Font Selection Wonders: Enhancing YouTube Video Thumbnails

YouTube has grown in popularity since it was developed and launched. You can watch YouTube videos for educational purposes, entertainment, or catch up with your favorite content creators. Thumbnails are a massive element of what makes a YouTube video successful. You can incorporate numerous fonts into your thumbnails, leaving you feeling stuck on which is the best option.

This article will discuss the 20 best YouTube thumbnail fonts to make your videos amazing.

1. Bebas Neue - Popular YouTube Thumbnail Font
2. Impact - YouTube Thumbnail Font for Strong Sense
3. Montserrat - Good Font for YouTube Thumbnail
4. Alfa Slab - YouTube Thumbnail Text Font With a Futuristic Vibe
5. Againts - Best Font for YouTube Thumbnail
6. Dancing Script - YouTube Thumbnail Font With a Sweat Vibe
7. Oswald
8. Arial Negrata - Print Font for YouTube Thumbnails
9. BlackOpsOne - Best YouTube Thumbnail Font for Gaming Videos
10. Beauty and the Beast
11. Chucklesome
12. Caribold
13. Bernhard - Serious YouTube Thumbnail Font
14. Dustin Font Quartet
15. The Tide - Chunky-Letter Font for YouTube Thumbnails
16. Badaboom BB
17. River Drive
18. Traveler Note
19. Free Love Script
20. Config Rounded

• Generate Cool YouTube Thumbnail Texts With Wondershare Filmora

20 Best Fonts for YouTube Thumbnails To Bring Traffic to Your Videos

Your thumbnail is the first thing your audience will see as they browse on YouTube. Since you only have a few seconds to make a good first impression, it would be wise to make the most out of it.

YouTube thumbnails capture the viewer’s attention and spark their interest. The more eye-catching your thumbnail is, the more likely they will click on your video. If you take your time to make good thumbnails for your YouTube videos, you will undoubtedly increase your channel’s traffic and expand your reach.

Recent research reveals that YouTube thumbnails with text and numbers get more clicks than thumbnails with plain images. Therefore, choosing a great font to accompany your thumbnail would be wise and make it more visually appealing. Stick around for the fun part of the article, where we discuss twenty best fonts for your YouTube thumbnails.

1. Bebas Neue - Popular YouTube Thumbnail Font

The first YouTube thumbnail font on our list is a popular one known as Bebas Neue. You can use this font for your videos and thumbnails regardless of what content you post. The elegant yet sublime design makes it a perfect choice for you if you are just starting out or have yet to explore other options.

2. Impact - YouTube Thumbnail Font for Strong Sense

If you want a straightforward font for your thumbnail, look no further than Impact. Its strong sense makes it the best font for YouTube thumbnails. Even though it is versatile for any content, it is most frequently used on reaction videos, pranks, or reviews.

3. Montserrat - Good Font for YouTube Thumbnail

The letters in the Montserrat video are very simple, with the slightest shadowing and outline. This font is pretty versatile, and you can use it to make thumbnails for laid-back content or more serious and factual videos.

4. Alfa Slab - YouTube Thumbnail Text Font With a Futuristic Vibe

The Alfa slab font has a futuristic vibe to it, making it the perfect choice for content about new innovations or the future of technology. The blocky yet simple letters are easy to read and don’t take away from the main message or the background.

5. Againts - Best Font for YouTube Thumbnail

Suppose you post lots of travel content, share videos of you lounging on the best, or sample a new restaurant. The Againts font has a unique outdoor vibe that makes your videos pop and makes your audience anticipate where you will travel next.

6. Dancing Script - YouTube Thumbnail Font With a Sweat Vibe

The Dancing Script font is a must-have in your arsenal if you wouldn’t want your videos to be too serious. The slanted letters also give your thumbnail a feminine touch, making it great for fashion vlogs or videos about life hacks for ladies.

7. Oswald

The letters in this Oswald font are encapsulated in a dark grey rectangle, making them stand out and easy to read. You could use this font with other backgrounds in your thumbnail to highlight keywords you wouldn’t want your audience to miss as they scroll through YouTube.

8. Arial Negrata - Print Font for YouTube Thumbnails

We couldn’t forget to mention Arial Negrata, which has a beautiful print font and complementary sub-fonts. You can easily vary the fonts’ sizes for emphasis and to capture the interest of your audience.

9. BlackOpsOne - Best YouTube Thumbnail Font for Gaming Videos

Are you tired of the boring print fonts and girly cursive text? If you answer yes, you should check out the BlackOpsOne font, which is unlike anything you have ever seen. This font is perfect for gaming videos or content that involves long streams.

10. Beauty and the Beast

If you are a streamer, gamer, or like to post life hack videos on YouTube, you are probably looking for some good fonts for YouTube thumbnails to make your video less serious. The Beauty and the Beast font is very whimsical, giving your thumbnail a playful feel.

11. Chucklesome

You will immediately recognize this font if you grew up watching many cartoons and reading comic books. Chucklesome is another font with the best font color for YouTube thumbnails, making it an excellent choice if your YouTube channel is about games, movies, or comic books. The artsy typeface, bold letters, and bright colors can capture your audience’s attention from a mile away.

12. Caribold

As the name suggests, the Caribold font for YouTube thumbnails is very bold, and the letters almost jump out of the screen at you. The borders, outline, and shadows emphasize the font, making it hard to miss. You can use this font to create thumbnails for “How To” videos.

13. Bernhard - Serious YouTube Thumbnail Font

Depending on the content you post, you might want to discard the whimsical feel and give your thumbnail a more serious vibe. The Bernhard font is technically an enlarged script font that makes your videos and thumbnails look fresh and elegant. You can use this font for historical or factual videos.

14. Dustin Font Quartet

It is not uncommon for thumbnails to draw inspiration from other brands. The Dustin font is an excellent example of such a font, which is similar to the Supreme brand logo. This font is pretty versatile as it comes in a pack of four fonts, making you spoilt for choice!

15. The Tide - Chunky-Letter Font for YouTube Thumbnails

The Tide thumbnail font gives a relaxing beach vibe that would be great if you love posting laid-back content. This font also comes with chunky letters, which are easy to read and grab the attention of anyone scrolling through the platform.

16. Badaboom BB

The best font for YouTube thumbnail is Badaboom BB font, which has vibrant colors and unique letters. The red and yellow colors are an absolute showstopper and a must-have if you want your audience to notice you. This font style is excellent for gaming and streaming YouTube videos, where you just want your audience to have a good time.

17. River Drive

When inserting text into a thumbnail, you must balance the visual elements to ensure the letters don’t overshadow the image. The River Drive font allows you to create bold yet legible text without removing the stunning photo in the background.

18. Traveler Note

Adventure and travel channels help us know what it’s like to visit a place, even though we haven’t left our couches. The Traveler Note font brings life and cheer to your travel vlogs as you continue introducing us to different parts of the world.

19. Free Love Script

Perhaps your YouTube is missing that feminine touch to tie everything together. The curvy lettering in the Free Love Script is perfect for lifestyle videos or fashion vlogs, which could use a bit of femininity to drive the message home.

20. Config Rounded

If your channel is professional or you post informative content about finances, business, and other important topics, the best YouTube thumbnail font for you is the Config rounded font. It looks pretty modern and works well with any background.

Generate Cool YouTube Thumbnail Texts With Wondershare Filmora

If you have been making YouTube videos for a while now, then you must be familiar with Wondershare Filmora , a top-tier video editing tool. If not, we will discuss some of the features that make it a great editing tool in a short while. You can also use this platform to create and design the perfect thumbnail for your YouTube video.

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

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The title editing feature on this platform allows you to add creative text to your video and customize it as you see fit. You can also use Wondershare Filmora to make a title with customizable parameters. For instance, you can edit the text titles using three different fill types: color fill, gradient fill, and image fill.

Wondershare Filmora is an excellent tool to help bring your thumbnails alive and reel the masses in to view more videos from your channel. You cannot possibly exhaust the 107 animation styles, 12 types of shadow effects, and more than ten borders that make your text stand out from the rest. If you are unhappy with your current font, you can choose from over 30 categories of titles till you find one that tickles your fancy.

We couldn’t forget to mention the 3D titles feature with Wondershare Filmora. Gone are the days when creators would use 2D titles to introduce their videos to their audience. Even though not many content creators use 3D titles, you can be among the few that do and gain a competitive advantage. Ensure you peruse through the various categories and find one that speaks to you and fits the kind of content you create.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to edit YouTube thumbnail text fonts.

Step1 Launch Wondershare Filmora on your device and select “New Project.”

Step2 Click on the icon shown below to import media from your device.

Step3 Drag and drop your photos as shown below to create your YouTube Thumbnail on the platform.

Step4 Add titles to customize the texts in your Thumbnail.

Step5 In the Titles panel, you can customize the font. Filmora offers hundreds of fonts for your choosing.

Step6 Select a still frame to be your thumbnail. Click the camera icon on the right side to take a snapshot.

Step7 The snapshot will appear on the Media panel. Right click the snapshot, and select “Reveal in Explorer” to locate it in your local drive. Then you can use it as your YouTube Thumbnail.

You don’t need to search for fonts on the Internet when Wondershare Filmora offers downloadable fonts. If you are interested in installing fonts in Filmora, watch this video to learn how.

Conclusion

As you generate thumbnails for your YouTube videos, it would be wise to ensure you make them full-sized. The ideal dimension for a YouTube thumbnail should be 1280*720. Since most of your viewers use their mobile phones to watch YouTube videos, it would help to ensure the thumbnail looks the same on your laptop and your mobile device.

A hazy or pixelated thumbnail could discourage the viewer from clicking on your video. We hope you have found a font you like and will incorporate it into your next YouTube video.

20 Best Fonts for YouTube Thumbnails To Bring Traffic to Your Videos

Your thumbnail is the first thing your audience will see as they browse on YouTube. Since you only have a few seconds to make a good first impression, it would be wise to make the most out of it.

YouTube thumbnails capture the viewer’s attention and spark their interest. The more eye-catching your thumbnail is, the more likely they will click on your video. If you take your time to make good thumbnails for your YouTube videos, you will undoubtedly increase your channel’s traffic and expand your reach.

Recent research reveals that YouTube thumbnails with text and numbers get more clicks than thumbnails with plain images. Therefore, choosing a great font to accompany your thumbnail would be wise and make it more visually appealing. Stick around for the fun part of the article, where we discuss twenty best fonts for your YouTube thumbnails.

1. Bebas Neue - Popular YouTube Thumbnail Font

The first YouTube thumbnail font on our list is a popular one known as Bebas Neue. You can use this font for your videos and thumbnails regardless of what content you post. The elegant yet sublime design makes it a perfect choice for you if you are just starting out or have yet to explore other options.

2. Impact - YouTube Thumbnail Font for Strong Sense

If you want a straightforward font for your thumbnail, look no further than Impact. Its strong sense makes it the best font for YouTube thumbnails. Even though it is versatile for any content, it is most frequently used on reaction videos, pranks, or reviews.

3. Montserrat - Good Font for YouTube Thumbnail

The letters in the Montserrat video are very simple, with the slightest shadowing and outline. This font is pretty versatile, and you can use it to make thumbnails for laid-back content or more serious and factual videos.

4. Alfa Slab - YouTube Thumbnail Text Font With a Futuristic Vibe

The Alfa slab font has a futuristic vibe to it, making it the perfect choice for content about new innovations or the future of technology. The blocky yet simple letters are easy to read and don’t take away from the main message or the background.

5. Againts - Best Font for YouTube Thumbnail

Suppose you post lots of travel content, share videos of you lounging on the best, or sample a new restaurant. The Againts font has a unique outdoor vibe that makes your videos pop and makes your audience anticipate where you will travel next.

6. Dancing Script - YouTube Thumbnail Font With a Sweat Vibe

The Dancing Script font is a must-have in your arsenal if you wouldn’t want your videos to be too serious. The slanted letters also give your thumbnail a feminine touch, making it great for fashion vlogs or videos about life hacks for ladies.

7. Oswald

The letters in this Oswald font are encapsulated in a dark grey rectangle, making them stand out and easy to read. You could use this font with other backgrounds in your thumbnail to highlight keywords you wouldn’t want your audience to miss as they scroll through YouTube.

8. Arial Negrata - Print Font for YouTube Thumbnails

We couldn’t forget to mention Arial Negrata, which has a beautiful print font and complementary sub-fonts. You can easily vary the fonts’ sizes for emphasis and to capture the interest of your audience.

9. BlackOpsOne - Best YouTube Thumbnail Font for Gaming Videos

Are you tired of the boring print fonts and girly cursive text? If you answer yes, you should check out the BlackOpsOne font, which is unlike anything you have ever seen. This font is perfect for gaming videos or content that involves long streams.

10. Beauty and the Beast

If you are a streamer, gamer, or like to post life hack videos on YouTube, you are probably looking for some good fonts for YouTube thumbnails to make your video less serious. The Beauty and the Beast font is very whimsical, giving your thumbnail a playful feel.

11. Chucklesome

You will immediately recognize this font if you grew up watching many cartoons and reading comic books. Chucklesome is another font with the best font color for YouTube thumbnails, making it an excellent choice if your YouTube channel is about games, movies, or comic books. The artsy typeface, bold letters, and bright colors can capture your audience’s attention from a mile away.

12. Caribold

As the name suggests, the Caribold font for YouTube thumbnails is very bold, and the letters almost jump out of the screen at you. The borders, outline, and shadows emphasize the font, making it hard to miss. You can use this font to create thumbnails for “How To” videos.

13. Bernhard - Serious YouTube Thumbnail Font

Depending on the content you post, you might want to discard the whimsical feel and give your thumbnail a more serious vibe. The Bernhard font is technically an enlarged script font that makes your videos and thumbnails look fresh and elegant. You can use this font for historical or factual videos.

14. Dustin Font Quartet

It is not uncommon for thumbnails to draw inspiration from other brands. The Dustin font is an excellent example of such a font, which is similar to the Supreme brand logo. This font is pretty versatile as it comes in a pack of four fonts, making you spoilt for choice!

15. The Tide - Chunky-Letter Font for YouTube Thumbnails

The Tide thumbnail font gives a relaxing beach vibe that would be great if you love posting laid-back content. This font also comes with chunky letters, which are easy to read and grab the attention of anyone scrolling through the platform.

16. Badaboom BB

The best font for YouTube thumbnail is Badaboom BB font, which has vibrant colors and unique letters. The red and yellow colors are an absolute showstopper and a must-have if you want your audience to notice you. This font style is excellent for gaming and streaming YouTube videos, where you just want your audience to have a good time.

17. River Drive

When inserting text into a thumbnail, you must balance the visual elements to ensure the letters don’t overshadow the image. The River Drive font allows you to create bold yet legible text without removing the stunning photo in the background.

18. Traveler Note

Adventure and travel channels help us know what it’s like to visit a place, even though we haven’t left our couches. The Traveler Note font brings life and cheer to your travel vlogs as you continue introducing us to different parts of the world.

19. Free Love Script

Perhaps your YouTube is missing that feminine touch to tie everything together. The curvy lettering in the Free Love Script is perfect for lifestyle videos or fashion vlogs, which could use a bit of femininity to drive the message home.

20. Config Rounded

If your channel is professional or you post informative content about finances, business, and other important topics, the best YouTube thumbnail font for you is the Config rounded font. It looks pretty modern and works well with any background.

Generate Cool YouTube Thumbnail Texts With Wondershare Filmora

If you have been making YouTube videos for a while now, then you must be familiar with Wondershare Filmora , a top-tier video editing tool. If not, we will discuss some of the features that make it a great editing tool in a short while. You can also use this platform to create and design the perfect thumbnail for your YouTube video.

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

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

The title editing feature on this platform allows you to add creative text to your video and customize it as you see fit. You can also use Wondershare Filmora to make a title with customizable parameters. For instance, you can edit the text titles using three different fill types: color fill, gradient fill, and image fill.

Wondershare Filmora is an excellent tool to help bring your thumbnails alive and reel the masses in to view more videos from your channel. You cannot possibly exhaust the 107 animation styles, 12 types of shadow effects, and more than ten borders that make your text stand out from the rest. If you are unhappy with your current font, you can choose from over 30 categories of titles till you find one that tickles your fancy.

We couldn’t forget to mention the 3D titles feature with Wondershare Filmora. Gone are the days when creators would use 2D titles to introduce their videos to their audience. Even though not many content creators use 3D titles, you can be among the few that do and gain a competitive advantage. Ensure you peruse through the various categories and find one that speaks to you and fits the kind of content you create.

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to edit YouTube thumbnail text fonts.

Step1 Launch Wondershare Filmora on your device and select “New Project.”

Step2 Click on the icon shown below to import media from your device.

Step3 Drag and drop your photos as shown below to create your YouTube Thumbnail on the platform.

Step4 Add titles to customize the texts in your Thumbnail.

Step5 In the Titles panel, you can customize the font. Filmora offers hundreds of fonts for your choosing.

Step6 Select a still frame to be your thumbnail. Click the camera icon on the right side to take a snapshot.

Step7 The snapshot will appear on the Media panel. Right click the snapshot, and select “Reveal in Explorer” to locate it in your local drive. Then you can use it as your YouTube Thumbnail.

You don’t need to search for fonts on the Internet when Wondershare Filmora offers downloadable fonts. If you are interested in installing fonts in Filmora, watch this video to learn how.

Conclusion

As you generate thumbnails for your YouTube videos, it would be wise to ensure you make them full-sized. The ideal dimension for a YouTube thumbnail should be 1280*720. Since most of your viewers use their mobile phones to watch YouTube videos, it would help to ensure the thumbnail looks the same on your laptop and your mobile device.

A hazy or pixelated thumbnail could discourage the viewer from clicking on your video. We hope you have found a font you like and will incorporate it into your next YouTube video.

Enhancing User Experience: Strategic Placement of Alerts on YouTube Content

How to Add YouTube Annotations and Cards?

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Update: YouTube has replaced annotation with end screen. You can find the latest informaiton about YouTube screen and YouTube cards here.

YouTube Cards and Annotations are very useful if you want to encourage your viewrs to take an action, like Subscribe, go to another video or associated website, etc. Today, we’re going to show you the differences between cards and annotations, and how to add them in YouTube videos.

---

Do you want to make your YouTube video more attractive? Wondershare Filmora is a such video editing software designed for YouTube creator. It not only allows you cut, trim, crop, zoom, reverse, rotate the video clips, but also makes the advanced features like green screen, PIP, tilt-shift and mosaic easy like a piece of cake. With Wondershare Filmora, you can ignite your YouTube videos with over 300 effects like Fashion, Beauty, Block Buster, Travel, etc.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

The main difference between annotation and cards is their outlook. Cards are more graphical whereas annotations are text based. The cards slide in once you click the small “i” button on the video where as the annotation is there based on the timings set by the user. Moreover the main differences between the two are:

1. YouTube Cards are small and unobtrusive, unless a viewer chooses to click on them, which is why they are the better option when you are trying to get views on other videos. Irritating a few people with a big annotation might be worth it if you also draw other people’s attention to your cause or website, but it is not a good way to endear yourself to people you are trying to get views and subscriptions from. When a card is clicked a thumbnail will appear with a link to your additional content. YouTube Cards are often better than annotations for adding links to your videos because they look much tidier. Also, unlike annotations, cards will be visible to people watching your videos on their mobile devices.

2. You cannot use Cards just to insert notes into your videos, though, and you cannot adjust their size like you can with annotations. So, if you do need a link to be large and extremely noticeable, annotations might still be your best option. Cards and annotations can even be used in combination sometimes.

• Part 1: How to Add YouTube Cards
• Part 2: How to Add YouTube Annotations

How to add YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are similar to annotations but more interactive. They allow the owner of the video to add images and other links. A small box appears, clicking on which will activate the cards.

• Click on the “Video Manager” tab

• Click “Edit” tab under the video screen shot you want to add the card on
• Click on the “Cards” tab

• On the right panel click on “Add Card” drop down menu and select the type of card you want to add
• Click on the create button which will open the corresponding video
• Once you finish the subsequent information required click create card
• Select the timeline for the playhead to appear which leads to the card slide

• Apply changes and exit

How to add YouTube annotations

YouTube Annotation is addition of a text layer, link or hotspots over your video. They add interactive boxes which link to other websites or videos (any link you want).

• Click on the video manager tab
• Click edit tab under the video screen shot you want to add the annotation on
• Click on the “End screen & Annotation” tab

• On the right panel click on “+ Add Element” and select the kind of annotation you want to add
• Adjust the position of Annotation, you can drag the rectangle to locate it at any position of the video, move the slide to set the start and end time of the annotation

• Apply changes

The types of YouTube annotations:

1. Speech Bubbles

Speech Bubbles: look like the dialogue box in a comic strip. There is a tail which you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation. Speech bubbles are great for adding in funny comments.

2. Notes

Notes: come in a limited selection of colors and can be adjusted to take up a maximum of 30% of your player screen. Sometimes you need a huge annotation to get an important point across, but using huge note annotations too often – especially near the beginnings of your videos – will annoy viewers. If you need a large note annotation make sure to place it later in your video, when a viewer will already be invested in what they are watching and less likely to click away.

3. Titles

Titles: are large pieces of text that go either at the beginning of your video or in-between different topics within your video. YouTube’s titles are not very nice to look at, but they are a decent option if you do not have access to video editing software.

4. Spotlights

Spotlights: have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a user hovers over the spotlight. Spotlights are great for turning elements within your video into links.

5. Labels

Labels: are completely transparent, like spotlights, but the user does not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

6. Pauses

Pauses: are no longer available to add to your videos, although Pause Annotations added before they were removed still work. Pause Annotations used to stop your video for a set period of time when your annotation appeared.

If somebody watches your video and gets to the end then that means they enjoyed it and will probably be open to checking out more of your content. Rather than hoping that your other videos show up in the ‘Suggested Videos’ YouTube will show after yours has finished playing you should always include an outro, or ending card, after your video to recommend your own work. Annotations are used in a lot of successful YouTuber’s ending cards.

One form this takes is small Note annotations in the bottom corners of the screen, one linking to your previous video and one to the next. Sometimes your viewers might not necessarily get the most enjoyment out of your videos by watching them in order, though. Sometimes you want to link viewers to the videos that are most related to the one they just watched.

The best outros also include a subscribe button, which can be created using annotations. These annotations work best when combined with a verbal call to action. Make sure your outro lasts long enough for people to make the decision to subscribe or click another video.

No matter what kind of annotations you are using, you should never use more than two of them at a time anywhere except for your outro. You should also never place annotations at the very top of your screen, or in the middle at the bottom. If your video is embedding on a separate website then the player will cover annotations at the top of the screen, and ads might cover annotations placed in the bottom-middle of the screen. Keep in mind when using annotations that they will not be visible to users watching your videos on mobile devices. If mobile traffic is very important to you then consider using YouTube Cards.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Update: YouTube has replaced annotation with end screen. You can find the latest informaiton about YouTube screen and YouTube cards here.

YouTube Cards and Annotations are very useful if you want to encourage your viewrs to take an action, like Subscribe, go to another video or associated website, etc. Today, we’re going to show you the differences between cards and annotations, and how to add them in YouTube videos.

---

Do you want to make your YouTube video more attractive? Wondershare Filmora is a such video editing software designed for YouTube creator. It not only allows you cut, trim, crop, zoom, reverse, rotate the video clips, but also makes the advanced features like green screen, PIP, tilt-shift and mosaic easy like a piece of cake. With Wondershare Filmora, you can ignite your YouTube videos with over 300 effects like Fashion, Beauty, Block Buster, Travel, etc.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

The main difference between annotation and cards is their outlook. Cards are more graphical whereas annotations are text based. The cards slide in once you click the small “i” button on the video where as the annotation is there based on the timings set by the user. Moreover the main differences between the two are:

1. YouTube Cards are small and unobtrusive, unless a viewer chooses to click on them, which is why they are the better option when you are trying to get views on other videos. Irritating a few people with a big annotation might be worth it if you also draw other people’s attention to your cause or website, but it is not a good way to endear yourself to people you are trying to get views and subscriptions from. When a card is clicked a thumbnail will appear with a link to your additional content. YouTube Cards are often better than annotations for adding links to your videos because they look much tidier. Also, unlike annotations, cards will be visible to people watching your videos on their mobile devices.

2. You cannot use Cards just to insert notes into your videos, though, and you cannot adjust their size like you can with annotations. So, if you do need a link to be large and extremely noticeable, annotations might still be your best option. Cards and annotations can even be used in combination sometimes.

• Part 1: How to Add YouTube Cards
• Part 2: How to Add YouTube Annotations

How to add YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are similar to annotations but more interactive. They allow the owner of the video to add images and other links. A small box appears, clicking on which will activate the cards.

• Click on the “Video Manager” tab

• Click “Edit” tab under the video screen shot you want to add the card on
• Click on the “Cards” tab

• On the right panel click on “Add Card” drop down menu and select the type of card you want to add
• Click on the create button which will open the corresponding video
• Once you finish the subsequent information required click create card
• Select the timeline for the playhead to appear which leads to the card slide

• Apply changes and exit

How to add YouTube annotations

YouTube Annotation is addition of a text layer, link or hotspots over your video. They add interactive boxes which link to other websites or videos (any link you want).

• Click on the video manager tab
• Click edit tab under the video screen shot you want to add the annotation on
• Click on the “End screen & Annotation” tab

• On the right panel click on “+ Add Element” and select the kind of annotation you want to add
• Adjust the position of Annotation, you can drag the rectangle to locate it at any position of the video, move the slide to set the start and end time of the annotation

• Apply changes

The types of YouTube annotations:

1. Speech Bubbles

Speech Bubbles: look like the dialogue box in a comic strip. There is a tail which you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation. Speech bubbles are great for adding in funny comments.

2. Notes

Notes: come in a limited selection of colors and can be adjusted to take up a maximum of 30% of your player screen. Sometimes you need a huge annotation to get an important point across, but using huge note annotations too often – especially near the beginnings of your videos – will annoy viewers. If you need a large note annotation make sure to place it later in your video, when a viewer will already be invested in what they are watching and less likely to click away.

3. Titles

Titles: are large pieces of text that go either at the beginning of your video or in-between different topics within your video. YouTube’s titles are not very nice to look at, but they are a decent option if you do not have access to video editing software.

4. Spotlights

Spotlights: have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a user hovers over the spotlight. Spotlights are great for turning elements within your video into links.

5. Labels

Labels: are completely transparent, like spotlights, but the user does not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

6. Pauses

Pauses: are no longer available to add to your videos, although Pause Annotations added before they were removed still work. Pause Annotations used to stop your video for a set period of time when your annotation appeared.

If somebody watches your video and gets to the end then that means they enjoyed it and will probably be open to checking out more of your content. Rather than hoping that your other videos show up in the ‘Suggested Videos’ YouTube will show after yours has finished playing you should always include an outro, or ending card, after your video to recommend your own work. Annotations are used in a lot of successful YouTuber’s ending cards.

One form this takes is small Note annotations in the bottom corners of the screen, one linking to your previous video and one to the next. Sometimes your viewers might not necessarily get the most enjoyment out of your videos by watching them in order, though. Sometimes you want to link viewers to the videos that are most related to the one they just watched.

The best outros also include a subscribe button, which can be created using annotations. These annotations work best when combined with a verbal call to action. Make sure your outro lasts long enough for people to make the decision to subscribe or click another video.

No matter what kind of annotations you are using, you should never use more than two of them at a time anywhere except for your outro. You should also never place annotations at the very top of your screen, or in the middle at the bottom. If your video is embedding on a separate website then the player will cover annotations at the top of the screen, and ads might cover annotations placed in the bottom-middle of the screen. Keep in mind when using annotations that they will not be visible to users watching your videos on mobile devices. If mobile traffic is very important to you then consider using YouTube Cards.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Update: YouTube has replaced annotation with end screen. You can find the latest informaiton about YouTube screen and YouTube cards here.

YouTube Cards and Annotations are very useful if you want to encourage your viewrs to take an action, like Subscribe, go to another video or associated website, etc. Today, we’re going to show you the differences between cards and annotations, and how to add them in YouTube videos.

---

Do you want to make your YouTube video more attractive? Wondershare Filmora is a such video editing software designed for YouTube creator. It not only allows you cut, trim, crop, zoom, reverse, rotate the video clips, but also makes the advanced features like green screen, PIP, tilt-shift and mosaic easy like a piece of cake. With Wondershare Filmora, you can ignite your YouTube videos with over 300 effects like Fashion, Beauty, Block Buster, Travel, etc.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

The main difference between annotation and cards is their outlook. Cards are more graphical whereas annotations are text based. The cards slide in once you click the small “i” button on the video where as the annotation is there based on the timings set by the user. Moreover the main differences between the two are:

1. YouTube Cards are small and unobtrusive, unless a viewer chooses to click on them, which is why they are the better option when you are trying to get views on other videos. Irritating a few people with a big annotation might be worth it if you also draw other people’s attention to your cause or website, but it is not a good way to endear yourself to people you are trying to get views and subscriptions from. When a card is clicked a thumbnail will appear with a link to your additional content. YouTube Cards are often better than annotations for adding links to your videos because they look much tidier. Also, unlike annotations, cards will be visible to people watching your videos on their mobile devices.

2. You cannot use Cards just to insert notes into your videos, though, and you cannot adjust their size like you can with annotations. So, if you do need a link to be large and extremely noticeable, annotations might still be your best option. Cards and annotations can even be used in combination sometimes.

• Part 1: How to Add YouTube Cards
• Part 2: How to Add YouTube Annotations

How to add YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are similar to annotations but more interactive. They allow the owner of the video to add images and other links. A small box appears, clicking on which will activate the cards.

• Click on the “Video Manager” tab

• Click “Edit” tab under the video screen shot you want to add the card on
• Click on the “Cards” tab

• On the right panel click on “Add Card” drop down menu and select the type of card you want to add
• Click on the create button which will open the corresponding video
• Once you finish the subsequent information required click create card
• Select the timeline for the playhead to appear which leads to the card slide

• Apply changes and exit

How to add YouTube annotations

YouTube Annotation is addition of a text layer, link or hotspots over your video. They add interactive boxes which link to other websites or videos (any link you want).

• Click on the video manager tab
• Click edit tab under the video screen shot you want to add the annotation on
• Click on the “End screen & Annotation” tab

• On the right panel click on “+ Add Element” and select the kind of annotation you want to add
• Adjust the position of Annotation, you can drag the rectangle to locate it at any position of the video, move the slide to set the start and end time of the annotation

• Apply changes

The types of YouTube annotations:

1. Speech Bubbles

Speech Bubbles: look like the dialogue box in a comic strip. There is a tail which you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation. Speech bubbles are great for adding in funny comments.

2. Notes

Notes: come in a limited selection of colors and can be adjusted to take up a maximum of 30% of your player screen. Sometimes you need a huge annotation to get an important point across, but using huge note annotations too often – especially near the beginnings of your videos – will annoy viewers. If you need a large note annotation make sure to place it later in your video, when a viewer will already be invested in what they are watching and less likely to click away.

3. Titles

Titles: are large pieces of text that go either at the beginning of your video or in-between different topics within your video. YouTube’s titles are not very nice to look at, but they are a decent option if you do not have access to video editing software.

4. Spotlights

Spotlights: have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a user hovers over the spotlight. Spotlights are great for turning elements within your video into links.

5. Labels

Labels: are completely transparent, like spotlights, but the user does not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

6. Pauses

Pauses: are no longer available to add to your videos, although Pause Annotations added before they were removed still work. Pause Annotations used to stop your video for a set period of time when your annotation appeared.

If somebody watches your video and gets to the end then that means they enjoyed it and will probably be open to checking out more of your content. Rather than hoping that your other videos show up in the ‘Suggested Videos’ YouTube will show after yours has finished playing you should always include an outro, or ending card, after your video to recommend your own work. Annotations are used in a lot of successful YouTuber’s ending cards.

One form this takes is small Note annotations in the bottom corners of the screen, one linking to your previous video and one to the next. Sometimes your viewers might not necessarily get the most enjoyment out of your videos by watching them in order, though. Sometimes you want to link viewers to the videos that are most related to the one they just watched.

The best outros also include a subscribe button, which can be created using annotations. These annotations work best when combined with a verbal call to action. Make sure your outro lasts long enough for people to make the decision to subscribe or click another video.

No matter what kind of annotations you are using, you should never use more than two of them at a time anywhere except for your outro. You should also never place annotations at the very top of your screen, or in the middle at the bottom. If your video is embedding on a separate website then the player will cover annotations at the top of the screen, and ads might cover annotations placed in the bottom-middle of the screen. Keep in mind when using annotations that they will not be visible to users watching your videos on mobile devices. If mobile traffic is very important to you then consider using YouTube Cards.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Update: YouTube has replaced annotation with end screen. You can find the latest informaiton about YouTube screen and YouTube cards here.

YouTube Cards and Annotations are very useful if you want to encourage your viewrs to take an action, like Subscribe, go to another video or associated website, etc. Today, we’re going to show you the differences between cards and annotations, and how to add them in YouTube videos.

---

Do you want to make your YouTube video more attractive? Wondershare Filmora is a such video editing software designed for YouTube creator. It not only allows you cut, trim, crop, zoom, reverse, rotate the video clips, but also makes the advanced features like green screen, PIP, tilt-shift and mosaic easy like a piece of cake. With Wondershare Filmora, you can ignite your YouTube videos with over 300 effects like Fashion, Beauty, Block Buster, Travel, etc.

Download Mac Version ](https://tools.techidaily.com/wondershare/filmora/download/ )

---

The main difference between annotation and cards is their outlook. Cards are more graphical whereas annotations are text based. The cards slide in once you click the small “i” button on the video where as the annotation is there based on the timings set by the user. Moreover the main differences between the two are:

1. YouTube Cards are small and unobtrusive, unless a viewer chooses to click on them, which is why they are the better option when you are trying to get views on other videos. Irritating a few people with a big annotation might be worth it if you also draw other people’s attention to your cause or website, but it is not a good way to endear yourself to people you are trying to get views and subscriptions from. When a card is clicked a thumbnail will appear with a link to your additional content. YouTube Cards are often better than annotations for adding links to your videos because they look much tidier. Also, unlike annotations, cards will be visible to people watching your videos on their mobile devices.

2. You cannot use Cards just to insert notes into your videos, though, and you cannot adjust their size like you can with annotations. So, if you do need a link to be large and extremely noticeable, annotations might still be your best option. Cards and annotations can even be used in combination sometimes.

• Part 1: How to Add YouTube Cards
• Part 2: How to Add YouTube Annotations

How to add YouTube Cards

YouTube Cards are similar to annotations but more interactive. They allow the owner of the video to add images and other links. A small box appears, clicking on which will activate the cards.

• Click on the “Video Manager” tab

• Click “Edit” tab under the video screen shot you want to add the card on
• Click on the “Cards” tab

• On the right panel click on “Add Card” drop down menu and select the type of card you want to add
• Click on the create button which will open the corresponding video
• Once you finish the subsequent information required click create card
• Select the timeline for the playhead to appear which leads to the card slide

• Apply changes and exit

How to add YouTube annotations

YouTube Annotation is addition of a text layer, link or hotspots over your video. They add interactive boxes which link to other websites or videos (any link you want).

• Click on the video manager tab
• Click edit tab under the video screen shot you want to add the annotation on
• Click on the “End screen & Annotation” tab

• On the right panel click on “+ Add Element” and select the kind of annotation you want to add
• Adjust the position of Annotation, you can drag the rectangle to locate it at any position of the video, move the slide to set the start and end time of the annotation

• Apply changes

The types of YouTube annotations:

1. Speech Bubbles

Speech Bubbles: look like the dialogue box in a comic strip. There is a tail which you can adjust so it looks like one of the people in your video is saying what is written in the annotation. Speech bubbles are great for adding in funny comments.

2. Notes

Notes: come in a limited selection of colors and can be adjusted to take up a maximum of 30% of your player screen. Sometimes you need a huge annotation to get an important point across, but using huge note annotations too often – especially near the beginnings of your videos – will annoy viewers. If you need a large note annotation make sure to place it later in your video, when a viewer will already be invested in what they are watching and less likely to click away.

3. Titles

Titles: are large pieces of text that go either at the beginning of your video or in-between different topics within your video. YouTube’s titles are not very nice to look at, but they are a decent option if you do not have access to video editing software.

4. Spotlights

Spotlights: have a subtle border and are completely clear inside. Your text only appears when a user hovers over the spotlight. Spotlights are great for turning elements within your video into links.

5. Labels

Labels: are completely transparent, like spotlights, but the user does not have to hover over them for your text to be visible.

6. Pauses

Pauses: are no longer available to add to your videos, although Pause Annotations added before they were removed still work. Pause Annotations used to stop your video for a set period of time when your annotation appeared.

If somebody watches your video and gets to the end then that means they enjoyed it and will probably be open to checking out more of your content. Rather than hoping that your other videos show up in the ‘Suggested Videos’ YouTube will show after yours has finished playing you should always include an outro, or ending card, after your video to recommend your own work. Annotations are used in a lot of successful YouTuber’s ending cards.

One form this takes is small Note annotations in the bottom corners of the screen, one linking to your previous video and one to the next. Sometimes your viewers might not necessarily get the most enjoyment out of your videos by watching them in order, though. Sometimes you want to link viewers to the videos that are most related to the one they just watched.

The best outros also include a subscribe button, which can be created using annotations. These annotations work best when combined with a verbal call to action. Make sure your outro lasts long enough for people to make the decision to subscribe or click another video.

No matter what kind of annotations you are using, you should never use more than two of them at a time anywhere except for your outro. You should also never place annotations at the very top of your screen, or in the middle at the bottom. If your video is embedding on a separate website then the player will cover annotations at the top of the screen, and ads might cover annotations placed in the bottom-middle of the screen. Keep in mind when using annotations that they will not be visible to users watching your videos on mobile devices. If mobile traffic is very important to you then consider using YouTube Cards.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

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