Have your own channel? Shooting and editing already takes up a chunk of your time – so here’s how to make your own Youtube thumbnail fast – for free.
Head right into Pixlr X and click to open your image file, or just drag and drop.
Take advantage of the new features to add elements, which include stickers, shapes and overlays to enhance your design.
Get creative with your text placement – it doesn’t always have to be in straight lines. Rotate, shift, even pair some fonts together. You can play around with your layout as much as possible. Use your own channel colors to push your brand awareness!
I often scroll over Youtube thumbnails in my subscription list, and the colors or shapes that pop out to me are usually on brand. I remember Youtube channels by their tiny logo color, and also the design style they use on their thumbnails. If it appeals to me, or is on trend, I’d watch their stuff. Honestly, they make me go – ‘oh hey, this Youtuber has a new upload.’ Which then leads me to ‘Let’s watch it now.’ That should ultimately be your main objective.
Tip: Get more eyeballs by sticking to your original branding colors, fonts, and the usual elements you normally use. Your subscribers will have an easier time locating your latest upload.
Turning elements or shapes to suit your brand’s color theme can also help push your marketing efforts to greater heights. As a Youtuber, you’re going to want to have your content stand out on a bigger scale.
Loading your video thumbnails up with delicate, thin font is going to serve you the opposite of that. Don’t overcomplicate things. If your font of choice is too cursive AND small – that’s going to make it really hard to read.
I’m not knocking the font above (it’s great!), but it’s a challenge to read when you only have so much space on your thumbnail.
Check out the first three results that appear from my Google search here:
They’re tiny! But you only have that much space (maybe slightly more) to grab a potential viewer’s attention. You’ll want to be as grabby as you can while still sticking to your brand. That’s why most Youtubers go for big, bold, blocky font.
If you aren’t sure how the font will look like on your thumbnail, you can check it out by zooming it out to about 10% with Pixlr X.
Play around with the available elements, stickers and more to draw attention to your Youtube thumbnail. If you just use plain text, it can serve a straight-up description to what your video is about, but adding a bit of design puts some thought into it. It’s really up to you!
Images from Pixlr X stock photo collection.