Design maker › Free YouTube thumbnail maker

Free YouTube thumbnail maker

Bold titles, a cut-out of your face or product, and arrows that point at the important bit. Start from the template or a blank 1280 × 720 canvas.

Start with the Bold thumbnail template →See all 36 templates

Free, no sign-up, no watermark. Everything happens in your browser.

Templates to start from

Bold thumbnailYouTube thumbnail · 1280 × 720 px

Pick one to open it in the design maker, ready to edit. You can also start from a blank canvas in any of these sizes.

How to make one

Pick a template. It opens in the design maker, in your browser.
Change the words and pictures. Double-tap any text to type over it, and double-tap a photo frame to add your own photo.
Make it yours. With nothing selected, choose a colour palette and a font pairing, and the whole design changes to match. Move, resize or add anything you like.
Download. Download a JPG and upload it in YouTube Studio under Thumbnail.

Sizes

Format	Pixels
YouTube thumbnail	1280 × 720

Tips

Add a photo of yourself or your product and choose Remove background, then give it an Outline so it stands out from the background.
Three or four words is plenty. YouTube shows thumbnails small, especially on phones, so check the zoomed-out view before you download.
Keep the bottom-right corner clear: YouTube puts the video length there.
Use the same palette and fonts for every video so your thumbnails are recognisable in search results and recommendations.

Common questions

Is the file small enough for YouTube?

YouTube accepts thumbnails up to 2 MB. A JPG of a 1280 × 720 design is usually well under that.

Can I reuse the layout for every video?

Yes. Your designs are kept in this browser, so open last week's thumbnail, change the words and photo, and download. Use Copy in Your designs to keep the original.

Is it really free?

Yes. There’s no account, no watermark and no limit on downloads. The design maker runs in your browser, so your photos and words aren’t uploaded anywhere.

Can I come back to my design later?

Yes. Designs are kept in this browser and listed under Your designs when you open the design maker. To move one to another device, use Download › Save editable project.