection is through eye contact, and you can apply that principle to your YouTube thumbnails easily.

Just make sure you’re in them.

You can either compose a photo to use as your thumbnail, or use a screenshot from your video. Ideally, the image of you will convey the emotional tone of the video and tell potential viewers what it is about, besides you.

So, if you want to post a funny video that is also about making brownies, maybe a picture of you smiling while holding up a tray of brownies would be a better direction than just showing the brownies?

4. Check Out The Competition

Before you post your video, type your topic into YouTube’s search engine and see what comes up. This will give you insight into what kinds of thumbnails are performing well for other people, as well as what you can do to stand out in comparison.

Phil starts talking about thumbnails at 6:09, and he has great tips on checking out your competition!

For example, if all five of the top-ranked videos for the search ‘how to build a cabinet’ show images of the YouTuber smiling while holding a power tool, then your thumbnail for a video on the same topic should also be a picture of you smiling and holding a power tool. You know that works, so why not do it?

5. Use Color in Interesting Ways

You want to use colors that will help you stand out from the other search results. While checking out your competition if you notice that all the people in the other thumbnails are wearing black or navy blue, it will be a good idea for you to wear a brighter color for your shoot to grab a bit more attention.

Beyond simply using colors that are different from other people’s colors, you should consider the emotions different colors trigger.

Maybe don’t use a lot of green and yellow in the thumbnail for your angry video rant?

6. Make Your Text Huge

Usually, you’ll want to use a bit of text in your thumbnail. It might be the full title of your video, or just a keyword or phrase. You don’t want to use a full sentence because you won’t have room for it if you’re using huge text.

The reason you should use huge text is so that people can read it. Remember that when people see your thumbnail in their search results, it will be much smaller than it will look while you are creating it. Text that looks big enough while you are creating your thumbnail will be much smaller when people are actually trying to read it, and that goes double for viewers watching on their small smartphone screens.

Frequently Asked Questions about YouTube Thumbnail

1. What is YouTube Thumbnail?

When you upload a video on YouTube, YouTube gives you three images to choose from in the selection of your video’s thumbnail image. These three images are just freeze-frame snapshots from different parts of your video, which may not tell your viewers what your video is really all about.

2. Can You Change YouTube Thumbnail After Publishing?

Yes, you can replace the auto-generated thumbnail with the customized thumbnail you like. But YouTube only allows verified YouTube accounts to upload custom thumbnail images.

3. How Long Does It Take for a Thumbnail to Change on YouTube?

Normally, if you have a good internet connection, you can see the thumbnail is changed within 10 seconds.

4. Why YouTube Thumbnail is Important?

When you get more people watching your video for longer, it increases your watch time and tells YouTube’s search algorithm ‘people like this, rank it higher’. Being ranked higher gets you more views, and even more watch time. It’s a wonderful cycle that all begins with a great thumbnail (paired with a good title and the right tags).

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

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