Top Picks for Zero-Cost Film and Photography Resources

Top 10 Free Stock Footage Websites You Should Know

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Of course, it is important to make sure that you find a wide range of copyright-free video footage to compile a great video. This is why we made a list of the 10 best places to get free stock footage.

1. Dissolve

Dissolve offers one high-quality HD clip for free every single month. Furthermore, you can access their comprehensive library with more than 1 million stock videos for both commercial and personal projects. If you show them where you use the clips, you could receive a $500 gift certificate. It’s worth taking a look into as the website has a lot to offer.

2. Mazwai

Mazwai is an aggregator of some of the best free stock footage on the internet. It boasts a wide range of mini-films that are available for immediate download on the public domain. You can download them without even giving away your email address, which is particularly convenient. There are HD video clips and other footage all available under the CC3.0 Attribution License.

3. Videohive

Videohive is a great resource created by the same people behind the Envato market. It offers free monthly clips as well as a wide range of different creative assets. You can get royalty-free videos as well as templates created by professionals from around the world. The database currently stands at about 320,000 effects and stock footage videos, but it keeps growing by the minute.

4. Distill

Distill provides you with ten free HD videos every ten days. When you break it down, you get one piece of free stock footage a day which is quite convenient. It was created by people with tremendous creativity, and it is intended for other creative types. It is perfect for personal as well as commercial and professional uses.

5. Coverr

Coverr offers seven free stock footage clips every week. You can use these for whatever you want to. Furthermore, it is a project created with Coders Clan which is rather reputable in the field. The website offers a lot of tech clips as well as subjects like travel and leisure. They also take requests.

6. Benchfront B-Roll

Beachfront B-Roll offers an abundance of free clips from a wide range of different categories. They also have a lot of animated backgrounds that are designated for production purposes as well as unique HD stock videos. All of the clips in the library are free. All you need to do is perform a quick “right-click save” and you’re good to go.

7. Free Footage

This is another website that offers particularly high-quality HD footage from filmmakers who are based in the UK. They use the platform as a means of distributing and sharing their passion. It is broken up in different categories, and you can use everything that you like free of charge.

8. Pexels Videos

Pexels Videos boasts an abundance of free stock footage, this website is worth taking a look at. One of the best things about it is there is no official need for attribution so you can download at will. All of the videos are licensed under the CC0 license. You can edit, change, and download them for personal and commercial purposes without any issues at all.

9. Videezy

At Videezy you’ll find a community as well as a database of free stock footage. You can discuss your video plans with the community and get help with better designs and videos. All of the videos which are found on the website are free of royalties and can be used for whatever you want.

10. Life of Vids

Not only can you find free videos on Life of Vids , but also HD photos. New looping footage is also added every week. You can easily download the files without any copyright restrictions. It’s a reputable website with a lot of choices that you can freely take your pick of.

These are without a doubt the 10 best places that you can go to to get your free stock footage and make a clip that’s worth people’s attention.

Create Stunning Videos with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Now that you have known where to find free stock footage, it’s time to open a video editing software to edit your royalty-free videos.

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

Of course, it is important to make sure that you find a wide range of copyright-free video footage to compile a great video. This is why we made a list of the 10 best places to get free stock footage.

1. Dissolve

Dissolve offers one high-quality HD clip for free every single month. Furthermore, you can access their comprehensive library with more than 1 million stock videos for both commercial and personal projects. If you show them where you use the clips, you could receive a $500 gift certificate. It’s worth taking a look into as the website has a lot to offer.

2. Mazwai

Mazwai is an aggregator of some of the best free stock footage on the internet. It boasts a wide range of mini-films that are available for immediate download on the public domain. You can download them without even giving away your email address, which is particularly convenient. There are HD video clips and other footage all available under the CC3.0 Attribution License.

3. Videohive

Videohive is a great resource created by the same people behind the Envato market. It offers free monthly clips as well as a wide range of different creative assets. You can get royalty-free videos as well as templates created by professionals from around the world. The database currently stands at about 320,000 effects and stock footage videos, but it keeps growing by the minute.

4. Distill

Distill provides you with ten free HD videos every ten days. When you break it down, you get one piece of free stock footage a day which is quite convenient. It was created by people with tremendous creativity, and it is intended for other creative types. It is perfect for personal as well as commercial and professional uses.

5. Coverr

Coverr offers seven free stock footage clips every week. You can use these for whatever you want to. Furthermore, it is a project created with Coders Clan which is rather reputable in the field. The website offers a lot of tech clips as well as subjects like travel and leisure. They also take requests.

6. Benchfront B-Roll

Beachfront B-Roll offers an abundance of free clips from a wide range of different categories. They also have a lot of animated backgrounds that are designated for production purposes as well as unique HD stock videos. All of the clips in the library are free. All you need to do is perform a quick “right-click save” and you’re good to go.

7. Free Footage

This is another website that offers particularly high-quality HD footage from filmmakers who are based in the UK. They use the platform as a means of distributing and sharing their passion. It is broken up in different categories, and you can use everything that you like free of charge.

8. Pexels Videos

Pexels Videos boasts an abundance of free stock footage, this website is worth taking a look at. One of the best things about it is there is no official need for attribution so you can download at will. All of the videos are licensed under the CC0 license. You can edit, change, and download them for personal and commercial purposes without any issues at all.

9. Videezy

At Videezy you’ll find a community as well as a database of free stock footage. You can discuss your video plans with the community and get help with better designs and videos. All of the videos which are found on the website are free of royalties and can be used for whatever you want.

10. Life of Vids

Not only can you find free videos on Life of Vids , but also HD photos. New looping footage is also added every week. You can easily download the files without any copyright restrictions. It’s a reputable website with a lot of choices that you can freely take your pick of.

These are without a doubt the 10 best places that you can go to to get your free stock footage and make a clip that’s worth people’s attention.

Create Stunning Videos with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Now that you have known where to find free stock footage, it’s time to open a video editing software to edit your royalty-free videos.

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

Of course, it is important to make sure that you find a wide range of copyright-free video footage to compile a great video. This is why we made a list of the 10 best places to get free stock footage.

1. Dissolve

Dissolve offers one high-quality HD clip for free every single month. Furthermore, you can access their comprehensive library with more than 1 million stock videos for both commercial and personal projects. If you show them where you use the clips, you could receive a $500 gift certificate. It’s worth taking a look into as the website has a lot to offer.

2. Mazwai

Mazwai is an aggregator of some of the best free stock footage on the internet. It boasts a wide range of mini-films that are available for immediate download on the public domain. You can download them without even giving away your email address, which is particularly convenient. There are HD video clips and other footage all available under the CC3.0 Attribution License.

3. Videohive

Videohive is a great resource created by the same people behind the Envato market. It offers free monthly clips as well as a wide range of different creative assets. You can get royalty-free videos as well as templates created by professionals from around the world. The database currently stands at about 320,000 effects and stock footage videos, but it keeps growing by the minute.

4. Distill

Distill provides you with ten free HD videos every ten days. When you break it down, you get one piece of free stock footage a day which is quite convenient. It was created by people with tremendous creativity, and it is intended for other creative types. It is perfect for personal as well as commercial and professional uses.

5. Coverr

Coverr offers seven free stock footage clips every week. You can use these for whatever you want to. Furthermore, it is a project created with Coders Clan which is rather reputable in the field. The website offers a lot of tech clips as well as subjects like travel and leisure. They also take requests.

6. Benchfront B-Roll

Beachfront B-Roll offers an abundance of free clips from a wide range of different categories. They also have a lot of animated backgrounds that are designated for production purposes as well as unique HD stock videos. All of the clips in the library are free. All you need to do is perform a quick “right-click save” and you’re good to go.

7. Free Footage

This is another website that offers particularly high-quality HD footage from filmmakers who are based in the UK. They use the platform as a means of distributing and sharing their passion. It is broken up in different categories, and you can use everything that you like free of charge.

8. Pexels Videos

Pexels Videos boasts an abundance of free stock footage, this website is worth taking a look at. One of the best things about it is there is no official need for attribution so you can download at will. All of the videos are licensed under the CC0 license. You can edit, change, and download them for personal and commercial purposes without any issues at all.

9. Videezy

At Videezy you’ll find a community as well as a database of free stock footage. You can discuss your video plans with the community and get help with better designs and videos. All of the videos which are found on the website are free of royalties and can be used for whatever you want.

10. Life of Vids

Not only can you find free videos on Life of Vids , but also HD photos. New looping footage is also added every week. You can easily download the files without any copyright restrictions. It’s a reputable website with a lot of choices that you can freely take your pick of.

These are without a doubt the 10 best places that you can go to to get your free stock footage and make a clip that’s worth people’s attention.

Create Stunning Videos with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Now that you have known where to find free stock footage, it’s time to open a video editing software to edit your royalty-free videos.

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

Of course, it is important to make sure that you find a wide range of copyright-free video footage to compile a great video. This is why we made a list of the 10 best places to get free stock footage.

1. Dissolve

Dissolve offers one high-quality HD clip for free every single month. Furthermore, you can access their comprehensive library with more than 1 million stock videos for both commercial and personal projects. If you show them where you use the clips, you could receive a $500 gift certificate. It’s worth taking a look into as the website has a lot to offer.

2. Mazwai

Mazwai is an aggregator of some of the best free stock footage on the internet. It boasts a wide range of mini-films that are available for immediate download on the public domain. You can download them without even giving away your email address, which is particularly convenient. There are HD video clips and other footage all available under the CC3.0 Attribution License.

3. Videohive

Videohive is a great resource created by the same people behind the Envato market. It offers free monthly clips as well as a wide range of different creative assets. You can get royalty-free videos as well as templates created by professionals from around the world. The database currently stands at about 320,000 effects and stock footage videos, but it keeps growing by the minute.

4. Distill

Distill provides you with ten free HD videos every ten days. When you break it down, you get one piece of free stock footage a day which is quite convenient. It was created by people with tremendous creativity, and it is intended for other creative types. It is perfect for personal as well as commercial and professional uses.

5. Coverr

Coverr offers seven free stock footage clips every week. You can use these for whatever you want to. Furthermore, it is a project created with Coders Clan which is rather reputable in the field. The website offers a lot of tech clips as well as subjects like travel and leisure. They also take requests.

6. Benchfront B-Roll

Beachfront B-Roll offers an abundance of free clips from a wide range of different categories. They also have a lot of animated backgrounds that are designated for production purposes as well as unique HD stock videos. All of the clips in the library are free. All you need to do is perform a quick “right-click save” and you’re good to go.

7. Free Footage

This is another website that offers particularly high-quality HD footage from filmmakers who are based in the UK. They use the platform as a means of distributing and sharing their passion. It is broken up in different categories, and you can use everything that you like free of charge.

8. Pexels Videos

Pexels Videos boasts an abundance of free stock footage, this website is worth taking a look at. One of the best things about it is there is no official need for attribution so you can download at will. All of the videos are licensed under the CC0 license. You can edit, change, and download them for personal and commercial purposes without any issues at all.

9. Videezy

At Videezy you’ll find a community as well as a database of free stock footage. You can discuss your video plans with the community and get help with better designs and videos. All of the videos which are found on the website are free of royalties and can be used for whatever you want.

10. Life of Vids

Not only can you find free videos on Life of Vids , but also HD photos. New looping footage is also added every week. You can easily download the files without any copyright restrictions. It’s a reputable website with a lot of choices that you can freely take your pick of.

These are without a doubt the 10 best places that you can go to to get your free stock footage and make a clip that’s worth people’s attention.

Create Stunning Videos with Easy-to-Use Video Editor

Now that you have known where to find free stock footage, it’s time to open a video editing software to edit your royalty-free videos.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Step Up to Spectacle: Adding Neon Borderlines to YouTubes

Your YouTube video, or any other clip published on any forum, gets a larger number of hits if it has an attractive thumbnail. And, the fact is, a thumbnail becomes 10x more attractive when the main character that the image has have a neon border around it.

With that said, in the following sections, you will learn a couple of methods on how to add a YouTube thumbnail border around the main characters and/or objects that are significant to the clip.

In this article

01 Add Glowing Neon Border to YouTube Thumbnail with Filmora

02 Add a Glowing Neon Border in YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

03 Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Part 1: How to Add Neon Border to YouTube Thumbnail for Free with Filmora

Being one of the most versatile and intuitive post-production tools available in the market today, Wondershare Filmora X allows you to add a neon border to a YouTube thumbnail quite conveniently. You can learn how to get this done on Windows or Mac by following the steps given below.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add Image to the Timeline

Launch Wondershare Filmora X on your PC (a MacBook Pro M1 is used here), ensure that the project aspect ratio is set to 16:9 (Widescreen) on the splash screen, and click New Project. On the main interface, click the Preview quality and display settings icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, click Change Project Aspect Ratio, click to select 1280 x 720 (HD) from the Resolution menu of the Project Settings box, and click OK to save the custom project settings.

Then select My Media from the menu bar if not already selected, click Project Media from the navigation pane, and click Import from the Media box to select and import the image of the main character or object that you want to use in the thumbnail.

Now, drag the image from the Media box to the Timeline at the bottom.

Step 2: Clear Image Background, Add Border, and Add Custom Background

Go to Effects from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then AI Portrait from the navigation pane, and click and drag the Human Segmentation preset from the right box, and place it over the image track in the Timeline.

Double-click the image layer, scroll down the upper-left box to the Video Effects section, and use the Edge Thickness and Edge Feather sliders to adjust the character’s edges to make them as realistic as possible. Click OK when done.

Next, click and drag the Human Border preset over the image track in the Timeline, and follow the same procedure to customize the border. This will give the character a neon border effect.

Now, use the method explained earlier to import a custom image for the background, and drag and place it under the previous track in the Timeline.

If you are running the latest version of Filmora, you will find there are some neon light effects available under AI Portrait as well.

Step 3: Add Titles to Thumbnail

Go to Titles from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then Lower 3rds from the navigation pane, and click and drag your preferred lower-third preset from the right window to a separate layer in the Timeline. Double-click the lower-third layer, and use the available options in the upper-left window to change the text, its color, etc., and drag the textbox to place it to your preferred position on the image as well. Click OK to save the changes.

Next, click to select Titles from the navigation pane, and drag your preferred title from the right window to the upper-most track in the Timeline. Now use the method explained earlier to edit the text, its color, position, etc. to make it look professional.

For more tips and tricks for creating YouTube thumbnail, you can check this You Tube thumbnail creating guide.

Step 4: Get the Neon Border Thumbnail

Click the Snapshot (Camera) icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, go to My Media from the menu bar, right-click the thumbnail of the screenshot you captured, and click Reveal in Finder (on Mac) or Reveal in Explorer (on Windows) to get to the folder the YouTube thumbnail border is saved in.

Part 2: How to Add a Glowing Neon Border in Your YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

Canva is another intuitive editing program that works on the web interface rather than having you download and install an app on your PC. You can add a neon border for YouTube thumbnails using Canva by following the instructions given below:

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add a Background

After signing in to your Canva account, click Create a design from the top-right corner of the page, click Custom size from the bottom, define 1280 and 720 in the Width and Height fields on the box that appears respectively, and click Create new design.

Now, click to select Background from the navigation bar on the left (if the Background tool is not visible, click More and then choose Background from the expanded list), and click to select a background from the images available in the center pane.

Step 2: Upload an Image and Add Effects

Click Uploads from the navigation bar, click the More icon from the right of the Upload media button present at the top of the center pane, choose your preferred method to upload the image (with the transparent background) that you want to use, upload the image, and drag it from the center pane to the Canvas.

Note: You can use any of the tools available online to remove the background from your image for free.

To add a YouTube thumbnail border, make sure that the image that you added to the Canvas is selected, click the Duplicate icon from the upper-right area, and use the scaling handles of the copy of the image to increase its size a bit. Reposition the image back to its original location as well.

Then, click Edit image from the upper-left corner of the Canvas, click Duotone from the Edit image pane at the center, if need be, click See all, choose your preferred duotone effect to apply on the image, choose your preferred highlight and shadow colors from the box that appears next, and click Back from the top of the pane.

Next, click See all next to the Adjust section from the center pane, and drag the Blur slider to the right to increase the blur effect on the image.

Step 3: Position the Layers

While keeping the duplicate image selected, click the Position button from the upper-right area of the Canvas, and click Background to send the second image behind the first one to get the neon border effect for the photo.

Part 3: How to Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Because YouTube thumbnails are nothing but static images, creating YouTube thumbnail border with Adobe Photoshop is comparatively easier. The process of doing this is given below:

Step 1: Define Document Preferences and Import an Image

Launch Adobe Photoshop on your PC, click Create new, and on the New Document customization box, define the width and height values to 1280 and 720 pixels respectively. Select Transparent from the Background Contents menu as well if not already selected. Click Create from the bottom to create a new Photoshop document with the specified document settings. Next, open the folder that contains the source image, drag the photo to Photoshop, and press Enter to place the photo.

Step 2: Remove Background from the Image

Make sure that the image layer is selected in the Layers panel on the right, go to Select from the menu bar at the top, and click Subject. From the bottom of the Layers panel, click the Add a mask icon to get rid of the background, leaving only the human on the Canvas.

Step 3: Add a Custom Background and an Outline Around the Subject

Use the method explained earlier to import a background image of your choice to Photoshop. Drag the background image layer to the bottom in the Layers panel. Double-click the masked layer, click to select Stroke from the left pane of the Layer Style box, and use the options available on the right to manage the size, color, position, etc. of the stroke that has been added around the human subject. Click OK when done, and then export the image normally to use it as a YouTube thumbnail border.

Summary

It is important to know that the default resolution of a YouTube thumbnail is 1280 x 720 pixels that is usually written and referred to as 720p. While adding a YouTube thumbnail border, it is also imperative to have a good sense of color combination and fonts. Furthermore, a decent tool like Wondershare Filmora X must be used to add an appealing neon border around the main subject in the thumbnail image easily and quickly.

02 Add a Glowing Neon Border in YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

03 Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Part 1: How to Add Neon Border to YouTube Thumbnail for Free with Filmora

Being one of the most versatile and intuitive post-production tools available in the market today, Wondershare Filmora X allows you to add a neon border to a YouTube thumbnail quite conveniently. You can learn how to get this done on Windows or Mac by following the steps given below.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add Image to the Timeline

Launch Wondershare Filmora X on your PC (a MacBook Pro M1 is used here), ensure that the project aspect ratio is set to 16:9 (Widescreen) on the splash screen, and click New Project. On the main interface, click the Preview quality and display settings icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, click Change Project Aspect Ratio, click to select 1280 x 720 (HD) from the Resolution menu of the Project Settings box, and click OK to save the custom project settings.

Then select My Media from the menu bar if not already selected, click Project Media from the navigation pane, and click Import from the Media box to select and import the image of the main character or object that you want to use in the thumbnail.

Now, drag the image from the Media box to the Timeline at the bottom.

Step 2: Clear Image Background, Add Border, and Add Custom Background

Go to Effects from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then AI Portrait from the navigation pane, and click and drag the Human Segmentation preset from the right box, and place it over the image track in the Timeline.

Double-click the image layer, scroll down the upper-left box to the Video Effects section, and use the Edge Thickness and Edge Feather sliders to adjust the character’s edges to make them as realistic as possible. Click OK when done.

Next, click and drag the Human Border preset over the image track in the Timeline, and follow the same procedure to customize the border. This will give the character a neon border effect.

Now, use the method explained earlier to import a custom image for the background, and drag and place it under the previous track in the Timeline.

If you are running the latest version of Filmora, you will find there are some neon light effects available under AI Portrait as well.

Step 3: Add Titles to Thumbnail

Go to Titles from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then Lower 3rds from the navigation pane, and click and drag your preferred lower-third preset from the right window to a separate layer in the Timeline. Double-click the lower-third layer, and use the available options in the upper-left window to change the text, its color, etc., and drag the textbox to place it to your preferred position on the image as well. Click OK to save the changes.

Next, click to select Titles from the navigation pane, and drag your preferred title from the right window to the upper-most track in the Timeline. Now use the method explained earlier to edit the text, its color, position, etc. to make it look professional.

For more tips and tricks for creating YouTube thumbnail, you can check this You Tube thumbnail creating guide.

Step 4: Get the Neon Border Thumbnail

Click the Snapshot (Camera) icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, go to My Media from the menu bar, right-click the thumbnail of the screenshot you captured, and click Reveal in Finder (on Mac) or Reveal in Explorer (on Windows) to get to the folder the YouTube thumbnail border is saved in.

Part 2: How to Add a Glowing Neon Border in Your YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

Canva is another intuitive editing program that works on the web interface rather than having you download and install an app on your PC. You can add a neon border for YouTube thumbnails using Canva by following the instructions given below:

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add a Background

After signing in to your Canva account, click Create a design from the top-right corner of the page, click Custom size from the bottom, define 1280 and 720 in the Width and Height fields on the box that appears respectively, and click Create new design.

Now, click to select Background from the navigation bar on the left (if the Background tool is not visible, click More and then choose Background from the expanded list), and click to select a background from the images available in the center pane.

Step 2: Upload an Image and Add Effects

Click Uploads from the navigation bar, click the More icon from the right of the Upload media button present at the top of the center pane, choose your preferred method to upload the image (with the transparent background) that you want to use, upload the image, and drag it from the center pane to the Canvas.

Note: You can use any of the tools available online to remove the background from your image for free.

To add a YouTube thumbnail border, make sure that the image that you added to the Canvas is selected, click the Duplicate icon from the upper-right area, and use the scaling handles of the copy of the image to increase its size a bit. Reposition the image back to its original location as well.

Then, click Edit image from the upper-left corner of the Canvas, click Duotone from the Edit image pane at the center, if need be, click See all, choose your preferred duotone effect to apply on the image, choose your preferred highlight and shadow colors from the box that appears next, and click Back from the top of the pane.

Next, click See all next to the Adjust section from the center pane, and drag the Blur slider to the right to increase the blur effect on the image.

Step 3: Position the Layers

While keeping the duplicate image selected, click the Position button from the upper-right area of the Canvas, and click Background to send the second image behind the first one to get the neon border effect for the photo.

Part 3: How to Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Because YouTube thumbnails are nothing but static images, creating YouTube thumbnail border with Adobe Photoshop is comparatively easier. The process of doing this is given below:

Step 1: Define Document Preferences and Import an Image

Launch Adobe Photoshop on your PC, click Create new, and on the New Document customization box, define the width and height values to 1280 and 720 pixels respectively. Select Transparent from the Background Contents menu as well if not already selected. Click Create from the bottom to create a new Photoshop document with the specified document settings. Next, open the folder that contains the source image, drag the photo to Photoshop, and press Enter to place the photo.

Step 2: Remove Background from the Image

Make sure that the image layer is selected in the Layers panel on the right, go to Select from the menu bar at the top, and click Subject. From the bottom of the Layers panel, click the Add a mask icon to get rid of the background, leaving only the human on the Canvas.

Step 3: Add a Custom Background and an Outline Around the Subject

Use the method explained earlier to import a background image of your choice to Photoshop. Drag the background image layer to the bottom in the Layers panel. Double-click the masked layer, click to select Stroke from the left pane of the Layer Style box, and use the options available on the right to manage the size, color, position, etc. of the stroke that has been added around the human subject. Click OK when done, and then export the image normally to use it as a YouTube thumbnail border.

Summary

It is important to know that the default resolution of a YouTube thumbnail is 1280 x 720 pixels that is usually written and referred to as 720p. While adding a YouTube thumbnail border, it is also imperative to have a good sense of color combination and fonts. Furthermore, a decent tool like Wondershare Filmora X must be used to add an appealing neon border around the main subject in the thumbnail image easily and quickly.

02 Add a Glowing Neon Border in YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

03 Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Part 1: How to Add Neon Border to YouTube Thumbnail for Free with Filmora

Being one of the most versatile and intuitive post-production tools available in the market today, Wondershare Filmora X allows you to add a neon border to a YouTube thumbnail quite conveniently. You can learn how to get this done on Windows or Mac by following the steps given below.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add Image to the Timeline

Launch Wondershare Filmora X on your PC (a MacBook Pro M1 is used here), ensure that the project aspect ratio is set to 16:9 (Widescreen) on the splash screen, and click New Project. On the main interface, click the Preview quality and display settings icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, click Change Project Aspect Ratio, click to select 1280 x 720 (HD) from the Resolution menu of the Project Settings box, and click OK to save the custom project settings.

Then select My Media from the menu bar if not already selected, click Project Media from the navigation pane, and click Import from the Media box to select and import the image of the main character or object that you want to use in the thumbnail.

Now, drag the image from the Media box to the Timeline at the bottom.

Step 2: Clear Image Background, Add Border, and Add Custom Background

Go to Effects from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then AI Portrait from the navigation pane, and click and drag the Human Segmentation preset from the right box, and place it over the image track in the Timeline.

Double-click the image layer, scroll down the upper-left box to the Video Effects section, and use the Edge Thickness and Edge Feather sliders to adjust the character’s edges to make them as realistic as possible. Click OK when done.

Next, click and drag the Human Border preset over the image track in the Timeline, and follow the same procedure to customize the border. This will give the character a neon border effect.

Now, use the method explained earlier to import a custom image for the background, and drag and place it under the previous track in the Timeline.

If you are running the latest version of Filmora, you will find there are some neon light effects available under AI Portrait as well.

Step 3: Add Titles to Thumbnail

Go to Titles from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then Lower 3rds from the navigation pane, and click and drag your preferred lower-third preset from the right window to a separate layer in the Timeline. Double-click the lower-third layer, and use the available options in the upper-left window to change the text, its color, etc., and drag the textbox to place it to your preferred position on the image as well. Click OK to save the changes.

Next, click to select Titles from the navigation pane, and drag your preferred title from the right window to the upper-most track in the Timeline. Now use the method explained earlier to edit the text, its color, position, etc. to make it look professional.

For more tips and tricks for creating YouTube thumbnail, you can check this You Tube thumbnail creating guide.

Step 4: Get the Neon Border Thumbnail

Click the Snapshot (Camera) icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, go to My Media from the menu bar, right-click the thumbnail of the screenshot you captured, and click Reveal in Finder (on Mac) or Reveal in Explorer (on Windows) to get to the folder the YouTube thumbnail border is saved in.

Part 2: How to Add a Glowing Neon Border in Your YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

Canva is another intuitive editing program that works on the web interface rather than having you download and install an app on your PC. You can add a neon border for YouTube thumbnails using Canva by following the instructions given below:

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add a Background

After signing in to your Canva account, click Create a design from the top-right corner of the page, click Custom size from the bottom, define 1280 and 720 in the Width and Height fields on the box that appears respectively, and click Create new design.

Now, click to select Background from the navigation bar on the left (if the Background tool is not visible, click More and then choose Background from the expanded list), and click to select a background from the images available in the center pane.

Step 2: Upload an Image and Add Effects

Click Uploads from the navigation bar, click the More icon from the right of the Upload media button present at the top of the center pane, choose your preferred method to upload the image (with the transparent background) that you want to use, upload the image, and drag it from the center pane to the Canvas.

Note: You can use any of the tools available online to remove the background from your image for free.

To add a YouTube thumbnail border, make sure that the image that you added to the Canvas is selected, click the Duplicate icon from the upper-right area, and use the scaling handles of the copy of the image to increase its size a bit. Reposition the image back to its original location as well.

Then, click Edit image from the upper-left corner of the Canvas, click Duotone from the Edit image pane at the center, if need be, click See all, choose your preferred duotone effect to apply on the image, choose your preferred highlight and shadow colors from the box that appears next, and click Back from the top of the pane.

Next, click See all next to the Adjust section from the center pane, and drag the Blur slider to the right to increase the blur effect on the image.

Step 3: Position the Layers

While keeping the duplicate image selected, click the Position button from the upper-right area of the Canvas, and click Background to send the second image behind the first one to get the neon border effect for the photo.

Part 3: How to Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Because YouTube thumbnails are nothing but static images, creating YouTube thumbnail border with Adobe Photoshop is comparatively easier. The process of doing this is given below:

Step 1: Define Document Preferences and Import an Image

Launch Adobe Photoshop on your PC, click Create new, and on the New Document customization box, define the width and height values to 1280 and 720 pixels respectively. Select Transparent from the Background Contents menu as well if not already selected. Click Create from the bottom to create a new Photoshop document with the specified document settings. Next, open the folder that contains the source image, drag the photo to Photoshop, and press Enter to place the photo.

Step 2: Remove Background from the Image

Make sure that the image layer is selected in the Layers panel on the right, go to Select from the menu bar at the top, and click Subject. From the bottom of the Layers panel, click the Add a mask icon to get rid of the background, leaving only the human on the Canvas.

Step 3: Add a Custom Background and an Outline Around the Subject

Use the method explained earlier to import a background image of your choice to Photoshop. Drag the background image layer to the bottom in the Layers panel. Double-click the masked layer, click to select Stroke from the left pane of the Layer Style box, and use the options available on the right to manage the size, color, position, etc. of the stroke that has been added around the human subject. Click OK when done, and then export the image normally to use it as a YouTube thumbnail border.

Summary

It is important to know that the default resolution of a YouTube thumbnail is 1280 x 720 pixels that is usually written and referred to as 720p. While adding a YouTube thumbnail border, it is also imperative to have a good sense of color combination and fonts. Furthermore, a decent tool like Wondershare Filmora X must be used to add an appealing neon border around the main subject in the thumbnail image easily and quickly.

02 Add a Glowing Neon Border in YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

03 Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Part 1: How to Add Neon Border to YouTube Thumbnail for Free with Filmora

Being one of the most versatile and intuitive post-production tools available in the market today, Wondershare Filmora X allows you to add a neon border to a YouTube thumbnail quite conveniently. You can learn how to get this done on Windows or Mac by following the steps given below.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add Image to the Timeline

Launch Wondershare Filmora X on your PC (a MacBook Pro M1 is used here), ensure that the project aspect ratio is set to 16:9 (Widescreen) on the splash screen, and click New Project. On the main interface, click the Preview quality and display settings icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, click Change Project Aspect Ratio, click to select 1280 x 720 (HD) from the Resolution menu of the Project Settings box, and click OK to save the custom project settings.

Then select My Media from the menu bar if not already selected, click Project Media from the navigation pane, and click Import from the Media box to select and import the image of the main character or object that you want to use in the thumbnail.

Now, drag the image from the Media box to the Timeline at the bottom.

Step 2: Clear Image Background, Add Border, and Add Custom Background

Go to Effects from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then AI Portrait from the navigation pane, and click and drag the Human Segmentation preset from the right box, and place it over the image track in the Timeline.

Double-click the image layer, scroll down the upper-left box to the Video Effects section, and use the Edge Thickness and Edge Feather sliders to adjust the character’s edges to make them as realistic as possible. Click OK when done.

Next, click and drag the Human Border preset over the image track in the Timeline, and follow the same procedure to customize the border. This will give the character a neon border effect.

Now, use the method explained earlier to import a custom image for the background, and drag and place it under the previous track in the Timeline.

If you are running the latest version of Filmora, you will find there are some neon light effects available under AI Portrait as well.

Step 3: Add Titles to Thumbnail

Go to Titles from the menu bar, click to select the Default tab and then Lower 3rds from the navigation pane, and click and drag your preferred lower-third preset from the right window to a separate layer in the Timeline. Double-click the lower-third layer, and use the available options in the upper-left window to change the text, its color, etc., and drag the textbox to place it to your preferred position on the image as well. Click OK to save the changes.

Next, click to select Titles from the navigation pane, and drag your preferred title from the right window to the upper-most track in the Timeline. Now use the method explained earlier to edit the text, its color, position, etc. to make it look professional.

For more tips and tricks for creating YouTube thumbnail, you can check this You Tube thumbnail creating guide.

Step 4: Get the Neon Border Thumbnail

Click the Snapshot (Camera) icon from the upper-right area of the Timeline, go to My Media from the menu bar, right-click the thumbnail of the screenshot you captured, and click Reveal in Finder (on Mac) or Reveal in Explorer (on Windows) to get to the folder the YouTube thumbnail border is saved in.

Part 2: How to Add a Glowing Neon Border in Your YouTube Thumbnail with Canva

Canva is another intuitive editing program that works on the web interface rather than having you download and install an app on your PC. You can add a neon border for YouTube thumbnails using Canva by following the instructions given below:

Step 1: Define Project Settings and Add a Background

After signing in to your Canva account, click Create a design from the top-right corner of the page, click Custom size from the bottom, define 1280 and 720 in the Width and Height fields on the box that appears respectively, and click Create new design.

Now, click to select Background from the navigation bar on the left (if the Background tool is not visible, click More and then choose Background from the expanded list), and click to select a background from the images available in the center pane.

Step 2: Upload an Image and Add Effects

Click Uploads from the navigation bar, click the More icon from the right of the Upload media button present at the top of the center pane, choose your preferred method to upload the image (with the transparent background) that you want to use, upload the image, and drag it from the center pane to the Canvas.

Note: You can use any of the tools available online to remove the background from your image for free.

To add a YouTube thumbnail border, make sure that the image that you added to the Canvas is selected, click the Duplicate icon from the upper-right area, and use the scaling handles of the copy of the image to increase its size a bit. Reposition the image back to its original location as well.

Then, click Edit image from the upper-left corner of the Canvas, click Duotone from the Edit image pane at the center, if need be, click See all, choose your preferred duotone effect to apply on the image, choose your preferred highlight and shadow colors from the box that appears next, and click Back from the top of the pane.

Next, click See all next to the Adjust section from the center pane, and drag the Blur slider to the right to increase the blur effect on the image.

Step 3: Position the Layers

While keeping the duplicate image selected, click the Position button from the upper-right area of the Canvas, and click Background to send the second image behind the first one to get the neon border effect for the photo.

Part 3: How to Outline a Person in a YouTube Thumbnail with Photoshop

Because YouTube thumbnails are nothing but static images, creating YouTube thumbnail border with Adobe Photoshop is comparatively easier. The process of doing this is given below:

Step 1: Define Document Preferences and Import an Image

Launch Adobe Photoshop on your PC, click Create new, and on the New Document customization box, define the width and height values to 1280 and 720 pixels respectively. Select Transparent from the Background Contents menu as well if not already selected. Click Create from the bottom to create a new Photoshop document with the specified document settings. Next, open the folder that contains the source image, drag the photo to Photoshop, and press Enter to place the photo.

Step 2: Remove Background from the Image

Make sure that the image layer is selected in the Layers panel on the right, go to Select from the menu bar at the top, and click Subject. From the bottom of the Layers panel, click the Add a mask icon to get rid of the background, leaving only the human on the Canvas.

Step 3: Add a Custom Background and an Outline Around the Subject

Use the method explained earlier to import a background image of your choice to Photoshop. Drag the background image layer to the bottom in the Layers panel. Double-click the masked layer, click to select Stroke from the left pane of the Layer Style box, and use the options available on the right to manage the size, color, position, etc. of the stroke that has been added around the human subject. Click OK when done, and then export the image normally to use it as a YouTube thumbnail border.

Summary

It is important to know that the default resolution of a YouTube thumbnail is 1280 x 720 pixels that is usually written and referred to as 720p. While adding a YouTube thumbnail border, it is also imperative to have a good sense of color combination and fonts. Furthermore, a decent tool like Wondershare Filmora X must be used to add an appealing neon border around the main subject in the thumbnail image easily and quickly.