Thumbnail Text Overlay
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 and text
Used in your browser only. It fills the 16:9 frame, and the edges may be cropped.
Before you upload
- Use a few big words. If the text is hard to read in the small preview, make it bigger or darken the image.
- The bottom-right corner is covered by the video length on YouTube, so a bottom-right position is marked with a warning.
- This tool puts one block of text on one image. For several pieces of text, or to drag text around, use the Thumbnail Maker.
- Use an image you own or have permission to use. The thumbnail should match what the video delivers.
- The 2 MB limit is YouTube’s for thumbnail uploads. If a PNG is over it, download the JPG.
Related Tools
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.
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.
CTR Calculator
Work out click-through rate from impressions and clicks, see how steady it is, and compare two videos.
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 Thumbnail Text Overlay Tool
?What the thumbnail text overlay tool does
You upload an image, or choose a color, and add a block of text to it. The tool draws the result at 1280 × 720 pixels and lets you download it as a PNG or JPG.
It is the quick version of the Thumbnail Maker: one image and one block of text, placed with a nine-point grid. It runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and there is no watermark.
→How to add text to an image in 4 steps
Choose an image
Upload your own picture, or leave it empty to use a solid color. If you use an image, darken it a little so light text stands out.
Type your text
Use a few words. A new line starts a new row, and long lines wrap by themselves.
Set size, font, colors and position
Make the text large, add an outline, and pick one of nine positions. Avoid the bottom-right corner, where YouTube shows the video length.
Download
Download a PNG or a JPG. The tool shows the file size against YouTube’s 2 MB limit.
✓What is in the tool
Nine positions
Pick where the text goes from a three-by-three grid.
Automatic line breaks
Long text wraps to fit the frame.
Readable text
An outline and a slider that darkens the image behind the text.
Corner warning
A note when you place text where the video length is shown.
PNG and JPG
Download either, with the file size shown against the 2 MB limit.
Private
Your image never leaves your browser.
★Examples
A title on a photo
Upload a photo and darken it.
Example:
A photo darkened by 40% with the white text “5 MEAL PREP TIPS” at the middle left is easier to read than the same text on the original photo.
Text on a solid color
Skip the image and choose a color.
Example:
A yellow text on a near-black background, in Impact with a black outline, makes a simple thumbnail for a talking video.
Avoiding the time label
Move the text away from the bottom-right corner.
Example:
If you choose the bottom-right position, the tool warns you that the video length may cover it.
♥Limits to know about
One block of text
For several pieces of text or dragging text, use the Thumbnail Maker.
Fonts depend on your device
Only fonts found on most computers are offered.
Nothing is saved
Download your thumbnail before you close the page.