The Artistic Science Behind YouTube Live Imagery

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

Expressions

Text

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

Conclusion

Top 8 Real-Time Strategies to Boost Viewership

Best YouTube Video Promotion Services (Real)

Click here

Liza Brown

Apr 28, 2024• Proven solutions

You don’t want to create a YouTube channel to post pointless and weird videos. It takes a lot of time and energy to create YouTube videos and to bring it to the forefront, so it is important to use a YouTube video promotion service. You would definitely want your videos to reach millions of people and not just get stuck within a few 100 views.

The YouTube promotion services are a highly effective tool for demonstrating your proficiency, creating your brand awareness, sharing information and facts, promoting events, engaging with the customers, and for building trustworthiness. With several benefits of promotional services, have you ever thought of promoting your YouTube videos? For real YouTube promotion of videos, here are the 8 best YouTube video promotion services that you may consider.

Best YouTube video maker - Filmora

If your budget is limited, here you can use Filmora to make amazing videos with free-to-use effects/audio/images. Download it now to have a try!

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

Best YouTube Video Promotion Service

1. Fiverr

If you wish to successfully complete your project’s goals and deadlines, turn to the best YouTube promotional service, Fiverr. For real YouTube promotion of videos, you may choose from the premiere, standard and basic plans priced at $50 for 13 days, $25 for 10 days, and $5 for 9 days respectively.

You just need to describe your gig, compare and select packages, check out the recommendations and reviews and start the YouTube video promotion service. There are various categories like digital marketing, graphic designs, video animation, writing translation, etc. under which you can tag your video.

2. Push Views

If you wish to garner traffic or increase the fan following, opt for the Push views real YouTube promotion services. It is a simple yet effective tool that works on a fair pricing subscription. Push Views never dig a hole in your pocket as you may keep changing your promotional budget each week. The best part is you are not fooled by the gimmicks to overspend when you are using Push Views YouTube video promotion service.

3. SEO Task

Are you disheartened to find no views in your YouTube video? SEO Task is one of the best YouTube promotion services that offer focused solutions for the professionals targeting success in the world of the Internet. SEO Task is rapidly growing and keeps you in advance curve of the business with endless updates and releases. It helps with incredible reach, high engagement, increased traffic, improved SEO, trust building, and affordability.

4. Grin

Grin is a real YouTube promotion service that helps you with shoutouts from superior YouTubers, criticism, and opinion from your counterparts and other YouTubers, partnerships with superior YouTubers and experts for a range of video editing/production. Shoutouts and collaborations can easily help new individual video creators to grow. If you want your YouTube video channel to look professional, you may hire designers, artists, motion editors, and audio technicians on our Marketplace and pay them.

5. Video Promotion

One of the best and most reliable YouTube video promotion services, Video Promotion helps to bring in online engagement, target the viewers and creates exposure for your video to help it in becoming viral. Video Promotion helps to promote your videos on YouTube as well as other display networks and partners.

You can promote your video in just 3 easy steps. Enter the video URL you wish to promote, select the number of views you want and the country you want your video to be played. Then, use PayPal or the other available options to pay for the views and finally submit your order and wait for the representative to call you. The video is live for the viewers until it does not reach the number of views you have paid for.

6. RNS Agency

RNS Agency is one of the easiest YouTube promotion services providers as in just 4 easy steps you can promote your YouTube video with this real YouTube promotion tool. Just sign up on the RNS website to promote your video.

You need to point the video that you wish to run the ad campaign on and select the number of audiences you are targeting. Your video is promoted across the globe to the relevant set of viewers who engage with your video and make you a successful and popular YouTuber. There are 6 packages with several payment options for you to choose from.

7. Juss Russ

Juss Russ offers two packages for real YouTube promotion. The basic package is priced at $49.99 and includes 1000 new views. Your videos get featured on their Twitter handle and also on Juss Russ radio. The video blast is for around 500 subscribers.

The premium package is priced at $149.99 and includes 5000 views. Apart from the views, you receive comments and likes, your video is featured on Juss Russ Twitter handle, Radio, and on Artists sounds. Juss Russ places your content in strategic places to locate your target audience.

8. Sparxit Solutions

With Sparxit Solutions YouTube promotion services, your video searchability on this most popular platform is effectively enhanced. The YouTube video promotion service offered by Sparxit Solutions allows you to boost your YouTube video and make it a brand amongst the users. The effective and powerful services help you out to appear more prominently in the YouTube search results.

Conclusion

Now, that you know how important YouTube video promotion services are, you may opt for anyone from the above list of real YouTube video promotion providers to enhance your video and garner relevant viewers, likes and comments. Increase the awareness of your brand and/or product among the masses by opting for the right YouTube video promotion service.

Liza Brown

Liza Brown is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Liza Brown