On YouTube, more views, watch time, and growth are connected to clicks. If someone does not click on the video, there will be no views. Thumbnails are what draw people in to watch the video. A good thumbnail is what makes more people click on the video. If someone has a good video but a bad thumbnail, people will not watch their video because there are so many other thumbnails and videos to watch on YouTube. How someone can beat the competition and get more people to watch their video is by having a good thumbnail that does not have extra stuff on it. When the extra stuff on thumbnails are taken off, the main thing that catches people's eye stands out more, which could be a person's face, a product, words, or something else.
In this article, you will find out how to use the means of background removal for the benefit of your YouTube thumbnails. Firstly, the process of subject isolation allows you to draw attention to the most remarkable thumbnail element. Secondly, using the same tools, you will learn how to compose picture frames that would be informative and attractive at the same time. we will also discuss the popular colors and mistakes that beginners often make. Finally, we will examine a few useful tips that will allow you to create even better thumbnails for your YouTube channel in the future.
YouTube Thumbnail Dimensions and Specs
Before anything else, when designing your thumbnail, you should know the common technical specifications, without which your thumbnail will be out of place because of its low quality.
As for thumbnails on YouTube, it is advisable to use 1280 × 720 pixels, and a 16:9 ratio because It looks good on desktop, mobile, video, and search results. I remember reviewing someone’s thumbnails who was making their thumbnails square. They looked good on mobile, but got cut off on desktop in the recommendation feed. Just changing the aspect ratio can really affect the thumbnails overall look.
The file format also plays an important role. If there is text, logos cut out subjects, or other graphic elements in the thumbnail, PNG is more appropriate because JPG may blur the lines during compression. It is a part of my process to zoom in and check the thumbnail before uploading it on ISI.
Another tip that creators tend to ignore about thumbnails is that they're usually viewed at a small size. Which means if the image quality is not that great, everything else that's wrong with the thumbnail will be overly emphasized. Technical talk may not be interesting but this is the basis of making a decent thumbnail.
The Psychology Behind High-CTR Thumbnails
When viewers open your YouTube video, only a some of them will take the time to look at every single thumbnail. What makes an effective thumbnail is how it guides the eye. The first thing the eye settles on and the information it conveys is the real psychology of thumbnails.
I have noticed that by using different thumbnails there is a pattern for which thumbnails stand out in the feed. When the creator wears something that is a different color than what is in the background it really sticks out. Like if someone wore a dark hoodie and they were in a dark background, they would probably look like they were blending in with the background, but if the wore the dark hoodie against a light background, it would stick out a lot more. This is why most creators tend to do this.
Another great quality of high-performing thumbnails is clarity. Overloading the thumbnails with various objects, arrows, text blocks, and other elements tends to make them unclear. In my experience, a good thumbnail has one focal point. It is better to have a clean background and draw attention to one particular object or graphic than to have a busy background.
Human faces are the center of attention. That is why they are so often used in thumbnails. Nevertheless, it is not enough to show a person: it is necessary to show the right emotion. A surprised face, an inquisitive look, eyes wide open in interest or worry – each expression tells the viewer what to expect. As you could see, if the expression on the face of the person in the thumbnail matches the title, it becomes more realistic and clickable. So in the end, the user is looking for an answer to the question “What is interesting in this video?” and the thumbnail is the key to finding the right answer.
Designing Face-Focused Thumbnails
Thumbnail ideas with face are used more often than any others. People like looking at people’s faces, especially when they have clear emotions. Emotions on the face of yours or someone else’s attract attention because everyone wants to know what’s going on with the person, or what has triggered the emotions.
Therefore, the face on the thumbnail should be clear, and background should be minimized as much as possible. If one makes the background too bright or adds some random images or text, it may distract a viewer.
However, once a face is cut out from the background, it should be placed on another background that will be relevant to the content of the video.
If it’s a technological channel, the background should resemble something techy. If it’s a travel channel, the background should include some images of location where the recommended place to stay is situated. The background should be chosen in accordance with the main theme of the video, not the face.
Also, the face should not be over-exaggerated by adding too much graphics around it. It should be simple and straight to the point. When a YouTube thumbnail is being created, one should always have in mind that a viewer will be able to realize what the thumbnail is about within only a second or two.
Combining Text and Images Effectively
In thumbnail design, text and image are two sides of the same coin: Together they create something greater than the sum of its parts. But when they contradict eachother, it creates confusion. And confusion leads to indecisiveness. How many times did you see a thumbnail, and thought: "Wait, which direction should I go? What is it about?", only to click it anyway? It's easy for the text and image to be at odds with eachother in a thumbnail, and hard to decide what to do next.
The removal of the background is very useful in this case. Having excluded the subject of the video, the author visualizes two variants of the thumbnail: the character or his replacement (screenshot) takes up one half of the thumbnail, and the headline or text takes up the other half. Many creators use such a standard version in which the image and headline are located on different sides, which looks balanced. For example, in the "AI tools" video, instead of the creator's portrait, his image or a screenshot of the program interface can be visualized on the left or right.
I have a rule about texts: the shorter, the better. People do not read a thumbnail the way they read an article – it is simply a snippet, a teaser. That is why the use of short sentences are always a good idea. After all, the font should also be easy to read, even in a small preview window on the mobile device.
Learning from Top YouTubers' Thumbnail Strategies
Looking at the popular channels in the same niche, you will notice that most of them have certain features in common. All the successful YouTube channels have one vertical: remaining the same, simple, and using the same aesthetic. Their thumbnails are made in a certain way that delivers one specific idea to the viewer.
Firstly, the most successful creators use the same patterns in their thumbnails, where the creator’s face or the product takes most of the space in the thumbnail instead of using the whole image as a thumbnail background.
Secondly, they manage to make the most prominent background so that the product or face looks bigger. That is why such a trend as deleting the background has become so popular recently. Moreover, they try to keep the same patterns, color schemes, and fonts if it is possible. It allows them to brand their channel appropriately so that people could recognize the author by the style and content. Thus, it becomes possible to attract more viewers and make them understand the message conveyed in the thumbnails on the first sight.
Nevertheless, it is vital not to imitate the most successful channels and try to remain unique and innovative. Looking at the most popular creators’ thumbnails, one can learn how to find inspiration and what patterns to use in their own thumbnails. The viewers do not want to see the same things on different channels; they want to receive unique content from each creator. That is why it is essential not to copy the ideas of others but instead use them as an excellent basis for work.
A/B Testing to Improve Your Thumbnails
A/B testing is one of those things that are hard to define from a theoretical point of view. People tend to do it much better than they explain it. So many creators are so sure that they have the best thumbnail possible, but the numbers speak for themselves, and some viewers don't get to see the thumbnails they want to see. Well at least testing is better than assuming anyway, so let's test!
The most optimal way of testing the results of changes is to alter only one element each time. If you change the background, text, colors, and facial expressions of a person, you will not identify which particular element has improved the metrics. For example, you can create two thumbnails, in one of which the text is in a different place or the background is light, while in the other, it is dark.
Background removal is extremely useful in this case, as it allows to experiment with different backgrounds, colors, and layouts since the main subject is extracted as a standalone image. With the given approach, there is no need to rework the thumbnail every time you want to test a new design option.
The most critical step begins when you post the thumbnail. You get to see the CTR, impressions, and engagement data from the thumbnail. On various social media platforms, even a minor edit, such as highlighting the subject of the video, makes a significant difference. All the experiments you conduct help you discover the preference of your audience, which guides you in the right direction.
Conclusion
Great YouTube thumbnails are never accidental. Clean background, clear focal points, readable text, and visual hierarchy are all essential elements of thumbnails which allow viewers to identify and relate to the video’s content. The most critical aspect of thumbnails is the focal point. It can be created by removing all unnecessary elements and making the primary subject prominent and more prominent than all the other elements of thumbnails. The best tool to achieve it is a background eraser. Check out your previous thumbnails and see if you have any issues which prevent viewers from catching your thumbnails on their first look. A few small optimizations can result in significantly more clicks than one would expect.
A tool that can be used to optimize the thumbnails and create new ones is BG Erasers. It allows its users to delete backgrounds of images and can be used to produce multiple thumbnail variations for a YouTube channel.