Adding an eye-catching snapshot of your video will pull viewers in. Make sure you get your YouTube thumbnail size right first time!

If you’re looking to increase views and gain subscribers on YouTube, there are a number of things you should consider. Many aspects go into promoting a YouTube channel or videos. The video sharing site has its own SEO and algorithm for ranking videos.

But, even if your video is high ranking, it’s still in competition with others. We humans tend to be very visual, and make snap decisions based off of what we see. This is why having a strong thumbnail for your video is imperative. Catching the audiences’ eyes and signposting what your video is about should be at the forefront of your mind when selecting a thumbnail.

Once you’ve settled on the image you want to use, you’ll need to make sure it’s the right size for uploading. But, what is the correct thumbnail size for YouTube?

Thumbnail Size & Dimension

This advice comes directly from YouTube Help, so you know you’re in good hands.

Your custom thumbnail image should be as large as possible. It will be used as the preview image in the embedded player. We recommend your custom thumbnails:

• Have a resolution of 1280×720 (with minimum width of 640 pixels).
• Be uploaded in image formats such as JPG, GIF, or PNG.
• Remain under the 2MB limit.
• Try to use a 16:9 aspect ratio as it’s the most used in YouTube players and previews.

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