YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Size + How to Create an Engaging Thumbnail

When brainstorming YouTube Shorts ideas, you know that getting noticed on the platform is all about catching someone's attention and keeping it. So, what do you do if you can’t even get someone to look at your Short? Instead of starting with the video, you must focus on the thumbnail. People won't even give your Short a chance when the thumbnail is not appealing or informative. Instead, they'll keep scrolling until they find one that interests them, which might be yours. This guide will help you identify what makes a great thumbnail for your YouTube Short so you can improve your chances of going viral.

One way to help you identify what makes a great thumbnail for your YouTube Short is to analyze what's working for other similar videos. Virlo's virality analysis tool makes this simple. With this tool, you can input any YouTube Short and discover all the key details about the video to create your viral version, from the thumbnail to the content.

Table of Contents

• Importance of Using a Thumbnail on YouTube Shorts

• YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Size

• How to Create an Engaging YouTube Shorts Thumbnail in 9 Ways

• How to Add Thumbnails to YouTube Shorts

• Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Importance of Using a Thumbnail on YouTube Shorts

Look at the YouTube Shorts player, and you’ll notice thumbnails don’t appear in that part of the app. Instead, viewers see a random frame from the video, which could be anything: an awkward hand gesture, a transition moment, or a non-essential character from the video. Without a custom thumbnail, there’s no guarantee YouTube will choose the best frame for your content. And that makes sense, considering how YouTube designed the Shorts player. It was made for endless swiping, not necessarily the browsing features on the YouTube homepage. Most social media Influencers look at the Shorts player and say, “I don’t need thumbnails here.” And they’re right. 

Thumbnails Are Important Outside the Shorts Player

While thumbnails don’t appear on the Shorts player, they do show up in other areas of the app and website, including the Shorts tab on your YouTube channel, Videos on the subscriptions tab, Recommended videos on YouTube’s homepage, and YouTube search results. So, if you want the maximum number of views, don’t overlook the power of thumbnails. You’ll need them to get more clicks outside of the Shorts player.

YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Size

YouTube Shorts are a fast, fun way to engage with your audience using bite-sized videos. Like any other type of video on the platform, Shorts come with a thumbnail. The size of YouTube Shorts thumbnails is 1280 x 720 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 16:9. When creating a thumbnail for YouTube Shorts, you can select a frame from the video itself or upload a custom image. 

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How to Create an Engaging YouTube Shorts Thumbnail in 9 Ways

1. Use Virlo to Find Trends for Thumbnails

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social landscape. Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

2. Use a Great Photo for Your Thumbnail Background

You want to be noticed and to grab people’s attention. A fantastic image can give context to your video and act as a little teaser. It also allows your audience to become more familiar with your style. Although you could opt to use stock images or design tools, we recommend using your high-quality images for video thumbnails. A still image from your video is the easiest way to get a YouTube thumbnail. YouTube will sometimes automatically select various stills from your video that you could use as a thumbnail.

However, this usually doesn’t look as good and doesn’t tend to get as many clicks. Some creators take a still and edit it using photo software to make it look better (this is highly recommended). Whether you use your facial expression for a reaction video or a photo of a cake you’ve baked for your cooking channel, showing something from the video in your thumbnail helps entice the viewer and give them a taste of what they’ll see when they click and watch the full video.

3. Be Sure to Add Text

There are lots of pros to adding text to your YouTube thumbnail. The main pro is that it gives viewers some context about the video. An image alone will not send the right message, no matter how amazing and eye-catching. You need to communicate what your video is about, and some text can do just this. So put the central theme of your video into a striking, catchy, and short title to grab your viewers’ attention. Alternatively, you could use some detail from the video to capture people’s attention.

For example, if you’ve spent $400 on something (a haul, expensive product, etc.), you’ll probably want to put “$400” as some text somewhere on the thumbnail. You might also want to add text like “Is it worth it?”. You may not want to include these details in your video title, but they’re still attention-grabbing, and it’s information about your video I’d probably want people to know. In that case, adding it to the thumbnail is a perfect way still to include it in your first impression to the user.

4. Build a Recognizable Brand

Building a recognizable brand is an overlooked aspect of growing your YouTube channel. A strong identity on YouTube is essential if you’re looking to make your following and become successful in the industry. Your YouTube brand is how the outside world will perceive you. And there are plenty of creative elements you can work on to enhance your brand identity, like your website and social media logo or headshot, as well as colors, images, typography, and imagery you use across your platform.

Note

The font is more critical than you may think. It can help your audience become familiar with your content and your brand! You’ll want your YouTube thumbnail to follow your brand identity and be consistent with other elements of your channel and platforms, like your YouTube intro or channel art. For example, if your channel is fun and humorous, you’ll want your branding to reflect this too! As a creator, it’s a good idea to consider your brand’s visual branding as soon as possible. Once you’ve done so, you can settle on fonts and colors, which you can use to build brand recognition. Sometimes less is more. Simple fonts and designs can be easier to read or digest, so bear that in mind.

5. Use a Quality Thumbnail Maker

Plenty of online thumbnail makers can help you and make the process easier. Thumbnail makers can help you find the best fonts and high-definition photos. Most thumbnail makers have a free version, or you can opt for the pro version if you want access to more features. Canva and Videobolt are some handy tools to help you do this, and they even have their templates available as a straightforward starting point! 

6. Create a Template That Is Branded

As a content creator, staying consistent with your branding and using the same theme for all your videos and creative media is best. So, choose a theme that you like and stick to it! Your thumbnails should use the same color palette, design, and font to make your videos instantly recognizable. Always include your logo on your thumbnail, as you can use it to spread brand awareness. Don’t make your logo too big or attention-grabbing, but make it noticeable. The corner of your thumbnail is a classic spot for the logo. Avoid putting it on the bottom right, as the video length will cover it. Why not make some YouTube thumbnail templates? These will make creating a YouTube template much quicker and easier, but they will also help you stick to your branding. 

7. Contrast Is Important

You want your video thumbnail to be easily read at first glance, so you must focus on color contrast. Use high-contrast colors to grab users’ attention! Avoid whites, reds, and blacks since they tend to blend in with the page as they are the same colors as YouTube’s branding. Instead, use colors that will make your custom video thumbnail pop! Orange, green, yellow, or blue are always great color choices. You may even want to use a color that contrasts with your competitors' so that it’s associated with your brand.

When designing a custom thumbnail image, it is always best to ensure that your text color contrasts nicely with your background color. Using contrasting colors makes your YouTube thumbnail image visually appealing and easy to read and notice. Colors that are very similar, like red and orange, have low contrast and won’t stand out as well as high-contrast colors like black and white. 

8. Honesty Is the Best Policy – Don’t Be Misleading

Misleading and luring people to watch your videos using thumbnails and headlines can damage your brand and overall reputation. You might know this as ‘clickbait.’ Nobody likes clickbait. And YouTube will hide content that has a high bounce rate. So, it’s best to be honest. Your thumbnail image should merely give context about your video, so don’t abuse it. Use it to get more views for the sake of views. Choosing an image that doesn’t match your video will cause more harm and damage than anything else. You don’t want to be known as a clickbait YouTuber! This will only tarnish your reputation in the industry. Your thumbnail should be a quick teaser for your YouTube videos but shouldn’t expose too much. You want your thumbnail to be striking and to engage users so that they become intrigued. 

Make it relevant

YouTube loves content that answers its viewers’ questions. Therefore, your thumbnail should relate to your video and be relevant to your content. Make your thumbnail relevant by including various keywords or essential bits of information.

9. Test Out Different Designs

It is always a good idea to test various designs to see what works and what doesn’t. Keep an eye on your audience analytics. If you notice a particular video gets tons of clicks, they will create a similar thumbnail for your next video to see if it has the same effect! Or, if your new thumbnail isn’t bringing in the clicks you thought it would, try something new.

YouTube also allows you to change your thumbnail once the video has been uploaded. So if you’re hoping to entice viewers to watch a particular video, try editing the thumbnail to something more inviting. You can change the thumbnail every few weeks or months and see which drives more results in growing your channel. If you notice an improvement in your click-through rate, then you know that that particular thumbnail is the one to take as your model.

Related Reading

• Youtube Shorts Ratio
• Youtube Shorts Font
• Youtube Shorts vs Tiktok vs Reels
• How Often to Post Youtube Shorts
• How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts

How to Add Thumbnails to YouTube Shorts

Adding a thumbnail to YouTube shorts follows the same process as adding a thumbnail to regular YouTube videos. Here’s how to do it:  

• Open the YouTube Studio website.  

• Click on Content in the left menu.  

• Find your Shorts video and click on it to edit.  

• In “Thumbnail,” click “Upload thumbnail.”  

• Find and upload your image.  

Pro Tip

You can also change an already-uploaded thumbnail. Hover your cursor above it. Click “Change.” Upload your file. Hit “Save.” 

Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

YouTube Shorts is one of the fastest ways to grow your channel and get noticed on YouTube. The format is similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels, allowing users to create and share short videos with fun audio tracks, sound bites from longer videos, and engaging visual effects. Shorts have their dedicated feed so that you can get discovered by new viewers outside of your subscriber base. Short-form videos are also prominently featured on the YouTube app and can help you go viral and gain traction quickly. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

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• Why Are My YouTube Shorts Not Getting Views
• How Many Hashtags Should I Use on YouTube Shorts