How to Size Your Videos: YouTube’s Best Practices Unveiled

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

Cultivating an Audience Naturally - YouTube’s Way

How to Buy YouTube Views - Everything You Need To Know

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

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This article has everything you need to know before you buy YouTube views, including:

1. Where to Buy Views
2. How Does it Work?
3. What to Look for in a Service
4. Is Buying Views Illegal?
5. Will Buying Views Get Me Banned From YouTube?

Disclaimer: We in no way endorse the practice of buying views. It could be dangerous for your channel and will damage your credibility with your real viewers if they find out.

YouTube is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms today. The amount of time we spend watching YouTube videos daily is simply mindboggling. The amazing thing about YouTube is how easy it is to share content and, in the process, build your audience. Many people have launched careers on the success of their videos and the popularity of their channels. It doesn’t matter if you are an expert, a hobbyist, an aspiring musician, a citizen journalist, a DIY maven, a cook, or a makeup fiend – YouTube can help you reach more people, develop your brand and launch your new career. All you have to do is create your channel, upload good videos, promote your content, and watch the magic happen. Well, if only it were that simple…

In reality, getting people to watch your content can be difficult. Even for people who have large personal networks, hitting 5000 or 10000 views can be tough. The reason is simply that YouTube videos, like other web content, thrive on Social Proof, and Social Proof equals credibility. The more views a video has, the more people are willing to watch it, and the better its chances of featuring as recommended content. It’s a vicious cycle. Time and time again, we see that given the choice, people would rather watch a video with 2000 views instead of a video with 200 views.

This is why buying YouTube views can be a great way to jumpstart the organic views of your content. It’s no silver bullet of course, but it can get you off to a good start. Buying YouTube views can help your video gain traction and get recommended. The trick is to buy from sources that provide real US and UK views in ways that do not violate YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). There are many scam services out there that can get your video the wrong kind of attention. Be sure to do your research before you buy, and understand that this is a tactic which promises short-term results. Buying YouTube views can be useful. However, it is no guarantee of long-term success. You still need to put hard work into your content for it to work.

WHERE TO BUY VIEWS

These top 5 sites for buying YouTube views are ranked according to the quality of the targeted views they deliver, viewer engagement, responsiveness, turnaround time, and their moneyback guarantee (if they have one). The site which tested these services is called BuyViewsReview. To learn more about the top providers of YouTube views, and how you can avoid scams, click here .

Tip: you want ‘high retention views’ – views where your video has been watched for a significant period, not just clicked on. These will help your search engine rankings.

1. DEVUMI

_ Devumi _ is our #1 pick for buying YouTube views because it provides the best value for money. To start with, all Devumi’s packages come with likes included so there’s no need to shop around for engagement and retention after buying views from Devumi. They have a 100% money-back guarantee and some of the fastest turnaround time available on the market (for genuine high-retention views. Some bot services are faster, but it’s against YouTube’s TOS to use bots).

2. BuyViews

_ BuyViews _ come in at a close second to Devumi. They offer various social promotion options along with their packages. They also have an impressive 60% – 90% retention rate as well as a 100% moneyback guarantee. However, their turnaround time isn’t as good as Devumi’s. Also, they provide no time guarantee on their retention rate.

3. MarketingHeaven

_ MarketingHeaven _ makes buying YouTube views very easy. On their homepage, you can add the link to the video you’d like to promote, select the number of views you want from a dropdown list and top it off with an optional selection of likes. While this ease of use is a plus, MarketingHeaven is a bit more expensive than the top 2 sites on this list, and it provides no retention guarantee. Also, it takes longer to see results and it provides no options for social promotion.

4. 500VIEWS

On _ 500VIEWS _ you can buy everything, including YouTube views, likes, comments, and subscribers. They have an add-ons system that’s very easy to use. However, they don’t deliver on quality, retention, engagement, and customer support like the top 3 sites. It can also take up to 1 week to get results from 500VIEWS.

5. Social Shop

Social Shop has a very nice mix of packages. At the lowest end, they have the micro package which gets you 1000 views for $2, and at the high end, they have the Pro package which gets you 1,000,000 views for $999. Considering this range of options, their turnaround time of 2 days isn’t bad at all. However, Social Shop has limited engagement options. Unlike other sites on this list, they do not provide likes, comments, or subscribers. Their customer support also doesn’t compare too well against others on this list.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Buying YouTube views is easy and safe if you buy from reliable sources like the sites at the top of the list above. It also helps to know how YouTube judges view to understand why it’s important to choose the right source.

YouTube ranks views based on the location of the viewers and the quality of viewer engagement. When a user who is based in the US or UK uploads a video and it gets most of its views from Russia or Asia, that raises a red flag. YouTube checks to see that a good number of video viewers are part of the user’s target demographic, and that makes sense. You want targeted YouTube views because that can boost organic retention rates significantly. Untargeted views can lead to a high bounce rate which can lead YouTube to conclude that your video has been mistitled, among other things.

The best sellers of YouTube views go the extra mile to provide a mixed demographic of views with targeted hits from the US and UK to avoid the wrong kind of attention.

Some sellers simply rent IPs from different places and send them to the video link. While this method might not be detected by YouTube, it offers very low retention because there are no real people behind those IP addresses. It is always best to buy from sellers who can send real people to watch, like, and comment on your videos. Anything else is risky and can bring your content under increased scrutiny from YouTube.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GOOD VIEW-BUYING WEBSITE

The most important thing to look for in a good view buying website is a guarantee that you’ll be getting real humans, not bots, to watch your video. This is the only way to get organic retention and engagement from your purchase. While robots will inflate your views, there’ll be little else to show for those high numbers. Bot views won’t help you rank in search results, and they may hurt your chances of ranking (they also violate YouTube’s TOS and can get your videos taken down). With human views, things can be different.

Bear in mind that buying views will not guarantee long-term success or impactful engagement. This is why buying YouTube views is seen as a short-term tactic for jumpstarting organic growth and not something to keep on doing forever. Content creators still have to promote their content and build real relationships with their viewers to see meaningful results in the long term.

Next, you want to be sure that your view buying website can deliver targeted views. If you’re based in the UK, you want views from the UK, US, Australia, and Canada. Views originating predominantly from Russia or certain parts of Eastern Europe and Asia could give you away, and you’d run the risk of disciplinary action from YouTube. Buying views isn’t technically against the rules, as long as they are human views, but if YouTube suspects there is a bot at work then they won’t be interested in any appeals about how ‘the service said they didn’t use bots’.

It’s also important to buy from providers whose viewers are active on YouTube. Their history of activity on YouTube will only boost the credibility of their views and by extension, the credibility of your video and its growing popularity.

Finally, you want to avoid sellers who provide views in a way that can put you at risk. Sites that provide views from similar IPs and same browsers with the same or similar cookies are just too obvious. YouTube can pick-up on that kind of activity and you could potentially have a problem on your hands.

IS BUYING VIEWS ILLEGAL?

No. This goes double for users who are not monetizing their content. Videos that promote violence and copyright violations are illegal. Buying views is not against the law, or even YouTube’s Terms of Service depending on where your views come from.

YouTube’s TOS does state clearly that partners are not to engage third parties to “… generate artificial subscribers or views.” Partners are generally understood to be users who are monetizing their channels through affiliate programs or AdSense, and ‘artificial’ means the views need to come from a bot to be against the rules. However, some interpret this to mean that buying YouTube views is against the TOS for all users. It seems like YouTube would rather you not buy views at all since the language is ambiguous, but since there’s a way in which buying ads through Google for your channel could be seen as buying views they haven’t formally outlawed it. Whatever your perspective, there’s no denying that buying views is a risky business. This is all the more reason you should choose the sites you buy from carefully.

Also, keep in mind that tech companies like Google constantly review their policies. Bloggers have had to change tactics with changes to Google’s search engine algorithm. There’s no telling how things may change or evolve with YouTube in the future. That is why we strongly recommend that you buy views from websites that can deliver real human views with strong guarantees of service delivery and reliable turnaround times. Anything short of this could expose you and your content to the kind of attention you certainly don’t want.

WILL BUYING VIEWS GET ME BANNED FROM YOUTUBE?

As mentioned above, buying views alone is unlikely to get you banned from YouTube. The worst-case scenario is that your video may be taken down for ‘view count gaming’ and even then, there’s an appeals process. The important thing is to understand Google and YouTube’s Terms of Service (TOS). Only explicit and egregious violations of their TOS could get your banned. You should also be mindful that community policing is a big part of how YouTube discovers users who may violate their TOS. If many viewers flag your video for takedown due to copyright violation or abusive content, that can lead to serious disciplinary action from YouTube and in some cases, you may be banned for life.

That’s why it’s important to buy likes and comments as well if you’re going to buy a large number of views – lots of views and no engagement will make organic viewers think you used a bot and they may report you.

Buying YouTube views is not illegal and certainly will not incur the same kind of disciplinary action as clear violations of YouTube’s TOS. What matters is that you buy your views in a way that won’t attract the wrong kind of attention. YouTube will sometimes flag videos for view auditing. If views are found to be fake, the view count is dropped to exclude fake views. If this has happened to you after you bought YouTube views, be wary of buying from the same source again. If your video is repeatedly found to be attracting purchased fake views, it may be taken down.

Conclusion

We see videos with thousands and millions of views so often that it’s easy to forget just how difficult it can be to get people to watch your videos. YouTube is very competitive, and it takes time to build a reputation, and the following needed to become a YouTube star.

To compete for viewer attention and engagement, it helps to have good numbers. Buying views can give you an edge by telling people that your content is worth their time. Just be sure to buy your views from the right sources. And after you’ve bought your views, do your part to promote your video on YouTube and other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Also, engage with your audience and create content consistently. With all these in place, your audience will grow organically, and eventually, you may get your moment in the spotlight.

What do you think? Would you buy YouTube views, or can you get by growing your channel organically?

Use Excellent Video Editor to Gain More Views

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett