How to Add Custom YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Effortlessly

YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms getting popular with new features day by day. We all are aware that recently YouTube has come up with a concept of YouTube shorts which is a short form of a video to create short, catchy content to deliver an amazing experience. One of the factors to increase your views is to improve your video thumbnails. YouTube shorts thumbnail plays a huge role in creating an appeal to the audience.

Thumbnails for YouTube shorts catch the attention of potential viewers and make them click on the play button and watch your video content.

Let’s find how to create YouTube short thumbnails in an easy manner:

Are Thumbnails Necessary for YouTube Shorts?

YouTube shorts thumbnails are small and clickable snapshots that users see whole they are surfing through videos. Thumbnails for YouTube shorts are nothing but an image that might make them click on a play button. YouTube shorts thumbnail plays a vital role as a title of a video that gives a preview of your video content.

Your YouTube shorts thumbnail does not need to be pleasing and appealing but also showcase your content in a realistic manner. Also, consider YouTube shorts thumbnail size in mind while designing the best outcome.

Are you wondering how YouTube does shorts thumbnails can be important in driving traffic? YouTube shorts thumbnail can make others watch a video with an exciting look. If you don’t create eye-catchy thumbnails for YouTube shorts then people would not find any urge in clicking on a play button.

However good your content is but if you are not presenting it in the right manner to your viewers then it would not create any sense. So creating attractive thumbnails for YouTube shorts with high-quality graphics would impact in a greater manner to gain maximum views.

How to Add Custom YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Effortlessly

Once you are done creating with customized YouTube shorts thumbnail, uploading YouTube shorts thumbnail is similar to adding a regular video on YouTube shorts.

Here below is a step by step guide for you:

Step 1: At first, you need to open the YouTube app and create a Short.

Step 2: Then after Upload the Short to YouTube.

Step 3: Now go to a desktop computer and open your channel's YouTube Studio.

Step 4: Then click Content on the left navigation menu.

Step 5: Find the YouTube Short you just uploaded. Then tap on the pencil icon and edit a video as per your preference.

Step 6: At last, scroll down to the thumbnail section. Then you would find an option to custom thumbnail.

Part 3: Tips to Make YouTube Shorts Videos Stand Out

YouTube shorts videos are nothing different from a normal video which we upload on a platform. There are many things that are very important to keep in mind while creating YouTube shorts. Also, it plays a vital role in making a video stand out in front of viewers.

1. Compelling Title

Along with the YouTube shorts, one such thing which plays a major role in attracting viewers is a title. We all are aware that Title says it all and a YouTube short would get noticed surely with a compelling and impulsive title. Also, it would give the viewers a summary of what they can expect from the clip.

2. Detailed Description

Your YouTube Shorts description needs to be simple, specific to the point and should reflect your theme of the content. Herewith detailed description viewers could decide whether a YouTube short is helpful to them or not.

3. Tags

Also, make sure that you are adding relevant tags along with your YouTube shorts video. You can add ‘#Shorts’ in a description just to tell that video clip is created for YouTube shorts. Also, you can add tags based on the genre and/or theme of the short videos to help viewers to the context.

4. Attractive Thumbnail

YouTube shorts thumbnail plays a vital role in attracting viewers and getting more hits on the videos. It helps in catching the eye of viewers at a first glance only. So that make sure to create a thumbnail of your short videos as attractive as you possibly can.

5. Pick the Right Video Editor

Creating YouTube shorts would not only cover great content but also focus on picking the right video editor. Thus here picking a video editor such as Wondershare Filmora would be an ideal choice for you. As it offers rich video editing tools and high filters to create an outstanding appeal for your video.

Wondershare Filmora

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Part 4: How to Create Thumbnail with Wondershare Filmora?

Launch Filmora on your computer and navigate to the main menu.

Select Create Project > New Project and import your video. Drag the clip to the timeline and click anywhere other than the video to access the Project Info panel. In the panel, select Edit to navigate to the Set Thumbnail menu. Click the Video tab to start working on your thumbnail.

In the Set Thumbnail window, click the From Video tab and access Filmora's AI-enabled selection of the best-fitted video frames you can use as thumbnails. Select the frame you like and click Edit.

Customize your thumbnail using Filmora's extensive collection of AI templates in the Edit Thumbnail window. Navigate to the Templates section, browse through available categories, and find the matching thumbnail template for your video. Select the template and click Save.

Click Save to get to the Export window. Select Export and let Filmora convert the selected video frame to a thumbnail image. Select the Open Folder option to access the AI-generated thumbnail.

Aside from transforming the best video frames into immersive AI-generated thumbnails, Filmora lets you upload custom-made images from a local source, such as your desktop computer.

Here's how:

Launch Filmora, upload your video, make necessary edits, and navigate to the Set Thumbnail window. Select the From Local tab and click Add Picture to set it as a thumbnail. Import the image from your computer and click Edit.

Select the matching template and export your custom-made AI-generated video thumbnail in a preferred format. You can share your videos directly to platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, etc.

Conclusion

Thus, YouTube shorts thumbnails are a very important part of your page optimization. Choosing the right YouTube shorts video thumbnail size would make you help grow your YouTube shorts in an easy manner. We have also discussed how to create a YouTube short thumbnail using a powerful video editor - Filmora, which is similar to CapCut, and talked about the importance of creating a YouTube short thumbnail to drive more attention to your videos.