"[Updated] Cutting-Edge Techniques for Powerful YouTube Thumbnail Designs"

"[Updated] Cutting-Edge Techniques for Powerful YouTube Thumbnail Designs"

Kevin Lv12

Cutting-Edge Techniques for Powerful YouTube Thumbnail Designs

The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Thumbnails that Get Views

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.

Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.

  1. How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
  2. How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
  3. YouTube Thumbnail Makers
  4. How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
  5. Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail

In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.

Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.

Popular YouTube Thumbnail Layout

1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)

A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.

#1. Choose Your Photo

To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.

Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.

If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.

Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.

Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.

#2. Add Text and/or Images

This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.

In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.

You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.

Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.

2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)

One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.

The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)

Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.

If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.

It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.

#2. Choose Your Background

Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.

#3. Put It Together

In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.

What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.

#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)

If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.

Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail

When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.

If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.

  1. Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
  2. Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
  3. Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
  4. Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.

Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.

YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.

Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.

Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers

You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:

Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.

Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.

Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.

You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.

Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers

Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)

Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:

#1. Show What Your Video Is About

Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.

If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.

#2. Use a Consistent Layout

As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.

#3. Use Your Face

Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.

If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.

Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.

#4. Add Small Graphics

Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.

#5. Your Text Should Be Huge

Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.

Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).

#6. Check Out The Competition

Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.

Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.

Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.

As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.

Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.

Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

author avatar

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.

Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.

  1. How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
  2. How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
  3. YouTube Thumbnail Makers
  4. How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
  5. Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail

In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.

Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.

Popular YouTube Thumbnail Layout

1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)

A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.

#1. Choose Your Photo

To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.

Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.

If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.

Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.

Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.

#2. Add Text and/or Images

This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.

In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.

You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.

Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.

2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)

One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.

The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)

Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.

If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.

It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.

#2. Choose Your Background

Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.

#3. Put It Together

In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.

What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.

#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)

If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.

Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail

When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.

If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.

  1. Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
  2. Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
  3. Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
  4. Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.

Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.

YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.

Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.

Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers

You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:

Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.

Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.

Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.

You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.

Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers

Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)

Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:

#1. Show What Your Video Is About

Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.

If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.

#2. Use a Consistent Layout

As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.

#3. Use Your Face

Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.

If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.

Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.

#4. Add Small Graphics

Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.

#5. Your Text Should Be Huge

Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.

Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).

#6. Check Out The Competition

Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.

Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.

Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.

As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.

Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.

Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

author avatar

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.

Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.

  1. How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
  2. How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
  3. YouTube Thumbnail Makers
  4. How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
  5. Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail

In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.

Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.

Popular YouTube Thumbnail Layout

1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)

A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.

#1. Choose Your Photo

To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.

Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.

If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.

Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.

Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.

#2. Add Text and/or Images

This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.

In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.

You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.

Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.

2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)

One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.

The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)

Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.

If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.

It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.

#2. Choose Your Background

Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.

#3. Put It Together

In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.

What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.

#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)

If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.

Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail

When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.

If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.

  1. Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
  2. Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
  3. Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
  4. Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.

Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.

YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.

Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.

Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers

You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:

Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.

Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.

Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.

You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.

Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers

Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)

Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:

#1. Show What Your Video Is About

Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.

If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.

#2. Use a Consistent Layout

As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.

#3. Use Your Face

Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.

If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.

Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.

#4. Add Small Graphics

Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.

#5. Your Text Should Be Huge

Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.

Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).

#6. Check Out The Competition

Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.

Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.

Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.

As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.

Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.

Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

author avatar

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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Search for any topic on YouTube and you’ll find thousands of videos. How do you decide which of them to watch? Thumbnails play a major role in what viewers decide to click on. They’re often more important than video titles.

Viewers click on thumbnails that both standout and feel relevant to their search. Your task when it comes to creating YouTube thumbnails is to make something that does both of those things while also maintaining your personal style.

  1. How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail
  2. How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail
  3. YouTube Thumbnail Makers
  4. How to Make Thumbnails that Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)
  5. Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Part 1: How to Make a YouTube Thumbnail

In order to create a custom video thumbnail, you’ll need a program to put it together in. You can use an image editing program like Photoshop if you have one, but if you don’t you can check out these free thumbnail makers.

Here are some examples of popular thumbnail styles.

Popular YouTube Thumbnail Layout

1. The Classic Thumbnail (Photo or Screenshot)

A photo that shows what happens in your video – whether that means the finished ‘look’ from your makeup tutorial or you posing in front of the landmark you shot your travel vlog in front of – is a great way to let viewers know what to expect. While curiosity can be a big motive behind clicking on a video thumbnail (or anything online), when people have searched for a specific topic they want to be convinced that your video has what they’re looking for.

#1. Choose Your Photo

To start off, either choose a still frame from your video or take a photograph while you’re still set up from your video. A separate photograph is usually a better idea because your video editor might not be able to export a high-quality snapshot, and also because you’re able to choose your facial expression.

Aim to make this shot a close-up or medium close-up and make sure you’re either in the center of the screen or off to one side, as per the ‘rule of thirds’. Many cameras allow you to bring an optional grid up onto your viewfinder. This will divide your screen into three equal segments both vertically and horizontally. Try to make sure your eyes line up with the top line, and if you’re going to be off to one side then make sure you’re on one of the vertical lines. This will ensure your image is visually appealing.

If you want to add text later, it’s a good idea to be off to one side.

Including your face is important for most types of YouTube videos. People are attracted to eye contact and are more likely to click on thumbnails that feature a face. Gamers might choose to use a picture of a video game character instead and it will have the same effect.

Some situations where it isn’t essential to include your face include tech reviews, where viewers will be more interested in seeing the product, and cooking videos where people are looking to be tempted by a yummy food pic.

#2. Add Text and/or Images

This part isn’t essential – in some cases, a photo is enough – but a lot of the thumbnails for the videos ranked highest in YouTube’s search results include either a couple of words of text, a simple graphic (i.e. an emoji), or both.

In some cases you might use text to make it clear what type of video you’ve made, i.e. ‘review’ or ‘tutorial’. It’s best to keep any text you use brief, but you could get a bit more descriptive and write something like ‘fall makeup tutorial’. Three words is probably the most you can get away with. Remember that your text will be shrunk down with the rest of your image; you need to make it big enough to read easily once it’s shrunk, and that means you don’t have a ton of room for text.

You should also avoid fonts that are harder to read. Fonts with a lot of curves can be harder to read, and you want to make sure you choose a color that stands out from your background. Yellow might work against black, but it probably won’t work against the beige wall of your sunny bedroom. Sans serif fonts tend to be best.

Another tactic used in successful thumbnails is to add small graphics, like emojis or small images (i.e. pumpkins for a Halloween video), which are related to your video’s content. As with text, you don’t want to overload your thumbnail with images, but they’re a great way to add something eye-catching that’s a bit different from competing thumbnails.

2. The Emotional Laser (Background + Face Reacting)

One increasingly popular style of YouTube thumbnail is what we’re going to call the ‘Emotional Laser’. It’s bright (like, blindingly bright), it communicates a clear feeling, and it creates high expectations for how exciting the video’s content is going to be.

The three main elements of the Emotional Laser thumbnail are a background (usually bright), your face on the right wearing an over-pronounced expression, and either the thing your expression is in reaction to (i.e. food, a product, the topic of your video in text) or reinforcement of your emotion (i.e an emoji or question marks) on the left.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

#1. Ham It Up (Take Your Reaction Photo)

Take a high-quality photograph of yourself conveying strong emotion. Generally, you want to look extremely excited, disgusted, angry, or shocked depending on the theme of the video.

If there’s an object you want to include in your thumbnail, like a product you’ll be talking about, then it’s a good idea to hold it for this photo. Hold it to one side of your head, turn towards it slightly (but not so much that the camera can only see the side of your face) and put on the expression that’s supposed to be a reaction to the object.

It can be a good idea to take this photo in front of a solid color so you can remove the background easily with chroma key.

#2. Choose Your Background

Your background might be scenery, a solid color, or even the room you filmed the video in. Light or bright colors are popular. Make sure there’s nothing that will distract from your expression. If your background is a room, or anything else where there could be things like pictures hanging, you may want to add a blur effect in the next step.

#3. Put It Together

In your thumbnail maker or a program like Photoshop, you’ll need to put your photo and your background together. This will work differently depending on what program you use. If your program has a chroma key tool and your reaction photo was taken against a solid color then you can make that solid color transparent.

What if I don’t have a separate background? If you don’t have a background you want to use, but you still want your reaction to stand out the same way it would if you did, then you can use your photo editor’s blur tool to turn the normal background of your photo into something you can pop-out from.

#4. Add Extras (Text, Emojis, etc.)

If instead of an object you plan to fill the other side of your thumbnail with text, question marks, emojis, or some other graphic element then now is the time to add it.

Part 2: How to Upload a YouTube Thumbnail

When you upload a new video to YouTube, you will see a Custom thumbnail option under Video thumbnails after your upload is complete.

If you want to add a custom thumbnail to a video that’s already up, that’s easy too.

  1. Go to your Video Manager in the Creator Studio.
  2. Find the video you want to change the thumbnail for and click Edit next to it.
  3. Click Custom thumbnail on the right of the preview screen.
  4. Upload your thumbnail and click Save changes.

Remember when you’re uploading custom thumbnails that you need to use a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG image with an aspect ratio of 16:9 and that your file size has to be under 2MB.

YouTube recommends that thumbnail images have a resolution of 1280x720px, and you cannot upload an image with a width of less than 640 pixels.

Make sure that all of your thumbnails adhere to YouTube’s Community guidelines. Anything sexually suggestive, violent, or otherwise graphic could result in your video being age-restricted.

Part 3: YouTube Thumbnail Makers

You don’t have to go out and buy a photo editor like Photoshop to make custom video thumbnails (although it’s a good thing to use if you already have it). Here are two free online programs you can use instead:

Canva is an intuitive option with templates for Thumbnails, Channel Art, and other social media graphics. There are stock photos and graphics provided, but not all of them are free (paid options cost $1 each). Canva’s templates do tend to include paid resources, so you may want to use them mostly for their layouts or as inspiration and replace everything they provide with your own images.

Generally, using Canva is as easy as dragging and dropping things where you want them. You’ll be able to set the dimensions for your project so the image you export is a perfect size. Adding text and changing the size, font, or color is easy too.

Adobe Spark also has templates for channel art, and it’s also very easy to use. The first time you use it helpful notes will pop up to guide you through the process. Using templates is especially simple because you just click on the elements in the pre-made thumbnail and replace them with your own photos/text.

You can make changes to the colors in your Spark thumbnail easily by selecting a new color scheme or filter. You can even toggle through layouts easily. When you choose a new layout, Spark will rearrange all the pieces of your current thumbnail to align with the new layout so you can quickly see what it looks like instead of having to rebuild.

Click to check more YouTube thumbnail makers

Part 4: How to Make Thumbnails That Get Clicks (Without Clickbait!)

Here are the top 10 best practices for creating effective YouTube thumbnails:

#1. Show What Your Video Is About

Being mysterious and clickbaity can get you views, if you’re already big. For small YouTubers, it pays off to be clear about your video’s topic. You want people to click who want to watch the actual content of your video. Even if you manage to get some clicks by being mysterious, you’ll probably end up with low viewer retention because people are clicking away when they realize your video isn’t what they were looking for. That will make YouTube’s algorithm rank your video lower, and then even fewer people will find it.

If your video is a product review, show the product in the thumbnail and maybe even write ‘review’ on it. If your video is a makeup tutorial, show your face with the finished makeup and maybe even include pictures of the products you used. People want to know what they’re clicking on before they click.

#2. Use a Consistent Layout

As you grow, you’ll want people to be able to see one of your thumbnails and instantly know it’s yours. Building a recognizable brand is about consistency. Try to stick with one basic layout for all of your videos. You can still customize every individual thumbnail by using different facial expressions and different graphics, but try to use similar backgrounds, fonts, and general layouts (i.e. you to the right of the thumbnails, text to the left) over and over.

#3. Use Your Face

Why should people want to watch your videos? If the answer is ‘because I can teach them to create delicious food’ or ‘because they want to learn about the latest iPhone’ then your thumbnail should include that food or that iPhone.

If part of the reason people want to watch your videos is you – your personality and your sense of humor – then you should be in your thumbnail.

Viewers who are on YouTube because they like seeing a creator’s personality like to feel the presence of that personality in the video thumbnail, and eye contact naturally draws attention and clicks.

#4. Add Small Graphics

Adding small graphics, like emojis or hearts, to your thumbnail can help you stand out in a couple different ways. First, if they’re being compared to thumbnails that are just screenshots from the video, your thumbnails will look a lot more polished. Second, they’ll add a splash of color which can draw eyes to your video in a search where other thumbnails are not using those same colors.

#5. Your Text Should Be Huge

Your thumbnail will end up being a fraction of the size it is while you’re creating it in your thumbnail maker, and that means that any text you use will end up being shrunk down. You could probably type a six-word sentence in a size 18 font and have it look fine while you’re making your thumbnail, but after you upload it there’s no way people will be able to read it at a glance.

Aim for a huge font size, and 3 words or less (so your thumbnail doesn’t end up looking crowded).

#6. Check Out The Competition

Type your video’s title or topic into the search engine on YouTube and look at the thumbnails for the videos that come up. These are your competition. You want to make a thumbnail that is similar enough to what comes up that viewers know it’s on the same topic, but different enough that it stands out.

Generally, if most of the thumbnails have the same layout, you’ll want to mimic that layout. Where you can break from the crowd is in the colors, fonts, and graphics you use.

Part 5: Animated YouTube Thumbnails

Whether or not you upload a custom thumbnail to YouTube, YouTube’s A.I will choose what it thinks are the 3 juiciest seconds of your video (you cannot choose for yourself) and play them as a GIF-like animation when people mouseover your video thumbnails.

As of now, this only works in the Google Chrome desktop browser. Videos have to be at least 30 seconds long to get moving thumbnails.

Alright, now that you know everything about YouTube thumbnails, go make one! Tell us in the comments what you’re going to do to make your video thumbnails stand out.

Touch Up YouTube Videos with Effects & Elements in Filmora

As one of the most widely used video editing software in YouTube video editing, Filmora provides lots of templates and effects with an intuitive interface. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

author avatar

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Key Strategies in Building Successful YouTube Shorts Templates

YouTube Shorts are short, 60-second videos that can be shared across all social media platforms. They’re a great way to quickly and easily share your message with your audience. As a result, many creators are turning to YouTube Shorts Templates to help them create professional-looking videos that stand out.

YouTube Shorts Templates can create a wide variety of videos, from product demos and how-tos to vlogs and comedy skits. They can help you create polished and engaging videos without the need for expensive equipment or a lot of editing experience.

youtube shorts template

This article will explore everything you need to know about YouTube Shorts Templates, including how to use them, tips for creating great videos, and examples of how other creators use them to boost their views and reach.

Overview of YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts is a new feature launched by YouTube in September 2020, which allows users to create short, 15-second videos that can be shared across all social media platforms. According to the statistics of EarthWeb , YouTube Shorts has seen tremendous growth in popularity since its launch, with billions of views every day.

According to YouTube, in the U.S. alone, the watch time for Shorts has grown over 4x since November 2020, and by December 2021, daily active users of Shorts exceeded 200M. As per YouTube’s official blog, In India, Shorts watch time has grown by over 20x since its launch, and by the end of 2021, India had over 150M daily active users.

In addition to the strong growth in views and engagement, YouTube Shorts has also become a powerful tool for creators to reach new audiences and grow their channels.

According to a study by Influencer Marketing Hub, YouTube Shorts have a higher engagement rate than traditional YouTube videos, with Shorts receiving an average of 3x more comments and likes than regular videos. The study also shows that Shorts videos have a higher completion rate of 60% compared to traditional videos with 40%.

As a result of the popularity of YouTube Shorts, many creators are now turning to YouTube Shorts Templates to help them create professional-looking videos that stand out. YouTube Shorts Templates can create a wide variety of videos, from product demos and how-tos to vlogs and comedy skits. They can help you create polished and engaging videos without the need for expensive equipment or a lot of editing experience.

How To Get Profit from Short Videos

There are a few ways to monetize your YouTube Shorts videos and turn them into a source of profit. One way is through YouTube’s built-in monetization options, such as displaying ads on your videos, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing. Another way is to use your Shorts videos’ popularity to promote your products or services.

You can also use YouTube Shorts to drive traffic to your website, where you can sell products or services. Collaborating with brands and promoting their products in your videos can also be a great way to monetize your content. It’s important to remember that building a sizable audience and creating high-quality content is key to monetizing your YouTube Shorts.

Benefits of Using Templates to Create YouTube Shorts

There are several benefits to using templates to create YouTube Shorts, including:

youtube shorts benefits

  • Time-saving: Templates provide a pre-designed structure for your video, which saves you time and effort in creating a polished and professional-looking video.
  • Consistency: Templates can help you maintain a consistent look and feel for your videos, which helps to build your brand and make your videos easily recognizable.
  • Cost-effective: Templates can be cost-effective, eliminating the need for expensive equipment or editing software.
  • Increased engagement: Templates can help you create engaging videos that capture your audience’s attention and increase the likelihood of them watching and engaging with your content.
  • Access to a wider audience: Templates can help increase your views and reach, which can help you grow your channel and reach a wider audience.
  • Easy to use: Templates are easy to use, even if you have yet to gain any prior video editing experience.

Using templates allows you to quickly create high-quality, professional-looking videos while also saving money and reaching a wider audience.

How to Make YouTube Shorts Using a Video Editor With Templates

Creating YouTube Shorts using a video editor with templates is a great way to save time and effort while still producing polished, professional-looking videos. One great video editor that can be used for this purpose is Filmora. Filmora has desktop and mobile versions, so you can create YouTube Shorts using any device.

Video Templates Feature of Filmora

With Wondershare Filmora , users can access a variety of templates for YouTube Shorts, which can be easily customized to fit the style and theme of their videos. These templates include various themes such as travel, vlogs, product demos, and more.

Wondershare Filmora also provides a wide range of editing tools, such as text, music, and effects, to help users create engaging and visually appealing videos. Filmora’s templates are an easy and efficient way to create visually appealing and engaging YouTube Shorts that stand out from the rest.

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-Step Guide to Create YouTube Shorts With Templates Using Filmora for Desktop

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts can be time-consuming and daunting, especially if you have limited experience with video editing. However, using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your desktop.

Step 1. Start Wondershare Filmora on your computer. On the “Templates” tab, you will find a variety of component templates to choose from.

filmora template tab

Step 2. Select the template you want to use and place it on the timeline point.

filmora drag template

Step 3. Add your videos, pictures, and audio files to the designated placeholders in the template to replace the sample ones.

filmora add media

Step 4. Trim, edit the clip or add other effects, texts and stickers as you like.

edit template filmora

Step 5. Click the “Export“ button on the upper part to save your clip.

filmora export video

When creating YouTube Shorts, it is important to remember that these videos are vertical. You can easily find vertical video templates in Filmora’s template library. So select the one that best fits your needs and style.

Step-by-Step Guide to Use YouTube Shorts Video Templates With Filmora for Mobile

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts on mobile devices is now more accessible than ever. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your mobile device.

Step 1. Install the Filmora app on your device, then open it.

open filmora app

Step 2. Tap the “Template“ button on the screen’s bottom right.

filmora app template

Step 3. Select the template you wish to use.

Step 4. Press the “Make Video“ button to download the chosen template.

make video with template

Step 5. Add the necessary footage to edit the template, then tap “Next.”

tap next

Step 6. You can preview the video and make any necessary changes.

preview video filmora app

Step 7. Tap the “Export“ button to save the completed video.

export video filmora app

If you want to learn more about using Filmora’s video templates feature to create YouTube Shorts on your mobile device, we recommend watching this video tutorial:

YouTube Shorts Video Template Resources in Filmora

Filmora offers a wide variety of video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts. These templates include various themes such as an event, sports, fashion, lifestyle, and more. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short.

1. Event YouTube Shorts Template

event shorts template

Event YouTube Shorts Templates are an interactive way for creators to showcase their events dynamically and engagingly. These templates come with pre-designed elements such as animations, backgrounds, and text styles that are perfect for highlighting the key moments and creating excitement among the audience. It’s an effective way to make the event more engaging and interactive for the audience.

2. Sports YouTube Shorts Video Template

sports youtube shorts video

Sports YouTube Shorts video templates are pre-designed, customizable video templates for creating short, engaging sports-related content for YouTube’s Shorts feature. These templates often include scoreboards, team logos, and highlights footage and can be easily customized with your text, images, and videos. They are ideal for sports teams, athletes, and content creators looking to quickly and easily create professional-looking videos.

3. Fashion YouTube Shorts Template

fashion youtube shorts template

Fashion YouTube Shorts templates are pre-designed video templates that can be used to create visually appealing and engaging content for fashion-related YouTube Shorts. These templates often include elements such as fashion models, clothing and accessory displays, and trendy backgrounds and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can be used to create various types of videos, including fashion lookbooks, product reviews, and styling tutorials.

4. Life Style Shorts Template

life style shorts template

Lifestyle YouTube Shorts templates often include elements such as different lifestyle scenes, like traveling, cooking, home decor, and DIY projects, and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can create various videos, including travel vlogs, recipe videos, and DIY tutorials.

Conclusion

YouTube Shorts are a great way to connect with your audience and promote your brand. Using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. Filmora offers various video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts, including templates for events, sports, fashion, and lifestyle.

Filmora templates are fully customizable, meaning you can change the text, images, and colors to match your brand. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short. With the help of Filmora, you can easily create professional-looking YouTube Shorts that stand out and capture your audience’s attention.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-Step Guide to Create YouTube Shorts With Templates Using Filmora for Desktop

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts can be time-consuming and daunting, especially if you have limited experience with video editing. However, using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your desktop.

Step 1. Start Wondershare Filmora on your computer. On the “Templates” tab, you will find a variety of component templates to choose from.

filmora template tab

Step 2. Select the template you want to use and place it on the timeline point.

filmora drag template

Step 3. Add your videos, pictures, and audio files to the designated placeholders in the template to replace the sample ones.

filmora add media

Step 4. Trim, edit the clip or add other effects, texts and stickers as you like.

edit template filmora

Step 5. Click the “Export“ button on the upper part to save your clip.

filmora export video

When creating YouTube Shorts, it is important to remember that these videos are vertical. You can easily find vertical video templates in Filmora’s template library. So select the one that best fits your needs and style.

Step-by-Step Guide to Use YouTube Shorts Video Templates With Filmora for Mobile

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts on mobile devices is now more accessible than ever. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your mobile device.

Step 1. Install the Filmora app on your device, then open it.

open filmora app

Step 2. Tap the “Template“ button on the screen’s bottom right.

filmora app template

Step 3. Select the template you wish to use.

Step 4. Press the “Make Video“ button to download the chosen template.

make video with template

Step 5. Add the necessary footage to edit the template, then tap “Next.”

tap next

Step 6. You can preview the video and make any necessary changes.

preview video filmora app

Step 7. Tap the “Export“ button to save the completed video.

export video filmora app

If you want to learn more about using Filmora’s video templates feature to create YouTube Shorts on your mobile device, we recommend watching this video tutorial:

YouTube Shorts Video Template Resources in Filmora

Filmora offers a wide variety of video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts. These templates include various themes such as an event, sports, fashion, lifestyle, and more. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short.

1. Event YouTube Shorts Template

event shorts template

Event YouTube Shorts Templates are an interactive way for creators to showcase their events dynamically and engagingly. These templates come with pre-designed elements such as animations, backgrounds, and text styles that are perfect for highlighting the key moments and creating excitement among the audience. It’s an effective way to make the event more engaging and interactive for the audience.

2. Sports YouTube Shorts Video Template

sports youtube shorts video

Sports YouTube Shorts video templates are pre-designed, customizable video templates for creating short, engaging sports-related content for YouTube’s Shorts feature. These templates often include scoreboards, team logos, and highlights footage and can be easily customized with your text, images, and videos. They are ideal for sports teams, athletes, and content creators looking to quickly and easily create professional-looking videos.

3. Fashion YouTube Shorts Template

fashion youtube shorts template

Fashion YouTube Shorts templates are pre-designed video templates that can be used to create visually appealing and engaging content for fashion-related YouTube Shorts. These templates often include elements such as fashion models, clothing and accessory displays, and trendy backgrounds and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can be used to create various types of videos, including fashion lookbooks, product reviews, and styling tutorials.

4. Life Style Shorts Template

life style shorts template

Lifestyle YouTube Shorts templates often include elements such as different lifestyle scenes, like traveling, cooking, home decor, and DIY projects, and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can create various videos, including travel vlogs, recipe videos, and DIY tutorials.

Conclusion

YouTube Shorts are a great way to connect with your audience and promote your brand. Using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. Filmora offers various video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts, including templates for events, sports, fashion, and lifestyle.

Filmora templates are fully customizable, meaning you can change the text, images, and colors to match your brand. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short. With the help of Filmora, you can easily create professional-looking YouTube Shorts that stand out and capture your audience’s attention.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-Step Guide to Create YouTube Shorts With Templates Using Filmora for Desktop

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts can be time-consuming and daunting, especially if you have limited experience with video editing. However, using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your desktop.

Step 1. Start Wondershare Filmora on your computer. On the “Templates” tab, you will find a variety of component templates to choose from.

filmora template tab

Step 2. Select the template you want to use and place it on the timeline point.

filmora drag template

Step 3. Add your videos, pictures, and audio files to the designated placeholders in the template to replace the sample ones.

filmora add media

Step 4. Trim, edit the clip or add other effects, texts and stickers as you like.

edit template filmora

Step 5. Click the “Export“ button on the upper part to save your clip.

filmora export video

When creating YouTube Shorts, it is important to remember that these videos are vertical. You can easily find vertical video templates in Filmora’s template library. So select the one that best fits your needs and style.

Step-by-Step Guide to Use YouTube Shorts Video Templates With Filmora for Mobile

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts on mobile devices is now more accessible than ever. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your mobile device.

Step 1. Install the Filmora app on your device, then open it.

open filmora app

Step 2. Tap the “Template“ button on the screen’s bottom right.

filmora app template

Step 3. Select the template you wish to use.

Step 4. Press the “Make Video“ button to download the chosen template.

make video with template

Step 5. Add the necessary footage to edit the template, then tap “Next.”

tap next

Step 6. You can preview the video and make any necessary changes.

preview video filmora app

Step 7. Tap the “Export“ button to save the completed video.

export video filmora app

If you want to learn more about using Filmora’s video templates feature to create YouTube Shorts on your mobile device, we recommend watching this video tutorial:

YouTube Shorts Video Template Resources in Filmora

Filmora offers a wide variety of video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts. These templates include various themes such as an event, sports, fashion, lifestyle, and more. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short.

1. Event YouTube Shorts Template

event shorts template

Event YouTube Shorts Templates are an interactive way for creators to showcase their events dynamically and engagingly. These templates come with pre-designed elements such as animations, backgrounds, and text styles that are perfect for highlighting the key moments and creating excitement among the audience. It’s an effective way to make the event more engaging and interactive for the audience.

2. Sports YouTube Shorts Video Template

sports youtube shorts video

Sports YouTube Shorts video templates are pre-designed, customizable video templates for creating short, engaging sports-related content for YouTube’s Shorts feature. These templates often include scoreboards, team logos, and highlights footage and can be easily customized with your text, images, and videos. They are ideal for sports teams, athletes, and content creators looking to quickly and easily create professional-looking videos.

3. Fashion YouTube Shorts Template

fashion youtube shorts template

Fashion YouTube Shorts templates are pre-designed video templates that can be used to create visually appealing and engaging content for fashion-related YouTube Shorts. These templates often include elements such as fashion models, clothing and accessory displays, and trendy backgrounds and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can be used to create various types of videos, including fashion lookbooks, product reviews, and styling tutorials.

4. Life Style Shorts Template

life style shorts template

Lifestyle YouTube Shorts templates often include elements such as different lifestyle scenes, like traveling, cooking, home decor, and DIY projects, and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can create various videos, including travel vlogs, recipe videos, and DIY tutorials.

Conclusion

YouTube Shorts are a great way to connect with your audience and promote your brand. Using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. Filmora offers various video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts, including templates for events, sports, fashion, and lifestyle.

Filmora templates are fully customizable, meaning you can change the text, images, and colors to match your brand. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short. With the help of Filmora, you can easily create professional-looking YouTube Shorts that stand out and capture your audience’s attention.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Step-by-Step Guide to Create YouTube Shorts With Templates Using Filmora for Desktop

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts can be time-consuming and daunting, especially if you have limited experience with video editing. However, using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your desktop.

Step 1. Start Wondershare Filmora on your computer. On the “Templates” tab, you will find a variety of component templates to choose from.

filmora template tab

Step 2. Select the template you want to use and place it on the timeline point.

filmora drag template

Step 3. Add your videos, pictures, and audio files to the designated placeholders in the template to replace the sample ones.

filmora add media

Step 4. Trim, edit the clip or add other effects, texts and stickers as you like.

edit template filmora

Step 5. Click the “Export“ button on the upper part to save your clip.

filmora export video

When creating YouTube Shorts, it is important to remember that these videos are vertical. You can easily find vertical video templates in Filmora’s template library. So select the one that best fits your needs and style.

Step-by-Step Guide to Use YouTube Shorts Video Templates With Filmora for Mobile

Creating professional-looking YouTube Shorts on mobile devices is now more accessible than ever. This step-by-step guide will show you how to use Filmora’s video templates feature to create visually appealing YouTube Shorts on your mobile device.

Step 1. Install the Filmora app on your device, then open it.

open filmora app

Step 2. Tap the “Template“ button on the screen’s bottom right.

filmora app template

Step 3. Select the template you wish to use.

Step 4. Press the “Make Video“ button to download the chosen template.

make video with template

Step 5. Add the necessary footage to edit the template, then tap “Next.”

tap next

Step 6. You can preview the video and make any necessary changes.

preview video filmora app

Step 7. Tap the “Export“ button to save the completed video.

export video filmora app

If you want to learn more about using Filmora’s video templates feature to create YouTube Shorts on your mobile device, we recommend watching this video tutorial:

YouTube Shorts Video Template Resources in Filmora

Filmora offers a wide variety of video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts. These templates include various themes such as an event, sports, fashion, lifestyle, and more. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short.

1. Event YouTube Shorts Template

event shorts template

Event YouTube Shorts Templates are an interactive way for creators to showcase their events dynamically and engagingly. These templates come with pre-designed elements such as animations, backgrounds, and text styles that are perfect for highlighting the key moments and creating excitement among the audience. It’s an effective way to make the event more engaging and interactive for the audience.

2. Sports YouTube Shorts Video Template

sports youtube shorts video

Sports YouTube Shorts video templates are pre-designed, customizable video templates for creating short, engaging sports-related content for YouTube’s Shorts feature. These templates often include scoreboards, team logos, and highlights footage and can be easily customized with your text, images, and videos. They are ideal for sports teams, athletes, and content creators looking to quickly and easily create professional-looking videos.

3. Fashion YouTube Shorts Template

fashion youtube shorts template

Fashion YouTube Shorts templates are pre-designed video templates that can be used to create visually appealing and engaging content for fashion-related YouTube Shorts. These templates often include elements such as fashion models, clothing and accessory displays, and trendy backgrounds and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can be used to create various types of videos, including fashion lookbooks, product reviews, and styling tutorials.

4. Life Style Shorts Template

life style shorts template

Lifestyle YouTube Shorts templates often include elements such as different lifestyle scenes, like traveling, cooking, home decor, and DIY projects, and can be easily customized to suit the creator’s specific needs and aesthetic. They can create various videos, including travel vlogs, recipe videos, and DIY tutorials.

Conclusion

YouTube Shorts are a great way to connect with your audience and promote your brand. Using a video editor like Filmora, you can easily create high-quality YouTube Shorts using templates. Filmora offers various video templates that can be used to create YouTube Shorts, including templates for events, sports, fashion, and lifestyle.

Filmora templates are fully customizable, meaning you can change the text, images, and colors to match your brand. These templates can be found in Filmora’s library, making it easy for users to find the perfect template for their YouTube Short. With the help of Filmora, you can easily create professional-looking YouTube Shorts that stand out and capture your audience’s attention.

Also read:

  • Title: "[Updated] Cutting-Edge Techniques for Powerful YouTube Thumbnail Designs"
  • Author: Kevin
  • Created at : 2024-05-25 16:45:07
  • Updated at : 2024-05-26 16:45:07
  • Link: https://youtube-videos.techidaily.com/updated-cutting-edge-techniques-for-powerful-youtube-thumbnail-designs/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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"[Updated] Cutting-Edge Techniques for Powerful YouTube Thumbnail Designs"