How to make a YouTube thumbnail with Gemini (free)

You can make a thumbnail background with Gemini on the free plan. We keep your real face out of Gemini completely. It builds the scene, and you add your photo and words in a free editor. If you'd rather use ChatGPT, see [How to make a YouTube thumbnail with ChatGPT](/blog/how-to-make-a-youtube-thumbnail-with-chatgpt), and for YouTube's own built in tool, see [How to use YouTube's AI thumbnail generator](/blog/youtube-ai-thumbnail-generator).

Is it free?

Yes, within limits. Google lists image generation with Nano Banana 2 for people without a Google AI plan, at standard limits. Google says your limit refreshes every 5 hours until you reach your weekly limit. When you hit it, you can wait for it to refresh or upgrade to a paid plan.

Image requests take a lot of Gemini's thinking power, so keep an eye on your limit. To check it, go to gemini.google.com and select **Settings, then Usage Limits**. Redoing images with Nano Banana Pro needs a paid Google AI plan.

Step 1: Open Gemini and ask for an image

Go to gemini.google.com and start a new chat. Ask for an image in plain words, the same way you'd ask a question.

Step 2: Ask for 16:9

YouTube asks for a 16:9 thumbnail on regular videos. Write "16:9" right in your prompt so the image comes out wide.

Step 3: Generate the scene, with no person in it

Ask for the background or scene only. Leave people out, and leave open space where you'll go. Here's a prompt we'd start with: "A dramatic desert road at sunset, 16:9, empty space on the left, no people, no text."

We don't upload our own photo and ask Gemini to edit it. An AI image tool can redraw your face so it no longer looks like you. Your real photo goes on top later, in an editor.

Step 4: Fix spots with a follow-up prompt

If something looks off, reply in the same chat and describe the change, like "make the sky darker" or "remove the sign on the right." We check the whole image after every edit, since other parts can shift too.

When you move on to a different thumbnail, start a new chat. Google says this helps save usage.

Step 5: Save, resize, and add your photo and words

Download the image. YouTube recommends 3840 x 2160 pixels for video thumbnails, with a minimum width of 640 pixels, so we resize to that with our guide to [resizing a YouTube thumbnail](/blog/how-to-resize-youtube-thumbnail).

Then open it in [Canva](/blog/how-to-make-a-youtube-thumbnail-in-canva) or [Photopea](/blog/how-to-make-a-youtube-thumbnail-in-photopea). Cut out your real photo, place it in the open space, and add a few big words. Keep the file under 2 MB on mobile for video thumbnails, or 10 MB for podcasts, and under 50 MB on desktop, in an image format like JPG or PNG. The full spec is in our [YouTube thumbnail size guide](/blog/youtube-thumbnail-size).

Step 6: Check it at phone size

Shrink it down to about the size it shows in a phone feed. If you can't read the words or see your face, make the text bigger and cut the clutter.

One last check

Once you like it, run it through [Thumbly Score](/blog/how-to-use-thumbly-score) for a quick second opinion before you upload.