YouTube thumbnail preview.

How to use it

1. Two examples are loaded so you can see the layouts straight away. Replace a thumbnail by dropping an image on its slot, then edit the title and channel name.
2. Add a third variant if you want one, and switch between light and dark.
3. Compare the variants side by side in each layout. Check the character count and the warnings under each title.
4. Look at the suggested-video size last: it is the smallest, and the one that exposes cluttered thumbnails.

What to look for

A thumbnail is seen at very different sizes, from a wide card on a desktop home page to a small tile beside another video. Check that the face or product is still clear in the smallest layout, that any text is readable without squinting and that the subject does not sit where the duration badge covers it, at the bottom right.

Titles are cut off after about two lines, and where that happens depends on the layout and the screen. The tool measures the title in each mockup and warns you when it is cut, so the key words come first. The mockups approximate the real layouts; check the live result on a phone as well.

Testing variants

Put the variants next to each other and judge them the way a viewer would, in a glance. Change one thing at a time, such as the face expression, the background colour or the title wording, so you know what made the difference. YouTube has its own thumbnail testing tools in YouTube Studio for eligible channels. This page is a planning aid and does not predict clicks.

The layouts are built with plain HTML and CSS. They use no logos or assets from any video platform. This tool is not affiliated with YouTube.

Privacy

Your files never leave your device. This tool runs entirely in your browser: nothing is uploaded, stored or sent to a server. The page loads its code once and does the work on your device. There is no upload, no account and no watermark, and nothing you add is stored on our servers.