A thumbnail is the first thing viewers see. Using the right size and shape keeps it sharp and stops YouTube from cropping what you wanted people to read.
The standard size
- 1280 × 720 pixels, in a 16:9 shape. This is the size YouTube recommends.
- Use JPG or PNG. Check YouTube Help for the current file size limit.
Make it readable at a small size
Most people see your thumbnail as a small picture on a phone. Use large text with a few words, strong contrast, and keep important content away from the bottom right corner, where the video length is shown.
How to resize
- Open the YouTube thumbnail preset.
- Add your image, then drag and zoom to frame it. Fill covers the whole canvas.
- Download as JPG or PNG and upload it to YouTube.
If your image is a different shape
A square or portrait image has to be cropped to 16:9, or placed on a background with Fit. Drag it until the key part is visible. Do not stretch it, because stretched images look distorted.
Resize to 1280×720 →Free · no upload · no sign-up