Unlock Creativity in YouTube Production: An Intro to WMM

How to Edit YouTube videos in Windows Movie Maker

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We all know YouTube is an important platform for sharing and watching videos. Are you a YouTuber looking for how to edit YouTube video with the best YouTube movie maker? You have come the right place if you wonder how to edit a video for YouTube on Windows. While, if you have free Windows Movie Maker already installed on your computer, you can edit YouTube videos in Windows Movie Maker and then upload to YouTube directly. In this article, I will show you all the information you need to know about how to edit a video for YouTube in Windows Movie Maker with step by step.

You may also like : The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Video Editing Tools

---

In case that you do not have free Windows Movie Maker in your computer, you may need to download it from other website since Microsoft has removed the downloading link after January 2017. Please pay attention when downloading the Movie Maker application from website and never download it from untrusted website.

A better way to edit YouTube Videos - Wondershare Filmora supports many formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, and FLV, which means that you will not need to convert the files before and after editing. Like Windows Movie Maker, Wondershare Filmora is easy to use but comes with many more features that allow for professional-grade videos. One of these features is the animated text. There are also built-in presets that you can use to quickly edit your videos. There is also the option to directly upload a video to YouTube from Filmora, so no time is wasted waiting for a video to process.

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

It is hard to list all the information of how to use Filmora to edit YouTube videos here, but we have composed an article about how to edit videos, you can check How to Edit Video in Filmora: Beginners’ Guide .

---

Windows Movie Maker YouTube: How to Edit YouTube Videos?

Before editing the video in Windows Movie Maker , you have to make sure that the video format is supported by free Windows Movie Maker. As you may know that Window Movie Maker only accept the following file formats at importing: .WMV/.ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), .WMA, .WAV, and .MP3. Importing formats such as MP4/3GP, FLV and MOV, are also supported you are running Windows 7 or later and you have installed the necessary codec as well.

If your videos are not supported at importing in Windows Movie Maker, you may need to converter it first or choose a video editor like Filmora video editor which supports the almost all popular formats.

Step 1: Import Video Files Into Windows Movie Maker

To import video or photo into Windows Movie Maker, you can click on the button Add Videos or Photos located at the top of the program. A file window will open, and you can select the videos from any area of your computer. Once you have the files selected, click OK to import the files to the storyboard in the right hand panel.

You can also choose to record a webcam on your windows 10 or windows 7 computer and use it as the material.

Step 2: Trim/Cut/Split/Combine videos in Windows Movie Maker

Preview the video clips in the preview box. You can always use the Previous Frame or Next Frame to preview video frame by frame. When editing a video for YouTube, you may need to trim to remove unwanted parts from the video , combine several clips into a new one or split the video into several smaller parts .

To remove any parts of the video that you do not want in the final version of the video, locate the start frame that you want to remove in the storyboard, and then click the Split button to get the starting point of the split segment, and then locate the end frame that you want to remove and click Split again. Right-click the split video clip you want to remove and select Remove from the context menu. This can be done as many times as you want.

Step 3: Apply Transitions and Visual Effects to YouTube Video

Once you have all the clips that you want in your video, you can then add transitions to the video. At the top of Windows Movie Maker, there is a button that says Animations. This will open a menu that has different options. You need to select the clip, and add the transition that you want. The program does the rest of the work. You can see how it looks by clicking play.

Applying visual effects, overlays and filters work in the same way, but you click on Visual Effects, which is located at the top of the window. You can apply effects to any clip as along as the clip is selected first.

Step 4: Edit/Mute Audio in Video or Add New Audio Sound

If you are planning on adding music to your video, you should think about muting the audio in video or decrease the audio volume in Video. Double click the video clip to enter the Edit panel, and then then click on Video Volume button. You can then mute the audio by drag the volume slider to the left end. Of course, you can adjust the video audio volume per your need. This will affect the all the sounds on that video clip. If you want to mute all the clips, you need to select all the clips, or you will end up with one clip with no sound, and the rest of the clips having sound.

Once the sound has been adjusted on the clips, you can add new audio sound to the video. You can record narrations for your YouTube video in Windows Movie Maker by clicking Record narration button in Home tab and add music to video by clicking Add music button and select the music to import it. You can add music from your computer or find new music sound from AudioMicro, Vimeo or Free Music Archive online.

After importing the new audio file for your YouTube video, you can now adjust the music volume. In the Music Tools tab, there is an Option tab, you can control the volume and other options about the music.

Step 5: Add Title and Text to Video for YouTube

Windows Movie Maker allows you to add different types of text freely. You will see 3 buttons that allow different types of text to video: stationary title, captions and rolling credits. Click on Title, you can add text before the video begins; select Caption, you will write text to the video frames; and click Credits will add end credits to the end of the video.

After selecting the type of text you want, you can enter your text and edit the text effects. You can change the text duration and apply text visual effects, and change the text outline size and more.

Check the detailed information of How to Add Text in Windows Movie Maker .

Step 6: Save and Publish

Once all the edits are done, you can save the video by clicking on File then clicking on Publish Movie. You will need to select where you want to save the file and the file type. Since we are editing videos for YouTube, choose YouTube to upload the edited video to YouTube. You can also save the video in computer with different formats, resolution or burn to DVD. Windows Movie Maker also allows you to save the Video for Email or for mobile devices.

Conclusion

That’s it. That’s how you can edit your YouTube video with Windows Movie Maker. It is a great YouTube video editor to make video with various features. However, you may consider other YouTube movie maker as it won’t updated. Why not try Filmora. It is one of the best movie editor for YouTube. Download it now to have a try!

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

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We all know YouTube is an important platform for sharing and watching videos. Are you a YouTuber looking for how to edit YouTube video with the best YouTube movie maker? You have come the right place if you wonder how to edit a video for YouTube on Windows. While, if you have free Windows Movie Maker already installed on your computer, you can edit YouTube videos in Windows Movie Maker and then upload to YouTube directly. In this article, I will show you all the information you need to know about how to edit a video for YouTube in Windows Movie Maker with step by step.

You may also like : The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Video Editing Tools

---

In case that you do not have free Windows Movie Maker in your computer, you may need to download it from other website since Microsoft has removed the downloading link after January 2017. Please pay attention when downloading the Movie Maker application from website and never download it from untrusted website.

A better way to edit YouTube Videos - Wondershare Filmora supports many formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, and FLV, which means that you will not need to convert the files before and after editing. Like Windows Movie Maker, Wondershare Filmora is easy to use but comes with many more features that allow for professional-grade videos. One of these features is the animated text. There are also built-in presets that you can use to quickly edit your videos. There is also the option to directly upload a video to YouTube from Filmora, so no time is wasted waiting for a video to process.

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

It is hard to list all the information of how to use Filmora to edit YouTube videos here, but we have composed an article about how to edit videos, you can check How to Edit Video in Filmora: Beginners’ Guide .

---

Windows Movie Maker YouTube: How to Edit YouTube Videos?

Before editing the video in Windows Movie Maker , you have to make sure that the video format is supported by free Windows Movie Maker. As you may know that Window Movie Maker only accept the following file formats at importing: .WMV/.ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), .WMA, .WAV, and .MP3. Importing formats such as MP4/3GP, FLV and MOV, are also supported you are running Windows 7 or later and you have installed the necessary codec as well.

If your videos are not supported at importing in Windows Movie Maker, you may need to converter it first or choose a video editor like Filmora video editor which supports the almost all popular formats.

Step 1: Import Video Files Into Windows Movie Maker

To import video or photo into Windows Movie Maker, you can click on the button Add Videos or Photos located at the top of the program. A file window will open, and you can select the videos from any area of your computer. Once you have the files selected, click OK to import the files to the storyboard in the right hand panel.

You can also choose to record a webcam on your windows 10 or windows 7 computer and use it as the material.

Step 2: Trim/Cut/Split/Combine videos in Windows Movie Maker

Preview the video clips in the preview box. You can always use the Previous Frame or Next Frame to preview video frame by frame. When editing a video for YouTube, you may need to trim to remove unwanted parts from the video , combine several clips into a new one or split the video into several smaller parts .

To remove any parts of the video that you do not want in the final version of the video, locate the start frame that you want to remove in the storyboard, and then click the Split button to get the starting point of the split segment, and then locate the end frame that you want to remove and click Split again. Right-click the split video clip you want to remove and select Remove from the context menu. This can be done as many times as you want.

Step 3: Apply Transitions and Visual Effects to YouTube Video

Once you have all the clips that you want in your video, you can then add transitions to the video. At the top of Windows Movie Maker, there is a button that says Animations. This will open a menu that has different options. You need to select the clip, and add the transition that you want. The program does the rest of the work. You can see how it looks by clicking play.

Applying visual effects, overlays and filters work in the same way, but you click on Visual Effects, which is located at the top of the window. You can apply effects to any clip as along as the clip is selected first.

Step 4: Edit/Mute Audio in Video or Add New Audio Sound

If you are planning on adding music to your video, you should think about muting the audio in video or decrease the audio volume in Video. Double click the video clip to enter the Edit panel, and then then click on Video Volume button. You can then mute the audio by drag the volume slider to the left end. Of course, you can adjust the video audio volume per your need. This will affect the all the sounds on that video clip. If you want to mute all the clips, you need to select all the clips, or you will end up with one clip with no sound, and the rest of the clips having sound.

Once the sound has been adjusted on the clips, you can add new audio sound to the video. You can record narrations for your YouTube video in Windows Movie Maker by clicking Record narration button in Home tab and add music to video by clicking Add music button and select the music to import it. You can add music from your computer or find new music sound from AudioMicro, Vimeo or Free Music Archive online.

After importing the new audio file for your YouTube video, you can now adjust the music volume. In the Music Tools tab, there is an Option tab, you can control the volume and other options about the music.

Step 5: Add Title and Text to Video for YouTube

Windows Movie Maker allows you to add different types of text freely. You will see 3 buttons that allow different types of text to video: stationary title, captions and rolling credits. Click on Title, you can add text before the video begins; select Caption, you will write text to the video frames; and click Credits will add end credits to the end of the video.

After selecting the type of text you want, you can enter your text and edit the text effects. You can change the text duration and apply text visual effects, and change the text outline size and more.

Check the detailed information of How to Add Text in Windows Movie Maker .

Step 6: Save and Publish

Once all the edits are done, you can save the video by clicking on File then clicking on Publish Movie. You will need to select where you want to save the file and the file type. Since we are editing videos for YouTube, choose YouTube to upload the edited video to YouTube. You can also save the video in computer with different formats, resolution or burn to DVD. Windows Movie Maker also allows you to save the Video for Email or for mobile devices.

Conclusion

That’s it. That’s how you can edit your YouTube video with Windows Movie Maker. It is a great YouTube video editor to make video with various features. However, you may consider other YouTube movie maker as it won’t updated. Why not try Filmora. It is one of the best movie editor for YouTube. Download it now to have a try!

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

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We all know YouTube is an important platform for sharing and watching videos. Are you a YouTuber looking for how to edit YouTube video with the best YouTube movie maker? You have come the right place if you wonder how to edit a video for YouTube on Windows. While, if you have free Windows Movie Maker already installed on your computer, you can edit YouTube videos in Windows Movie Maker and then upload to YouTube directly. In this article, I will show you all the information you need to know about how to edit a video for YouTube in Windows Movie Maker with step by step.

You may also like : The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Video Editing Tools

---

In case that you do not have free Windows Movie Maker in your computer, you may need to download it from other website since Microsoft has removed the downloading link after January 2017. Please pay attention when downloading the Movie Maker application from website and never download it from untrusted website.

A better way to edit YouTube Videos - Wondershare Filmora supports many formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, and FLV, which means that you will not need to convert the files before and after editing. Like Windows Movie Maker, Wondershare Filmora is easy to use but comes with many more features that allow for professional-grade videos. One of these features is the animated text. There are also built-in presets that you can use to quickly edit your videos. There is also the option to directly upload a video to YouTube from Filmora, so no time is wasted waiting for a video to process.

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

It is hard to list all the information of how to use Filmora to edit YouTube videos here, but we have composed an article about how to edit videos, you can check How to Edit Video in Filmora: Beginners’ Guide .

---

Windows Movie Maker YouTube: How to Edit YouTube Videos?

Before editing the video in Windows Movie Maker , you have to make sure that the video format is supported by free Windows Movie Maker. As you may know that Window Movie Maker only accept the following file formats at importing: .WMV/.ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), .WMA, .WAV, and .MP3. Importing formats such as MP4/3GP, FLV and MOV, are also supported you are running Windows 7 or later and you have installed the necessary codec as well.

If your videos are not supported at importing in Windows Movie Maker, you may need to converter it first or choose a video editor like Filmora video editor which supports the almost all popular formats.

Step 1: Import Video Files Into Windows Movie Maker

To import video or photo into Windows Movie Maker, you can click on the button Add Videos or Photos located at the top of the program. A file window will open, and you can select the videos from any area of your computer. Once you have the files selected, click OK to import the files to the storyboard in the right hand panel.

You can also choose to record a webcam on your windows 10 or windows 7 computer and use it as the material.

Step 2: Trim/Cut/Split/Combine videos in Windows Movie Maker

Preview the video clips in the preview box. You can always use the Previous Frame or Next Frame to preview video frame by frame. When editing a video for YouTube, you may need to trim to remove unwanted parts from the video , combine several clips into a new one or split the video into several smaller parts .

To remove any parts of the video that you do not want in the final version of the video, locate the start frame that you want to remove in the storyboard, and then click the Split button to get the starting point of the split segment, and then locate the end frame that you want to remove and click Split again. Right-click the split video clip you want to remove and select Remove from the context menu. This can be done as many times as you want.

Step 3: Apply Transitions and Visual Effects to YouTube Video

Once you have all the clips that you want in your video, you can then add transitions to the video. At the top of Windows Movie Maker, there is a button that says Animations. This will open a menu that has different options. You need to select the clip, and add the transition that you want. The program does the rest of the work. You can see how it looks by clicking play.

Applying visual effects, overlays and filters work in the same way, but you click on Visual Effects, which is located at the top of the window. You can apply effects to any clip as along as the clip is selected first.

Step 4: Edit/Mute Audio in Video or Add New Audio Sound

If you are planning on adding music to your video, you should think about muting the audio in video or decrease the audio volume in Video. Double click the video clip to enter the Edit panel, and then then click on Video Volume button. You can then mute the audio by drag the volume slider to the left end. Of course, you can adjust the video audio volume per your need. This will affect the all the sounds on that video clip. If you want to mute all the clips, you need to select all the clips, or you will end up with one clip with no sound, and the rest of the clips having sound.

Once the sound has been adjusted on the clips, you can add new audio sound to the video. You can record narrations for your YouTube video in Windows Movie Maker by clicking Record narration button in Home tab and add music to video by clicking Add music button and select the music to import it. You can add music from your computer or find new music sound from AudioMicro, Vimeo or Free Music Archive online.

After importing the new audio file for your YouTube video, you can now adjust the music volume. In the Music Tools tab, there is an Option tab, you can control the volume and other options about the music.

Step 5: Add Title and Text to Video for YouTube

Windows Movie Maker allows you to add different types of text freely. You will see 3 buttons that allow different types of text to video: stationary title, captions and rolling credits. Click on Title, you can add text before the video begins; select Caption, you will write text to the video frames; and click Credits will add end credits to the end of the video.

After selecting the type of text you want, you can enter your text and edit the text effects. You can change the text duration and apply text visual effects, and change the text outline size and more.

Check the detailed information of How to Add Text in Windows Movie Maker .

Step 6: Save and Publish

Once all the edits are done, you can save the video by clicking on File then clicking on Publish Movie. You will need to select where you want to save the file and the file type. Since we are editing videos for YouTube, choose YouTube to upload the edited video to YouTube. You can also save the video in computer with different formats, resolution or burn to DVD. Windows Movie Maker also allows you to save the Video for Email or for mobile devices.

Conclusion

That’s it. That’s how you can edit your YouTube video with Windows Movie Maker. It is a great YouTube video editor to make video with various features. However, you may consider other YouTube movie maker as it won’t updated. Why not try Filmora. It is one of the best movie editor for YouTube. Download it now to have a try!

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

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

We all know YouTube is an important platform for sharing and watching videos. Are you a YouTuber looking for how to edit YouTube video with the best YouTube movie maker? You have come the right place if you wonder how to edit a video for YouTube on Windows. While, if you have free Windows Movie Maker already installed on your computer, you can edit YouTube videos in Windows Movie Maker and then upload to YouTube directly. In this article, I will show you all the information you need to know about how to edit a video for YouTube in Windows Movie Maker with step by step.

You may also like : The Ultimate Guide to YouTube Video Editing Tools

---

In case that you do not have free Windows Movie Maker in your computer, you may need to download it from other website since Microsoft has removed the downloading link after January 2017. Please pay attention when downloading the Movie Maker application from website and never download it from untrusted website.

A better way to edit YouTube Videos - Wondershare Filmora supports many formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, and FLV, which means that you will not need to convert the files before and after editing. Like Windows Movie Maker, Wondershare Filmora is easy to use but comes with many more features that allow for professional-grade videos. One of these features is the animated text. There are also built-in presets that you can use to quickly edit your videos. There is also the option to directly upload a video to YouTube from Filmora, so no time is wasted waiting for a video to process.

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

It is hard to list all the information of how to use Filmora to edit YouTube videos here, but we have composed an article about how to edit videos, you can check How to Edit Video in Filmora: Beginners’ Guide .

---

Windows Movie Maker YouTube: How to Edit YouTube Videos?

Before editing the video in Windows Movie Maker , you have to make sure that the video format is supported by free Windows Movie Maker. As you may know that Window Movie Maker only accept the following file formats at importing: .WMV/.ASF, .MPG (MPEG-1), .AVI (DV-AVI), .WMA, .WAV, and .MP3. Importing formats such as MP4/3GP, FLV and MOV, are also supported you are running Windows 7 or later and you have installed the necessary codec as well.

If your videos are not supported at importing in Windows Movie Maker, you may need to converter it first or choose a video editor like Filmora video editor which supports the almost all popular formats.

Step 1: Import Video Files Into Windows Movie Maker

To import video or photo into Windows Movie Maker, you can click on the button Add Videos or Photos located at the top of the program. A file window will open, and you can select the videos from any area of your computer. Once you have the files selected, click OK to import the files to the storyboard in the right hand panel.

You can also choose to record a webcam on your windows 10 or windows 7 computer and use it as the material.

Step 2: Trim/Cut/Split/Combine videos in Windows Movie Maker

Preview the video clips in the preview box. You can always use the Previous Frame or Next Frame to preview video frame by frame. When editing a video for YouTube, you may need to trim to remove unwanted parts from the video , combine several clips into a new one or split the video into several smaller parts .

To remove any parts of the video that you do not want in the final version of the video, locate the start frame that you want to remove in the storyboard, and then click the Split button to get the starting point of the split segment, and then locate the end frame that you want to remove and click Split again. Right-click the split video clip you want to remove and select Remove from the context menu. This can be done as many times as you want.

Step 3: Apply Transitions and Visual Effects to YouTube Video

Once you have all the clips that you want in your video, you can then add transitions to the video. At the top of Windows Movie Maker, there is a button that says Animations. This will open a menu that has different options. You need to select the clip, and add the transition that you want. The program does the rest of the work. You can see how it looks by clicking play.

Applying visual effects, overlays and filters work in the same way, but you click on Visual Effects, which is located at the top of the window. You can apply effects to any clip as along as the clip is selected first.

Step 4: Edit/Mute Audio in Video or Add New Audio Sound

If you are planning on adding music to your video, you should think about muting the audio in video or decrease the audio volume in Video. Double click the video clip to enter the Edit panel, and then then click on Video Volume button. You can then mute the audio by drag the volume slider to the left end. Of course, you can adjust the video audio volume per your need. This will affect the all the sounds on that video clip. If you want to mute all the clips, you need to select all the clips, or you will end up with one clip with no sound, and the rest of the clips having sound.

Once the sound has been adjusted on the clips, you can add new audio sound to the video. You can record narrations for your YouTube video in Windows Movie Maker by clicking Record narration button in Home tab and add music to video by clicking Add music button and select the music to import it. You can add music from your computer or find new music sound from AudioMicro, Vimeo or Free Music Archive online.

After importing the new audio file for your YouTube video, you can now adjust the music volume. In the Music Tools tab, there is an Option tab, you can control the volume and other options about the music.

Step 5: Add Title and Text to Video for YouTube

Windows Movie Maker allows you to add different types of text freely. You will see 3 buttons that allow different types of text to video: stationary title, captions and rolling credits. Click on Title, you can add text before the video begins; select Caption, you will write text to the video frames; and click Credits will add end credits to the end of the video.

After selecting the type of text you want, you can enter your text and edit the text effects. You can change the text duration and apply text visual effects, and change the text outline size and more.

Check the detailed information of How to Add Text in Windows Movie Maker .

Step 6: Save and Publish

Once all the edits are done, you can save the video by clicking on File then clicking on Publish Movie. You will need to select where you want to save the file and the file type. Since we are editing videos for YouTube, choose YouTube to upload the edited video to YouTube. You can also save the video in computer with different formats, resolution or burn to DVD. Windows Movie Maker also allows you to save the Video for Email or for mobile devices.

Conclusion

That’s it. That’s how you can edit your YouTube video with Windows Movie Maker. It is a great YouTube video editor to make video with various features. However, you may consider other YouTube movie maker as it won’t updated. Why not try Filmora. It is one of the best movie editor for YouTube. Download it now to have a try!

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

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

A Quick Tutorial On How To Convert Image To YouTube Thumbnail

There is a saying that first impressions last, and this is proven true, especially when it comes to YouTube video viewership. For sure, you have experienced watching a video out of curiosity because of its thumbnail. That is why content creators take time to resize YouTube thumbnails or use a YouTube thumbnail size converter to customize the preview images that represent their videos.

This technique not only attract viewers to watch your video, but it also gives a glimpse of your content. In this article, we will provide you with a quick tutorial on how to resize a YouTube thumbnail and suggest handy tools you can use to create the perfect YouTube video thumbnail!

Best YouTube Thumbnail Size

According to YouTube’s help center, there are some things to remember when creating a thumbnail for your YouTube videos.

• First, make sure that the thumbnail size is 1280 pixels by 720 pixels and 640 pixels wide. It is the best YouTube thumbnail size.
• When it comes to the thumbnail dimension, make sure to use an aspect ratio of 16:9.
• Also, your YouTube thumbnail image should not exceed 2MB and is in either JPG, GIF or PNG format.

How To Resize Your YouTube Thumbnail

The primary reason for changing the YouTube thumbnail size is to gain more audience. If you are a content creator, your main goal is to introduce your content to a wider range of viewers, right? So you have to pay attention to even the smallest detail, such as YouTube thumbnails to increase viewership and top YouTube SEO.

In fact, YouTube recommends this technique to get more viewers. Also, resizing your YouTube thumbnail will prevent you from getting the “file larger than 2MB error” which can cause your thumbnail to be discarded.

So, how can you use this technique? Check our tutorial below as we walk you through various recommended methods for resizing a YouTube thumbnail:

Method 1: Resize YouTube Thumbnail With Windows Default App

The easiest way to resize YouTube thumbnails is through the Windows default app. Within just a few modifications, you can resize your thumbnail to fit as a preview image for your YouTube video.

Please take note that your image should be at least 2 megabytes or less to achieve the perfect YouTube thumbnail fit. If your image exceeds the limit, your thumbnail will either be rejected, or your image will have a black screen around it-which is not ideal at all.

Now, let us start the tutorial.

Step1 Open an image you want to set as a thumbnail. Then, Right-click> Resize.

Step2 Select “Define custom dimensions.”

Step3 Set the width to 1280 and the height to 720. Then tick the box for “Maintain Aspect Ratio “and click “Save Resized Copy.”

Step4 Click the upload thumbnail button on YouTube and import your resized image.

Method 2. Online YouTube Thumbnail Size Converter

The second method you can use is the online YouTube thumbnail size converter. As it completely works in browsers, you do not need to worry about any app installation to access the feature. Furthermore, using online YouTube thumbnail size converters ensures you maintain your image resolution and prevents it from getting blurry or pixelated.

There are various YouTube thumbnail resizers available online. Some of the most popular are Fotor, Super Image Converter, Pixelied, Super Image Converter , Adobe Express , Newisty, and Promo . Let us focus on the last online tool and the steps on how to use it.

Promo is a free online software you can use to convert an image to a YouTube thumbnail. It is one of the best YouTube Thumbnail tools as it uses simple operation steps and automatically resizes your image without losing its quality.

Here are the steps on how to use the Promo YouTube thumbnail size converter:

Step1 Go to Promo’s official website and import your image

Step2 Scroll down and find the YouTube thumbnail size where your resized image is displayed. Then, click “Download.”

Method 3: Convert the Image to YouTube Thumbnail Using Wondershare Filmora

It is without a doubt that online YouTube thumbnail resizers are great tools for converting your image to an ideal YouTube thumbnail. But it would be much better if you resize your video using the same app you use for editing. That way, you will save time using two separate apps, and your task will be much more efficient using an all-in-one video editing tool.

Wondershare Filmora , one of the most well-known software for creating high-quality and compelling videos, combines these functions in one app. Filmora is not just an excellent software for crafting YouTube videos but also a reliable tool you can use in creating and resizing YouTube thumbnails.

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

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Here is the step-by-step tutorial on how to use Filmora in resizing your YouTube thumbnail. It is divided into two parts:

1. Take a Snapshot as the Thumbnail with Filmora

Step1 Open the video in the timeline, click the play icon in the player window, and pause when you reach the desired frame for the YouTube thumbnail. Click the camera icon to take a snapshot.

Step2 In the snapshot window, choose to save the snapshot as a PNG or JPG file.

Step3 Select the output storage location and click OK.

2. Resize the YouTube Thumbnail

Step1 Import the image into the app timeline.

Step2 Drag and drop the image into the timeline and click the green “Export“ button. In the popup Export window, select GIF. Next, click “Settings“ to adjust the resolution.

Step3 As the recommended size of a YouTube Thumbnail is 1280 * 720 pixels, you can set the resolution to 1280 * 720. Then click Apply and Export the GIF. You can now upload the GIF thumbnail to your YouTube account.

Method 4. Convert Images to YouTube Thumbnail Using Third-Party Software

In addition to using dedicated video editing software, several third-party image editing programs can be used to resize images for use as YouTube thumbnails. Programs like GIMP are popular for this purpose, as it offers a wide range of tools and features for editing and resizing images.

This program allows you to import an image, resize it to the dimensions required for a YouTube thumbnail (typically 1280 x 720 pixels), and save the edited version to your desired location. Using an image editing program can be a good option if you need more control over the appearance of your thumbnail or if you want to make more extensive edits beyond simply resizing the image.

To resize an image using an image editing program like GIMP, follow these steps:

Step1 Install and launch GIMP on your computer.

Step2 Click on “File“ > “Open,” then search for the file you want to resize.

Step3 Click on “Image“ > “Scale Image“ and make sure that the resolution is 1920 by 1080.

Step4 Click on “File“ > “Export As“ and toggle the “Select File Type (By Extension)“ option. Choose JPG/JPEG format because it can compress the thumbnail enough to stay within the limit of 2 megabytes.

Step5 You can change the quality of the image and click the “Export“ button to save the thumbnail.

Comparison of These 4 YouTube Thumbnail Resizing Methods

Now that we’ve explored the four methods for resizing YouTube thumbnails, it’s time to compare the pros and cons of each method. In this section, we’ll consider factors such as ease of use, speed, quality, cost, and compatibility to help you determine the best option for your needs.

Take a look at the table below for a more detailed comparison.

| | Windows Default App | Online YouTube Thumbnail Size Converter | Wondershare Filmora | Third-Party Software | |
| ————————————————– | ——————————————- | ———————– | ———————— | ——– |
| Other Software Required or Not | No | Yes (Internet Browser) | Yes | Yes |
| Internet Connection Required | No | Yes | No | No |
| Complexity of Operations | Easy | Easy | Easy | Moderate |
| Support Other Editing of the YouTube Thumbnail | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| File Size Limit | None | 25MB | None | None |

Resizing YouTube thumbnails using the Windows default app is a quick and easy method that requires no additional software or tools. However, the quality of the resized thumbnail may improve if the original image is low resolution, and this method is only suitable for users on Windows operating systems.

Online YouTube thumbnail size converters are convenient and easy to use, and they can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. They also typically preserve the quality of the original image. However, some online converters may have size limits or require a subscription to unlock all features, and using an online converter can be slower than using a dedicated software tool.

Using Wondershare Filmora allows you to create and edit YouTube thumbnails within a single application, which can be a time-saving advantage if you’re already using Filmora for other video editing tasks. However, Filmora is a paid software, so there is a cost associated with using it, and it may have a steeper learning curve for users new to video editing.

Image editing programs like GIMP offer many features and tools for customizing your thumbnail, including adding text, applying filters, and making more extensive edits beyond simply resizing the image. They also typically offer more control over the quality and appearance of the resized thumbnail.

However, using a third-party image editing program may require a learning curve and maybe more time-consuming than other methods, and there may be a cost associated with purchasing the software.

Each of the four methods for resizing YouTube thumbnails has its pros and cons, and the best method will depend on the user’s specific needs and preferences.

Conclusion

This article explored four methods for resizing YouTube thumbnails: using the Windows default app, online converters, Wondershare Filmora, and image editing programs like GIMP. Each method has advantages and disadvantages; the best one depends on your specific needs and preferences. No matter your chosen method, you can resize YouTube thumbnails confidently with these tools and techniques.

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Here is the step-by-step tutorial on how to use Filmora in resizing your YouTube thumbnail. It is divided into two parts:

1. Take a Snapshot as the Thumbnail with Filmora

Step1 Open the video in the timeline, click the play icon in the player window, and pause when you reach the desired frame for the YouTube thumbnail. Click the camera icon to take a snapshot.

Step2 In the snapshot window, choose to save the snapshot as a PNG or JPG file.

Step3 Select the output storage location and click OK.

2. Resize the YouTube Thumbnail

Step1 Import the image into the app timeline.

Step2 Drag and drop the image into the timeline and click the green “Export“ button. In the popup Export window, select GIF. Next, click “Settings“ to adjust the resolution.

Step3 As the recommended size of a YouTube Thumbnail is 1280 * 720 pixels, you can set the resolution to 1280 * 720. Then click Apply and Export the GIF. You can now upload the GIF thumbnail to your YouTube account.

Method 4. Convert Images to YouTube Thumbnail Using Third-Party Software

In addition to using dedicated video editing software, several third-party image editing programs can be used to resize images for use as YouTube thumbnails. Programs like GIMP are popular for this purpose, as it offers a wide range of tools and features for editing and resizing images.

This program allows you to import an image, resize it to the dimensions required for a YouTube thumbnail (typically 1280 x 720 pixels), and save the edited version to your desired location. Using an image editing program can be a good option if you need more control over the appearance of your thumbnail or if you want to make more extensive edits beyond simply resizing the image.

To resize an image using an image editing program like GIMP, follow these steps:

Step1 Install and launch GIMP on your computer.

Step2 Click on “File“ > “Open,” then search for the file you want to resize.

Step3 Click on “Image“ > “Scale Image“ and make sure that the resolution is 1920 by 1080.

Step4 Click on “File“ > “Export As“ and toggle the “Select File Type (By Extension)“ option. Choose JPG/JPEG format because it can compress the thumbnail enough to stay within the limit of 2 megabytes.

Step5 You can change the quality of the image and click the “Export“ button to save the thumbnail.

Comparison of These 4 YouTube Thumbnail Resizing Methods

Now that we’ve explored the four methods for resizing YouTube thumbnails, it’s time to compare the pros and cons of each method. In this section, we’ll consider factors such as ease of use, speed, quality, cost, and compatibility to help you determine the best option for your needs.

Take a look at the table below for a more detailed comparison.

| | Windows Default App | Online YouTube Thumbnail Size Converter | Wondershare Filmora | Third-Party Software | |
| ————————————————– | ——————————————- | ———————– | ———————— | ——– |
| Other Software Required or Not | No | Yes (Internet Browser) | Yes | Yes |
| Internet Connection Required | No | Yes | No | No |
| Complexity of Operations | Easy | Easy | Easy | Moderate |
| Support Other Editing of the YouTube Thumbnail | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| File Size Limit | None | 25MB | None | None |

Resizing YouTube thumbnails using the Windows default app is a quick and easy method that requires no additional software or tools. However, the quality of the resized thumbnail may improve if the original image is low resolution, and this method is only suitable for users on Windows operating systems.

Online YouTube thumbnail size converters are convenient and easy to use, and they can be accessed from any device with an internet connection. They also typically preserve the quality of the original image. However, some online converters may have size limits or require a subscription to unlock all features, and using an online converter can be slower than using a dedicated software tool.

Using Wondershare Filmora allows you to create and edit YouTube thumbnails within a single application, which can be a time-saving advantage if you’re already using Filmora for other video editing tasks. However, Filmora is a paid software, so there is a cost associated with using it, and it may have a steeper learning curve for users new to video editing.

Image editing programs like GIMP offer many features and tools for customizing your thumbnail, including adding text, applying filters, and making more extensive edits beyond simply resizing the image. They also typically offer more control over the quality and appearance of the resized thumbnail.

However, using a third-party image editing program may require a learning curve and maybe more time-consuming than other methods, and there may be a cost associated with purchasing the software.

Each of the four methods for resizing YouTube thumbnails has its pros and cons, and the best method will depend on the user’s specific needs and preferences.

Conclusion

This article explored four methods for resizing YouTube thumbnails: using the Windows default app, online converters, Wondershare Filmora, and image editing programs like GIMP. Each method has advantages and disadvantages; the best one depends on your specific needs and preferences. No matter your chosen method, you can resize YouTube thumbnails confidently with these tools and techniques.

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