Resize for YouTube in a full page editor, then drag or zoom to adjust the crop.
Last updated: September 2026
4 Presets
YouTube Images
Adjust Crop
Fill Method
JPEG 88
Fixed Output
Private
No Uploads
Upload image for YouTube
Tap to select or drag and drop. JPEG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC.
Your file never leaves this device.
Drop or select one supported thumbnail, banner or profile source. It stays on your device.
Pick video thumbnail, Shorts thumbnail, channel banner or square profile dimensions.
Drag or zoom to keep faces, titles, logos and branding visible.
Check the quality-88 JPEG's file size and preview it in YouTube Studio.
The thumbnail recommendations changed; these values reflect YouTube Help checked in August 2026.
Video thumbnail
Current YouTube recommendation; 16:9 with a 640 px minimum width.
Shorts thumbnail
Current recommendation for uploaded Shorts thumbnails; 9:16.
Channel banner
Recommended especially for TV; responsive crops still apply.
Square profile source
Useful custom source size; YouTube says it renders at 98 × 98.
Check the upload device
Thumbnail file-size limits currently differ between desktop and mobile.
Keep banner branding central
YouTube uses the same banner across devices but crops it differently.
Use the correct thumbnail orientation
Regular video thumbnails favor 16:9; Shorts thumbnails favor 9:16.
Start with enough pixels
The high-resolution presets can heavily upscale small sources.
Treat 800 × 800 as optional
It is a practical square source, not a YouTube-required profile dimension.
Preview in YouTube Studio
This tool cannot simulate every feed, player, TV or channel-page presentation.
Guidance checked against YouTube's current thumbnail documentation and channel-branding guidance.
It scales the source until the selected canvas is filled, then crops excess pixels equally around the center. You can reposition the crop, but this tool does not simulate responsive platform cropping.
Every preset exports JPEG at quality 88. It does not preserve transparency or metadata, target an MB limit, or simulate YouTube's responsive presentation.
Following obsolete 1280 × 720 advice
YouTube's current help page recommends 3840 × 2160 for video thumbnails.
Calling the output upload-ready without checking size
The tool does not enforce YouTube's MB limits.
Ignoring the automatic center crop
Important content can be removed when source and preset ratios differ.
Putting banner text outside the safe area
Device-specific crops can hide edge content.
Expecting PNG or transparency
All four presets export JPEG at fixed quality 88.
Using a small source
Upscaling reaches the requested dimensions but cannot invent sharp detail.
YouTube Thumbnail Maker
Design a thumbnail with text and photo framing
Crop Image
Position thumbnail and banner crops manually
Compress for Upload
Reduce thumbnails and banners below upload limits
Add Text to a Thumbnail
Add readable titles to YouTube thumbnails
Frame Image
Add a border or frame to thumbnail artwork
YouTube currently recommends 3840 by 2160 pixels for video thumbnails, with a minimum width of 640 pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Older 1280 by 720 guidance is no longer the current recommendation.
YouTube currently recommends 2160 by 3840 pixels and a 9:16 aspect ratio for uploaded Shorts thumbnails.
YouTube recommends 2560 by 1440 pixels, especially for TV. The upload minimum is 2048 by 1152, and the safe area at that minimum is 1235 by 338 pixels. Banners crop differently across devices.
No. This tool offers 800 by 800 as a useful high-resolution square source. YouTube's current guidance says the profile picture renders at 98 by 98 pixels and accepts JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG within its stated upload limit.
Yes, if the source ratio differs from the selected preset. The initial crop is centered, and you can drag or zoom the image before applying a new crop.
No. It reports the finished size but does not target a particular number of megabytes. YouTube's thumbnail limits currently differ between desktop and mobile, while banners must be 6 MB or smaller.
Every preset exports JPEG at fixed quality 88. Transparency, the source format and metadata are not preserved.
No. Image decoding, resizing, center-cropping and JPEG encoding happen locally in your browser.
Choose one image above, inspect the crop, and download a browser-generated JPEG.
