How to Make a Thumbnail for YouTube Videos - Easy & Free! - Summary

Summary

The tutorial explains the importance of creating effective thumbnails for YouTube videos and provides a step-by-step guide on how to create thumbnails using Canva, a free online design service. The speaker, Justin Brown from Primal Video, shares tips on how to make thumbnails that grab attention and increase views.

Key takeaways include:

1. Pose for multiple thumbnail options at the end of your video recording.
2. Use a free online design service like Canva to create thumbnails.
3. Add text and graphics to make your thumbnail stand out.
4. Adjust the brightness, contrast, and saturation to make your image pop.
5. Consider the placement of text and graphics to avoid overlap with YouTube's UI elements.
6. Use shapes and transparency to add depth and visual interest to your thumbnail.
7. Download your thumbnail as a JPEG and upload it to YouTube.

Additionally, the speaker mentions that they outsource their thumbnail design to a subscription-based service called Design Pickle, which offers unlimited designs for a monthly fee.

Facts

Here are the key facts extracted from the text:

1. The video is a tutorial on how to create thumbnails for YouTube videos using Canva.
2. The speaker is Justin Brown from Primal Video.
3. Thumbnails are an important element of video optimization.
4. Without an attractive thumbnail, you won't grab the attention of potential viewers.
5. There are free ways to create effective thumbnails.
6. The speaker used to create thumbnails using Keynote, but now uses Canva.
7. Canva is a free online service that works across all platforms.
8. To create a thumbnail, you need to upload an image to Canva.
9. You can use a freeze frame from your video as the image.
10. The speaker recommends posing for a few different thumbnail images at the end of your recording.
11. To take a screenshot, you can use Command + Shift + 4 on a Mac or the Snip Tool on Windows.
12. In Canva, you can create a custom design with dimensions 1920 x 1080.
13. You can add text and shapes to your thumbnail.
14. The speaker recommends adding a shape behind the text to make it pop out.
15. You can group elements together and scale them up or down.
16. You can add other graphics to your thumbnail, such as a logo.
17. The speaker recommends adjusting the saturation and sharpening the image to make it look better.
18. Most people will view your thumbnail at a small size, so you need to make sure it looks good at that size.
19. You can use the elements in Canva to add simple design elements to your thumbnail.
20. To download your thumbnail, you need to hit the download button and choose JPEG.
21. The speaker's company, Primal Video, uses a service called Design Pickle to outsource their graphic design work.
22. Design Pickle is a subscription design service that offers unlimited designs for a monthly fee.