How to make a YouTube thumbnail in Affinity (free)
Set up a 1280x720 document in the free Affinity app, add a gradient background, cut out your subject, add a short line with a stroke or shadow, and export a JPG that fits YouTube's size cap.
3 min read ThumbnailsYouTubeGuidesStudioAffinity is now free. Canva owns it, and it puts vector, photo, and layout tools in one app. Affinity says you can use all of those tools "for free with just a free Canva account," so a free Canva account is all you need to download it.
This post sticks to the Affinity clicks. If you want the thinking behind a good thumbnail first, [how to make a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-make-a-youtube-thumbnail) covers it. If you'd rather use a simpler editor, see [how to make a YouTube thumbnail in Canva](/blog/how-to-make-a-youtube-thumbnail-in-canva).
Start a 1280 × 720 document
On the Home Screen, select **New**, or on the **File** menu, click **New**. Set **Document units** to pixels. Then type 1280 for **Page width** and 720 for **Page height**, and click **Create Document**.
That's 16:9, the standard size. The full spec, including YouTube's 4K recommendation, lives in [YouTube thumbnail size](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-size).
Add a gradient background
On the **Pixel** menu, select **New Fill Layer**. This gives you a layer that fills the whole page.
Pick the **Fill Tool** (shortcut G). On the context toolbar, choose **Linear** from the **Type** menu, then drag across the page.
We'd keep it simple: a soft gradient behind a face is easier to read at phone size than a busy photo.
Cut out your face or subject
On the **File** menu, select **Place** and pick your photo. A face or one clear object works best, so make it big.
If you have a Canva Pro plan or higher, select **Pixel > Remove Background**. It's a premium Canva AI feature, so it won't work on a free account. Check the edges afterward and clean them up with a mask if needed.
On the free plan, do it by hand. In the Pixel Studio, pick the **Selection Brush Tool** and paint over your subject. Then click **Refine** on the context toolbar and set **Output** to **Mask**. Paint on the mask with the **Paint Brush Tool** or **Erase Brush Tool** to fix any stray edges.
Add big, short text with a stroke or shadow
Pick the **Artistic Text Tool**, click on the page, and type your line. We'd keep it to three to five words that say something the title doesn't.
To add an outline, open **Window > Vector > Stroke** and raise the **Width**. To add a shadow, open **Window > Vector > Quick FX** and turn on **Outer Shadow**. Either one helps text stand out from a busy background.
Keep text out of the bottom-right corner, since YouTube puts the video length there. For type and color picks that hold up on both light and dark YouTube, see [best fonts for YouTube thumbnails](/blog/best-fonts-for-youtube-thumbnails) and [best colors for YouTube thumbnails](/blog/best-colors-for-youtube-thumbnails).
Export it as a JPG
On the **File** menu, select **Export > Export**. On the left, pick a JPEG preset, then click **Export** and save the file.
Watch the file size. Keep it under 2 MB if you upload from a phone, and under 50 MB from desktop YouTube Studio. If it's too big, lower the **Quality** setting and export again. The full rules are in [YouTube thumbnail file size](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-file-size).
Check it before you upload
Run the JPG through [Thumbly Score](/thumbly-score) for a quick look at how it reads at small sizes.
