Make a YouTube thumbnail, from a photo or a frame
Start from an image or any frame of your video, crop it to 16:9, add a headline with an outline or a text box, and save it at 1280×720, 1920×1080 or 3840×2160. Everything happens in your browser.
To make a YouTube thumbnail, open a photo or a video here (for a video, pick the frame with the slider), position it in the 16:9 frame, type a short headline and choose its size, color and outline, then save it as a JPG or PNG. YouTube asks for a 16:9 image at least 640 pixels wide and recommends 3840×2160; files must be under 2 MB when you upload from a phone and under 50 MB from a computer (checked October 2026). The tool shows the file size next to both limits.
3 steps, a few seconds
Add a background
Drop a photo or a video. For a video, slide to the frame you want.
Add your headline
Type up to two short lines, then set size, color, outline and position.
Save it
Pick 1280×720, 1920×1080 or 3840×2160 and download a JPG or PNG.
What the YouTube Thumbnail Maker does
Frame from your video
Open the video itself and use any frame as the background.
Always 16:9
The image is cropped to fill the frame; zoom and move it to choose the crop.
Readable text
Bold headline with an outline or a solid box, and an optional darkening layer.
JPG or PNG
JPG is compressed until it fits under 2 MB when it can; PNG keeps every pixel.
Private
Your image or video is opened in the browser and never uploaded.
Free
No account and no watermark.
- Input
- JPG, PNG, WebP or GIF images; MP4 (H.264) or WebM video, up to 500 MB
- Output sizes
- 1280×720, 1920×1080 or 3840×2160 (16:9)
- Formats
- JPG (quality lowered step by step to stay under 2 MB where possible) or PNG
- YouTube limits
- 16:9, at least 640 px wide, 2 MB from mobile, 50 MB from desktop (checked October 2026)
- Cost and privacy
- Free, no sign-up; runs in your browser
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Questions about the YouTube Thumbnail Maker
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
What is the file size limit for YouTube thumbnails?
Can I use a frame from my video as the thumbnail?
Why does my JPG come out smaller in quality?
Do I need a verified channel to upload a custom thumbnail?
Is my image uploaded anywhere?
Link to this tool
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