Social MediaLesson 271Free preview

Resize to YT Thumbnail

This lesson is part of Web Developer Tools · All levels

Summary

YouTube's thumbnail uses canvas of 1280 x 720 pixels with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 2 MB file size limit. Thumbnails are the first thing that a potential audience sees, so text needs to be large, contrasting, and not crowded. YouTube accepts JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP, but JPG is usually the most practical for photos. Test the display in small sizes to make sure the message stays readable.

Key points

The thumbnail dimensions are 1280 x 720 pixels with a 16:9 ratio.
The thumbnail file size limit of YouTube is 2 MB
Use large text and high contrast to read in the video list
Accepted formats include JPG, PNG, GIF, and BMP
Avoid too crowded elements because the thumbnail looks small

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