The Key To a Good Thumbnail

[DefiantOneGaming]

Everyone knows that custom thumbnails are essential to draw more attention to your videos. However, browsing through YouTube I see so many individuals who don't take full advantage of this feature or simply don't have the slightest idea what they should have in their thumbnail so people watch it.

Here are a couple simple things you should put on your checklist when making a thumbnail:

1. Make sure that there is a contrast between the background and your text.

-Trust me on this one, dark background, light text; it works wonders folks. It makes the text easier to see which is what's most important on a good thumbnail so you can inform viewers of what's in the video.
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2. If your videos are a series (i.e. let's play) make sure that your episode number is in any corner but the bottom right.

-The length of the video is on the bottom right corner of any thumbnail so if your episode number is there, it'll be partially cut off by the video length.
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3. Use gradients instead of solid colors in your thumbnails.

-Gradients offer a level of professionalism and sophistication that solid colors simply cannot offer. This one is my own opinion so take it with a grain of salt. It just looks better in general and it will help your thumbnail stand out more.
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Those are just a couple tips that I have for anyone who is uncertain of how they should lay out their thumbnails. It truly is an important aspect of drawing attention to one's video. I'm not a professional but I've seen that it works.


These are some examples of thumbnails that I've done in the past. They are far from perfect or professional but they can offer some simple guidelines for beginners.

 

[CaptainSauce]

Ill add that some games are great for using screen shots for thumbnails (like The Sims 4 or Stranded Deep) and others are terrible (like Call of Duty). There is no real way to teach someone which is which, you just need to look at what other people are creating and ask yourself "is this something I would click on?".

 

[DefiantOneGaming]

Ill add that some games are great for using screen shots for thumbnails (like The Sims 4 or Stranded Deep) and others are terrible (like Call of Duty). There is no real way to teach someone which is which, you just need to look at what other people are creating and ask yourself "is this something I would click on?".

Exactly right. Basically the best thing you can do is check out what other people are doing and expand on it to reflect your own style. Just try and find out what looks good.

 

[Bobby1234]

Everyone knows that custom thumbnails are essential to draw more attention to your videos. However, browsing through YouTube I see so many individuals who don't take full advantage of this feature or simply don't have the slightest idea what they should have in their thumbnail so people watch it.

Here are a couple simple things you should put on your checklist when making a thumbnail:

1. Make sure that there is a contrast between the background and your text.

-Trust me on this one, dark background, light text; it works wonders folks. It makes the text easier to see which is what's most important on a good thumbnail so you can inform viewers of what's in the video.
​

2. If your videos are a series (i.e. let's play) make sure that your episode number is in any corner but the bottom right.

-The length of the video is on the bottom right corner of any thumbnail so if your episode number is there, it'll be partially cut off by the video length.
​

3. Use gradients instead of solid colors in your thumbnails.

-Gradients offer a level of professionalism and sophistication that solid colors simply cannot offer. This one is my own opinion so take it with a grain of salt. It just looks better in general and it will help your thumbnail stand out more.
​

Those are just a couple tips that I have for anyone who is uncertain of how they should lay out their thumbnails. It truly is an important aspect of drawing attention to one's video. I'm not a professional but I've seen that it works.
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These are some examples of thumbnails that I've done in the past. They are far from perfect or professional but they can offer some simple guidelines for beginners.

Oh okay cool I will keep that in mind love your thumbnails

 

[Squeal Cat]

Text

Hello, the tips you gave are good. However, point 3 is only someones preference. There's no true advantages using gradients, but there's also no disadvantages. Try to build your own (clear) style, would be my advise.

I don't want to be a partypooper, but have you actually tried watching your channel from the perspective of an average Youtube viewer?

 

[DefiantOneGaming]

Hello, the tips you gave are good. However, point 3 is only someones preference. There's no true advantages using gradients, but there's also no disadvantages. Try to build your own (clear) style, would be my advise.

I don't want to be a partypooper, but have you actually tried watching your channel from the perspective of an average Youtube viewer?

Oh no it's fine. I stated in the original post that my thumbnails are far from perfect or professional. It was moreso for people that I see that they don't even take advantage of the thumbnail feature, and it offers some basic guidelines so that they can not only take the good out of my thumbnails but the bad as well so that they can fix any flaws such as the ones you've found. I know I can spew advice all day long but my credibility is shot once I don't own up to my own advice; however those tips are still applicable as you see them on almost every big youtuber's videos.

 

[Squeal Cat]

Oh no it's fine. I stated in the original post that my thumbnails are far from perfect or professional. It was moreso for people that I see that they don't even take advantage of the thumbnail feature, and it offers some basic guidelines so that they can not only take the good out of my thumbnails but the bad as well so that they can fix any flaws such as the ones you've found. I know I can spew advice all day long but my credibility is shot once I don't own up to my own advice; however those tips are still applicable as you see them on almost every big youtuber's videos.

Yea, I understand. But they already have a huge base of subs, so they actually don't care much about the thumbnails, because people are still looking their vids.

It's like saying Microsoft is the best, because they are the biggest.

People like us however, need to scrape the views from all possible sources. These thumbnails shows up when people are using the Youtube search bar. And an unclear thumbnail could cause you not getting these potential views.

EDIT: I do get a nice percentage of viewers from searchers. My thumbnails are not perfect, but I tried making them clear when people are looking for stuff.