Best YouTube Thumbnail Maker
When it comes to creating video thumbnails, Canva is by far the best free online YouTube thumbnail maker. Especially for beginners that have no design experience.
If you're looking for an easy way to create your video thumbnails, Canva is an easy-to-use graphic design software online tool that is easy to use when creating custom YouTube thumbnails. Best of all, Canva is a free tool that uses a simple drag-and-drop interface and has thousands of free templates that are easily editable.
You can upgrade to a Pro version of Canva for additional features, but the free plan has plenty of free thumbnail templates to get you started and easily create multiple click-worthy youtube thumbnails, which is why I think Canva is the best software to create an attractive youtube thumbnail without much effort.
If you are new to Canva and/or creating thumbnails, there are thousands of professionally designed templates that you can easily update with your own text and add your own images to create eye-catching thumbnails without the need for any graphic design skills.
While Canva is easier to use on a desktop web browser (best used in Chrome), there is also a mobile app and tablet version you can download and use to create on the go. This includes being able to create any other social media posts or short-form videos, but more on that later.
Upgrading to Canva Pro
While you can get started with a free account, I highly recommend you sign up for a free trial of Canva Pro for 45 days using my affiliate link. I'm able to offer this extended free trial as part of being a Canva Verified Expert.
Why are YouTube Thumbnails Important
As a YouTube creator, you will want to get as many views on your youtube videos as possible. Creating custom thumbnails is what helps your video content stand out and will also help increase the number of views on your video. Your YouTube thumbnail is the first thing someone will see when scrolling on YouTube, and your thumbnail will be a way to attract their attention.
You only have a few seconds to grab viewers' attention and get them to click on your video. It's just the way human brains work. Using Canva's pre-made thumbnail layouts and templates which are designed by professional graphic designers will help you create a scroll-stopping thumbnail, which will also help increase your Click Through Rate (CTR) and boost your videos' views.
How to Create a YouTube Thumbnail Using Canva
When you log in to Canva, a couple of first steps and easiest ways to start a design is to type "YouTube Thumbnail" into the search bar or click Create a design button and type in "YouTube thumbnail". The search results will present you with some of the most popular YouTube thumbnail templates that you can start with.
Click any of the templates you like the look of, and the design will open a new window for you to edit.
To find a more appropriate youtube thumbnail for your channel or video niche, you will want to narrow the search results. You can narrow down the results by adding keywords suitable to your niche. e.g. 'gamer', "beauty", or "vlogger", and you will see templates targeted towards the niche you want to create a thumbnail for. You can even add in a colour name to help filter results even further.
What is the correct size for YouTube Thumbnails?
Canva will create the correct canvas size for your thumbnail design of 1280x720 and ensure you have the correct aspect ratio required by YouTube.
YouTube Thumbnail Ideas
Because I design templates as a Canva creator and graphic designer, I have created some eye-catching youtube thumbnails that you can use for free. You can find them directly in Canva by starting with a blank canvas and then searching @bettercontentcreators in the search bar.
You can also find my designs by going to https://www.canva.com/bettercontentcreators/ from here, you can access all the templates and elements I've created on Canva and even choose to follow me on Canva.
Here are some of the very thumbnails in some of my best-performing videos.
Creating and Editing Your YouTube Thumbnail in Canva
This section will walk you through how to find the right fonts, text effects and image choices for your YouTube thumbnail design in Canva. When it comes to images, there is even a built-in photo editor in Canva should you need to make any changes to your images.
Once you have chosen a template for the base of your thumbnail, you will now want to update and customise it with your own content and brand colors.
While updating a template can feel overwhelming, it’s all about taking each element one step at a time and remembering to keep your design simple and clickable. Some of the most awesome thumbnails I've seen and created are some of the simplest. As content creators, anything that makes life easier is a win in my book.
Text on your thumbnail
You don't have to use text on a thumbnail, but if you are adding text to an image, it is best to keep the text on your thumbnail to between 1-4 words maximum. The reason to limit text is that your thumbnail will be shown on multiple devices and, therefore, different sizes. This means large amounts of text will be hard to read. For example, small text on mobile devices and tablets is nearly impossible to read. So stay away from typing in your full video title.
Think about creating a good video thumbnail that is intriguing but without being clickbait. You want to create a level of interest without giving everything away in the video. Just make sure your videos will deliver on what your thumbnail promises.
With the text box selected, you can overtype any text you want to change, as you would in any program.
You can then use Canva’s text effects to help your text stand out. Using the outline, shadow or lift will help your text stand out from the background.
Other options under the Canva text effects include neon, glitch or background, and you can combine any of these effects with the options to curve your text in Canva. Choose the effect that works best for your thumbnail design, and don't mix too many effects, as this will overcomplicate your design.
Best Canva Fonts for a YouTube Thumbnail
Choosing the right font for your image is important. The text needs to be clear and easy to read on smaller devices. So using a small script font is out.
Some of the best Canva fonts for a YouTube thumbnail are Anton, Bernoru Expanded, Oswald and Norwester.
If these fonts are not quite what you are looking for, a tip is to look at the other templates on Canva and see what fonts they are using and then use them in your design.
To do this, add another page to be able to add any other templates to your canvas.
This will allow you to copy and paste any element from the design into your own youtube thumbnails. When it comes to downloading your design, you can choose one page or multiple pages if you want to compare them side by side.
Adding Images to Your Thumbnail in Canva
For quick access to an image, you can add the photograph to your upload section in the left navigation area. From here, you can click the image to add it to your design and edit it as needed.
With your image selected on your design, click edit image for more design options, including the option to remove the background, add a shadow or one click to add an outline to your image.
Adding images to your own media library in the upload section of Canva will help you quickly add them to your designs in the future for a custom look and feel.
You can upload images to Canva from your computer or online storage options such as DropBox or Google Drive. Additionally, you can also connect your Facebook or Instagram account to use images you have on those social media platforms without the need to download and re-upload them in Canva.
Keep Your Images Organised in Canva
As you add more images to your upload section, it can become hard to find the right image, and you can easily lose track of images from your library.
Click the three dots on the top right of an image to help keep your files organised. You can choose to add tags to help find the image easier, but you can also choose to move the image to a folder.
You can then access any images you have filed by choosing the projects folder in the left-hand side navigation menu or searching using your tags and image names.
Naming your files with descriptive file names will also help you find them later because a file called image0268.jpg isn't helpful to anyone. And let's be honest, as youtube creators, we all want to make our life easier and use the best tool for our thumbnails as we are not professional designers that want to spend hours creating a custom youtube thumbnail design.
Editing a Photo in Canva for a Thumbnail
When photo editing, if you use Canva Pro, you can use the handy background remover tool to create a cut-out image of yourself. Just make sure you practice that YouTube point and classic YouTube thumbnail shocked face. We all do it because it works, along with the classic adding an arrow to point to something.
To change or replace the background image, you can easily drag and drop an image onto the canvas.
If this doesn't replace the background, you can right-click on the image and choose to replace the background. There are just two different ways, and it will depend on how the creator has set up the template.
I created another post on the difference between using frames or grids in Canva.
Using Stock Images and Elements in Canva
If you don't have your own photos, there are plenty of design elements and stock images and stock photos in the free version of the library for you to use in your design, and many of them can also be used for commercial purposes, but check the TOS on Canva to be sure. One of the main ones is to make sure you are not using the image of a person in any negative way.
Downloading Your Final Thumbnail Design
Once you are happy with your design, click share and choose the option to download. Depending on if you are using free or pro Canva, you will see a few options to change size and quality. If you have multiple pages, select the page you want to download and you're done.
But before you get too excited, let me rewind a little and help you keep a little more organised and make it easier to find your design in the future.
You will want to do these two steps first.
Give your design a name. Make this as descriptive as you can and add "YouTube Thumbnail" at the end, as this will help you find it in search in the future.
Click file in the menu and "move to folder". If you don't have a folder set up, you will be able to create a new folder.
YouTube Channel Art
Using Canva doesn't stop at just being a free thumbnail maker and helping you in creating stunning thumbnails. You can create a full brand for your YouTube channel, and that's what is great about using Canva.
You can create any image size you want for your YouTube channel, including a logo, banner art or even a watermark for your videos. You can even create your own video in Canva for use on YouTube.
You can also use Canva to create all kinds of social media images or videos for any social media platform, including short-form vertical videos for YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels or TikTok.
If this is something you want to find out more about and you want help creating, check out my Canva Video Creators course.
Pro Features in Canva
When you upgrade to Canva Pro, you gain access to some of the more advanced features, like Background Removal, Brand Kit and social media scheduling using Canva.
The premium features of canva pro are worth trying, and for you, I have a special 45-day Canva Pro trial you can use.
This is 50% more than the standard Canva offering, and the reason I'm able to offer you this is that I am a Canva Verified Expert.
Canva Pro allows you to add multiple brand kits, meaning you can add brand fonts and brand colours for ease of use in your design by using one click.
Getting Started With Canva Course
If you are new to Canva and want to learn more, I have a Canva for Beginners Course that will take you through getting started in Canva, keeping organized, and also how you can copy design elements from other templates with one simple click.