Deciphering YouTube’s CC Policy for Video Makers

What’s YouTube Creative Commons and How to Use it to Make Video

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Creative Commons is a non-profit organization internationally active in providing free licenses that creators can use in order to make their work available to the public. With the creative commons (CC) licenses, the creator has basically given others permission in order to use their work but under specific conditions.

Whenever a work is created, an article or a photograph was taken, there is a copyright that protects it so that it cannot be used in certain ways. On the other hand, the CC licenses allow the creator to choose how they would want others to use their creativity.

---

If you are new to the video editing world, and want to make your YouTube videos more beautiful, here I recommend an easy-to-use video editing software - Wondershare Filmora which not only allows you cut, crop, rotate, and split your videos in minutes, but also simplify the advanced video editing like green screen effect and PIP. You can also find over 300 video effects

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

• Part 1: What is YouTube Commons
• Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos
• Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit
• Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

Part 1: What is YouTube Creative Commons

YouTube utilizes CC licenses in its content. With it, the content creators can grant others to use their work as sort of a standard. YouTube users can use the Creative Commons CC BY license in marking their videos. When they use the CC By license, the system will generate a signature to the video automatically. This indicates that you are using Creative Commons content and will show the source video’s titles below the video player. The creator retains the copyright of the video while others can reuse your video but under the terms of the license.

You May Also Like: Standard YouTube License vs. Creative Commons>>

Part 2: How to Find Creative Commons (CC) Licensed Videos

If you are looking for Creative Commons licensed videos, there are different ways or rather, different websites you can go to. These websites are the best place you can find CC-licensed videos and ensure that what you are sharing is legal.

• **YouTube **– YouTube is one of the most common websites you can find CC licensed videos. The easy way to search for CC licensed videos on YouTube is simply to search ‘creative commons’ to the end of the search term you are going for.

• Vimeo – This site offers different licenses complete with an explanation for each in the right side of the main page. Underneath each license, you can find a link to browse all the videos of the specific type of license you chose. You can also search using the Advance Option to find the right video you are looking for.
• SpinXpress – Lets you search for CC licensed videos using just a search term and the kind of Creative Commons license you are looking for. As long as it’s one of the sources they use, you can also specify the media source of the video.

Part 3: Can You Download Creative Commons-licensed YouTube videos to Edit

Many people are asking that can I edit creative commons videos? Well, this is a tricky question because it really depends on what creative commons license is used. If the video is CC-BY, it is no doubt that you can download and edit it. CC-BY-SA means you can edit video under the condition of you also allow others to edit it after you upload it to YouTube. If it is non-commercial, you are definitely not allowed to edit it.

Part 4: How to Use YouTube Creative Commons to Make Videos

YouTube Creative Commons provides you a simple way of using creative works to make your own videos. All you simply need is the YouTube Video Editor and the expanded library of Creative Commons videos o YouTube. There you can choose what videos to edit and then incorporate in your own projects. To find what videos to use, you simply have to search in the YouTube search bar from YouTube Video Editor.

Visit youtube.com/editor and then select CC tab to get started. In order to mark your video with CC license, select the ‘Creative Commons Attribution license’ on the Video Description page or upload page. When using a Creative Commons content to incorporate in your video, you will see the source title of the videos underneath your video player. With that a well, any or all of the videos you used with Creative Commons license, others will be able to share and remix your own creation as long as they give credit for your work.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Making an Impact: Professional Thumbnail Design for YouTube

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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