Creator
$19/month
Billed monthly
For solo creators posting every week
500 credits every month
- Up to 500 thumbnails
- Up to 50 AI videos
- Up to 1.5 hours of AI voiceover
- Roll over up to 1,000 credits
AI thumbnail generator Thumbnails that read in the feed
A 16:9 YouTube thumbnail from your video's one idea and the few words to put on it, ready to test against your next version.
Create a thumbnailFrom $19 a month
Recommended
Pick one to see its prompt.
How to make a thumbnail with AIAn idea, a few words, a second version
1Describe the one idea
Say who or what is in it, the face they make, and the background.
2Put two or three words in quotes
The words go on the thumbnail as you type them. Read every letter before you upload.
3Make a second version to test
Change one thing, the words, the face or the color, and let YouTube's Test & compare pick.
Readable at 120 px wideThree words survive. Eleven don't.
One ramen thumbnail, then an edit of it that changes only the headline, each drawn at three widths. At 120 px the long headline is a faint stripe, and the short one still reads. YouTube still serves a 120 × 90 copy of thumbnails, the smallest of the five sizes our free downloader finds.
Feed card · 320 pxSidebar row · 168 pxList row · 120 px
3-word headline
Feed card · 320 px9:41
9:4110-minute ramen that beats takeout
Small Pan Kitchen
Sidebar row · 168 px9:41
9:4110-minute ramen that beats takeout
Small Pan Kitchen
List row · 120 px9:41
9:4110-minute ramen that beats takeout
Small Pan Kitchen
11-word headline
Feed card · 320 px
9:41
9:4110-minute ramen that beats takeout
Small Pan Kitchen
Sidebar row · 168 px9:41
9:4110-minute ramen that beats takeout
Small Pan Kitchen
List row · 120 px9:41
9:4110-minute ramen that beats takeout
Small Pan Kitchen
What still reads at 120 px
- 1Three words or fewer, each line about a quarter of the frame tall.
- 2One subject filling a third of the frame or more.
- 3Light letters on dark, or dark on light, with an outline or a shadow.
- 4Nothing important in the bottom right corner, where the video length sits.
- 5Words that add to the title. The title is printed right next to it.
- 6Shrink it to 120 px wide yourself before you upload, and read it from there.
A/B variants of one videoChange one thing per version
B, C and D are edits of A. Each run got A as its reference image and a prompt that names the one change.
14:08AThe originalThe first thumbnail for "I used a $49 phone for 30 days". Its full prompt is under Tech review in the prompts below.
- 14:08BHeadline
Keep this thumbnail exactly the same: the same man, face, pose, phone, sweater, yellow background, font, outline, size and position of the text. Change only the headline words to read exactly "WORTH IT?".
14:08CFaceKeep this thumbnail exactly the same: the same man, pose, phone, sweater, yellow background and the same headline. Change only his expression: skeptical, one eyebrow raised, lips pressed together, mouth closed.
14:08DBackground colorKeep this thumbnail exactly the same: the same man, face, expression, pose, phone, sweater and the same headline text. Change only the flat background color from yellow to a saturated electric blue.
How YouTube's Test & compare decides
- Versions per test
- Up to 3 thumbnails, titles, or both.
- Winner
- The version with the most watch time, not the most clicks.
- How long
- A few days, up to two weeks. Editing the title or thumbnail ends the test.
- Where
- YouTube Studio on a computer, with advanced features turned on.
- Not for
- Shorts, scheduled live streams, premieres, and videos that are private, made for kids or for mature audiences.
- Resolution
- If any version is under 1280 × 720, YouTube shrinks all of them to 854 × 480. These are 2048 × 1152.
Which two to run against A
YouTube tests three at a time, so one of these sits out. Keep A, and pick the changes you are least sure about.
B tests the promise and C tests the reaction. Both change what a viewer expects from the video. D only changes how the tile stands out next to its neighbors, so we would test it last.
The winner is the one people watch longest, so a thumbnail that oversells the video can lose even with more clicks.
YouTube's thumbnail specsWhat YouTube asks for, and what you get
Many guides still say 1280 × 720. YouTube's help page now asks for 3840 × 2160 and takes anything 640 px wide or more. 1280 × 720 still counts in A/B tests.
3840 × 2160YouTube's ask, and 4K here
2048 × 1152The image tool's default 2K
1280 × 720A/B test floor
640 wide YouTube's minimumShape
- YouTube asks for
- 16:9 for videos. 9:16 for Shorts.
- The image tool gives you
- 16:9 and 9:16 are both in the aspect ratio menu.
Resolution
- YouTube asks for
- 3840 × 2160, and at least 640 px wide.
- The image tool gives you
- 2048 × 1152 at 2K, the default. 3840 × 2160 at 4K. 1536 × 864 at 1K.
For A/B tests
- YouTube asks for
- 1280 × 720 or more, or every version in the test drops to 854 × 480.
- The image tool gives you
- All three sizes are bigger.
File format
- YouTube asks for
- Image formats such as JPG or PNG.
- The image tool gives you
- PNG.
File size
- YouTube asks for
- 2 MB from a phone. 50 MB from a computer.
- The image tool gives you
- Our 2K thumbnails came out at 2 to 4 MB. Upload from a computer, or save a JPG copy for your phone.
Who can upload
- YouTube asks for
- Verified accounts. A channel can upload only so many a day, then has to wait 24 hours.
- The image tool gives you
- Making them needs no YouTube account.
Shorts
- YouTube asks for
- Custom Shorts thumbnails go in from YouTube Studio on a computer. On a vertical video, a 16:9 thumbnail is swapped for an automatic 4:5 one on the home, explore and subscription pages.
- The image tool gives you
- Pick 9:16 for a Short.
Checked 4 November 2026 on YouTube Help:Add video thumbnailsA/B test titles & thumbnails
See what a channel already uses
Paste a public video's link into the free YouTube thumbnail downloader. It saves the thumbnail in up to five sizes, from 1280 × 720 down to 120 × 90, with no account.
Prompts by genreCopy the one closest to your video
Ten genres, ten prompts, each run once on GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. Swap in your own subject and headline, and keep the rest.
22:1748 hours in Lisbon on a small budget
Travel vlogOne landmark everyone knows, the yellow tram, says where the video is before the words do.
Prompt, as sent
A finished YouTube thumbnail, 16:9, made to read at a small size: one clear subject, strong contrast, saturated color. A woman in her early thirties with curly auburn hair and freckles, in a striped linen shirt, grinning and pointing over her shoulder at a classic yellow tram climbing a steep cobbled street with pastel tiled houses in late golden sun. She is on the right third, from the waist up. On the left, a huge bold white condensed sans-serif headline with a dark shadow, stacked on two lines, reading exactly "48 HRS IN LISBON". Travel vlog photo, photorealistic. No other text.
The pattern behind all ten
A finished YouTube thumbnail, 16:9, made to read at a small size: one clear subject, strong contrast, saturated color. [Who or what, and their expression], on the [right] half. [Background]. On the [left], a huge bold [color] headline with a thick outline reading exactly "[TWO OR THREE WORDS]". No other text.
Up next
Simple pricing that scales with you.
Pick the plan for how much you post. Every model on every plan. Unused credits roll over. Cancel anytime.
Pro
Most popular$49/month
Billed monthly
For creators posting daily across channels
1,300 credits every month
- Up to 1,300 thumbnails
- Up to 130 AI videos
- Up to 4 hours of AI voiceover
- Roll over up to 2,600 credits
Studio
$99/month
Billed monthly
For brands and production teams
2,700 credits every month
- Up to 2,700 thumbnails
- Up to 270 AI videos
- Up to 9 hours of AI voiceover
- Roll over up to 5,400 credits
Scale
$199/month
Billed monthly
For agencies running always-on content
5,500 credits every month
- Up to 5,500 thumbnails
- Up to 550 AI videos
- Up to 18 hours of AI voiceover
- Roll over up to 11,000 credits
Every plan includesEvery model, 90+ and countingReusable AI personasSceneform Studio editorCommercial usage rights
Want checkout, comparison tables, or a custom volume? See the full pricing page
AI thumbnail generator FAQ
Plans start at $19 a month with 500 credits. A 16:9 thumbnail costs 1 credit at 1K and low quality, 3 at 2K and 5 at 4K. Adding a reference image, such as a photo of your face, makes it 4 at 1K, 6 at 2K and 8 at 4K. So $19 covers up to 500 thumbnails at 1K, or about 125 with your face. Every paid plan exports without a watermark.
Yes. Add a clear photo of yourself as a reference image and say where you stand and what face you make. Check that the face still looks like you before you upload.
Every headline on this page came out as asked on the first try. Short words in quotes work best.
YouTube's help page asks for 16:9 and 3840 × 2160, with at least 640 pixels of width. The image tool gives 2048 × 1152 at its default 2K, and exactly 3840 × 2160 at 4K.
Yes. Pick 9:16 in the aspect ratio menu. Custom Shorts thumbnails go in from YouTube Studio on a computer.
Yes. Get the old one with the free YouTube thumbnail downloader, add it as a reference image, and say what to change. It does not read a video file or link.
Nobody can promise that. Make two or three versions and let YouTube's Test & compare show you which one people watch longest.
Yes. Every paid plan includes commercial usage and watermark-free exports.
No. You make thumbnails in Sceneform's image generator. Pick 16:9, describe the video's one idea, and put the headline words in quotes. It starts on GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, the model behind every thumbnail on this page.
YouTube allows 2 MB from a phone and 50 MB from a computer. Our 2K thumbnails came out as PNG files of about 2 to 4 MB. Upload from a computer, or save a JPG copy first.
One idea, a few words.Make the thumbnail.
Create a thumbnail
16:9 for videos, 9:16 for Shorts.
