#YouTube thumbnail examples

[enidwest]

This infographic highlights creative YouTube thumbnail examples that can help elevate your content and attract more viewers.

[tradingtips]

YouTube thumbnail examples

Discover creative YouTube thumbnail examples that grab attention and boost clicks. Explore Muffin Media's expert designs and get tips to enhance your video thumbnails. More: https://muffinmedia.co/video-thumbnail-background

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[amgracy]

Discover stunning YouTube thumbnail examples at Muffin Media! Get inspired by unique designs that boost views and engagement. Perfect for creating eye-catching video thumbnails that stand out. Explore now: https://muffinmedia.co/video-thumbnail-background

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How Much Do You Know About YouTube Thumbnail Examples

Imagine scrolling through YouTube, the screen alive with vibrant colors and captivating images, each thumbnail competing for your attention. You frequently decide which movie to watch based solely on that small, square image. That is the power of YouTube thumbnails: they are like a visual handshake that can interest or turn off users.

Whether you are a seasoned creator or just dipping your toes into the YouTube pool, understanding thumbnail dynamics is your ticket to making waves in the vast ocean of online content.

In this blog, we unravel the secrets of creative YouTube thumbnails that can transform your videos into must-click experiences.

The Role of a YouTube Thumbnail

Think of a YouTube thumbnail as the cover of a book. Just as a book cover gives you a glimpse of the story inside, a thumbnail gives viewers a preview of what to expect from your video. It is a snapshot that represents the content, and often, it is the first thing a viewer sees before they even glance at the title. That means your thumbnail can influence their decision to click and watch or keep scrolling.

Thumbnails are crucial for two main reasons:

Attracting Attention

An eye-catching thumbnail might help your video stand out and is especially essential if your content competes with popular channels or if the video is recommended to visitors unfamiliar with your work.

Setting Expectations

A decent thumbnail provides a clear impression of what the video is about. It is consistent with the title and content, ensuring that viewers understand exactly what they are clicking on. This honesty fosters confidence among your viewers.

Tips for an Effective YouTube Thumbnail

Use Bright Colors: Choose bold, contrasting colors to make your thumbnail stand out.

High-Quality Images: Ensure clarity and sharpness; avoid blurry visuals.

Incorporate Faces: Use expressive faces to create an emotional connection.

Add Text Wisely: Use short, impactful text that complements the video title and is easy to read.

Maintain Branding: Keep a consistent style in colors, fonts, and logos for brand recognition.

Keep It Simple: Avoid clutter; focus on one main idea to make the thumbnail easily digestible.

Align with Content: Ensure the thumbnail accurately reflects the video's content to build trust with viewers.

Examples of Successful YouTube Thumbnails

To better understand what works, let’s look at some YouTube thumbnail examples-

MrBeast

One of YouTube's biggest stars, MrBeast consistently uses bright colors, bold text, and expressive faces in his thumbnails. His style is instantly recognizable, and the thumbnails often describe an extreme or outrageous scenario that piques curiosity.

Tech YouTubers (Marques Brownlee/MKBHD)

Marques Brownlee uses clean, high-quality images that showcase the products he is reviewing. His thumbnails are often simple, featuring the product against a solid background with minimal text. This sleek, professional style reflects the quality of his content.

Fitness Channels (Blogilates)

Channels like Blogilates use colorful, energetic thumbnails that often include images of workouts or transformations. The energy and positivity in these thumbnails encourage subscribers to click and engage with the fitness content.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While creating a thumbnail, it is essential to avoid certain pitfalls that could harm your video’s performance:

Misleading Thumbnail: A misleading thumbnail might get you more clicks initially, but it will likely lead to viewers clicking away from your video quickly. That increases your bounce rate and can harm your video's ranking in YouTube's algorithm.

Overly Complex Design: A cluttered thumbnail with too many elements can be overwhelming. Make it simple and focus on one or two key images or messages.

Inconsistent Thumbnails: If your thumbnails don't match the tone or content of your video, it can confuse viewers. Always ensure a clear connection between the thumbnail, the title, and the video content.

Also, watch this video  - How To Auto Subscribe Channel On YouTube Using Socinator

Conclusion

YouTube thumbnails are more than simply nice photos; they are an important component of your video's success. Creating eye-catching, clear, and consistent thumbnails can greatly increase your click-through rate and draw a larger audience to your content. We suggest some effective tips for YouTube thumbnails to boost your video's visibility and engagement.

[sock-hops]

Ah yes…modern technology

[tubbytarchia]

Jimmy: looking for a thumbnail artist :D

Me: omg cant wait to see the result

It's Cherri again

[dazeddoodles]

Is it that the moral oral parents are probably the best example of odalia and alador's relationship?

Their relationship yeah, the actual characters themselves maybe not exactly. Although the song "No Children" fit them PERFECTLY (from Alador's perspective)

[rusty-gloinks]

Who the hell is the Cowell guy?

Got his actual name right now "cougar macdowall"

[little-eye-guy]

yknow how you can change whether your icon is square or circle on the uhhh mobile view of your blog? the /url view. anyway it appears that this affects your icon in replies now (unless it's been like that for a while and i just never noticed). wonder if it'll ever do that on the dashboard too. i hope not. tbh. but at least they give you the choice <- guy who resents the circle-ification of web design

[moaninmoonen]

Warrior (Link Rap)

The Kevin Bennett

[bethfuller]

can you talk about your process when designing your illustrations :)

hiiii marisa <3 <3 hope you're doing really well !! :))

my illustrations are usually either the result of building slowly on thumbnails, or they kind of come to me in a sudden visual flash while i'm walking around. the former tend to be landscapes while the latter can often be more expressive or fluid. here are some thumbs as examples !

i try to get some sense of perspective and space here, but generally it's just to pin the idea down.

then comes colour - i've spoken a bit about how i select colours based on warmth and saturation, but mostly these days i take some loose inspiration and then continue with whatever feels right. my biggest colour inspirations have come from celia lowenthal and alexandre 'zedig' diboine.

i block the colours in under the loose thumbnail layer, then get straight to inking.

there are some speedpaints on my youtube if you'd like to see more of my process here - i usually put on an audiobook or a video essay and use my trusty ink fineliner to outline each and every detail. sometimes if something is in the background i'll reduce the brush size, but generally my lines are all the same weight.

and then I take the colours I outlined under the thumbs and reapply them to the precise lines. ^ here I use a soft round brush for gradients along with the ink sumi-e brush for applying flat colours.

then, finally, comes the overlay layer for lighting effects and extra details!

I hope this helps, as I feel like I always have so much room to improve (especially where composition and layout are concerned). if there's interest i'll make a more concise and clear step-by-step breakdown, but for now i'm always happy to take any suggestions or thoughts on how i can keep trying to make engaging narrative-based illustrations :))

[sy-on-boy]

My fic (and others) have been voiced by AI / Text to Speech, posted on Youtube, and monetised via Patreon without permission

I have been contacted by another author who has kindly contacted the other affected authors. The infringing video is here. Here is the infringing channel and the Patreon. Stolen artwork is also used in thumbnails and videos (I recognise @meomoicecr 's work in the above video). My work (Your Hand in Mine) that is hosted on Archive On Our Own is free and it will always be free (because Ao3 does not allow monetisation and because of personal values).

From what I gathered, making a copyright claim report requires my personal information (eg. full legal name) which I am unwilling to give at the moment, so unfortunately I've just been reporting for spam / fraud, and hopefully with enough strikes it'll get taken down. I've checked the Ao3 Reddit and I know this is not the first instance of fanfiction being posted on YouTube with machine voiceover without permission.

There has been a worrying and disheartening trend of fanwork being monetised against the author's wishes, for example Dramione fics being used in illegal fic bindings and then sold. I recognise this is common sense and I'm probably preaching to the choir, but please do not "purchase" fanfiction or otherwise give money when the "source" is dodgy and unaffiliated with the fanfic authors. As stated on Ao3's Terms of Service, "Promotion of commercial products or activities is not allowed." and "In general, unsolicited commercial activity is not permitted on the Archive".

Apologies if I've gotten any information wrong as my mind is quite frazzled at the moment. But TLDR: my work and other's work have been stolen, I want to take it down.

[amgracy]

YouTube thumbnail examples

YouTube thumbnail examples - https://qr.ae/p2IaRJ

#videoidea #youtubebeginners #youtube #2danimation #2dexplainervideo #usa #stratford #Connecticut #unitedstates #explainervideos #graphicdesign #videocompany #explainervideocompany #muffin #muffinmedia

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Popular YouTube Channels and Their Best YouTube Thumbnail Examples

Thumbnails are the first impression your video makes on potential viewers, and in the crowded world of YouTube, they need to stand out. A well-designed thumbnail can make all the difference between a video that pulls up millions of views and one that goes unnoticed. Discover how popular creators craft compelling YouTube thumbnail examples to captivate their audience and boost engagement.

In this blog, we will explore some popular YouTube channels and showcase their best thumbnail examples, unraveling the strategies that make these visuals so effective.

MrBeast: Mastering Bold and Over-the-Top Thumbnails

MrBeast, one of YouTube’s biggest creators, is renowned for his jaw-dropping stunts and challenges. His thumbnails typically feature exaggerated emotions, vibrant colors, and elements of surprise. For example, a thumbnail for a video titled "Last to Leave the Circle Wins $500,000" might feature an aerial shot of the challenge setup paired with MrBeast’s shocked expression. The bold text overlays and clear visual focus grab viewers' attention instantly.

Why It Works:

High contrast and vivid colors draw the eye.

Centralized focus on a subject or expression conveys a clear story.

The minimal but impactful text complements the visuals.

PewDiePie: Simplicity Meets Quirkiness

PewDiePie’s thumbnails reflect his humor and unique personality. He often employs minimalistic designs with quirky elements, such as exaggerated facial expressions or meme-worthy edits. For gaming videos, he adds a fun spin by incorporating game characters or in-game moments. For example, his humorous and colorful images in Minecraft thumbnails appeal to players.

Why It Works:

Playful imagery reflects the creator’s personality.

Relatable themes resonate with the audience.

Clean designs make the thumbnails easy to understand at a glance.

Tech YouTubers: Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)

Marques Brownlee’s tech-focused channel thrives on sleek and professional thumbnails. His thumbnails often feature a product placed against clean, contrasting backgrounds with a minimalistic design. For example, a smartphone review thumbnail might showcase the device in a close-up, with text indicating its key feature.

Why It Works:

Clean and professional aesthetics reflect the channel’s niche.

Consistent branding helps build a brand on YouTube while fostering familiarity with viewers.

Strategic lighting and framing highlight the product’s features.

Tasty: Visual Feast with Food Close-Ups

Tasty, the go-to channel for mouth-watering recipes, creates thumbnails that tempt viewers with perfectly lit food close-ups. Whether it’s gooey cheese pulls or the vibrant layering of a colorful cake, their thumbnails make viewers want to reach out and take a bite.

Why It Works:

High-resolution images emphasize textures and details.

Warm, bright lighting makes the meal look better.

Simple layouts avoid clutter, keeping the focus on the dish.

Emma Chamberlain: Relatable and Aesthetic Thumbnails

Emma Chamberlain’s thumbnails reflect her casual and relatable content style. They often incorporate candid photos with lighthearted edits, pastel color schemes, and handwritten text. Her vlog thumbnails, for instance, strike a balance between playful and visually pleasing, drawing in her target audience of lifestyle enthusiasts.

Why It Works:

Authentic and relatable visuals match her content.

Soft color palettes appeal to her demographic.

Handwritten or casual fonts enhance the personal vibe, making the content more relatable and potentially attracting free YouTube views.

Fitness Channels: Chloe Ting

Fitness guru Chloe Ting creates thumbnails that emphasize transformation and inspiration. Her workout video thumbnails often feature a split-screen of her demonstrating an exercise and the results people can achieve. Bright colors and motivational text complete the visual.

Why It Works:

Transformational visuals inspire viewers to click.

The clear and motivational text complements the imagery.

Dynamic poses add energy to the thumbnail.

Tips for Creating Thumbnails That Stand Out

Now that we have seen examples of successful thumbnails, here are some tips to craft your own:

Focus on a Clear Subject: Whether it’s a person, product, or scene, ensure your main focus stands out.

Use Contrasting Colors: Vibrant, contrasting hues make your thumbnail more noticeable.

Incorporate Text Wisely: Use bold fonts for short, punchy phrases that enhance the visual.

Maintain Consistency: Develop a recognizable style to strengthen your branding.

Test and Iterate: Analyze which thumbnails perform well and refine your design approach.

Also, watch this video - How To Auto Post In Youtube Using Socinator

Summary

In the competitive world of content creation, crafting the perfect YouTube thumbnail can make all the difference. From bold designs to minimalist aesthetics, popular creators like MrBeast, PewDiePie, and Tasty showcase how diverse approaches can be equally effective. By focusing on creativity and clarity, you can create thumbnails that not only attract viewers but also build a lasting connection with your audience.

[heretherebeturtles-comic]

Hello! Many people have said this but ill say it too, I LOVE YOUR COMIC SO MUCH ( ´ ▽ ` ).｡ｏ♡

I really wanted to ask you about how you do the backgrounds? (Something i struggle with) whats the process? Like from start to finish, also, to do the rise backgrounds do you use reference from the show and generally real photo of ny? Or do you come up with them? And last question- The shadow and light on the background- Like HOW

i know it’s a lot of questions but i’m just so curious qwq and wanna learn to be better, thank you again in case you read this and respond, in case you don’t, i hope you have a nice day and a wonderful life uwu keep up the great work! (≧◡≦) ♡

Backgrounds are a really broad subject and I'm always a little overwhelmed when asked this question. Just like drawing the human body, backgrounds take time, repetition, and practice!

My answer got a bit long, so it's going under a read more :) but if you digest info better in video format I found this on youtube

It pretty much goes over everything I wanted to say, but in a much better way. I wish I had found it before writing all this out lol

ok, first of all, I'm not a teacher nor was I built to be one of those cool helpful art tutorial people who do a full coloured tutorial filled with illustrations. This is just going to be a messy "how I do backgrounds / environment layouts from start to finish." kinda thing.

... lets start with a sight tangent.

Sketch from Life!!!

If you want to get better at backgrounds I recommend doing some sketching out in the real world!

When I was first getting into doing backgrounds I went to cafes and parks to just sketch the buildings and objects. Sketch rocks, flowers, clumps of grass, garbage cans, bottles, tables, street signs, etc. If you are drawing a tree observe how the trunks twist, how the bark flows, or how the leaves are bunched.

If you can't leave the house the same still applies! Sketch the interiors of your house, the walls, or common objects like chairs and bookshelves. How are objects stacked? items on the floor?

If you aren't comfortable with drawing outside or in public you can take some photos to draw from! They are good for practice and you can use them again as references later. Alternatively you can find pictures online of buildings and objects to sketch as practice.

All spaces have objects in them, it becomes easier to draw those kinds of spaces when you already have spent time observing and sketching them.

ALSO! They don't have to be good sketches! It's just to build out your mental catalogue and strengthen your perception of perspective.

now the actual thing...

BACKGROUNDS

(the pictures used for this are my own. I dug them out of my 2022 folder)

Backgrounds have slightly different rules based on what you are making them for. Videogame Environment Concept Art vs Animation Layouts vs Comic Backgrounds vs Illustration backgrounds.

They all follow the same basics, which I will go over here, but the intention and function of those designs are going to be different. It's all about how you set up the scene and what it's purpose is!

Brainstorming and Thumbnailing

I like to think about a location as though it is a character. An abandoned old house with creaky sagging floorboards is very different from a futuristic space ship with sharp metal floor panels. A gas station has a very different feeling from a library.

I usually start by asking what is this location's story? Why was it built and for what purpose? What kinds of things does this room need to fulfill that purpose? You don’t need solid answers, but its good to be thinking about it while you are working.

Next, sketch some ideas for how this place is going to look. For me, this usually involves drawing the idea from multiple angles and then making lists & small sketches of the objects I think should be filling the space.

Example: The main character of my original work is a Wanderer. They collect a lot of things on their travels, but those items have to be small enough to be easily carried in a backpack. I wanted his room to be in the corner of an attic, walled off by curtains, and filled with trinkets. You can see some of my brainstorming above.

References

I only look for references after I've done some sketching and planning; this is to solidify my idea first so that I don't accidentally copy anyone else's work. I will make a moodboard with pictures of lighting, colours, items, rooms with specific ceiling beams, old chairs, etc. basically whatever I feel fits the vibe.

Honestly, I don't use references as much as I should. For ROTTMNT fanart I look at backgrounds and screenshots from the series to study the style. I also reference actual photos of NYC to get a feel for how Rise condenses the visual information.

In general, it's good to have references of real life objects/locations, because there are so many details like cracks in pavement, stickers on polls, crowning on buildings, fancy fencing, weird chair legs, etc. that you might not think of. It's the imperfect details that can make a location feel more alive.

Perspective

Once you have your chosen sketch we move to.... the infamous perspective boxes. Doing backgrounds is just learning to be comfortable drawing So Many boxes and carving items out of them.

Many better artists than myself have made videos on perspective, vanishing points, and all the technical bits. Videos like THIS ONE and THIS ONE are helpful (this post is great too!!). There are probably a lot of classes to be found on Skillshare or Schoolism. I learned a lot of this in my college art course, so I can't give you a specific video which helped me.

You can get by and be a good artist without learning this stuff. There are quite a few successful artists who have admitted they never bothered to learn perspective (one of these people even made a whole graphic novel series).

I personally avoided properly learning this stuff until I was in my 20s because I thought it would be boring and difficult to do. tbh I really wish I had learned it earlier because it's so much fun to make those silly little boxes imo. It looks scary and complicated but, just like drawing humans, it just takes time, repetition, and practice to develop the knowledge and skills.

Cleanup

You have your boxes and lines! Cool! Now to make a scene out of it. Fill in the details, get everything placed were you want it! Generally, the lines of each item will point back towards the horizon line, but they can have different perspective points.

Generally you would want to clean it up and get your room completely sketched before doing the lineart. I tend to combine the steps (not recommended)

Lineart

I've mentioned how I do this before. Closer objects have thicker lines and more detailed inside. Further objects have thinner lines and less detail. I didn't quite achieve that balance with the image below, but it's close enough.

Colours and Shading will have to be a separate post. In the meantime, I highly recommend the book "Color and Light" by James Gurney. I used to borrow it from my local library and a good chunk of my knowledge was learned from it :)

[alien-wooliee]

While doing my monthly rewatch of Hbomberguy's 4 hour plagiarism epic, there was one specific thing that stuck out to me- the idea of commentary youtube content farms. Like, we all know that content mills exist, right? But I think it's so interesting just how much of YouTube has been overtaken by vaguely right-wing chuds who post shitty and stupid documentaries on the current popular drama of the week.

They all have the exact same editing style- so much of the time they're just like "What happened to Scrinky Fuckbo?" With dramatic fade-ins and outs, all read out in a voice that sounds like someone trying to do a cartoon nerd impression. So much of the time, people just hop on and commentate about the current big thing, without adding anything unique to the table, and it's so, so boring.

So many times, these channels pick out random tweets with, like, 3 likes and 1 retweet, and say "These people are ATTACKING so and so!" in their titles and thumbnails, which always are so obnoxious to look at. The fact so many of these channels were a part of the anti-sjw crowd years ago also isn't lost on me- it's like they never really grew to believe in empathy, and simply see every situation as a way of making money while tossing the most ingenuous ivories the way of the people actually affected.

The amount of this content farm slop on YouTube is insane to me, and the fact that so many people get their big bucks from either commentary or 'video essays' that do the bare minimum research and get sponsors up the wazoo says a lot about how so much of the time, conservatives just want to constantly have their beliefs reinforced. I'm not saying I'm immune to this, either! I've found myself in a bit of an echo chamber that I'm trying to break out of, after all- but I feel like there's a difference between an echo chamber reaffirming the fact that capitalism destroys lives, and an echo chamber that reaffirms the idea that all trans people are insane lunatics who should be put down. Of course, I'm hyperbolizing somewhat here, but the idea still remains.

So many of these videos feel vaguely sinister as well- they all go over the 'personal flaws' of each person involved, and it just feels like they're vagueposting bigotry whenever it comes to something like a queer person. Take, for example, that infamous SunnyV2 video about Mr Beast, where he claims that Ava Kris Tyson being trans could tank his gains. You don't seriously think that, Sunny. You just wanna throw shade at a trans person for existing.

tl;dr I hate commentary youtube and the fact it always pushes these videos into my recommended feed.