YouTube thumbnail maker: three 1280 x 720 options for your video
Your thumbnail and title decide whether anyone clicks. This prompt has your todo.is agent read your video topic, suggest a few words of thumbnail text, and design three different 1280 x 720 options using your own photo or a generated scene, with text big enough to read on a phone.
The prompt
- Make 3 YouTube thumbnails for my video titled "[VIDEO TITLE]". The video is about [WHAT HAPPENS IN THE VIDEO]. Use [PHOTO] as the main subject, cut out cleanly with a strong expression or pose. Thumbnail text: [THUMBNAIL TEXT], 4 words or fewer, placed as real text so it is spelled exactly. Style: [CHANNEL STYLE]. Size 1280 x 720 PNG under 2 MB. Make the three options clearly different (close-up face, before/after, object focus), keep the bottom-right corner clear of text because of the timestamp, and show me how each looks at small size.
What to change
- [VIDEO TITLE]: Your YouTube title, e.g. "I Tried Cold Showers for 30 Days".
- [WHAT HAPPENS IN THE VIDEO]: One or two sentences, so the image matches the content and doesn't mislead viewers.
- [PHOTO]: Attach a clear, well-lit photo of yourself or the product and write "my attached photo", or describe a scene to generate.
- [THUMBNAIL TEXT]: E.g. "Day 30?!". It should add to the title, not repeat it. Or write "suggest 3".
- [CHANNEL STYLE]: E.g. "bright yellow and black, bold", "clean minimal tech look", or "match my attached old thumbnail".
Example result
- Thumbnails for "I Tried Cold Showers for 30 Days"
- Photo: creator_shower.jpg · style: bright yellow and black · text "DAY 30?!"
- Option A: reaction close-up
- • Your face cut out, shocked expression, filling the left 50% of the frame
- • Icy blue background with frost texture and water droplets
- • DAY 30?! in heavy black Impact-style letters with a thick yellow outline, top right
- • A thin white outline around you so you stand out from the background
- Option B: before and after
- • Split frame: Day 1 (you wincing, warm orange tint) and Day 30 (calm, cool blue tint)
- • Labels "DAY 1" and "DAY 30" at the top of each half
- • A yellow arrow from left to right
- Option C: object focus
- • A shower head blasting icy water, ice crystals, dramatic lighting
- • Your small face cutout in the lower left, eyebrows raised
- • Text: 30 DAYS in yellow
- Checks done
- • All three viewed at 168 x 94 px (roughly the size in a phone feed): text and face still readable
- • Bottom-right corner empty, where YouTube shows the video length
- • Each file is 1280 x 720, 16:9, under 2 MB
- Files delivered
- • cold_showers_thumb_a.png, cold_showers_thumb_b.png, cold_showers_thumb_c.png
- • cold_showers_preview_small.png: all three side by side at feed size
- What tends to get clicks
- • One clear subject, a readable emotion, high contrast
- • Text that adds curiosity to the title instead of repeating it
- • Consistent colours and fonts so subscribers recognise your videos
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your title, a short summary, your photo and the style you use.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is or message your agent, attaching the photo.
- Your agent delivers three 1280 x 720 options and a small-size preview.
- Upload two of them in YouTube Studio's thumbnail test if it's available on your channel, or ask your agent for changes.
Tips for a better result
- Take the photo for the thumbnail on purpose: good light, a clear expression, plain background. Cutouts from blurry video frames look cheap.
- Never promise something the video doesn't show. Misleading thumbnails hurt watch time and can break YouTube's policies.
- Ask for a template version: same layout and fonts, so future thumbnails only need a new photo and text.
- Keep a folder of your best thumbnails and attach them as a style reference for each new video.
YouTube thumbnail maker: FAQ
- What size is a YouTube thumbnail? 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9), at least 640 px wide, under 2 MB, as JPG, PNG or GIF. Your agent makes PNG files at that size.
- How many words should be on a thumbnail? Usually three or four at most. Bigger words read on phones; small words disappear in the feed.
- Can I use a frame from my video? Yes, attach a screenshot or the video itself and say which moment. A sharp, well-lit photo still gives better cutouts.
- Can the agent upload the thumbnail to YouTube? No. You download the PNG and upload it yourself in YouTube Studio.
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