Templates

A template replaces the text and background. Images you added stay.

Output Sizes

YouTube accepts 1280×720 and scales it everywhere else.

Layers

Top of the list is the front of the image. Use ∧ and ∨ to move a layer forward or back.

Selected Layer

Arrange

Align

Space

Nudge

Snap

Align moves the selected layer against the canvas. Space needs three or more visible layers. Nudge moves one pixel per click.

Background

From To Third

Angle °

What to Know

Also called a video thumbnail or a YouTube cover image. Always 1280×720.

1280×720, 16:9, under 2 MB. YouTube rejects anything larger.
Most views come from a thumbnail about 210px wide. Three or four words is the ceiling.
The duration badge sits bottom-right. Keep that corner clear.
High contrast beats detail at small size. Test it by squinting.

Show Safe Area Drag a layer to move it. The dashed corner box is where YouTube draws the duration badge.

How It Reads in the Feed

Your video title runs here

Your Channel · 12K views

Your video title runs here

Your Channel

Search shows the thumbnail about 246px wide, the suggested rail about 168px. If the words blur here, they blur on YouTube.

About the YouTube Thumbnail Maker

Composes 1280×720 thumbnails built to stay legible at feed size, in your browser. Put your words on a frame or background, check them in the feed preview, export under the upload limit.

Every Setting

Templates

Layouts with the heavy type and paneled text that survive the shrink to a feed.

Output Sizes

The 1280×720 upload size, plus companion crops from the same design.

Layers

Text and image layers. The text options that matter here are weight, outline and panel, the three ways words stay readable over any frame.

Arrange

Order, alignment and snapping, with undo and redo.

Background

A video frame, your own image, or solid and gradient fills.

Feed Preview

Your design at the real feed size next to other thumbnails, which is the only honest test of one. The export readout warns before the file drifts past the 2 MB upload limit.

Common Questions

Why does my text disappear in the feed?

Feeds render thumbnails around 210 px wide. Thin type and long lines dissolve at that size; heavy short words survive.

Is my image uploaded?

No.