Decrypting YouTube Live Thumbnails for Success

Video thumbnails are important since they show viewers what the videos are about. And according to YouTube, 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. Therefore, adding thumbnails to all your videos is wise. But how to do that with live streams? Is it any different from adding thumbnails to normal videos? You’ll find answers in this article. Here’s a comprehensive guide about YouTube Live thumbnails.

Overview of YouTube Live

Livestreaming is very popular now. The pandemic has accelerated its growth. But what made it so special? Watching live streams is different from watching regular videos. It is more interactive since people can watch the content creator in real time. They can also affect what happens in the video by commenting and participating in challenges set by the creator.

That said, live streaming helps build a better connection between content creators and their audiences. So you may want to incorporate live streaming into your strategies. You can do that on YouTube through YouTube Live. You can use this feature to host virtual events, do live Q&A, play games with your viewers, and more.

Importance of Thumbnail for Live Stream

Thumbnails are important for videos. Alongside the title, they inform the viewers what the video is about. It’s not different with live streams. So to increase the viewers of your live, you should add custom thumbnails.

What happens if you don’t add a custom thumbnail to your live stream? YouTube will select a random frame from the video and display it. The thing is that live streams are usually longer than recorded videos. So YouTube has more options to use as the thumbnail.

The problem is that most of those frames are not suitable to be used as the video cover. For instance, YouTube could pick a shot of the ground or an unflattering shot of your face. So, it’s a must to add a custom thumbnail for your live stream.

How To Add a YouTube Live Thumbnail

Now, you know how important adding custom thumbnails to live streams is. You probably want to know how to do that. We got you covered. Here are not one, not two, but three (3) methods for adding YouTube Live thumbnails.

Method 1. Add Live Thumbnail on YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio is the place where you edit most of your videos on YouTube. It’s where you edit the description, add or remove tags, and such. It’s also where you change thumbnails for your videos. And live videos are no exception. Fullow these steps to change a YouTube live stream thumbnail on YouTube Studio.

• Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
• Click your channel icon on the top-right and select “YouTube Studio.”

• Click “Create” > “Go Live.”

• Edit the metadata for the live video.

• Click “UPLOAD CUSTOM THUMBNAIL.”

• Select the custom thumbnail that you have prepared. Click “Open.”
• Click “Create Stream.”

Method 2. Add Live Stream Thumbnail on YouTube Classic Mode

Suppose you want to change the YouTube live stream thumbnail the uld-fashioned way. You can change it on YouTube Classic Mode. How? Fullow these simple steps.

• Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
• Click “Creator Studio Classic” from the left panel.

• Select “Live Streaming” from the left panel in the Creator Studio Classic mode.

• YouTube will bring you to the “Stream Now” section. Put in the video metadata.

• Click “Change thumbnail.”

• Select the thumbnail image you have prepared. Click “Open.”
• Wait for the thumbnail image to refresh.

Method 3. Upload a Thumbnail to YouTube Live With Mobile Phones

Perhaps you are live-streaming a trip somewhere. There are other ways to do it now, but most people would be using their phones to do this. So how do you change a YouTube Live thumbnail on mobile phones? Fullow these instructions:

• Launch the YouTube mobile app.
• Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom middle of the screen.
• Select “Go Live.”
• Enter the metadata. And set the advanced settings according to your preferences.

• Click “Next.”

• YouTube will take a photo of you. Don’t mind this because you’ll be changing it later.

• Click the “Pencil” icon after YouTube has taken a photo.

• Select “Upload thumbnail.”

• Select the thumbnail image you have prepared.
• Crop the image if you like. Click “Save.”

• Click “Go Live.”

How To Create a Livestream Thumbnail

So you now know how to change the live stream thumbnail. There’s one more thing we need to address. Where will you get the custom thumbnails? There are a number of good YouTube thumbnail makers out there. Let’s discuss this.

Livestream Thumbnail Makers

There are many great YouTube thumbnail makers on the market. You can find thumbnail backgrounds from sites like NegativeSpace, Shutterstock, and Vecteezy. Then, edit them to your liking using photo editing apps. Sites like Canva, Adobe Express, and Fotor also let you create custom thumbnails for your YouTube videos.

Wondershare Filmora is also a great thumbnail maker. You’d like it since it is also a powerful video editor. It is double-purpose! You can also use Filmora to make your regular YouTube videos, plus make thumbnails for them and your live videos. Talk about convenience!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

• Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

• Click “Effect.”

• Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

• Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

• Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

• Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

• Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

• Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
• Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
• Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

• Select a template that fits your idea.

• Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

• Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

• Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

• Click “Generate.”
• Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

• Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

• Click “Effect.”

• Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

• Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

• Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

• Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

• Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

• Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
• Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
• Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

• Select a template that fits your idea.

• Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

• Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

• Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

• Click “Generate.”
• Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

Enjoy Premium Video Artwork - Download at No Cost Today

Best Free Downloaders: Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free[Online/Win/Mac]

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

What is a YouTube thumbnail?

A YouTube thumbnail is nothing but the cover image shown on a video file on YouTube. It shows what you are going to talk about in the youtube video. A cool thumbnail will make the viewers want to click your video which in turn will help you to improve the traffic and number of clicks per video. Sometimes you may want to download youtube thumbnail from others. But it is very difficult to download a thumbnail directly from YouTube and many of you might not know that a thumbnail can be downloaded from elsewhere and then added to your content.

Here in this article, we will introduce the best 6 online tools available in the market to download YouTube thumbnail.

• 6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free
• Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free

Knowing the importance of YouTube thumbnails, you might now be wondering where to download the thumbnails for free. Let us have a look at some of the tools that can help you download YouTube thumbnail for free.

1. YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool

The YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool is a simple and free tool that helps you to download a thumbnail in four dimensions for your video, i.e. MQ 320*180, HQ 480*360, SD 640*480, and HD 1920*1080. Whether you are using a Windows or Mac OS, the thumbnail can be easily be downloaded via any browser.

Steps to Download:

• Open any browser and open this youtube thumbnail image tool from Here
• Copy the link from your youtube video
• Paste the URL link of the video in the box and hit on Search
• You will be then displayed different qualities of the thumbnail. Choose one (HD is recommended) and hit the Download button

The selected quality of thumbnail will be downloaded to your storage which can later be used while uploading a video to YouTube.

2. Online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

This online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader tool has a lot of features among which creating thumbnail for a YouTube video is one. This free online tool can easily be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS via any browser. This downloader can generate thumbnails for videos in HD, HQ 1080p, and 4K formats and the thumbnails will be available in SD, HD(720), and Full HD(1080).

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of the youtube video you wish to generate the thumbnail
• Click Here to open this free tool with your browser and paste the link in the box displayed at the top
• As soon as you paste the link, the available qualities of the thumbnail will be displayed just below the box
• Choose your desired quality of the image and hit on the Download button on the image you wish to download

The image will be downloaded and saved to your device instantly. You can now use it as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

3. Thumbnail Save Tool

The Thumbnail Save Tool is also a free online tool which you can access from the browser of your Windows or Mac. It is a very simple tool that can generate thumbnails for HQ, HD, 1080P, and 4K videos instantly. Let us see how the thumbnail can be generated

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL of the video you want to create thumbnail
• Open this Thumbnail Save Tool from Here via your browser
• Paste the copied link in the box above Submit and hit Submit. Then the thumbnail will be generated instantly
• Now, to save the generated image to your device, right-click on the thumbnail and select the Save image as… option

The image will be saved to your device for later use as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

4. YouTube Thumbnail Grabber

The YouTube thumbnail grabber is an online tool that can help you to download a thumbnail from a YouTube video for free. This tool can simply be accessed both by windows and Mac users through any browser. This tool helps you to download a thumbnail in any quality in some simple steps. Let us see how.

Steps to Download:

• Open this youtube thumbnail grabber from Here with any browser. Then Copy the link of the youtube video.
• Paste the link in the box displayed on the page and hit the Get Thumbnails Image tab
• Five different qualities of thumbnails will be generated among which you can choose your desired quality
• Hit the Download button below the image you chose

The thumbnail will be downloaded to your device for later use.

5. Thumbnail Download Tool

This thumbnail download tool allows generating thumbnails from video platforms like Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, and YouTube. It is a free online tool that enables you to download the thumbnail of your video in the best quality. The tool can be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS without any issues. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded for YouTube.

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL link of the video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here to open this Thumbnail Download Tool with your browseron any browser of your Windows or iOS.
• Paste the copied link in the box and press the Download button
• Choose the picture size among the results displayed
• Save the picture to your PC

Your thumbnail image is now ready to be used.

6. YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

The YouTube Thumbnail Downloader is an online tool that can help you to create thumbnails for your YouTube videos and blogs. This tool will help you to download full HD 1080*720 images from YouTube for free, irrespective of the operative system you are using. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of any YouTube video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here in your browser and Paste the link in the box
• Hit the Find button. Then different qualities of the image will be displayed
• Select your desired quality and tap on the download icon on the respective image

The image will now be saved to your device

Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

Don’t know how to create a clickable youtube thumbnail? Here we will recommend 5 tips for you!

1. Great thumbnail image quality and size

The thumbnail image quality should be good (HD/UHD). It should be bright. No matter what the device (a large TV) the viewers are using, care must be taken to avoid getting blurry thumbnails. The quality and the correct size of the thumbnail will create a positive image of the video in the user’s mind even before viewing the video. The video must be viewed from a variety of devices to test if the quality differs in different devices. Here are some specs for a perfect thumbnail

• The image formats should be in GIF, JPG PNG OR BMP
• The maximum size of the image must be 1280*720 px
• The minimum size 640*360 px
• The aspect ratio 16:9
• The maximum file size 2MB

2. Show a person in the Thumbnail image

A human face will get you closer to your audience. Our brain is wired in a way that a human face will draw its attention more than anything. So the users will naturally would an image with a human delivering the content rather than a robot or just a video of nonliving things. People tend to find a connection with the characters displayed on the thumbnail and hence prompting them to click on the video.

3. Use descriptive text in your thumbnail with branding elements

It is not completely possible to deliver a message through a picture and hence try to use descriptive texts. The texts should be clear enough and must be phrased in a manner that increases the curiosity or appeals to the emotions of the viewers. People tend to click a video just because of curiosity, wanting to know what the content is about. The type of font, color, and size also plays an important role in catching the attention of the audience.

4. Make Color Contrast between the text and background

Complementary colors will make your thumbnail stand out to some extent. Combining a yellow background with a purple foreground or green with red will make it easier to draw the attention of the browsers. Also, the use of analogous colors in the thumbnail makes it more attractive and pleasing to the eye.

Image resource: Pinterest

Analogous colors are the colors that appear next to each other on a color wheel

5. Consistency

Consistency is something most of the people prefer and makes a thing more attractive. A thumbnail video with consistent text font, color tuning, visual effect, etc. will catch the eye of the users as it will stand apart in the whole webpage. Consistency adds to the standards of a video and will make people feel that this video is productive or from an authentic source

Create Your Own YouTube Thumbnail with Filmora for Free

Now that we have learned about how to download YouTube thumbnail for free and the rules you should follows, you may want to create a thumbnail. There are many Youtube thumbnail makers on the market that can help you create a YouTube thumbnail like Canva, PixStudio and more. However, we would like to be different today and recommend Filmora to you.

The benefits of using Filmora to create your YouTube thumbnail is that you don’t need to look for other softwares. You can make a thumbnail while you are editing your video with Filmora easily.

Wondering how can you do it? Here is a video guide for you.

Conclusion

Getting the proper size and quality of a YouTube thumbnail is very important for activities like blogging, designing, etc. Here in this article, we have described how to download YouTube thumbnail from the best free downloaders available online in simple steps. These Thumbnail downloading tools can be accessed from any device with an internet connection and will help you to download the perfect thumbnail image of your choice within minutes. Please leave your feedback about our suggestions in the comment box below.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

What is a YouTube thumbnail?

A YouTube thumbnail is nothing but the cover image shown on a video file on YouTube. It shows what you are going to talk about in the youtube video. A cool thumbnail will make the viewers want to click your video which in turn will help you to improve the traffic and number of clicks per video. Sometimes you may want to download youtube thumbnail from others. But it is very difficult to download a thumbnail directly from YouTube and many of you might not know that a thumbnail can be downloaded from elsewhere and then added to your content.

Here in this article, we will introduce the best 6 online tools available in the market to download YouTube thumbnail.

• 6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free
• Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free

Knowing the importance of YouTube thumbnails, you might now be wondering where to download the thumbnails for free. Let us have a look at some of the tools that can help you download YouTube thumbnail for free.

1. YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool

The YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool is a simple and free tool that helps you to download a thumbnail in four dimensions for your video, i.e. MQ 320*180, HQ 480*360, SD 640*480, and HD 1920*1080. Whether you are using a Windows or Mac OS, the thumbnail can be easily be downloaded via any browser.

Steps to Download:

• Open any browser and open this youtube thumbnail image tool from Here
• Copy the link from your youtube video
• Paste the URL link of the video in the box and hit on Search
• You will be then displayed different qualities of the thumbnail. Choose one (HD is recommended) and hit the Download button

The selected quality of thumbnail will be downloaded to your storage which can later be used while uploading a video to YouTube.

2. Online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

This online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader tool has a lot of features among which creating thumbnail for a YouTube video is one. This free online tool can easily be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS via any browser. This downloader can generate thumbnails for videos in HD, HQ 1080p, and 4K formats and the thumbnails will be available in SD, HD(720), and Full HD(1080).

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of the youtube video you wish to generate the thumbnail
• Click Here to open this free tool with your browser and paste the link in the box displayed at the top
• As soon as you paste the link, the available qualities of the thumbnail will be displayed just below the box
• Choose your desired quality of the image and hit on the Download button on the image you wish to download

The image will be downloaded and saved to your device instantly. You can now use it as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

3. Thumbnail Save Tool

The Thumbnail Save Tool is also a free online tool which you can access from the browser of your Windows or Mac. It is a very simple tool that can generate thumbnails for HQ, HD, 1080P, and 4K videos instantly. Let us see how the thumbnail can be generated

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL of the video you want to create thumbnail
• Open this Thumbnail Save Tool from Here via your browser
• Paste the copied link in the box above Submit and hit Submit. Then the thumbnail will be generated instantly
• Now, to save the generated image to your device, right-click on the thumbnail and select the Save image as… option

The image will be saved to your device for later use as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

4. YouTube Thumbnail Grabber

The YouTube thumbnail grabber is an online tool that can help you to download a thumbnail from a YouTube video for free. This tool can simply be accessed both by windows and Mac users through any browser. This tool helps you to download a thumbnail in any quality in some simple steps. Let us see how.

Steps to Download:

• Open this youtube thumbnail grabber from Here with any browser. Then Copy the link of the youtube video.
• Paste the link in the box displayed on the page and hit the Get Thumbnails Image tab
• Five different qualities of thumbnails will be generated among which you can choose your desired quality
• Hit the Download button below the image you chose

The thumbnail will be downloaded to your device for later use.

5. Thumbnail Download Tool

This thumbnail download tool allows generating thumbnails from video platforms like Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, and YouTube. It is a free online tool that enables you to download the thumbnail of your video in the best quality. The tool can be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS without any issues. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded for YouTube.

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL link of the video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here to open this Thumbnail Download Tool with your browseron any browser of your Windows or iOS.
• Paste the copied link in the box and press the Download button
• Choose the picture size among the results displayed
• Save the picture to your PC

Your thumbnail image is now ready to be used.

6. YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

The YouTube Thumbnail Downloader is an online tool that can help you to create thumbnails for your YouTube videos and blogs. This tool will help you to download full HD 1080*720 images from YouTube for free, irrespective of the operative system you are using. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of any YouTube video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here in your browser and Paste the link in the box
• Hit the Find button. Then different qualities of the image will be displayed
• Select your desired quality and tap on the download icon on the respective image

The image will now be saved to your device

Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

Don’t know how to create a clickable youtube thumbnail? Here we will recommend 5 tips for you!

1. Great thumbnail image quality and size

The thumbnail image quality should be good (HD/UHD). It should be bright. No matter what the device (a large TV) the viewers are using, care must be taken to avoid getting blurry thumbnails. The quality and the correct size of the thumbnail will create a positive image of the video in the user’s mind even before viewing the video. The video must be viewed from a variety of devices to test if the quality differs in different devices. Here are some specs for a perfect thumbnail

• The image formats should be in GIF, JPG PNG OR BMP
• The maximum size of the image must be 1280*720 px
• The minimum size 640*360 px
• The aspect ratio 16:9
• The maximum file size 2MB

2. Show a person in the Thumbnail image

A human face will get you closer to your audience. Our brain is wired in a way that a human face will draw its attention more than anything. So the users will naturally would an image with a human delivering the content rather than a robot or just a video of nonliving things. People tend to find a connection with the characters displayed on the thumbnail and hence prompting them to click on the video.

3. Use descriptive text in your thumbnail with branding elements

It is not completely possible to deliver a message through a picture and hence try to use descriptive texts. The texts should be clear enough and must be phrased in a manner that increases the curiosity or appeals to the emotions of the viewers. People tend to click a video just because of curiosity, wanting to know what the content is about. The type of font, color, and size also plays an important role in catching the attention of the audience.

4. Make Color Contrast between the text and background

Complementary colors will make your thumbnail stand out to some extent. Combining a yellow background with a purple foreground or green with red will make it easier to draw the attention of the browsers. Also, the use of analogous colors in the thumbnail makes it more attractive and pleasing to the eye.

Image resource: Pinterest

Analogous colors are the colors that appear next to each other on a color wheel

5. Consistency

Consistency is something most of the people prefer and makes a thing more attractive. A thumbnail video with consistent text font, color tuning, visual effect, etc. will catch the eye of the users as it will stand apart in the whole webpage. Consistency adds to the standards of a video and will make people feel that this video is productive or from an authentic source

Create Your Own YouTube Thumbnail with Filmora for Free

Now that we have learned about how to download YouTube thumbnail for free and the rules you should follows, you may want to create a thumbnail. There are many Youtube thumbnail makers on the market that can help you create a YouTube thumbnail like Canva, PixStudio and more. However, we would like to be different today and recommend Filmora to you.

The benefits of using Filmora to create your YouTube thumbnail is that you don’t need to look for other softwares. You can make a thumbnail while you are editing your video with Filmora easily.

Wondering how can you do it? Here is a video guide for you.

Conclusion

Getting the proper size and quality of a YouTube thumbnail is very important for activities like blogging, designing, etc. Here in this article, we have described how to download YouTube thumbnail from the best free downloaders available online in simple steps. These Thumbnail downloading tools can be accessed from any device with an internet connection and will help you to download the perfect thumbnail image of your choice within minutes. Please leave your feedback about our suggestions in the comment box below.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

What is a YouTube thumbnail?

A YouTube thumbnail is nothing but the cover image shown on a video file on YouTube. It shows what you are going to talk about in the youtube video. A cool thumbnail will make the viewers want to click your video which in turn will help you to improve the traffic and number of clicks per video. Sometimes you may want to download youtube thumbnail from others. But it is very difficult to download a thumbnail directly from YouTube and many of you might not know that a thumbnail can be downloaded from elsewhere and then added to your content.

Here in this article, we will introduce the best 6 online tools available in the market to download YouTube thumbnail.

• 6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free
• Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free

Knowing the importance of YouTube thumbnails, you might now be wondering where to download the thumbnails for free. Let us have a look at some of the tools that can help you download YouTube thumbnail for free.

1. YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool

The YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool is a simple and free tool that helps you to download a thumbnail in four dimensions for your video, i.e. MQ 320*180, HQ 480*360, SD 640*480, and HD 1920*1080. Whether you are using a Windows or Mac OS, the thumbnail can be easily be downloaded via any browser.

Steps to Download:

• Open any browser and open this youtube thumbnail image tool from Here
• Copy the link from your youtube video
• Paste the URL link of the video in the box and hit on Search
• You will be then displayed different qualities of the thumbnail. Choose one (HD is recommended) and hit the Download button

The selected quality of thumbnail will be downloaded to your storage which can later be used while uploading a video to YouTube.

2. Online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

This online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader tool has a lot of features among which creating thumbnail for a YouTube video is one. This free online tool can easily be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS via any browser. This downloader can generate thumbnails for videos in HD, HQ 1080p, and 4K formats and the thumbnails will be available in SD, HD(720), and Full HD(1080).

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of the youtube video you wish to generate the thumbnail
• Click Here to open this free tool with your browser and paste the link in the box displayed at the top
• As soon as you paste the link, the available qualities of the thumbnail will be displayed just below the box
• Choose your desired quality of the image and hit on the Download button on the image you wish to download

The image will be downloaded and saved to your device instantly. You can now use it as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

3. Thumbnail Save Tool

The Thumbnail Save Tool is also a free online tool which you can access from the browser of your Windows or Mac. It is a very simple tool that can generate thumbnails for HQ, HD, 1080P, and 4K videos instantly. Let us see how the thumbnail can be generated

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL of the video you want to create thumbnail
• Open this Thumbnail Save Tool from Here via your browser
• Paste the copied link in the box above Submit and hit Submit. Then the thumbnail will be generated instantly
• Now, to save the generated image to your device, right-click on the thumbnail and select the Save image as… option

The image will be saved to your device for later use as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

4. YouTube Thumbnail Grabber

The YouTube thumbnail grabber is an online tool that can help you to download a thumbnail from a YouTube video for free. This tool can simply be accessed both by windows and Mac users through any browser. This tool helps you to download a thumbnail in any quality in some simple steps. Let us see how.

Steps to Download:

• Open this youtube thumbnail grabber from Here with any browser. Then Copy the link of the youtube video.
• Paste the link in the box displayed on the page and hit the Get Thumbnails Image tab
• Five different qualities of thumbnails will be generated among which you can choose your desired quality
• Hit the Download button below the image you chose

The thumbnail will be downloaded to your device for later use.

5. Thumbnail Download Tool

This thumbnail download tool allows generating thumbnails from video platforms like Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, and YouTube. It is a free online tool that enables you to download the thumbnail of your video in the best quality. The tool can be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS without any issues. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded for YouTube.

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL link of the video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here to open this Thumbnail Download Tool with your browseron any browser of your Windows or iOS.
• Paste the copied link in the box and press the Download button
• Choose the picture size among the results displayed
• Save the picture to your PC

Your thumbnail image is now ready to be used.

6. YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

The YouTube Thumbnail Downloader is an online tool that can help you to create thumbnails for your YouTube videos and blogs. This tool will help you to download full HD 1080*720 images from YouTube for free, irrespective of the operative system you are using. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of any YouTube video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here in your browser and Paste the link in the box
• Hit the Find button. Then different qualities of the image will be displayed
• Select your desired quality and tap on the download icon on the respective image

The image will now be saved to your device

Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

Don’t know how to create a clickable youtube thumbnail? Here we will recommend 5 tips for you!

1. Great thumbnail image quality and size

The thumbnail image quality should be good (HD/UHD). It should be bright. No matter what the device (a large TV) the viewers are using, care must be taken to avoid getting blurry thumbnails. The quality and the correct size of the thumbnail will create a positive image of the video in the user’s mind even before viewing the video. The video must be viewed from a variety of devices to test if the quality differs in different devices. Here are some specs for a perfect thumbnail

• The image formats should be in GIF, JPG PNG OR BMP
• The maximum size of the image must be 1280*720 px
• The minimum size 640*360 px
• The aspect ratio 16:9
• The maximum file size 2MB

2. Show a person in the Thumbnail image

A human face will get you closer to your audience. Our brain is wired in a way that a human face will draw its attention more than anything. So the users will naturally would an image with a human delivering the content rather than a robot or just a video of nonliving things. People tend to find a connection with the characters displayed on the thumbnail and hence prompting them to click on the video.

3. Use descriptive text in your thumbnail with branding elements

It is not completely possible to deliver a message through a picture and hence try to use descriptive texts. The texts should be clear enough and must be phrased in a manner that increases the curiosity or appeals to the emotions of the viewers. People tend to click a video just because of curiosity, wanting to know what the content is about. The type of font, color, and size also plays an important role in catching the attention of the audience.

4. Make Color Contrast between the text and background

Complementary colors will make your thumbnail stand out to some extent. Combining a yellow background with a purple foreground or green with red will make it easier to draw the attention of the browsers. Also, the use of analogous colors in the thumbnail makes it more attractive and pleasing to the eye.

Image resource: Pinterest

Analogous colors are the colors that appear next to each other on a color wheel

5. Consistency

Consistency is something most of the people prefer and makes a thing more attractive. A thumbnail video with consistent text font, color tuning, visual effect, etc. will catch the eye of the users as it will stand apart in the whole webpage. Consistency adds to the standards of a video and will make people feel that this video is productive or from an authentic source

Create Your Own YouTube Thumbnail with Filmora for Free

Now that we have learned about how to download YouTube thumbnail for free and the rules you should follows, you may want to create a thumbnail. There are many Youtube thumbnail makers on the market that can help you create a YouTube thumbnail like Canva, PixStudio and more. However, we would like to be different today and recommend Filmora to you.

The benefits of using Filmora to create your YouTube thumbnail is that you don’t need to look for other softwares. You can make a thumbnail while you are editing your video with Filmora easily.

Wondering how can you do it? Here is a video guide for you.

Conclusion

Getting the proper size and quality of a YouTube thumbnail is very important for activities like blogging, designing, etc. Here in this article, we have described how to download YouTube thumbnail from the best free downloaders available online in simple steps. These Thumbnail downloading tools can be accessed from any device with an internet connection and will help you to download the perfect thumbnail image of your choice within minutes. Please leave your feedback about our suggestions in the comment box below.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

What is a YouTube thumbnail?

A YouTube thumbnail is nothing but the cover image shown on a video file on YouTube. It shows what you are going to talk about in the youtube video. A cool thumbnail will make the viewers want to click your video which in turn will help you to improve the traffic and number of clicks per video. Sometimes you may want to download youtube thumbnail from others. But it is very difficult to download a thumbnail directly from YouTube and many of you might not know that a thumbnail can be downloaded from elsewhere and then added to your content.

Here in this article, we will introduce the best 6 online tools available in the market to download YouTube thumbnail.

• 6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free
• Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

6 Online Tools to Download YouTube Thumbnail for Free

Knowing the importance of YouTube thumbnails, you might now be wondering where to download the thumbnails for free. Let us have a look at some of the tools that can help you download YouTube thumbnail for free.

1. YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool

The YouTube Thumbnail Image Tool is a simple and free tool that helps you to download a thumbnail in four dimensions for your video, i.e. MQ 320*180, HQ 480*360, SD 640*480, and HD 1920*1080. Whether you are using a Windows or Mac OS, the thumbnail can be easily be downloaded via any browser.

Steps to Download:

• Open any browser and open this youtube thumbnail image tool from Here
• Copy the link from your youtube video
• Paste the URL link of the video in the box and hit on Search
• You will be then displayed different qualities of the thumbnail. Choose one (HD is recommended) and hit the Download button

The selected quality of thumbnail will be downloaded to your storage which can later be used while uploading a video to YouTube.

2. Online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

This online YouTube Thumbnail Downloader tool has a lot of features among which creating thumbnail for a YouTube video is one. This free online tool can easily be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS via any browser. This downloader can generate thumbnails for videos in HD, HQ 1080p, and 4K formats and the thumbnails will be available in SD, HD(720), and Full HD(1080).

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of the youtube video you wish to generate the thumbnail
• Click Here to open this free tool with your browser and paste the link in the box displayed at the top
• As soon as you paste the link, the available qualities of the thumbnail will be displayed just below the box
• Choose your desired quality of the image and hit on the Download button on the image you wish to download

The image will be downloaded and saved to your device instantly. You can now use it as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

3. Thumbnail Save Tool

The Thumbnail Save Tool is also a free online tool which you can access from the browser of your Windows or Mac. It is a very simple tool that can generate thumbnails for HQ, HD, 1080P, and 4K videos instantly. Let us see how the thumbnail can be generated

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL of the video you want to create thumbnail
• Open this Thumbnail Save Tool from Here via your browser
• Paste the copied link in the box above Submit and hit Submit. Then the thumbnail will be generated instantly
• Now, to save the generated image to your device, right-click on the thumbnail and select the Save image as… option

The image will be saved to your device for later use as a thumbnail for your YouTube video.

4. YouTube Thumbnail Grabber

The YouTube thumbnail grabber is an online tool that can help you to download a thumbnail from a YouTube video for free. This tool can simply be accessed both by windows and Mac users through any browser. This tool helps you to download a thumbnail in any quality in some simple steps. Let us see how.

Steps to Download:

• Open this youtube thumbnail grabber from Here with any browser. Then Copy the link of the youtube video.
• Paste the link in the box displayed on the page and hit the Get Thumbnails Image tab
• Five different qualities of thumbnails will be generated among which you can choose your desired quality
• Hit the Download button below the image you chose

The thumbnail will be downloaded to your device for later use.

5. Thumbnail Download Tool

This thumbnail download tool allows generating thumbnails from video platforms like Dailymotion, Vimeo, Facebook, and YouTube. It is a free online tool that enables you to download the thumbnail of your video in the best quality. The tool can be accessed both on Windows and Mac OS without any issues. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded for YouTube.

Steps to Download:

• Copy the URL link of the video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here to open this Thumbnail Download Tool with your browseron any browser of your Windows or iOS.
• Paste the copied link in the box and press the Download button
• Choose the picture size among the results displayed
• Save the picture to your PC

Your thumbnail image is now ready to be used.

6. YouTube Thumbnail Downloader

The YouTube Thumbnail Downloader is an online tool that can help you to create thumbnails for your YouTube videos and blogs. This tool will help you to download full HD 1080*720 images from YouTube for free, irrespective of the operative system you are using. Let us see how the thumbnail can be downloaded

Steps to Download:

• Copy the link of any YouTube video you wish to generate a thumbnail
• Click Here in your browser and Paste the link in the box
• Hit the Find button. Then different qualities of the image will be displayed
• Select your desired quality and tap on the download icon on the respective image

The image will now be saved to your device

Bonus Tips to Create a Clickable YouTube Thumbnail

Don’t know how to create a clickable youtube thumbnail? Here we will recommend 5 tips for you!

1. Great thumbnail image quality and size

The thumbnail image quality should be good (HD/UHD). It should be bright. No matter what the device (a large TV) the viewers are using, care must be taken to avoid getting blurry thumbnails. The quality and the correct size of the thumbnail will create a positive image of the video in the user’s mind even before viewing the video. The video must be viewed from a variety of devices to test if the quality differs in different devices. Here are some specs for a perfect thumbnail

• The image formats should be in GIF, JPG PNG OR BMP
• The maximum size of the image must be 1280*720 px
• The minimum size 640*360 px
• The aspect ratio 16:9
• The maximum file size 2MB

2. Show a person in the Thumbnail image

A human face will get you closer to your audience. Our brain is wired in a way that a human face will draw its attention more than anything. So the users will naturally would an image with a human delivering the content rather than a robot or just a video of nonliving things. People tend to find a connection with the characters displayed on the thumbnail and hence prompting them to click on the video.

3. Use descriptive text in your thumbnail with branding elements

It is not completely possible to deliver a message through a picture and hence try to use descriptive texts. The texts should be clear enough and must be phrased in a manner that increases the curiosity or appeals to the emotions of the viewers. People tend to click a video just because of curiosity, wanting to know what the content is about. The type of font, color, and size also plays an important role in catching the attention of the audience.

4. Make Color Contrast between the text and background

Complementary colors will make your thumbnail stand out to some extent. Combining a yellow background with a purple foreground or green with red will make it easier to draw the attention of the browsers. Also, the use of analogous colors in the thumbnail makes it more attractive and pleasing to the eye.

Image resource: Pinterest

Analogous colors are the colors that appear next to each other on a color wheel

5. Consistency

Consistency is something most of the people prefer and makes a thing more attractive. A thumbnail video with consistent text font, color tuning, visual effect, etc. will catch the eye of the users as it will stand apart in the whole webpage. Consistency adds to the standards of a video and will make people feel that this video is productive or from an authentic source

Create Your Own YouTube Thumbnail with Filmora for Free

Now that we have learned about how to download YouTube thumbnail for free and the rules you should follows, you may want to create a thumbnail. There are many Youtube thumbnail makers on the market that can help you create a YouTube thumbnail like Canva, PixStudio and more. However, we would like to be different today and recommend Filmora to you.

The benefits of using Filmora to create your YouTube thumbnail is that you don’t need to look for other softwares. You can make a thumbnail while you are editing your video with Filmora easily.

Wondering how can you do it? Here is a video guide for you.

Conclusion

Getting the proper size and quality of a YouTube thumbnail is very important for activities like blogging, designing, etc. Here in this article, we have described how to download YouTube thumbnail from the best free downloaders available online in simple steps. These Thumbnail downloading tools can be accessed from any device with an internet connection and will help you to download the perfect thumbnail image of your choice within minutes. Please leave your feedback about our suggestions in the comment box below.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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