Your YouTube video's thumbnail is like the cover of a book — while you shouldn't judge the contents by it, people do anyway. That's why the thumbnail should represent the video and look as good as possible. Show
When you upload a video to YouTube, you can choose from among several pre-selected thumbnails, or make your own. How to make a thumbnail for your YouTube videosSelect an auto-generated thumbnailYou can choose a video thumbnail when you initially upload the video, or later, when the video has been processed. You can even change it after it's published. If you are uploading the video, you should see three thumbnail options appear at the bottom of the upload screen while the video is uploading and processing. To choose one, simply click it. If you want to create your own thumbnail, see the section "Make a custom thumbnail and upload it" below. Available thumbnails through YouTube. Dave Johnson/Business InsiderIf the video has already processed or been published, you can set or change the thumbnail from YouTube Studio. 1. From the YouTube homepage, click your avatar at the top right of the screen and choose "YouTube Studio." Go to YouTube Studio to select a thumbnail for your uploaded video. Dave Johnson/Business Insider2. In the pane on the left, click "Videos." 3. Hover your mouse over the video you want to edit and click the pen icon that appears. 4. On the Basic Details page, you should see three auto-generated thumbnails. Choose the one you want to use and then click "Save" in the top-right. Pick the thumbnail you like and then save your changes. If you want to create your own thumbnail, see the section below on making a custom thumbnail for your YouTube video. Dave Johnson/Business InsiderMake a custom thumbnail and upload itIf none of the auto-generated thumbnails suit you, you can create your own, but YouTube doesn't have any tool for doing this. The easiest way to create a thumbnail is to use a screenshot utility like Snipping Tool on a Windows computer, or any of the various screenshot methods on a Mac computer. Here's how you can do it on a PC or a Mac. 1. Open the video on your computer in any media player. 2. Pause the video at the point that you want to create the thumbnail. Open the video and pause it at the moment you want to turn into a thumbnail. Dave Johnson/Business Insider3. Start the Snipping Tool from the Start menu on Windows, or press Command + Shift + 4 on a Mac to enter screenshot mode. If using Snipping Tool, click "Mode" and choose "Rectangular Snip." Set the Snipping Tool to make a rectangular snip. Dave Johnson/Business Insider4. Click in the upper left corner of the video and drag the rectangle to the lower right corner. Be careful to capture as close to exactly the video window as possible. 5. The screenshot will appear in the Snapping Tool. Click "File" and then click "Save As." Name the thumbnail image and save it. If using a Mac, the photo will appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and will disappear in a few seconds. Once it disappears, it has been saved. 6. Return to the video in YouTube and, beside the auto-generated thumbnails, click "Custom thumbnail." 7. Choose the file you just saved. Many creators also use programs like Adobe Photoshop to design their custom thumbnails. If you want a thumbnail that's not just a frame from your video, consider designing your own.
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Dave Johnson Freelance Writer Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider. Read more Read less Why can't I add a thumbnail to my YouTube video?Your YouTube account doesn't come with the ability to upload custom thumbnails by default. In order for your account to gain this ability, you need to first enable the custom thumbnail option.
How do you add a thumbnail on YouTube without being verified 2022?How to Change Thumbnail on YouTube Video. Step 1: Go to YouTube Studio. Log in to your YouTube account and get into YouTube Studio. Otherwise, redirect to YouTube studio by click here. ... . Step 2: Change thumbnail. Scroll down and move on to the “Thumbnail” section. Here, click the “Upload thumbnail” option.. Can you add a thumbnail to a YouTube video after upload?Add automatic or custom thumbnails
Open the YouTube Studio app . From the bottom menu, tap Content . Select the video you want to edit. Edit thumbnail .
How do I add thumbnails to a video?Capture or change a video thumbnail. On the video player page choose the Manage tab in the ribbon.. In the Actions group, click Edit Properties.. Click Change thumbnail, and then choose one of the following options: Capture a thumbnail from video. Use a picture from my computer. Use a picture from a web address.. |