How to Create the Best Thumbnail for Your Video

Thumbnails are one element that will make potential viewers watch your video. You might think these are not important, as long as the content itself is good. But, that’s not always right.

What is a thumbnail?

First, let’s define it. A thumbnail is a small, clickable image that visually describes your video. It’s like describing your video in one word. Thumbnails have lots of power, since these have a huge effect on people, even if only on our subconscious. It’s the first impression. They work the same way packaging does when convincing people to buy the product. They are usually small, compressed images. There is no real definition of the size of a thumbnail, but there are a couple of recommendations, depending on the platform:

  • Youtube – the 16:9 ratio is preferred, as it’s used most often in players and previews. The best size is 1280 x 720 pixels (landscape), but the minimum is 640 pixels. They need to be in JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG file formats and under 2MB. 
  • Pinterest – the image width is 236 pixels. The wider the screen, the more images are displayed next to another.
  • Google Image Search – if you are going to create a desktop version thumbnail for the image search, the 177 pixels size is recommended. However, a lot of smaller sizes can be used and there are no aspect ratio limitations.
This is Apple’s YouTube channel. Each thumbnail is suggestive for the video and they use short phrases to describe the videos.

Besides these platforms, thumbnails also exist on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. However, at the moment you can’t upload an image and set it as a thumbnail, except for Facebook. The others usually use the first frame of the video. On Instagram, that frame is used as a thumbnail and is being shown on the profile (you can actually upload customised thumbnails for IGTV videos and Reels). With the auto-play function, the thumbnail won’t show up in the feed. However, these platforms have a low data usage setting, which will prevent video content from playing automatically. That is when the thumbnail will show up in the feed. We’ll also talk about this situation.

This is the IGTV tab of Hubspot’s Instagram account. They keep their thumbnails suggestive and on brand. Since the title of the video is automatically shown by Instagram on each video, your thumbnail text can describe something else.

How do you create the best thumbnail?

  • Use the right sizes. If the platform has thumbnail size recommendations, always take them into account. Aim for the biggest size available, so that you make sure the image will not be pixelated in some circumstances. Thumbnails are small on YouTube, but videos can be embedded. That means the HTML player can have any size. Low-quality images will hardly make people click the video.
  • Use a good background photo. Strong visuals are highly attention-grabbing. However, using a real photograph instead of a colour, texture or gradient will be more suggestive and will give more context.
  • Include text. Using text will help in communicating more, rather than just having a photo. Think of a short title that describes your video very well, but which is also shorter than the original title. 
  • Use contrast. Among so many little thumbnails on the same page, a good contrast will make it more noticeable and will make people click on it. It also increases the readability of the text. Use a colour palette or colour matching tools to make sure your contrast looks good.
  • Stay on brand. All your thumbnails should be consistent. Use similar colours, fonts and styles for all of them, or at least for the same series. Aligning your thumbnail design with your other brand images will also help with the credibility. It’s best to create a template.

However, how do you create a good thumbnail if you can’t upload one? With social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, things work a little bit differently. Here, thumbnails are not relevant in the same way they are for YouTube, for example. They just need to look good, to be eye-catching. This is a good reason to put more effort into creating a good start for your video. Make sure your first frame always has elements. Show a person’s face, a nice landscape or whatever, but avoid having a plain background at all costs. If the first few seconds have text animation, only animate it out and have it already on screen when the video begins. 

Conclusion

Thumbnails are often underestimated. They make people click on your video, but they can also be used as a branding tool. Putting in some extra effort will improve the results of your video content.

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