Don't Be Afraid To Make A Thumbnail

[TheFrostTee]

I have made all of my own thumbnails...my problem is I am not artistically gifted as some of the people on here

 

[RiftG]

Pretty solid advice, thanks.

 

[Dbrothers Gaming]

Don't be afraid to make your own thumbnails. I feel that people are kind of intimidated to make their own thumbnails, they don't even TRY to make a thumbnail. Don't make the excuse: "Oh, well I don't have [insert expensive editing program here]". I'm no artist or designer, I even use a free program to make my thumbnails. I just started making thumbnails yesterday...So as you can see, it really isn't that hard. You just have to do it. The most time-consuming part of making a thumbnail isn't the designing part, it's trying to find images and a background that will look good. Here are a few tips that help me when designing a thumbnail:

1 - This is very important, look at other people's thumbnails! I've spent hours just looking at thumbnails here on this website. By looking at really good thumbnails around here you acclimate yourself to that kind of quality and style, and when you go to make a thumbnail you are on par with their style and quality.

2 - Getting frustrated and can't seem to make things look good? When this happens to me, I look at other people's thumbnails for inspiration. Maybe it's a way they aligned their font, or a certain way they placed an image. It really helps get the creative juices flowing. If you still can't get creative, then take a break. Sometimes you just work to hard or too long and your brain is tired, go read that book you have been meaning to read or play a video game. Do something stress free.

3 - Google it. Yep, obvious isn't it? We often forget what a great resource google is. We have access to a whole lot of tutorials on font effects, background effects, image effects, beginner tutorials, etcetera! I use google all the time to figure out how to do a certain text effect or make a cool shadow. If you can see it in your mind, but can't make it happen, try googling what you see.

4 - Ask! If you see something in a thumbnail that looks amazing, but can't emulate it. Don't be afraid to ask the creator, chances are that they will gladly tell you how to do it and perhaps even give you some extra tips!

5 - Fonts. Fonts can make or break a thumbnail, it's really important that the font you use is very visible and legible. DO NOT USE THE DEFAULT FONTS. You can pretty much take it to the bank that most of the default fonts are a no no for thumbnails. The default fonts are for typing up essays etcetera...NOT thumbnails. I usually get my fonts from dafont. These days there are so many fonts out there that if you are playing a specific game, they probably have a font for that game. You want to make sure that the font can relate to the game you are playing. Example: You don't want to use a exciting, happy font if you are going to be playing a dark, zombie game.


This is what helps me, what helps you? Has this post encouraged you to try your hand at thumbnails? Tell me about it!

Ive been meaning to make some thumnales but it is seems like a bunch of work and i just havent gotten around to it.

 

[KipsCourt]

I love it! Great post! I have been very intimidated to make a thumbnail and very confused as well! I really needed this article!

 

[Mr.Sky]

Pfft, i use Photopad & Windows Paint, And i'm pretty satisfied with how my thumbnails turned out

 

[Fieel]

I updated my thumbnails feel free to visit and leave feedback

 

[theTinkyWinky]

So basically its just a lot of flashy colors, simple easy to-read text, and some titty action if possible?

 

[highsociety]

Thanks for the help, I'm going to try this out.

 

[CynicalChinchilla]

It isn't complicated at all! Here's one method I use, you can vary some things like shadow effects and text enhancements along the way.

Grab a video still or image; open up in a software prog - I use Gimp 2.8.

Open as a Layer, the background image.

Click text. Add some text (size and colour can be altered). Position it with move tool. (You also justify position, box next to move tool).

Right-click the text layer selection. Add Alpha to Selection (to the text layer).

Filters - Light and Shadow - Drop Shadow. Click OK. Then - Select - None. (To turn off Alpha).

To finish - I like to add Gaussian Blur to background (by about 5), makes text stand-out more! (Filters - Blur - Gaussian Blur).

Save as xcf (a backup, so you can alter it later if need or re-use and change text if a series!).

Export as png (final image).

Boom - thumbnail.

Once you get into a routine (I'm just recalling this from memory now), it's an easy way to make quick thumbnails. No fuss, just your creative time and energy!

 

[KerrTheBlurr]

If you're making a thumbnail for gary's mod, you can always go into sandbox mod, set up a scene that looks like the message you want to get across and take a snap shot. Looks really good