We scored Ali Abdaal thumbnails, then tried to beat them
Ali Abdaal makes talking head videos about business and productivity. We scored two of his thumbs through Thumbly Score, made edits, and re-scored. The AI editing thumb went 58 to 72. Ali Abdaal's 2026 life update stayed at 55.
4 min read ThumbnailsYouTubeTeardownCreator BreakdownPsychologyAli Abdaal makes talking head videos about business and productivity. That is the kind of channel most of our readers run, so we wanted to see how his packaging scores.
We took two recent thumbs and ran them through [Thumbly Score](/thumbly-score). Same flow as the [Johnny Harris](/blog/johnny-harris-thumbnail-teardown) and [Tom Scott](/blog/tom-scott-thumbnail-teardown) teardowns. Score the original, make the edit, score again.
At the time of writing (Nov 2, 2026), "I Tried Fully Automating My Video Editing With AI (RAW RESULTS)" had about 323K views and "Everything's Changing - 2026 Life Update" had about 101K. We'll call the second one the life update from here on.
Thumbnail 1: "I Tried Fully Automating My Video Editing With AI (RAW RESULTS)"
Posted Oct 26, 2026. Ali sits on the left in round tortoiseshell glasses and a light grey t-shirt, looking at the camera with his lips pressed together. On the right, an open laptop shows a video editing timeline in pink, teal, and green. A large orange app icon with a white starburst and a red notification dot sits in the middle of the screen. White serif text at the top right reads "so it begins".
**Thumbly Score: 58/100**
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Virality | 50 |
| Clarity | 70 |
| Idea | 60 |
| Curiosity | 65 |
| Emotion | 45 |
Clarity at 70 is the strength. Score's verdict says the subject and text are clear.
Emotion at 45 is the weak spot. The verdict says the thumb lacks strong emotional engagement.
We made two changes by hand. We replaced "so it begins" with "AI EDITED THIS" in bold orange on a dark bar, and we made the app icon about 25% bigger. We left his face alone.
*Our edit of Ali Abdaal's published thumbnail, not the one he uses.*
**72/100, up 14.** Virality rose from 50 to 75 and curiosity from 65 to 78. Clarity rose from 70 to 80, emotion from 45 to 60, and idea from 60 to 65.
The new verdict says the expression still holds back the emotional impact, and its top tip was to change his expression. We skipped that tip because we didn't alter his face.
Thumbnail 2: the life update
Posted Oct 30, 2026. Ali stands in the middle of a large empty office with a wide, open mouth smile. His arms are spread with palms up, and he holds a black camera in one hand. Floor to ceiling windows on the left show city buildings. There's no text, and the colors are mostly white and grey.
**Thumbly Score: 55/100**
| Dimension | Score |
|---|---|
| Virality | 50 |
| Clarity | 60 |
| Idea | 45 |
| Curiosity | 55 |
| Emotion | 70 |
Emotion at 70 is the strength. Score's verdict calls the thumb friendly and clean.
Idea at 45 is the weak spot. The verdict says it lacks a clear message and visual punch.
We made three changes by hand. We cropped in tighter on Ali, raised the contrast and saturation with a slightly warmer grade, and added "EVERYTHING'S CHANGING" in bold yellow at the top left. We didn't relight his face.
*Our edit of Ali Abdaal's published thumbnail, not the one he uses.*
**55/100, no change.** Clarity rose from 60 to 70. Virality held at 50, idea at 45, and curiosity at 55. Emotion fell from 70 to 60.
The new verdict calls it clear but generic and says the text treatment holds it back. Its tips were a glow on the text, an effect in the background, and relighting him. We skipped the relight because we didn't alter his face.
The split
The two originals scored very differently on the same five dimensions. The AI thumb scored higher on clarity (70 vs 60), curiosity (65 vs 55), and idea (60 vs 45). The life update scored higher on emotion (70 vs 45). Virality was tied at 50.
What held up
The AI thumb, with a laptop and app icon on screen, scored 60 on idea. The life update, with no object, scored 45, and our edit didn't move it.
Clarity rose 10 points after both edits, and each one added short bold text.
What to steal from Ali Abdaal
Our advice: show the tool on screen, as big as the frame allows.
A big smile with open arms scored 70 on emotion with no text at all. If your face is the draw, let it fill the frame.
When your thumb has a face but no object, we'd test one short line taken from the title first.
Soft close
Run yours through [Thumbly Score](/thumbly-score) and re-score after each change. Our [guide to Thumbly Score](/blog/how-to-use-thumbly-score) walks through it.
This piece is commentary on public packaging. We are reading the picture, not claiming Ali Abdaal's CTR.
*Thumbnails © Ali Abdaal, shown here for commentary and analysis. The 'improved' versions are edits made to illustrate the suggested changes; his face is left as in the original.*
