How to Stand Out: YT Thumbnail Size and Engagement Strategies

Best YouTube Thumbnail Size: How to Make a Thumbnail for YouTube in 2024

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

You must have heard the phrase, Never judge a book by its cover. But actually, we do judge everything by its cover. The same is the case with Youtube videos. No matter how good the content of your video is if you are unable to convey that with the thumbnail of your video, it will not bring any good to your channel. If you are looking forward to growing your channel and attracting more viewers, then having an appealing and eye-catching thumbnail is one of the most important factors. There are several things to be considered while creating a custom thumbnail if you want to make your videos look stunning and engaging. By following all these points, you can increase the chances of your channel’s growth.

In this article, we have 5 chapters for you：

• Best YouTube Thumbnail Size
• How Important is a Custom Thumbnail?
• Best Practices From Experiences
• How to Make a Fortnite Thumbnail
• How to Add a Custom Thumbnail to Your Video

Best YouTube Thumbnail Size

Being a content creator, you never know which device is being used by the viewer to watch your videos. It can be a smartphone, laptop, pc, or smart TV. It is very important to keep all these devices in mind while choosing a Youtube thumbnail size. For the best possible results, consider the following points while making a thumbnail for your Youtube videos.

• To cover all the devices perfectly, set the thumbnail resolution to 1280x720
• Save the thumbnail in JPG, GIF, or PNG format
• Try not to cross the 2MB limit
• Make sure to use a 16:9 aspect ratio for perfect results throughout the devices

How Important is a Custom Thumbnail?

Custom Thumbnail is a tool through which the viewers can understand everything about a video. It tells the viewers what to expect from a video, what not to expect, and what the video is all about. no matter if you create amazing content, if the thumbnail is not good enough to covey that to the viewers, all your hard work will be of no use and will not bring any good to your channel and its growth. According to Google ,90% of best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. It shows the importance of custom thumbnails.

Best Practice From Experiences

Now, since we know the importance of having a custom thumbnail, it is important to know how to make a thumbnail for Youtube look perfect, appealing, and eye-catching at the same time. There are some points to be considered while creating a thumbnail for Youtube. We will provide you with the best practices that we have learned throughout our journey of using Youtube and growing it from zero.

7 best practices can help you make your Youtube thumbnail stand out from the crowd and make its way out.

1. Show your face

In a world full of machines and computers, people love to listen and interact with people instead of computer-generated voices and a voice without a face. Showing your face on a Youtube thumbnail makes it more appealing to users to click and listen to the person who is being shown in the thumbnail. Humans are more inclined towards faces. When there is a human element in a video, it increases its effectiveness. Check out the pics below, which one are you most likely to click through?

1. Use Simple Fonts

With your face, it is necessary to put some text on your Youtube thumbnail to let viewers know what this video is all about without clicking or watching it. Don’t use fancy fonts on Youtube thumbnail. It makes it hard for the viewers to read and understand what to expect in the video, especially for those watching YouTube on their 5 inches screen smartphone, ultimately decreasing the chances of your video being clicked and watched. I personally recommend you to use give these fonts a go while making YouTube thumbnail.

1. Use Phrases, not sentence

If you have ever noticed, Youtube thumbnails are very small in size, making it hard for viewers to notice any small elements. According to YouTube , more than 70% of Youtube watch time comes from mobile devices. While adding text in a thumbnail, instead of using sentences, make sure to use only words and make them large in size that can easily be noticed on small screens. Summurise your video in no more than 5 words.

1. Put every stuff on left side

When we navigate to a Youtube thumbnail and place the cursor on it, it shows us two icons, “Watch Later” and “Add to Queue,” located on its right size. Come on, you don’t want your beautiful thumbnail that cost you a few hours be covered. To avoid these icons from hiding your important stuff of thumbnail, make sure to put everything on the right side of your thumbnail.

1. Have a unique and Consistent style

Try to make all your thumbnails follow the same style. Following the same style for all your Youtube thumbnails will make your channel look unique and all your videos identical. It will be easy for viewers to identify your videos when they see them. It gives your channel a touch of its unique brand.

1. Use elements to grab the attention

To make your Youtube thumbnail more appealing to the viewers, add circles and arrows to grab viewers’ attention to something very important in the video. It will increase the curiosity in the viewers and make them click your videos to learn more.

1. Choose the right tool

This whole process seems to be very hectic and time taking, but do you know, you can do everything on just one software? There is no need to edit a video in a different software then make a thumbnail in another software. With Filmora X, you can perform all these tasks on a single platform with so many amazing features. Whether you want to remove the background of your image or add attractive titles to it, Filmora X has got you covered.

1. Avoid clickbait and irrelevant pics and title

It is one of the old tricks that so many people on Youtube use. It undoubtedly brings you clicks and more views, but once the viewer realizes that you have used irrelevant pictures or texts to attract them**. I**n reality, your video doesn’t contain any information related to it, you are going to lose their trust. They are never going to click on your videos again. Even if you don’t use such a trick anymore. Try to avoid such activities. Avoiding such activities can make your channel grow in the long term. Only use the text and images that are relevant to your content and stick to that.

1. Choose your preview window wisely

Do you know that Youtube can show a 3-second preview of your video when someone hovers the cursor over it? It is one of the best ways to show the viewers the content of your video even when they don’t click on your video. These three seconds will help them decide whether to click on your video or not. This preview is selected by the system from the first half of your video according to its relevance and similarity with the topic. That’s why it is very important to add related information in the first half of the video, otherwise, Youtube will choose it randomly. If the preview is not selected for two days, it means your video is not eligible for it.

How to Make a Fortnite Thumbnail Super Fast and Free?

Many of you might be interested in how to make a fortnite thumbnail, so here it is. To make a Fortnite thumbnail for free, we are going to use Filmora X. Filmora X contains all kinds of features and elements that are required for a perfect and eye-catching thumbnail. To get started, make sure to download and install the latest version of Filmora X.

1. Before we start making Fortnite Thumbnails, we have to take a screenshot of the gameplay. Open Fortnite and go to the Career tab. Here you will find Replays.

1. It contains all your recent gameplays. We can use it to take a screenshot. If you are using a console, you will find 10 recent gameplays here. But if you are a PC user, you can find the last 100 gameplays. Select the gameplay you want to take a screenshot from.

1. For our preferred angle, choose “Drone Free Camera” mode from the bottom right corner of the screen. It will allow us to use our preferred angle without any restriction. Choose an angle and take a screenshot.

1. Open Filmora X, make sure to select the 16:9 screen ratio. Import the screenshot that you have taken from Fortnite.

1. Place it into the timeline to start working on it.

1. Now to separate the character from the background, go to the Effects. Under effects, you can find a tab named AI Portraits. Click on AI Portrait. Now drag the Human Segmentation and drop it on the screenshot in the timeline.

1. It will ask you to purchase it. But there is no need to do that. Just hit Try It.

1. This effect will remove the background of your screenshot.

1. Now you can add a background of your choice. You can upload an image or choose a simple color from Filmora’s Media tab and drag it below the screenshot in the timeline.

1. To add text to the screenshot, go to Titles. Here you can find a wide range of different and unique titles to choose from for your Fortnite Thumbnail. Choose any of the titles and place them accordingly.

1. To make it more attractive, we can add icons and other elements from Filmora’s Element tab. You can also download the stickers from the internet and use them.

1. After completing the thumbnail, click on the Snapshot icon located below the preview tab of Filmora. Or press “CTRL+ALT+S”. It will save a screenshot into the media panel of Filmora.

1. Right-click on the screenshot and navigate to “Reveal in Explorer”. It will open the folder that contains all the screenshots taken from Filmora. Now you can use it as a Fortnite Thumbnail.

How to Add a Custom YouTube Thumbnail to Your Video in YouTube

Once you have successfully created a custom thumbnail, you can use it in your videos on Youtube.

1. Open Youtube Studio and upload your video. While uploading the video, you can see a section named “Thumbnail”. Under this section, click on “Upload Thumbnail”.

1. Select the thumbnail that you have made. Just like the one Fortnite thumbnail that we have created using Filmora X.

1. The thumbnail will be uploaded and attached to the video. Now you can process all the settings and publish the video.

Conclusion

Thumbnail is the first thing that helps the viewer decide whether to click on a video or ignore it. Which increases the importance of having a well-structured and attractive thumbnail. By following the above guide, you can make an astonishing and clickable thumbnail in no time. For better and quick results, we recommend you using Filmora X. It allows you to perform all the tasks from video editing to thumbnail creation on a single platform.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

Elevate Your Digital Presence: Mastering the Art of Video Reacts

Best YouTube Video Reaction Ideas

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Finding ways to engage your YouTube audience and attract new followers requires a lot of dedication and hard work. Even though there are only a handful of channels built entirely around reaction videos, this genre of videos can help you make your channel more diverse.

However, copyright restrictions prevent you from commenting on any video you find interesting, which is the reason why you have to get creative while choosing the next idea for a reaction video. So, in this article we are going to take you through some of the best YouTube video reaction ideas you can use to comment on different types of YouTube videos.

Previously we have demonstrated how to create a YouTube reaction video with Filmora , check it to get some inspiration.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

10 Best YouTube Video Reaction Ideas You Should Try in 2021

The process of making a YouTube video starts with an idea and the idea you choose often determines how good that video is going to be. The fact that reaction videos are so popular on YouTube right now, makes the idea selection even more important because just one good idea may boost your number of followers significantly. Here are some of the best video reaction ideas you can use to comment on different topics.

1. React to music videos

Music videos are among the most popular genres of videos on YouTube, which makes them perfect to react to. You can share your opinion about the musician, their latest work or the video’s visual aspects. Obtaining the copyrights to the music video you would like to comment on is very important, because you may be forced to delete your reaction video if you don’t.

2. Video game reactions

Video games like Minecraft, Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto attract a lot of attention on YouTube, and if you are a fan of any of them you can easily react to the gameplay. Reacting to video games is only a good idea if your channel is dedicated to gaming, because otherwise, this reaction video idea may seem off-topic.

3. React to video’s comments

YouTubers that already have thousands of followers need to keep coming up with new ways to engage their audience. Encouraging the viewers of your videos to comment on them can be a valuable source of ideas for reaction videos. You can comment on the topics that were discussed in the comments and address particular questions your followers have asked you.

4. Make a ‘Kids React To’ videos

Videos of children reacting to different genres of music are already getting thousands of views every day. So, if you like working with children you should consider making a variation of this type of video. There are so many different things children can react to, you just have to find a few that fit perfectly into your channel’s topic.

5. React to ‘React To’ Videos

Even though reacting to a reaction video sounds silly, it is anything but because by doing so you will open up space for a dialogue with other YouTubers. Besides being funny, this is also an opportunity to give your two cents on topics that are most relevant for your channel. In addition, the YouTube audience loves collaborations between YouTubers, which will give you and your associates the opportunity to increase the size of your audience.

6. Comment on your old videos

Producing new content for your YouTube channel regularly is important for so many reasons, but recycling old material from time to time can allow you to reflect on the topics you already covered. In addition, you’ll remind your viewers of your old videos and give them the reason to watch them again. Opting to comment on the videos you made in the past can also help you avoid potential copyright complications.

7. Record reactions of elderly people

It becomes increasingly difficult to keep up with the latest pop culture trends as we get older. That’s why elderly people often have trouble understanding the taste of younger generations. Recording their reactions to fashion choices young people make or the music they listen to can be hilarious, which makes it an excellent reaction video idea.

8. React to different challenges

Over the course of the last decade, we’ve seen so many challenges go viral, as even the world’s most famous politicians took part in some of them. Challenge videos are not as popular as they used to be a few years ago, but they still amass thousands of views. Making funny reaction videos to different challenge videos may help you boost your number of followers, especially if you come up with witty remarks for each video you comment on.

9. React to TV shows

We all love watching a good TV show, whether it is a TV series or a reality show. So, if you are looking for a reaction video idea that can hardly fail, commenting on a TV show may be the right choice for you. However, getting the right to use the footage you would like to comment on may be difficult, as making the reaction video without permission from the copyright owner may have legal implications.

10. Comment on movie trailers

If you are running a movie channel on YouTube, your followers are expecting your comment on the latest releases. Sharing your opinion about trailers of movies you like or dislike with your audience is going to help you start a conversation about that movie. This idea is only worth considering if you are a movie buff, since analyzing a movie trailer or reacting to it is anything but easy.

Interested in Movie Trailer? You can now make it with some best movie trailer makers easily.

With these reaction video ideas in mind, you can practise it on YouTube, or TikTok. Check this article to find out how to make a reaction video for TikTok .

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

Conclusion

Coming up with a unique idea for a reaction video isn’t necessarily a simple process, because there are so many reaction videos on YouTube. That is why the YouTube video reaction ideas you choose to have to fit perfectly into your channel’s theme. What is your favorite YouTube video reaction idea? Share your opinions in the comments.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett