Compose a thumbnail that is readable at a glance
- Add your headline and optional subtitle. Choose a photo or use the solid background.
- Drag the text or photo to position it. Use the sliders for exact placement and review the small preview.
- Prepare an export and inspect the actual encoded image and measured file size before downloading.
Add editable text over a thumbnail
Choose your photo, enter a headline and optional subtitle, then drag the text into place. Text appearance controls let you adjust the font style, size, width and colors without repainting the photo. The dark overlay can improve separation from a busy background. Review both previews to judge readability; automatic wrapping does not guarantee a strong design.
This workflow creates a 16:9 thumbnail. For annotations that retain a different source aspect ratio, use the image editor. Font availability depends on your device; check multilingual text in the actual export.
Current YouTube video-thumbnail guidance
YouTube’s official guidance, checked 12 October 2026, recommends 3840 × 2160 for video thumbnails, 16:9, and JPG or PNG. It lists a 2 MB mobile video-thumbnail limit and a 50 MB desktop limit. This tool checks decimal-byte thresholds conservatively. Account eligibility and platform processing remain outside this tool.
This composer creates landscape video thumbnails. Shorts and podcast cover formats differ and are not claimed here. The two smaller resolutions are optional exports, not the current recommended maximum. Enlarging a small source cannot restore detail. Choosing a layout does not predict clicks, views or revenue.
Privacy and limits
Your photo and text stay in browser memory. No uploads, accounts, tracking of image contents or automatic draft storage. PNG/JPG inputs: up to 10 MiB and 12 million pixels; EXIF orientation is applied by the browser. Animated PNG becomes a still frame. Fonts depend on browser/device availability.
Headline and subtitle stay editable; changing them does not bake text into the source. Up to 20 recent design states can be undone. Photo replacement/removal starts a new history while retaining text settings; unsupported uploads preserve the existing photo. Native decoding or encoding may finish after cancellation, but obsolete work cannot replace the current design. Operations have a 30-second deadline.
Exports are opaque PNG or JPG, with source metadata removed. If an encoded file exceeds the selected upload limit, lower JPG quality or choose smaller dimensions and prepare again. The output limit is measured, not guaranteed by a quality percentage. Use only images you have rights to publish.