[New] How to Tackle Missing Thumbnails on YouTube Shorts

How to Tackle Missing Thumbnails on YouTube Shorts

Video thumbnails are important since they encourage people to click and watch the video. But what if your set YouTube Shorts thumbnail is not showing? YouTube will use a random part of the video as the thumbnail. It may be an unflattering or uninteresting shot. Then, your Shorts video is doomed.

That said, it is a problem you want to solve. Here are 7 FAQs about YouTube Shorts thumbnails. They may help you with fixing this issue.

Q1. Can I Customize YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Yes, you can. YouTube did allow short-form video creators to upload custom thumbnails for their Shorts. However, they aren’t that optimized. For instance, some people may not see them on the Shorts shelf. Also, if you share a link to the video somewhere else, the old video thumbnail may show instead of the new one.

Adding a custom thumbnail for YouTube Shorts is the same as adding one for long-form videos on the platform. Follow these steps:

Open the YouTube mobile app. Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom center > “Create Short.” Upload, edit, and post your video.

Get to your desktop computer or laptop. Open your channel’s YouTube Studio.

On the left navigation menu, click “Content.”

Click the “pencil” icon next to the Shorts you just uploaded. This video should be at the top of the list.
Navigate to the Thumbnail section. Click “Create Thumbnail.”

Q2. Why Are YouTube Shorts Thumbnails Not Showing?

It’s not you who’s the only one with Shorts thumbnails not showing. Many short-form content creators on the platform are also facing this issue. A YouTuber took to Reddit to complain about how he uploaded custom thumbnails for all his videos. The thumbnails are correct in the editor. However, YouTube still displays a random frame as the thumbnail on the Shorts shelf.

“They ALL have randomly selected different parts of each video I have uploaded & somehow generated a new/unknown thumbnail that was neither what I uploaded as the custom option nor 1 of the 3 that YouTube auto populated.”

YouTuber on Reddit

The reason behind this is the difference in the thumbnail size. Regular YouTube video thumbnails are in the ratio of 16:9. Meanwhile, Shorts uses a ratio of 9:16. The thing is that YouTube does not yet allow you to upload 9:16 thumbnails. Thus, the thumbnail for Shorts may show correctly on the video section but not on the Shorts shelf.

Q3. How to Fix YouTube Shorts Thumbnail Problem?

Unfortunately, there is no reliable fix to this problem yet. YouTubers have tried different things in hopes that YouTube will display the correct thumbnail for their Shorts.

Some YouTubers have tried using different images. Others have experimented with changing the aspect ratio of the thumbnail or using Adobe editor for ratios. Clearing histories and cache, using different browsers, resizing, and changing the images’ resolution have also been done. Sadly, these are all failed attempts.

Q4. How To Boost Views When I Have no Control Over YouTube Shorts Thumbnails?

Attracting viewers on Shorts is the same as attracting viewers on the main YouTube. You use interesting thumbnails and video titles. Since thumbnails are out of the options, selecting great video titles has become even more important.

Here are some pointers. Your title should be at most 40 characters. Also, it should be concise and irresistible. And forget about SEO since no one is searching for YouTube Shorts anyway. People consume what they see in their feeds. So instead, the title should be “snappy.” It should intrigue, entertain, or enlighten the viewers. That will net you some views for your Shorts content.

Q5. How To Get More Views on YouTube Shorts?

Forgoing the intro is the way to go. An intro will just prolong the video when people are in Shorts to find bite-sized videos. So jump right into the video content. You can also start the video with a still frame instead. Using hashtags, captions, and text effects are also recommended. And interacting with your audience through comments and pinned comments will keep them coming back to your Shorts channel.

Of course, ensuring that the video quality is high is key to getting more views. For that, you need a good video editor. You can try Wondershare Filmora , a powerful and easy-to-use video editor.

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The best thing is that you don’t need to transfer the video from your phone to your computer and back. Wondershare Filmora is available on mobile. And it’s one of the best tools for enhancing a short-form video.

Short-form video watchers love filters, transitions, and effects. And Filmora gives you access to all of that. It provides you with fun and amazing filters, effects, transitions, and stamps that can add a wow factor to your short-form video.

Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

Luckily, that’s going to change. Starting this year, Shorts will be a part of the YouTube Partner Program. This means that you can make money from the ads that people watch on Shorts. According to YouTube, creators will keep 45% of the revenue. It will be distributed based on your share of total Shorts views.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

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On a Desktop Computer

Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

Pause the video.

Click “Library” on the left panel.

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Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

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On a Mobile Phone

Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

Like the Shorts video.

Tap “Library”

Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, custom thumbnails not showing on Shorts does not have a fix yet. So to attract viewers, you must leverage the things in your control. You must title your videos in a way that will make users click the video. Also, adding effects and filters on the video using an editor like Wondershare Filmora can help.

Users can subscribe to Shorts channels. And if they see that your videos are well-edited and high-quality, they’ll be more likely to do so. Once they are subscribed, they will see and watch your videos more often.

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Q6. Do YouTube Shorts Make Money?

Making money from YouTube Shorts was challenging. The platform pays content creators who are doing well through the Creator Fund. However, as Shorts grew, the payout became smaller.

YouTube also adjusted the requirements to qualify for the YPP. They made it easier for Shorts content creators to get into the program.

Q7. How Do You Make YouTube Shorts Play Normal?

You can watch Shorts like normal YouTube videos where you can rewind when you want to. Follow these steps.

On a Desktop Computer

Open a Shorts video on YouTube.

Pause the video.

Click “Library” on the left panel.

Select the Shorts you just watched. It should be on the top and first on the list.

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On a Mobile Phone

Open the YouTube app. Watch a Shorts video.

Like the Shorts video.

Tap “Library”

Scroll down to find “Liked Videos.” Click on it.

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Select the Shorts video you just watched. It should be at the top of the list.

Conclusion

Compliance in Recording Video Streams on YouTube

YouTube is currently the most useful video streaming platform. This platform has a wide range of amazing videos that make it one of the most subscribed platforms in the world today. This is why thousands of people do screen recordings on YouTube every day for various uses. Some of them record content to use in studies, to share with friends, for offline entertainment and other acceptable ways. There are those that record YouTube content, edit and re-upload it in their own accounts.

However, since YouTube is the most streaming platform in the world today, it has set guidelines and strict rules to be followed to make sure that people do not misuse the platform at all. The YouTube content is protected by US copyright law, and it indicates that any form of recording or conversion of this copyrighted content is illegal. Other issues related to video and audio recording come from various copyright laws and intellectual property rights.

Is Screen Recording YouTube Illegal?

The legality and illegality of recording YouTube content depend on the purpose of recording. It is absolutely legal to record videos for personal purposes such as sharing content with your friends or keeping them for offline enjoyment.

However, if you have been asking is screen recording on YouTube illegal? Yes it is, if your aim is other than the mentioned above. Some people record YouTube videos for malicious purposes such as reuploading them on YouTube or on other platforms to earn money from it. Such acts are illegal and are punishable.

If YouTube detects any illegal upload, it will suspend the subscriber’s account. The illegal content is removed from the YouTube platform within 24 hours. It is advisable for all the users to comply with the set policy strictly and do the screen recording in legal ways and allowed purposes. Before recording any content on YouTube, you must ask yourself this question first; is screen recording on YouTube illegal?

How to Record YouTube Videos

With the above in mind, it is important to know how to record YouTube videos on PC in the right way. To be able to record the videos in the right way, you need to use one of the many available screen recording programs available in the market today.

However, since there are many screen recording programs available that can record YouTube videos with audio, it is important to choose the most suitable for your tasks. Filmora is an all-in-one video and audio recorder capable of recording, editing, and converting videos without losing quality. This software is quite intuitive and very easy to use. By choosing Filmora, you are halfway to knowing if; it is illegal to record music from YouTube. This is because it is a YouTube supporting program. Filmora is a recording and editing tool with many features to help you know how to record YouTube videos on pc. Such are;

Screen recording
Audio duking.
Screen detection.
Video stabilization.
Export to YouTube and Vimeo.
Green screen support.
Media library.
GIF support.
Record HD video in 4K/1080P/720p, support frame
Previewing rendering
Silence detection.
Auto-ripple.
Split-screen presets.
Advanced text editing.
Tilt-shift.
Chroma key.
Video and audio control.
Auto mix.

Follow the following steps when you want to record screen with Wondershare Filmora;

Step1: Download and install Wondershare Filmora.

If you do not have this software installed on your computer, you need to start by downloading and installing it on your device and then launch it. Having downloaded Filmora, you are halfway to knowing whether it is legal or is it illegal to record music from YouTube.

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Step 2: Launch Filmora.

Now that you have installed this software, launch the Wondershare Filmora program and the main interface of the Filmora application will pop up to get you to the recording options. This interface has about four options; Audio reframe, Audio Best Sync, PC screen, and AI portrait. All these are set to make your work easier when recording videos and audio. Click on the new project from the welcome screen.

Step 3: Click on the record PC screen option.

You can customize your recording options to suit your interest and then open your browser and open the YouTube video you want to record. After this is done, click on the red button to start recording the screen. Now you are aware of the steps you need to take when you want to record a YouTube video with audio.

How to Edit Recorded YouTube Video

Regardless of the software, you are using to edit your YouTube videos, there are common steps that you can follow to make your journey a success. Filmora is efficient and reliable software that you can easily operate when editing your videos. This is why I will take you through the steps that you need to take when editing YouTube videos with this program.

Step 1: Split or combine your video clips

Just like other alternative editing programs, the Wondershare Filmora video editing program has a timeline view of the project you are working on. This is where you can cut or drop your shots as each of the shots are in separate files that you should combine with others to make one complete video.

Filmora has an effective split feature, that can help you cut footage into parts, and after, you can move the splits into the correct position or delete the unwanted parts. The Quick Trim feature can help you to choose any part of your video quickly when previewing.

Filmora supports almost all the formats used to make videos and photos and this will help you reduce obstacles when you want to combine footage shot with different devices. With such capabilities, it is easy to add video clips, photos, and audio when editing Your YouTube Videos.

For you to combine several footages into one, you need to place all clips in the video track in an orderly way. Then set the timeline view and move the shots around, cut or trim to shorten as you prefer. To give your final production a professional look, you can add transitions between shots.

Step 2: Rotate, Crop, Pan, and Zoom

At this point, you can rotate the video at any angle, or direction and you can as well change the scale of your video footage. If you want the viewers to focus on a certain part of the video frame, apply the Pan & Zoom feature.

Step 3: Add audio, texts, and more effects.

Now that you have edited your different video shots into a single video, you can now take the step of adding some more effects to your video. At this point, you can add different staff such as music, texts, and different other effects that you would prefer your viewers to see in your video. Some may think this is difficult to do if they have not tried it before.

The Wondershare Filmora screen editor has appropriate features to help you add all the effect you need without wasting time at all. This program will guide you through how to add effects to your YouTube videos. This is an important step in answering the question asked by many; is it illegal to record music from YouTube? If you adhere to YouTube rules and policy, you can incorporate music and other effects into your YouTube videos without fear.

Step 4: Save and Export

After adding all the special effects, you are almost at the final stage. The next important thing to do is to choose the format of saving your video file. After making sure that your video format is set, and then you can export your video file.

Remember to save your file in a format acceptable to the platform that you are intending to upload your videos. Some of the major video formats accepted by YouTube include MP4, AVI, and VMA. You can use any of these formats to save your YouTube video files.

You don’t need to upload your videos later as the Filmora features will allow you to upload YouTube videos directly. It will choose the appropriate format, frame, and codec that suit your video files.

When editing your YouTube videos on your computer, remember to follow the above steps carefully, and remember to use the right widescreen format, and render your video files in either 1080p or 720p high definition.

Having equipped yourself with such knowledge, you can download the Filmora software and install it on your computer as it is one of the very best software when it comes to recording and editing videos and audio.

Conclusion

Now you know what to do and what not to do when it comes to recording and editing YouTube videos. Remember, for you to avoid problems with the YouTube platform, work in the brackets of the set policy. Find the right and fitting video editor such as Filmora to assist you in recording and editing videos for YouTube. There are many Filmora tutorial guides that can help you know how to download and install it on your PC.

Follow the following steps when you want to record screen with Wondershare Filmora;

Step1: Download and install Wondershare Filmora.

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For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

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For macOS 10.12 or later

Step 2: Launch Filmora.

Step 3: Click on the record PC screen option.