Fixing the No-Thumbnail Issue in YouTubes Shorts Videos

Video thumbnails are important since they encourage people to click and watch the video. But what if your set YouTube Shorts thumbnail is not showing? YouTube will use a random part of the video as the thumbnail. It may be an unflattering or uninteresting shot. Then, your Shorts video is doomed.

That said, it is a problem you want to solve. Here are 7 FAQs about YouTube Shorts thumbnails. They may help you with fixing this issue.

Q1. Can I Customize YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Yes, you can. YouTube did allow short-form video creators to upload custom thumbnails for their Shorts. However, they aren’t that optimized. For instance, some people may not see them on the Shorts shelf. Also, if you share a link to the video somewhere else, the old video thumbnail may show instead of the new one.

Adding a custom thumbnail for YouTube Shorts is the same as adding one for long-form videos on the platform. Follow these steps:

• Open the YouTube mobile app. Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom center > “Create Short.” Upload, edit, and post your video.

• Get to your desktop computer or laptop. Open your channel’s YouTube Studio.

• On the left navigation menu, click “Content.”

• Click the “pencil” icon next to the Shorts you just uploaded. This video should be at the top of the list.
• Navigate to the Thumbnail section. Click “Create Thumbnail.”

Q2. Why Are YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Not Showing?

It’s not you who’s the only one with Shorts thumbnails not showing. Many short-form content creators on the platform are also facing this issue. A YouTuber took to Reddit to complain about how he uploaded custom thumbnails for all his videos. The thumbnails are correct in the editor. However, YouTube still displays a random frame as the thumbnail on the Shorts shelf.

“They ALL have randomly selected different parts of each video I have uploaded & somehow generated a new/unknown thumbnail that was neither what I uploaded as the custom option nor 1 of the 3 that YouTube auto populated.”

YouTuber on Reddit

The reason behind this is the difference in the thumbnail size. Regular YouTube video thumbnails are in the ratio of 16:9. Meanwhile, Shorts uses a ratio of 9:16. The thing is that YouTube does not yet allow you to upload 9:16 thumbnails. Thus, the thumbnail for Shorts may show correctly on the video section but not on the Shorts shelf.

Q3. How to Fix YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Problem?

Unfortunately, there is no reliable fix to this problem yet. YouTubers have tried different things in hopes that YouTube will display the correct thumbnail for their Shorts.

Some YouTubers have tried using different images. Others have experimented with changing the aspect ratio of the thumbnail or using Adobe editor for ratios. Clearing histories and cache, using different browsers, resizing, and changing the images’ resolution have also been done. Sadly, these are all failed attempts.

Q4. How To Boost Views When I Have no Control Over YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Attracting viewers on Shorts is the same as attracting viewers on the main YouTube. You use interesting thumbnails and video titles. Since thumbnails are out of the options, selecting great video titles has become even more important.

Here are some pointers. Your title should be at most 40 characters. Also, it should be concise and irresistible. And forget about SEO since no one is searching for YouTube Shorts anyway. People consume what they see in their feeds. So instead, the title should be “snappy.” It should intrigue, entertain, or enlighten the viewers. That will net you some views for your Shorts content.

Q5. How To Get More Views on YouTube Shorts?

Forgoing the intro is the way to go. An intro will just prolong the video when people are in Shorts to find bite-sized videos. So jump right into the video content. You can also start the video with a still frame instead. Using hashtags, captions, and text effects are also recommended. And interacting with your audience through comments and pinned comments will keep them coming back to your Shorts channel.

Of course, ensuring that the video quality is high is key to getting more views. For that, you need a good video editor. You can try Wondershare Filmora , a powerful and easy-to-use video editor.

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The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

• Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

• Pause the video.

• Click “Library” on the left panel.

• Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

On a Mobile Phone

• Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

• Like the Shorts video.

• Tap “Library”

• Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

• Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

VisualCut Pro

Picsart is a platform that allows users to take photos and videos that they can then edit on the platform. Once the images or videos are edited to their satisfaction, users can then share them on each other’s social media pages.

It is one of the most popular media creation and editing apps with 1 billion uses around the world and it can be used on Android devices, iOS devices, and web browsers on PC. But Picsart is not a free solution and you may end up paying up to $48 a month to use the platform.

This is why we’ve searched for some of the most useful picsart alternatives that are completely free to use and work just as well.

Picsart Photo and Video Editor

This app has more than 150 million downloads from users all over the world. It is available on the Google Play Store and offers numerous options to edit your photos and videos to create a more professional look and feel.

Some of the things that you can do using this app include creating collages, adding stickers, removing and even swapping backgrounds and so much more. You can edit existing images or use the built-in camera to take photos or record videos that you can then edit.

Here’s how you can use this app to edit your images or videos in numerous ways;

Step 1: Begin by installing the Picsart Photo and video editor on your Android device. To do that, just open the Google Play Store and search for the app and then install it.

Step 2: Open it after installation and tap on the “+” button to choose the video or photo that you would like to edit.

Step 3: To apply filters to the video or image, tap “Effects” and choose the filter that you would like to use. In the same section, you will see several tools that you can use to customize your video in many ways including adding additional images and saving the completed video.

Video Editor & Maker- Love Edit

Love-Edit is a mobile video editor that you can use to create professional videos that you can use for various purposes including marketing purposes. The tool has a simple user interface that can be used to make simple changes to a video such as cutting away sections of the video that you don’t want to include the video or even merging various clips to create a single video.

And since it is very easy to use, this tool can help you edit even the longest video in just a matter of minutes. But there are some users who complain that the app will begin lagging as soon as you start editing a video that is longer than 5 minutes.

Here’s how you can use this app to make changes to your videos;

Step 1: Start by installing the app on your device. Just go to the Google Play Store and search for the app. When you find it, tap “Install” to begin installing the app.

Step 2: Once installed, open the app and tap on the “+” icon or the “New Project” button to begin. Then select the video that you would like to edit.

Step 3: You can then use the numerous tools yay appear to edit the video in numerous ways. For instance, if you want to trim a section of the video, select that section and choose the trim button to remove it.

In much the same way, you can add filters and even add additional images to the video. Do not forget to save the video once you are done with the editing process.

iPhone Picsart Photo & Video Editor

The Picsart Photo & Video Editor for iOS is another great tool that you can use to edit photos and videos on your iPhone. It can be used to make simple changes to the photo or video such as adding a simple filter, but it is also a useful solution when you want to make significant changes to the photos or video such as removing backgrounds and replacing them with other images.

One of the things we love about this app is that you can use it to add text to an existing image or video and you have over 200 designer fonts to choose from. it also has a lot of effects to choose from for both images and videos. For images, you can choose from a large library of stickers to add to the image and for videos, you can add photos, music, and even trim the videos to the desired length.

Here’s how you can use this app to edit a video in various ways;

Step 1: If you don’t already have the app installed on your device, go to the App Store, search for it and install it on your device. If you already have it, make sure that you are running the latest version before using it.

Step 2: When the installation is complete, open the app and then click on the “+” icon to import the video that you would like to edit into the app. You can choose a video from your Photos app or any other source on your device.

Step 3: If you would like to add a filter to the video, tap “Effects” and then choose the filter that you would like to use. To add an image to the video, tap “Images” and then select the image that you would like to add. Resize the image to fit the screen.

Conclusion

There are very many apps that you can use to edit photos and videos on your device. But most of them can be quite expensive. The options above are easy to use, cost-effective, and have the necessary features to help you easily edit your images and videos.

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