YouTube Thumbnail Maker
Make a 1280×720 YouTube thumbnail in your browser. Add text to your image or a color, check the phone-size preview, and download PNG or JPG. No watermark.
Drag text with a mouse, or use the position sliders. 1280 × 720 pixels (16:9).
Phone-size preview
Text
Background
The image is used in your browser only. It fills the canvas, and the edges may be cropped.
Color starting points
Sets the background color and the text colors. It does not change your text.
Before you upload
- Make the text readable at small size. Look at the phone-size preview under the canvas, and use few words.
- Keep important parts out of the bottom-right corner. YouTube puts the video length there. Turn on the guides to see it.
- The 2 MB limit is YouTube’s for thumbnail uploads. A busy photo can make a PNG larger than that, so use JPG in that case.
- Fonts come from your device. A font that is missing on your computer is replaced by a similar one, so check the preview before downloading.
- Use pictures you own or have permission to use. The thumbnail should match what the video delivers.
Related Tools
Title Generator
Get YouTube title ideas from your topic. Pick a style, add a timeframe or result, edit each line, and check its length. Free, no signup.
Thumbnail Text Overlay Tool
Add bold text to an image for a YouTube thumbnail. Pick a position, set the outline, and download a 1280×720 PNG or JPG. No watermark, runs in your browser.
Image Resize & Crop
Resize or crop images to a preset such as 1280×720 or to a custom size. Drag to choose the crop. Runs in your browser with no upload.
About the YouTube Thumbnail Maker
?What the thumbnail maker does
It is a simple editor for a 1280 × 720 YouTube thumbnail. You put text on a color or on your own image, move it around, and download the result as a PNG or JPG.
Everything happens in your browser. Your image and text are not uploaded, nothing is saved, and the download has no watermark.
It is not a photo editor: there are no cut-outs, filters or stock images. Bring your own picture.
→How to make a thumbnail in 4 steps
Choose a background
Upload an image you own, or pick a color. If you use an image, darken it a little so light text is easier to read.
Write a few words
Edit the text, size, font and colors. Add more text if you need it. A new line in the box starts a new row.
Place it
Drag the text with a mouse, or use the left-to-right and top-to-bottom sliders. Keep it out of the bottom-right corner, where YouTube shows the video length.
Check and download
Look at the small phone-size preview, then download a PNG or a JPG. The tool tells you the file size against YouTube’s 2 MB limit.
✓What is in the tool
Several text layers
Add as many pieces of text as you need and edit each one on its own.
Automatic line breaks
Long text wraps to fit the canvas instead of running off the edge.
Guides that do not export
A safe margin and the time-label corner are shown while you edit only.
Phone-size preview
See how the thumbnail looks small, where most viewers see it.
PNG and JPG
Download either, and see the file size against the 2 MB limit.
Darken an image
Make a photo darker behind the text so it is easier to read.
★Examples
Text on a solid color
Pick a starting point and type a few words.
Example:
The “Yellow on dark” starting point with the text “5 MEAL PREP TIPS” gives bold yellow letters with a black outline on a dark background.
Text on a photo
Upload a photo and darken it.
Example:
A kitchen photo darkened by 40% with the white text “SUNDAY PREP” is easier to read than the same text on the bright photo.
A file that is too large
Download the JPG instead of the PNG.
Example:
If a PNG of a detailed photo is 3.4 MB, the tool says it is over the limit, and the JPG of the same thumbnail is much smaller.
♥Limits to know about
Basic editing only
There is no background removal, no filters and no stock images.
Fonts depend on your device
Only fonts found on most computers are offered, and they can look a little different on other devices.
Nothing is saved
Download your thumbnail before you close the page.