Thumbnails are probably the most important part of your video. It is like a book cover or a movie poster. And no matter what anyone says: most people will judge your video based on your thumbnail. It is only fair, am I right?
Thus, it is of utmost importance that you put significant time in creating or choosing an appropriate thumbnail for your video, which attracts your audience and represents your video. But wait? You’ve already uploaded one? And now you feel it was not your best? Or have you accidentally uploaded the wrong thumbnail? Or you want to change it again? Or you want to know how to add one in the first place? Whatever it may be, I have got you covered. This article will tell you all about how to change YouTube thumbnail in a detailed, easy to follow step-by-step guide. Let’s delve right into it!
How to Change YouTube videos Thumbnail
Step 1: Go to YouTube Studio
Open www.youtube.com and go to YouTube Studio by clicking on your profile icon at the page’s top-right corner. It will direct you to studio.youtube.com.
Step 2: Select your video
You will see a list of options on the left side of your studio page. Click Videos and select the one you want to edit your thumbnail for.
Step 3: Select Edit
Tap on the Edit button on your video.
Step 4: Click Edit Thumbnail
Inside the Edit option, select Edit Thumbnail. This will let you create or choose custom thumbnails or auto-generated YouTube thumbnails for your video.
Step 5: Select the Thumbnail for your video.
If you want to upload a thumbnail of your choice, select Custom Thumbnail. This will let you import an image directly from your computer.
There is, however, another option to choose from. YouTube itself proposes three distinct thumbnails from the uploaded video to choose from. These are called auto-generated thumbnails. You can choose any of them for your video.
Once you have decided on a thumbnail, click Select.
Step 6: Click Save
Do not forget to click Save to execute your changes.
And that is how you can change or edit your thumbnail!
How to Add Thumbnail to YouTube videos
However, if you are uploading the video for the first time, here’s how you can add a thumbnail:
Step 1: Go to YouTube Studio
Open www.youtube.com and click “Upload Video” or go to YouTube Studio by clicking on your profile icon at the top-right corner of the page. Either of these will direct you to studio.youtube.com.
Step 2: Upload your video.
Choose from the files you want to upload or drag and drop.
Step 3: Select Thumbnail
Once you have chosen your file and are in editor mode on YouTube Studio, you will see a Video Thumbnail at the bottom of the page. Besides, the three auto-generated thumbnails is a Custom Thumbnail button.
If you want to choose any of the YouTube generated ones, select one of them. Otherwise, if you’re going to upload your own thumbnail image, select Custom Thumbnail.
Step 4: Click Done
Once you have selected or uploaded a thumbnail, you will see a preview on the top-left of your studio page. Confirm your selection and click Done on the top-right of your screen.
You will have added a great thumbnail to your YouTube video!
YouTube’s Thumbnail Best Practices
On the Google Support page, there are some specifications to make your thumbnail is appropriate for use. These specifications are:
- 1280x720 resolution (with a minimum width of 640 pixels)
- JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG image formats
- Under the 2MB limit
- 16:9 aspect ratio
We would suggest uploading a catchy or a trendy thumbnail that sparks curiosity in your audience and makes them click on your video. Consider this thumbnail as representative of yourself since you can not be on YouTube yourself welcoming your audience. Your thumbnail will do that for you!
