YouTube Thumbnail Maker
Design a 1280x720 YouTube thumbnail with bold text over your own image, then download it as PNG or JPG.
Drag & drop a background image here, or click to browse
Optional — no uploads. Your files stay on your device.
How it works
This YouTube thumbnail maker draws a full-size 1280 × 720 pixel thumbnail on an HTML canvas right inside your browser. Type a headline, pick a background — one of the built-in gradients or your own photo — and the preview redraws instantly. Nothing is uploaded: your image is read with the FileReader API and every pixel is composited locally on your device.
YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 (16:9) thumbnails under 2 MB in JPG or PNG, which is exactly what the download button gives you. Keep the headline to three or four short words so it stays readable at the tiny size YouTube shows in search results, and switch on the safe-zone guides under “More options” to see where the duration badge sits in the bottom-right corner — guides are drawn on the preview only and never appear in the downloaded file.
Frequently asked questions
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
YouTube recommends 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 pixels wide, saved as JPG, PNG, GIF or WebP and under 2 MB. This tool always renders at exactly 1280 x 720 and exports PNG or JPG, so your file matches the spec without any resizing.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. The background image you drop in is read locally with the FileReader API and every pixel is composited on an HTML canvas inside your browser. No file, headline or download ever leaves your device, and there is no account or sign-up.
How do I make a thumbnail that is readable on mobile?
Keep the headline to three or four short words, use a large size with the outline switched on for contrast, and darken busy photos with the darken slider. Switch on the safe-zone guides to keep text clear of the duration badge in the bottom-right corner - the guides show in the preview only and are never included in the downloaded image.