8 Tips To Make Amazing Video Thumbnails

A video thumbnail is a static or still image, typically a screenshot taken from a video or a design, that serves as a preview for the content of the video. In many social media applications and video platforms, video thumbnails serve as previews and first point of interaction to help users understand the type of content they are about to click or watch. However, some individuals use video thumbnails as clickbait to attract viewers, often by exaggerating or misrepresenting the video’s actual content.

Here’s an image showing video thumbnails on Cloudinary’s YouTube channel:

Well-taken video thumbnails play a crucial role in attracting viewers and encouraging clicks, which can significantly improve SEO, click-through rate, and brand recognition. In this article, we outline eight actionable tips to help you design amazing video thumbnails to make your content stand out and communicate the essence of your video. These tips will take your thumbnail creation skills to a professional level.

In this article:

• Tip 1: Choose a High-Quality Still Image
• Tip 2: Use Clear and Readable Text
• Tip 3: Highlight Faces and Expressions
• Tip 4: Create Visual Contrast
• Tip 5: Keep Branding Consistent
• Tip 6: Optimize Thumbnail Size and Format
• Tip 7: Use A/B Testing to Improve CTR
• Tip 8: Automate Video Thumbnail Creation for Large Media Libraries
• Using Cloudinary for Video Thumbnail Creation and Transformation

Tip 1 – Choose a High-Quality Still Image

Essentially, a video thumbnail is a still image that often serves as the first impression of your video. The quality of this image is crucial. A good thumbnail should be sharp, clear, and free of blurs or pixelation. It should also accurately represent the video’s content.

While some apps and video platforms automatically generate thumbnails, there’s a possibility that the captured part of the video might not be the most attention-grabbing. To ensure your thumbnail effectively captures viewers’ attention, it’s important to create a high-quality image that is both relevant to the video and visually appealing.

Tip 2 – Use Clear and Readable Text

Adding text to a thumbnail can enhance viewer engagement, making the video’s subject more immediately clear. If you choose to add text to your thumbnails, ensure the text is short (not more than 3-5 words), clear and highly visible, even at smaller sizes.

For instance, in the example below, the video thumbnails effectively summarize the podcast’s content using short, bold, and easy-to-read text, making sure the key message stands out and grabs viewers’ attention.

Tip 3 – Highlight Faces and Expressions

Faces and expressions can effectively grab attention and evoke emotions in viewers. Expressions can hint at the video’s mood or content. For example, a smiling, shocked, or curious face can spark curiosity and empathy.

In the example below, we see a smiling face that seems warm and friendly, inviting us to click the video.

Tip 4: Create Visual Contrast

Visual contrast is the noticeable difference in appearance between two or more elements within a visual composition, which allows the eye to easily distinguish one element from another. By contrasting colors, elements, and text, you can draw attention to your video and make the thumbnail more visually appealing. For instance, when combining text and images in a thumbnail, like using headshots, make sure one element doesn’t hide the other.

To create thumbnails that pop, use complementary colors to create vibrant combinations, blur or dim backgrounds so the main text and subject are emphasized and ensure you avoid using overly cluttered or monochromatic designs.

Tip 5: Keep Branding Consistent

If your brand is associated with specific color combinations and a distinct thumbnail format, it’s important for you to stick to it to maintain consistency. A consistent brand identity helps your content stand out in the crowded online landscape, making it recognizable and trustworthy, enhancing its appeal and professionalism.

In contrast, inconsistent branding, such as relying on auto-generated thumbnails, can harm how your audience perceives your brand. To avoid this, you can create a reusable design template that keeps your brand’s identity across all your content.

Tip 6: Optimize Thumbnail Size and Format

You must consider the size and image format of your thumbnail, as this is essential for compatibility and accessibility across different devices and platforms. Keep the file size of your thumbnails below 2MB and for an optimal balance between quality and file size, formats like JPEG, WebP, or PNG are ideal for video thumbnails.

Most times, the size and format of the thumbnail to use depends on the platform you’re posting the video. YouTube, for example, requires a thumbnail with 1280×720 pixels dimension with a 16:9 aspect ratio, while Facebook or Instagram accepts 1080×1080 pixels for square thumbnails. To ensure the correct dimensions and design, you can use tools like Canva, which offers customizable templates specifically designed for creating professional video thumbnails.

Tip 7: Use A/B Testing to Improve CTR

A/B testing allows you to experiment with different thumbnail designs to determine which one performs best in driving your click-through rate (CTR). By analyzing the results, you can make data-driven decisions and refine your strategy for maximum engagement. For this, you can experiment with various elements of your thumbnail to find what resonates best with your audience.

For instance, you can experiment with different text, such as descriptive titles (e.g., How to Bake a Cake) versus intriguing ones (e.g., You Won’t Believe This Recipe!). You can also test various properties like font styles (e.g., bold and blocky versus elegant and minimalist), text color combinations, and overall placement. Platforms like YouTube support thumbnail swapping, which makes it easy to conduct A/B tests without re-uploading your video.

Tip 8: Automate Video Thumbnail Creation for Large Media Libraries

To save time and ensure consistency, set up templates where key elements like titles or images can be easily replaced. This can be extremely helpful especially if you create or manage a lot of videos. Design tools like Canva, Figma, or Photoshop can automate design elements across multiple files. For a more programmatic solution, you can also integrate dynamic Image API automation into your workflow. YouTube, for instance, provides an API that can automate thumbnail uploads and their customization.

Using Cloudinary for Video Thumbnail Creation and Transformation

Cloudinary’s Image Transformation API allows you to dynamically generate video thumbnails on the fly. For auto-generated video thumbnails, Cloudinary lets you extract a frame from a video and deliver it as an image by simply specifying the desired image format as the file extension of the URL, and optionally the desired frame (specified by a time offset from the start of the video).

For custom thumbnails, you can leverage Cloudinary’s built-in Content Delivery Networks (CDN) to ensure fast and efficient thumbnail delivery in your applications. With Cloudinary, you can store and generate thumbnails that are delivered in the best format and resolution for your user’s device and browser. And by eliminating the bottlenecks associated with setting up your own thumbnail generation workflows, you get to save time, reduce manual effort, and improve the efficiency of your workflows.

Catch Their Attention With Great Thumbnails

A well-created video thumbnail can effectively maximize your chances of attracting viewers, promoting positive engagements, and ultimately lead to the success of your business goals. In this article, we provided actionable tips you can implement to make your thumbnails pop. Finally, we introduced Cloudinary as a solution that can help streamline your thumbnail creation, transformation, and delivery processes.

Get started today by creating a Cloudinary account and take your video thumbnails to the next level!