Chortle Chamber: Ideas for 7 Amusing Online Sessions

7 Comedy YouTube Video Ideas That Only Funny People Are Allowed to Try

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Aspiring comedians used to have to find success performing in bars and clubs before they’d get the chance to make big audiences laugh. Now funny people can reach millions of viewers on YouTube, and all they need are funny video ideas. Generating great video ideas isn’t always easy, but I’m here to help you get over that minor speed bump.

Let’s dive into the world of YouTube comedy videos and find out which ideas can help you launch your career as a comedian.

7 Comedy YouTube Video Ideas

1. Do a Skit
2. Start a Funny Series
3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos
4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits
5. Parody Videos
6. Bloopers
7. Lip Sync Video

1. Do a Skit

YouTube is the perfect medium for short, generally between one and ten minutes long comedy sketches. The majority of the audience on YouTube isn’t patient enough to sit through a half-hour show, no matter how funny it is (at least not until you have a large fan base).

Your skit can be about literally anything, as long as it’s short and effective. Having your own unique sense of humor is a crucial factor in ensuring the success of the sketches you post online.

2. Start a Funny Series

Try producing a pilot episode of a comedy series for your YouTube channel. Don’t worry about the budget too much because if your ideas are good even a DIY approach will be enough.

Producing a funny series requires dedication and commitment to that goal, so don’t let yourself be discouraged easily.

3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos

Posting cute videos on your YouTube channel will certainly help you get attention online. The Internet loves videos of adorable babies, cats, dogs and other charming animals. Including these types of videos on your channel can be a good way to boost your subscriber count.

It is important to note that your content must be unique. Re-posting funny animal videos you find online won’t get you far and will make it impossible to monetize your channel.

4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits

The term machinima means creating a cinematic production by re-using material from video games. Gameplay skits and machinima videos are a great way of reaching millions of gaming fans who enjoy good comedy videos.

The gaming industry is on the rise, and the audience that wants to watch video game-related content is growing every day. However, these types of videos require an in-depth knowledge of the gaming world, and you really have to know the games you draw from in order to make this idea work.

5. Parody Video

A well done, poignant parody never fails to make people laugh. Pop culture provides an endless source of TV shows, movies, and songs that can be used for your parody videos. When pop stars release big new music videos, they always get parodied by someone on YouTube within the first few days in order to capitalize on the trend while it’s fresh.

Parody videos will provide you with an opportunity to showcase your skills and enable you to show the world that you are a talented, relevant comedian.

6. Bloopers

We all make mistakes. Blooper videos enable us to at least laugh at them. Experienced YouTubers know how easy it is to flub a take, but it takes a brave creator to make an entire video from the shots they messed up.

7. Lip-Sync Video

Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be a pop star? Lip-sync videos offer the opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes for a moment and have fun with it. Knowing the song you’re lip-syncing and having good timing can help, but you can hardly go wrong producing a video of yourself pouring your soul into a song you’re lip-syncing.

Lip-syncing to tunes from the most popular stars in the world will enable you to gain traffic from people looking for content related to those songs and artists.

Need more YouTube video ideas? Check out our Definitive List of YouTube Video Ideas .

Making A Better YouTube Comedy Video with Wondershare Filmora

As one of the best software to edit videos for YouTubers, Filmora allows you to create a comedy video with effects, elements and templates quickly.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Aspiring comedians used to have to find success performing in bars and clubs before they’d get the chance to make big audiences laugh. Now funny people can reach millions of viewers on YouTube, and all they need are funny video ideas. Generating great video ideas isn’t always easy, but I’m here to help you get over that minor speed bump.

Let’s dive into the world of YouTube comedy videos and find out which ideas can help you launch your career as a comedian.

7 Comedy YouTube Video Ideas

1. Do a Skit
2. Start a Funny Series
3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos
4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits
5. Parody Videos
6. Bloopers
7. Lip Sync Video

1. Do a Skit

YouTube is the perfect medium for short, generally between one and ten minutes long comedy sketches. The majority of the audience on YouTube isn’t patient enough to sit through a half-hour show, no matter how funny it is (at least not until you have a large fan base).

Your skit can be about literally anything, as long as it’s short and effective. Having your own unique sense of humor is a crucial factor in ensuring the success of the sketches you post online.

2. Start a Funny Series

Try producing a pilot episode of a comedy series for your YouTube channel. Don’t worry about the budget too much because if your ideas are good even a DIY approach will be enough.

Producing a funny series requires dedication and commitment to that goal, so don’t let yourself be discouraged easily.

3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos

Posting cute videos on your YouTube channel will certainly help you get attention online. The Internet loves videos of adorable babies, cats, dogs and other charming animals. Including these types of videos on your channel can be a good way to boost your subscriber count.

It is important to note that your content must be unique. Re-posting funny animal videos you find online won’t get you far and will make it impossible to monetize your channel.

4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits

The term machinima means creating a cinematic production by re-using material from video games. Gameplay skits and machinima videos are a great way of reaching millions of gaming fans who enjoy good comedy videos.

The gaming industry is on the rise, and the audience that wants to watch video game-related content is growing every day. However, these types of videos require an in-depth knowledge of the gaming world, and you really have to know the games you draw from in order to make this idea work.

5. Parody Video

A well done, poignant parody never fails to make people laugh. Pop culture provides an endless source of TV shows, movies, and songs that can be used for your parody videos. When pop stars release big new music videos, they always get parodied by someone on YouTube within the first few days in order to capitalize on the trend while it’s fresh.

Parody videos will provide you with an opportunity to showcase your skills and enable you to show the world that you are a talented, relevant comedian.

6. Bloopers

We all make mistakes. Blooper videos enable us to at least laugh at them. Experienced YouTubers know how easy it is to flub a take, but it takes a brave creator to make an entire video from the shots they messed up.

7. Lip-Sync Video

Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be a pop star? Lip-sync videos offer the opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes for a moment and have fun with it. Knowing the song you’re lip-syncing and having good timing can help, but you can hardly go wrong producing a video of yourself pouring your soul into a song you’re lip-syncing.

Lip-syncing to tunes from the most popular stars in the world will enable you to gain traffic from people looking for content related to those songs and artists.

Need more YouTube video ideas? Check out our Definitive List of YouTube Video Ideas .

Making A Better YouTube Comedy Video with Wondershare Filmora

As one of the best software to edit videos for YouTubers, Filmora allows you to create a comedy video with effects, elements and templates quickly.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Aspiring comedians used to have to find success performing in bars and clubs before they’d get the chance to make big audiences laugh. Now funny people can reach millions of viewers on YouTube, and all they need are funny video ideas. Generating great video ideas isn’t always easy, but I’m here to help you get over that minor speed bump.

Let’s dive into the world of YouTube comedy videos and find out which ideas can help you launch your career as a comedian.

7 Comedy YouTube Video Ideas

1. Do a Skit
2. Start a Funny Series
3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos
4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits
5. Parody Videos
6. Bloopers
7. Lip Sync Video

1. Do a Skit

YouTube is the perfect medium for short, generally between one and ten minutes long comedy sketches. The majority of the audience on YouTube isn’t patient enough to sit through a half-hour show, no matter how funny it is (at least not until you have a large fan base).

Your skit can be about literally anything, as long as it’s short and effective. Having your own unique sense of humor is a crucial factor in ensuring the success of the sketches you post online.

2. Start a Funny Series

Try producing a pilot episode of a comedy series for your YouTube channel. Don’t worry about the budget too much because if your ideas are good even a DIY approach will be enough.

Producing a funny series requires dedication and commitment to that goal, so don’t let yourself be discouraged easily.

3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos

Posting cute videos on your YouTube channel will certainly help you get attention online. The Internet loves videos of adorable babies, cats, dogs and other charming animals. Including these types of videos on your channel can be a good way to boost your subscriber count.

It is important to note that your content must be unique. Re-posting funny animal videos you find online won’t get you far and will make it impossible to monetize your channel.

4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits

The term machinima means creating a cinematic production by re-using material from video games. Gameplay skits and machinima videos are a great way of reaching millions of gaming fans who enjoy good comedy videos.

The gaming industry is on the rise, and the audience that wants to watch video game-related content is growing every day. However, these types of videos require an in-depth knowledge of the gaming world, and you really have to know the games you draw from in order to make this idea work.

5. Parody Video

A well done, poignant parody never fails to make people laugh. Pop culture provides an endless source of TV shows, movies, and songs that can be used for your parody videos. When pop stars release big new music videos, they always get parodied by someone on YouTube within the first few days in order to capitalize on the trend while it’s fresh.

Parody videos will provide you with an opportunity to showcase your skills and enable you to show the world that you are a talented, relevant comedian.

6. Bloopers

We all make mistakes. Blooper videos enable us to at least laugh at them. Experienced YouTubers know how easy it is to flub a take, but it takes a brave creator to make an entire video from the shots they messed up.

7. Lip-Sync Video

Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be a pop star? Lip-sync videos offer the opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes for a moment and have fun with it. Knowing the song you’re lip-syncing and having good timing can help, but you can hardly go wrong producing a video of yourself pouring your soul into a song you’re lip-syncing.

Lip-syncing to tunes from the most popular stars in the world will enable you to gain traffic from people looking for content related to those songs and artists.

Need more YouTube video ideas? Check out our Definitive List of YouTube Video Ideas .

Making A Better YouTube Comedy Video with Wondershare Filmora

As one of the best software to edit videos for YouTubers, Filmora allows you to create a comedy video with effects, elements and templates quickly.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Aspiring comedians used to have to find success performing in bars and clubs before they’d get the chance to make big audiences laugh. Now funny people can reach millions of viewers on YouTube, and all they need are funny video ideas. Generating great video ideas isn’t always easy, but I’m here to help you get over that minor speed bump.

Let’s dive into the world of YouTube comedy videos and find out which ideas can help you launch your career as a comedian.

7 Comedy YouTube Video Ideas

1. Do a Skit
2. Start a Funny Series
3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos
4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits
5. Parody Videos
6. Bloopers
7. Lip Sync Video

1. Do a Skit

YouTube is the perfect medium for short, generally between one and ten minutes long comedy sketches. The majority of the audience on YouTube isn’t patient enough to sit through a half-hour show, no matter how funny it is (at least not until you have a large fan base).

Your skit can be about literally anything, as long as it’s short and effective. Having your own unique sense of humor is a crucial factor in ensuring the success of the sketches you post online.

2. Start a Funny Series

Try producing a pilot episode of a comedy series for your YouTube channel. Don’t worry about the budget too much because if your ideas are good even a DIY approach will be enough.

Producing a funny series requires dedication and commitment to that goal, so don’t let yourself be discouraged easily.

3. Kid, Baby, and Animal Videos

Posting cute videos on your YouTube channel will certainly help you get attention online. The Internet loves videos of adorable babies, cats, dogs and other charming animals. Including these types of videos on your channel can be a good way to boost your subscriber count.

It is important to note that your content must be unique. Re-posting funny animal videos you find online won’t get you far and will make it impossible to monetize your channel.

4. Machinima and Gameplay Skits

The term machinima means creating a cinematic production by re-using material from video games. Gameplay skits and machinima videos are a great way of reaching millions of gaming fans who enjoy good comedy videos.

The gaming industry is on the rise, and the audience that wants to watch video game-related content is growing every day. However, these types of videos require an in-depth knowledge of the gaming world, and you really have to know the games you draw from in order to make this idea work.

5. Parody Video

A well done, poignant parody never fails to make people laugh. Pop culture provides an endless source of TV shows, movies, and songs that can be used for your parody videos. When pop stars release big new music videos, they always get parodied by someone on YouTube within the first few days in order to capitalize on the trend while it’s fresh.

Parody videos will provide you with an opportunity to showcase your skills and enable you to show the world that you are a talented, relevant comedian.

6. Bloopers

We all make mistakes. Blooper videos enable us to at least laugh at them. Experienced YouTubers know how easy it is to flub a take, but it takes a brave creator to make an entire video from the shots they messed up.

7. Lip-Sync Video

Have you ever imagined what it’s like to be a pop star? Lip-sync videos offer the opportunity to step into someone else’s shoes for a moment and have fun with it. Knowing the song you’re lip-syncing and having good timing can help, but you can hardly go wrong producing a video of yourself pouring your soul into a song you’re lip-syncing.

Lip-syncing to tunes from the most popular stars in the world will enable you to gain traffic from people looking for content related to those songs and artists.

Need more YouTube video ideas? Check out our Definitive List of YouTube Video Ideas .

Making A Better YouTube Comedy Video with Wondershare Filmora

As one of the best software to edit videos for YouTubers, Filmora allows you to create a comedy video with effects, elements and templates quickly.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Design Guide: YouTube Banners & Thumbnail Creation

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

The art on your YouTube channel – banners, thumbnails, icons, and watermarks – will help to determine how viewers feel about your vlog. If your art does not look like it all goes together then people will get a sloppy, amateurish, impression of your channel. However, if your different pieces of channel art all seem to complement each other and match the tone and theme of your channel then it will help viewers to have a pleasant browsing experience. They will get the impression that you take your YouTube channel seriously and that they can trust you as a source of information, comedy, or general entertainment.

How to Make YouTube Banners and Thumbnails

YouTube Banners and Thumbnails are two of the most important pieces of channel art you will need. This article will explain the best practices for both, and suggest sites where you will be able to build your own banners and thumbnails for free.

1. YouTube Banners

Quick Tips:

1. The image you upload for your YouTube banner should be 2560 x 1440px (pixels).
2. The ‘safe area’ for text, logos, and other important visual information (like faces) is 1546 x 423px.

Your banner is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think about channel art. Banners are the headers that rest at the tops of channel pages on YouTube. Your banner should be 2560 x 1440 px, although not all of it will always be visible. On a desktop computer or mobile device only a 1546 x 423 px ‘safe area’ will be visible. When viewed on a TV screen your entire image will be visible. YouTube does support PNG, but if your PNG file does not upload properly (as has been the case for some YouTubers) then changing your file type to JPEG might help.

YouTube Banners are extremely important to the success of your channel. If you do not have a banner then it looks like you do not really care about your vlog. If you have a basic banner that is not at all personalized then it certainly looks like you care, but it might also look like you are new to YouTube.

The best banners are customized to reflect the kind of experience you want viewers to have on your channel. The banner of a comedic YouTube channel might use bright colors, where the banner for a gaming channel will probably use darker colors similar to the ones that are in the games the vlogger plays. Connecting your banner to the theme of your channel is part of how you define the style of your vlog. It is the difference between being a Beauty Guru and a general YouTuber who gives makeup tips sometimes.

Including a photo of yourself, or your logo if you have one, is a great way to personalize your banner.

2. YouTube Thumbnails

Quick Tips:

1. Search for your video’s topic to see the thumbnails your thumbnail will be competing against.
2. Make any text huge so people can read it on their smartphone screens.
3. Emojis, colored boarders, and graphics are all potential ways to stand out.

Thumbnails are often ignored by newer YouTubers. YouTube selects a thumbnail for every one of your videos and it is always a still image from that video. You can choose which frame you want to use and a lot of people feel like that is good enough. When you create a custom thumbnail, however, you get to not only choose your image but insert a title.

If you are choosing the images you are using for thumbnails you can make sure they are always similar frames. This will help people identify your videos quickly in searches. Using titles in your thumbnails will also help searchers identify your videos, if you always use the same title style. Another benefit of titles is that they capture the attention of people looking for your specific topic. Remember when building your thumbnails that they will appear smaller on YouTube than they probably are while you edit them. On mobile devices, they will look even smaller. So, if you are going to use text in your thumbnail, make sure it is huge.

One thumbnail taboo that you should never break is using an image that has nothing to do with your video. Using an image of a cute cat for a vlog post that has nothing to do with cats is misleading and will anger viewers. You may draw in a lot of viewers who want to see a cat video, but they will leave right away when they do not see a cat and they will never watch anything by you again.

3.Where To Create Banners and Thumbnails

There are sites online that will allow you to edit images and use them in templates for YouTube banners. You can also use these services to edit your thumbnails. Two of the most popular, free, online photo editors are PicMonkey.com and Canva.com.

Canva has templates you can use to create YouTube banners, as well as a variety of stock images you can use in combination with your own when creating channel art. It is free to edit images on Canva, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each to access. This service has both a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. PicMonkey is free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription. Monthly subscriptions are $4.99 per month, and yearly subscriptions are $2.75 per month.

Richard Bennett

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

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