Generating Attention-Grabbing Video Teasers

How to Make a Channel Trailer

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Your channel trailer is the video viewers who are not already subscribed to you will see when they visit your channel page. It is your chance to make a quick pitch to them about why they should subscribe. You can use your channel trailer to let new visitors to your channel know what kind of videos you make and to convince them to subscribe. Here are 5 tips to make an effective YouTube channel trailer.

Part 1: 5 Tips for Making a Great Channel Trailer

Here are our top 5 recommendations for anybody creating a YouTube channel trailer:

Reach Out – It’s All About Your Viewers

Use your channel trailer to try to connect to the individual viewer watching it. Greet that one person as one person, as a ‘you’, instead of as a member of a group (i.e., avoid saying ‘you guys’).

The more you can make your trailer about the person watching it, the better. You are telling them about yourself, but you are doing it for their benefit. Address them directly (i.e. ‘If you like…’ or ‘you don’t want to miss’.) and make everything you say about them. For example, instead of saying ‘I post tutorials about’, try ‘you can learn about’.

Flaunt Your Personality – It’s All About You

One of the golden rules of YouTube is ‘be yourself’. People will subscribe because they enjoy your personality and want to see more of it.

Use your trailer as an opportunity to showcase your unique perspective. Be yourself, and be the person that is excited to be making great YouTube videos. You are at your best when you let people see how much you care about something, so show your viewers how much you care about delivering great video content. This is what will make people want to subscribe.

Talk about All the Cool Stuff You Do

The best channel trailers give viewers a window into your channel. You need to show people what to expect from you as a personality, but you also need to tell them what to expect in terms of your videos.

Your channel trailer should include information like: what kinds of videos you make, why you make them, and what your upload schedule is.

Be specific. Instead of saying you make videos about makeup, say you make look tutorials and talk about your favorite styles. Instead of saying you are a gamer, tell your potential subscribers what games you post about and what some of your favorites are.

A specific schedule is important for getting people to subscribe. Generally, viewers do not subscribe to channels that have not posted in a long time. They subscribe because they do not want to miss out on new content, and if you follow a schedule, they will trust that that new content is on its way.

Ask Them to Subscribe

Do not forget to ask the person to view your trailer to subscribe.

A lot of people go into YouTube thinking people will subscribe if they like their videos, and so making great videos is the only way to get people to subscribe. This is not true.

Making great videos is the first step to getting subscribers, but the second step is to ask for them. Not everyone subscribes to every channel they visit and enjoy. A person who enjoys your videos is more likely to subscribe if you prompt them to.

30 Seconds

The ideal length for a YouTube channel trailer is 30 seconds, or between 30 seconds and 1 minute.

The people viewing your trailer did not come to YouTube for the purpose of watching it. They are unlikely to give it much time before they continue browsing. This means you need to grab their attention tightly right away, but it also means you need to keep your trailer bite-sized.

Thirty seconds should be long enough to tell people what your channel is about, show off your personality, and ask them to subscribe. If you take much longer, viewers will click away before they hear your full pitch.

Part 2: How to Add a Channel Trailer Using Wondershare Filmora

Here are a few simple steps to setting up your channel trailer.

1. Turn on channel customization. Go to My Channel and click the gear icon over your channel’s banner. Switch Customize the layout of your channel from off to on.
2. Upload your trailer video like you would any other video.
3. Go to your channel and click on the For new visitors tab, which should appear after you’ve turned on customization.
4. Click Channel trailer and choose your video, or paste in its URL.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Your channel trailer is the video viewers who are not already subscribed to you will see when they visit your channel page. It is your chance to make a quick pitch to them about why they should subscribe. You can use your channel trailer to let new visitors to your channel know what kind of videos you make and to convince them to subscribe. Here are 5 tips to make an effective YouTube channel trailer.

Part 1: 5 Tips for Making a Great Channel Trailer

Here are our top 5 recommendations for anybody creating a YouTube channel trailer:

Reach Out – It’s All About Your Viewers

Use your channel trailer to try to connect to the individual viewer watching it. Greet that one person as one person, as a ‘you’, instead of as a member of a group (i.e., avoid saying ‘you guys’).

The more you can make your trailer about the person watching it, the better. You are telling them about yourself, but you are doing it for their benefit. Address them directly (i.e. ‘If you like…’ or ‘you don’t want to miss’.) and make everything you say about them. For example, instead of saying ‘I post tutorials about’, try ‘you can learn about’.

Flaunt Your Personality – It’s All About You

One of the golden rules of YouTube is ‘be yourself’. People will subscribe because they enjoy your personality and want to see more of it.

Use your trailer as an opportunity to showcase your unique perspective. Be yourself, and be the person that is excited to be making great YouTube videos. You are at your best when you let people see how much you care about something, so show your viewers how much you care about delivering great video content. This is what will make people want to subscribe.

Talk about All the Cool Stuff You Do

The best channel trailers give viewers a window into your channel. You need to show people what to expect from you as a personality, but you also need to tell them what to expect in terms of your videos.

Your channel trailer should include information like: what kinds of videos you make, why you make them, and what your upload schedule is.

Be specific. Instead of saying you make videos about makeup, say you make look tutorials and talk about your favorite styles. Instead of saying you are a gamer, tell your potential subscribers what games you post about and what some of your favorites are.

A specific schedule is important for getting people to subscribe. Generally, viewers do not subscribe to channels that have not posted in a long time. They subscribe because they do not want to miss out on new content, and if you follow a schedule, they will trust that that new content is on its way.

Ask Them to Subscribe

Do not forget to ask the person to view your trailer to subscribe.

A lot of people go into YouTube thinking people will subscribe if they like their videos, and so making great videos is the only way to get people to subscribe. This is not true.

Making great videos is the first step to getting subscribers, but the second step is to ask for them. Not everyone subscribes to every channel they visit and enjoy. A person who enjoys your videos is more likely to subscribe if you prompt them to.

30 Seconds

The ideal length for a YouTube channel trailer is 30 seconds, or between 30 seconds and 1 minute.

The people viewing your trailer did not come to YouTube for the purpose of watching it. They are unlikely to give it much time before they continue browsing. This means you need to grab their attention tightly right away, but it also means you need to keep your trailer bite-sized.

Thirty seconds should be long enough to tell people what your channel is about, show off your personality, and ask them to subscribe. If you take much longer, viewers will click away before they hear your full pitch.

Part 2: How to Add a Channel Trailer Using Wondershare Filmora

Here are a few simple steps to setting up your channel trailer.

1. Turn on channel customization. Go to My Channel and click the gear icon over your channel’s banner. Switch Customize the layout of your channel from off to on.
2. Upload your trailer video like you would any other video.
3. Go to your channel and click on the For new visitors tab, which should appear after you’ve turned on customization.
4. Click Channel trailer and choose your video, or paste in its URL.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Your channel trailer is the video viewers who are not already subscribed to you will see when they visit your channel page. It is your chance to make a quick pitch to them about why they should subscribe. You can use your channel trailer to let new visitors to your channel know what kind of videos you make and to convince them to subscribe. Here are 5 tips to make an effective YouTube channel trailer.

Part 1: 5 Tips for Making a Great Channel Trailer

Here are our top 5 recommendations for anybody creating a YouTube channel trailer:

Reach Out – It’s All About Your Viewers

Use your channel trailer to try to connect to the individual viewer watching it. Greet that one person as one person, as a ‘you’, instead of as a member of a group (i.e., avoid saying ‘you guys’).

The more you can make your trailer about the person watching it, the better. You are telling them about yourself, but you are doing it for their benefit. Address them directly (i.e. ‘If you like…’ or ‘you don’t want to miss’.) and make everything you say about them. For example, instead of saying ‘I post tutorials about’, try ‘you can learn about’.

Flaunt Your Personality – It’s All About You

One of the golden rules of YouTube is ‘be yourself’. People will subscribe because they enjoy your personality and want to see more of it.

Use your trailer as an opportunity to showcase your unique perspective. Be yourself, and be the person that is excited to be making great YouTube videos. You are at your best when you let people see how much you care about something, so show your viewers how much you care about delivering great video content. This is what will make people want to subscribe.

Talk about All the Cool Stuff You Do

The best channel trailers give viewers a window into your channel. You need to show people what to expect from you as a personality, but you also need to tell them what to expect in terms of your videos.

Your channel trailer should include information like: what kinds of videos you make, why you make them, and what your upload schedule is.

Be specific. Instead of saying you make videos about makeup, say you make look tutorials and talk about your favorite styles. Instead of saying you are a gamer, tell your potential subscribers what games you post about and what some of your favorites are.

A specific schedule is important for getting people to subscribe. Generally, viewers do not subscribe to channels that have not posted in a long time. They subscribe because they do not want to miss out on new content, and if you follow a schedule, they will trust that that new content is on its way.

Ask Them to Subscribe

Do not forget to ask the person to view your trailer to subscribe.

A lot of people go into YouTube thinking people will subscribe if they like their videos, and so making great videos is the only way to get people to subscribe. This is not true.

Making great videos is the first step to getting subscribers, but the second step is to ask for them. Not everyone subscribes to every channel they visit and enjoy. A person who enjoys your videos is more likely to subscribe if you prompt them to.

30 Seconds

The ideal length for a YouTube channel trailer is 30 seconds, or between 30 seconds and 1 minute.

The people viewing your trailer did not come to YouTube for the purpose of watching it. They are unlikely to give it much time before they continue browsing. This means you need to grab their attention tightly right away, but it also means you need to keep your trailer bite-sized.

Thirty seconds should be long enough to tell people what your channel is about, show off your personality, and ask them to subscribe. If you take much longer, viewers will click away before they hear your full pitch.

Click here

Part 2: How to Add a Channel Trailer Using Wondershare Filmora

Here are a few simple steps to setting up your channel trailer.

1. Turn on channel customization. Go to My Channel and click the gear icon over your channel’s banner. Switch Customize the layout of your channel from off to on.
2. Upload your trailer video like you would any other video.
3. Go to your channel and click on the For new visitors tab, which should appear after you’ve turned on customization.
4. Click Channel trailer and choose your video, or paste in its URL.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Your channel trailer is the video viewers who are not already subscribed to you will see when they visit your channel page. It is your chance to make a quick pitch to them about why they should subscribe. You can use your channel trailer to let new visitors to your channel know what kind of videos you make and to convince them to subscribe. Here are 5 tips to make an effective YouTube channel trailer.

Part 1: 5 Tips for Making a Great Channel Trailer

Here are our top 5 recommendations for anybody creating a YouTube channel trailer:

Reach Out – It’s All About Your Viewers

Use your channel trailer to try to connect to the individual viewer watching it. Greet that one person as one person, as a ‘you’, instead of as a member of a group (i.e., avoid saying ‘you guys’).

The more you can make your trailer about the person watching it, the better. You are telling them about yourself, but you are doing it for their benefit. Address them directly (i.e. ‘If you like…’ or ‘you don’t want to miss’.) and make everything you say about them. For example, instead of saying ‘I post tutorials about’, try ‘you can learn about’.

Flaunt Your Personality – It’s All About You

One of the golden rules of YouTube is ‘be yourself’. People will subscribe because they enjoy your personality and want to see more of it.

Use your trailer as an opportunity to showcase your unique perspective. Be yourself, and be the person that is excited to be making great YouTube videos. You are at your best when you let people see how much you care about something, so show your viewers how much you care about delivering great video content. This is what will make people want to subscribe.

Talk about All the Cool Stuff You Do

The best channel trailers give viewers a window into your channel. You need to show people what to expect from you as a personality, but you also need to tell them what to expect in terms of your videos.

Your channel trailer should include information like: what kinds of videos you make, why you make them, and what your upload schedule is.

Be specific. Instead of saying you make videos about makeup, say you make look tutorials and talk about your favorite styles. Instead of saying you are a gamer, tell your potential subscribers what games you post about and what some of your favorites are.

A specific schedule is important for getting people to subscribe. Generally, viewers do not subscribe to channels that have not posted in a long time. They subscribe because they do not want to miss out on new content, and if you follow a schedule, they will trust that that new content is on its way.

Ask Them to Subscribe

Do not forget to ask the person to view your trailer to subscribe.

A lot of people go into YouTube thinking people will subscribe if they like their videos, and so making great videos is the only way to get people to subscribe. This is not true.

Making great videos is the first step to getting subscribers, but the second step is to ask for them. Not everyone subscribes to every channel they visit and enjoy. A person who enjoys your videos is more likely to subscribe if you prompt them to.

30 Seconds

The ideal length for a YouTube channel trailer is 30 seconds, or between 30 seconds and 1 minute.

The people viewing your trailer did not come to YouTube for the purpose of watching it. They are unlikely to give it much time before they continue browsing. This means you need to grab their attention tightly right away, but it also means you need to keep your trailer bite-sized.

Thirty seconds should be long enough to tell people what your channel is about, show off your personality, and ask them to subscribe. If you take much longer, viewers will click away before they hear your full pitch.

Part 2: How to Add a Channel Trailer Using Wondershare Filmora

Here are a few simple steps to setting up your channel trailer.

1. Turn on channel customization. Go to My Channel and click the gear icon over your channel’s banner. Switch Customize the layout of your channel from off to on.
2. Upload your trailer video like you would any other video.
3. Go to your channel and click on the For new visitors tab, which should appear after you’ve turned on customization.
4. Click Channel trailer and choose your video, or paste in its URL.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Wondershare Filmora. It provides special effects, stock photo & video, sound library, etc., which will definitely enhance your productivity and helps to make money by making videos much accessible.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Visual Branding in YouTubes: Design Tips

YouTube Channel Art: How to Make Banners, Icons, and Thumbnails?

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube channel art refers to your banner, icon, and watermark along with the thumbnails of your videos. Creating custom channel art is a great way to express yourself and communicate the tone of your videos.

YouTube supports JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG files for channel art, although they do not allow animated GIFs.

Part 1: Top Sites for YouTube Channel Art

You can make your channel art in Photoshop, or another photo editing program, but there are also some excellent tools online which you can access for free. Here are two of the best:

Canva.com

Canva has templates for YouTube banners as well as a variety of stock images. You can also upload and edit your own images on Canva. It is a free service, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each. Canva has a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey.com

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. It’s free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription for either $4.99 a month, or $2.75 a month for a year.

Part 2: Banners

Your banner is the header for your channel page. Its dimensions are 2560 x 1440 px.

Not all of your banner will be visible on all devices. The full 2560 x 1440 px image will only be seen by viewers watching on tv screens.

Only 1546 x 423 px of your banner will be visible on computers, and this ‘safe area’ can vary for different tablets and smartphones depending on the width of their screens. Make sure any important text or logos are placed in a central location so everybody can see them.

Also, keep in mind that your icon will hover over the top left corner of your banner and that your social media icons will be located in the bottom right corner.

The file size of your banner cannot be over 4MB.

Part 3: Icons

Your icon is the avatar you use when leaving and replying to comments on YouTube. It also hovers over your banner on your channel page.

By default, your icon will be the picture associated with your Google account.

If you upload a new icon, it will render down to 98 x 98 px. So, any square image larger than 98 x 98 px will work. However, YouTube recommends you use one as large as 800 x 800 px. This will give you a sharper, higher quality, image.

Part 4: Thumbnails

Thumbnails are the images that represent your videos on your channel page and in search results.

You can browse through your video and choose a still frame you want to use as your video’s thumbnail. Or, you can upload a custom image.

Custom thumbnails should have an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as YouTube’s video player. The files should be under 2MB and have a resolution of 1280 x 720.

To upload a custom thumbnail, select the custom thumbnail option under Video Thumbnails at the end of the video uploading process. You can also change the thumbnails of your existing videos to custom ones through Video Manager.

Remember that your thumbnail will be rendered down to a much smaller size. If you use text, like the title of your video, then you should make it really big so that it is easy to read when it gets shrunk down.

Part 5: Watermarks

A watermark is a small, usually 50 x 50 px image displayed in the bottom right corner of your video.

Watermarks protect your videos by making them harder for others to steal and take credit for.

Ideally, your watermark will be a transparent version of your logo. Try not to use more than three colors – you do not want your watermark to distract your viewers.

If you add a branding watermark through YouTube then that watermark will also double as a subscribe link.

Here is how you can add a branding watermark through YouTube:

1. On YouTube, go to your Creator Studio and select Branding under the Channel menu.
2. Click the blue add a watermark button on the Branding page.
3. An upload of a watermark window will pop up. Select your image file and click Save.
4. Choose between having a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your videos, or having it there for the entire length of your videos. The popular choice is to have it visible through the entire video.
5. Click Update. Your watermark will be applied to all of your videos.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube channel art refers to your banner, icon, and watermark along with the thumbnails of your videos. Creating custom channel art is a great way to express yourself and communicate the tone of your videos.

YouTube supports JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG files for channel art, although they do not allow animated GIFs.

Part 1: Top Sites for YouTube Channel Art

You can make your channel art in Photoshop, or another photo editing program, but there are also some excellent tools online which you can access for free. Here are two of the best:

Canva.com

Canva has templates for YouTube banners as well as a variety of stock images. You can also upload and edit your own images on Canva. It is a free service, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each. Canva has a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey.com

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. It’s free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription for either $4.99 a month, or $2.75 a month for a year.

Part 2: Banners

Your banner is the header for your channel page. Its dimensions are 2560 x 1440 px.

Not all of your banner will be visible on all devices. The full 2560 x 1440 px image will only be seen by viewers watching on tv screens.

Only 1546 x 423 px of your banner will be visible on computers, and this ‘safe area’ can vary for different tablets and smartphones depending on the width of their screens. Make sure any important text or logos are placed in a central location so everybody can see them.

Also, keep in mind that your icon will hover over the top left corner of your banner and that your social media icons will be located in the bottom right corner.

The file size of your banner cannot be over 4MB.

Part 3: Icons

Your icon is the avatar you use when leaving and replying to comments on YouTube. It also hovers over your banner on your channel page.

By default, your icon will be the picture associated with your Google account.

If you upload a new icon, it will render down to 98 x 98 px. So, any square image larger than 98 x 98 px will work. However, YouTube recommends you use one as large as 800 x 800 px. This will give you a sharper, higher quality, image.

Part 4: Thumbnails

Thumbnails are the images that represent your videos on your channel page and in search results.

You can browse through your video and choose a still frame you want to use as your video’s thumbnail. Or, you can upload a custom image.

Custom thumbnails should have an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as YouTube’s video player. The files should be under 2MB and have a resolution of 1280 x 720.

To upload a custom thumbnail, select the custom thumbnail option under Video Thumbnails at the end of the video uploading process. You can also change the thumbnails of your existing videos to custom ones through Video Manager.

Remember that your thumbnail will be rendered down to a much smaller size. If you use text, like the title of your video, then you should make it really big so that it is easy to read when it gets shrunk down.

Part 5: Watermarks

A watermark is a small, usually 50 x 50 px image displayed in the bottom right corner of your video.

Watermarks protect your videos by making them harder for others to steal and take credit for.

Ideally, your watermark will be a transparent version of your logo. Try not to use more than three colors – you do not want your watermark to distract your viewers.

If you add a branding watermark through YouTube then that watermark will also double as a subscribe link.

Here is how you can add a branding watermark through YouTube:

1. On YouTube, go to your Creator Studio and select Branding under the Channel menu.
2. Click the blue add a watermark button on the Branding page.
3. An upload of a watermark window will pop up. Select your image file and click Save.
4. Choose between having a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your videos, or having it there for the entire length of your videos. The popular choice is to have it visible through the entire video.
5. Click Update. Your watermark will be applied to all of your videos.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube channel art refers to your banner, icon, and watermark along with the thumbnails of your videos. Creating custom channel art is a great way to express yourself and communicate the tone of your videos.

YouTube supports JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG files for channel art, although they do not allow animated GIFs.

Part 1: Top Sites for YouTube Channel Art

You can make your channel art in Photoshop, or another photo editing program, but there are also some excellent tools online which you can access for free. Here are two of the best:

Canva.com

Canva has templates for YouTube banners as well as a variety of stock images. You can also upload and edit your own images on Canva. It is a free service, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each. Canva has a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey.com

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. It’s free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription for either $4.99 a month, or $2.75 a month for a year.

Part 2: Banners

Your banner is the header for your channel page. Its dimensions are 2560 x 1440 px.

Not all of your banner will be visible on all devices. The full 2560 x 1440 px image will only be seen by viewers watching on tv screens.

Only 1546 x 423 px of your banner will be visible on computers, and this ‘safe area’ can vary for different tablets and smartphones depending on the width of their screens. Make sure any important text or logos are placed in a central location so everybody can see them.

Also, keep in mind that your icon will hover over the top left corner of your banner and that your social media icons will be located in the bottom right corner.

The file size of your banner cannot be over 4MB.

Part 3: Icons

Your icon is the avatar you use when leaving and replying to comments on YouTube. It also hovers over your banner on your channel page.

By default, your icon will be the picture associated with your Google account.

If you upload a new icon, it will render down to 98 x 98 px. So, any square image larger than 98 x 98 px will work. However, YouTube recommends you use one as large as 800 x 800 px. This will give you a sharper, higher quality, image.

Part 4: Thumbnails

Thumbnails are the images that represent your videos on your channel page and in search results.

You can browse through your video and choose a still frame you want to use as your video’s thumbnail. Or, you can upload a custom image.

Custom thumbnails should have an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as YouTube’s video player. The files should be under 2MB and have a resolution of 1280 x 720.

To upload a custom thumbnail, select the custom thumbnail option under Video Thumbnails at the end of the video uploading process. You can also change the thumbnails of your existing videos to custom ones through Video Manager.

Remember that your thumbnail will be rendered down to a much smaller size. If you use text, like the title of your video, then you should make it really big so that it is easy to read when it gets shrunk down.

Part 5: Watermarks

A watermark is a small, usually 50 x 50 px image displayed in the bottom right corner of your video.

Watermarks protect your videos by making them harder for others to steal and take credit for.

Ideally, your watermark will be a transparent version of your logo. Try not to use more than three colors – you do not want your watermark to distract your viewers.

If you add a branding watermark through YouTube then that watermark will also double as a subscribe link.

Here is how you can add a branding watermark through YouTube:

1. On YouTube, go to your Creator Studio and select Branding under the Channel menu.
2. Click the blue add a watermark button on the Branding page.
3. An upload of a watermark window will pop up. Select your image file and click Save.
4. Choose between having a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your videos, or having it there for the entire length of your videos. The popular choice is to have it visible through the entire video.
5. Click Update. Your watermark will be applied to all of your videos.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

YouTube channel art refers to your banner, icon, and watermark along with the thumbnails of your videos. Creating custom channel art is a great way to express yourself and communicate the tone of your videos.

YouTube supports JPG, GIF, BMP, and PNG files for channel art, although they do not allow animated GIFs.

Part 1: Top Sites for YouTube Channel Art

You can make your channel art in Photoshop, or another photo editing program, but there are also some excellent tools online which you can access for free. Here are two of the best:

Canva.com

Canva has templates for YouTube banners as well as a variety of stock images. You can also upload and edit your own images on Canva. It is a free service, but they do have some premium features which cost $1 each. Canva has a desktop version and an iPad app.

PicMonkey.com

PicMonkey lets you import images from your computer or social media accounts, edit them, and use them in templates for YouTube banners or other kinds of social media graphics. It’s free to use, but you can only access their more advanced editing tools if you buy a paid subscription for either $4.99 a month, or $2.75 a month for a year.

Part 2: Banners

Your banner is the header for your channel page. Its dimensions are 2560 x 1440 px.

Not all of your banner will be visible on all devices. The full 2560 x 1440 px image will only be seen by viewers watching on tv screens.

Only 1546 x 423 px of your banner will be visible on computers, and this ‘safe area’ can vary for different tablets and smartphones depending on the width of their screens. Make sure any important text or logos are placed in a central location so everybody can see them.

Also, keep in mind that your icon will hover over the top left corner of your banner and that your social media icons will be located in the bottom right corner.

The file size of your banner cannot be over 4MB.

Part 3: Icons

Your icon is the avatar you use when leaving and replying to comments on YouTube. It also hovers over your banner on your channel page.

By default, your icon will be the picture associated with your Google account.

If you upload a new icon, it will render down to 98 x 98 px. So, any square image larger than 98 x 98 px will work. However, YouTube recommends you use one as large as 800 x 800 px. This will give you a sharper, higher quality, image.

Part 4: Thumbnails

Thumbnails are the images that represent your videos on your channel page and in search results.

You can browse through your video and choose a still frame you want to use as your video’s thumbnail. Or, you can upload a custom image.

Custom thumbnails should have an aspect ratio of 16:9, the same as YouTube’s video player. The files should be under 2MB and have a resolution of 1280 x 720.

To upload a custom thumbnail, select the custom thumbnail option under Video Thumbnails at the end of the video uploading process. You can also change the thumbnails of your existing videos to custom ones through Video Manager.

Remember that your thumbnail will be rendered down to a much smaller size. If you use text, like the title of your video, then you should make it really big so that it is easy to read when it gets shrunk down.

Part 5: Watermarks

A watermark is a small, usually 50 x 50 px image displayed in the bottom right corner of your video.

Watermarks protect your videos by making them harder for others to steal and take credit for.

Ideally, your watermark will be a transparent version of your logo. Try not to use more than three colors – you do not want your watermark to distract your viewers.

If you add a branding watermark through YouTube then that watermark will also double as a subscribe link.

Here is how you can add a branding watermark through YouTube:

1. On YouTube, go to your Creator Studio and select Branding under the Channel menu.
2. Click the blue add a watermark button on the Branding page.
3. An upload of a watermark window will pop up. Select your image file and click Save.
4. Choose between having a start time for your watermark, making it appear only at the end of your videos, or having it there for the entire length of your videos. The popular choice is to have it visible through the entire video.
5. Click Update. Your watermark will be applied to all of your videos.

If you want to find a video editing solution that empowers your imagination and creativity yet takes less effort, please try this robust and user-friendly video editing software Filmora, which is equipped with its own footage stock Wondershare Filmstock and will definitely enhance your productivity and helps you to make money by making videos much easier.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

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