How to make a YouTube thumbnail in Canva
Open Canva's YouTube Thumbnail size, pick a template or start blank, add one subject and a short line, and download a JPG. Then upload it in YouTube Studio yourself, because Canva can't set the thumbnail for you.
4 min read ThumbnailsYouTubeGuidesStudioCanva is where a lot of people make their first thumbnail. The catch is that Canva can't put it on your video. You make it in Canva, download it, and upload it yourself in YouTube Studio.
This post sticks to the Canva 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.
Start from Canva's YouTube Thumbnail size
Open Canva and search for **YouTube Thumbnail**. Pick that design type and it opens at **1280 × 720 px**, which is 16:9. You can also go to Canva's YouTube thumbnail templates page and click **Create a blank YouTube Thumbnail**.
That's the only size you need. The full spec, including YouTube's 4K recommendation, lives in [YouTube thumbnail size](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-size).
Already made something at the wrong size? Don't start over yet. [How to resize a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-resize-youtube-thumbnail) covers Canva's **Resize** tool and the workaround on the Free plan.
Pick a template or start blank
Templates live in the **Templates** tab of the editor side panel. From the homepage, you can also open **Templates**, find one you like, and click **Customize this template**.
A template is a fine starting layout. Just swap out the photo, the words, and usually the colors. If you keep most of it, your thumbnail looks like every other channel that grabbed the same one.
Starting blank is better when your channel already has a look. It also makes it easier to stick to one subject and one line, since nothing else is on the page yet.
Add one subject
Go to the **Uploads** tab and click **Upload files** to bring in your photo. A face or one clear object works best. Drag it onto the page and make it big.
To cut the subject out of its background, select the photo and use **BG Remover** in the editor toolbar. Canva includes it with paid plans, not Free. On Free, pick a photo that already has a clean, plain background so the subject still stands out.
One subject reads at phone size. Two or three fight each other. The longer reason is in [how to make a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-make-a-youtube-thumbnail).
Add a 3 to 5 word line
Open the **Text** tab, or press **T**, and add one short line. Three to five words is plenty. Say something the title doesn't, so the two work together instead of repeating each other.
Make the text big and bold, with strong contrast against the background. Keep it and your subject out of the bottom-right corner, because YouTube puts the video length there. [YouTube thumbnail safe zones](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-safe-zones) shows everything YouTube lays over the image, and [how to add text to a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-add-text-to-youtube-thumbnail) has more on fonts and placement.
Download it as a JPG
Click **Share**, then **Download**. Under file type, pick **JPG**, then click **Download**.
On Canva Pro, Teams, Education, and Nonprofits plans, you'll also see **Quality** (Low, Medium, or High) and **Limit size**, where you type a size in KB. Free gives you Canva's default JPG, which is fine for most thumbnails.
YouTube takes JPG or PNG. The size limit is 2 MB when you upload from a phone and up to 50 MB from desktop YouTube Studio. The rest of the spec is in [YouTube thumbnail size](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-size). If your file is too big for a phone upload, [how to compress a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-compress-youtube-thumbnail) gets it down without making it mushy.
Upload it in YouTube Studio
Canva has a way to share straight to YouTube, but skip it here. Canva's help page says it only publishes video designs, turns static images into videos, and doesn't support custom thumbnails.
Instead, sign in to YouTube Studio and select **Content** in the left menu, then click the video's title or thumbnail to open **Details**. Under **Thumbnail**, click **Upload file**, pick your JPG, and click **SAVE**.
Don't see **Upload file**? Your channel probably needs phone verification first, and [how to enable custom YouTube thumbnails](/blog/how-to-enable-custom-youtube-thumbnails) walks through it. To swap a thumbnail later, see [how to change a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-change-youtube-thumbnail).
Check clarity before you upload
Before you upload, run the JPG through Thumbly Score and watch the **Clarity** number. Clarity is whether someone gets the idea at a glance, which is exactly what one subject and a short line are for. What each number means is in [how to use Thumbly Score](/blog/how-to-use-thumbly-score).
[Open Thumbly Score](/thumbly-score) and try it on this one.
