Streampost

YouTube Thumbnail Size — create 1280 × 720 pixels

Bring your thumbnail to the YouTube-recommended 1280 × 720 pixels. Channel banners and Shorts too. Free, in your browser.

How it works

  1. 1

    Upload your image

    Drag your image into the field or pick a file. It stays entirely on your device — nothing is sent to a server.

  2. 2

    Choose a format

    Pick the YouTube format you need. The preview immediately shows how your image will be cropped.

  3. 3

    Download

    One click and you get the image at exactly the pixel dimensions YouTube expects — ready to upload.

Popular use cases

  • Content creators

    No cropping by the app

    Upload images at the right dimensions instead of letting YouTube decide which part of your subject gets cut.

  • Cross-posting

    One shot, every format

    Turn a single photo into square, portrait and landscape versions — no image editor required.

  • E-commerce

    Consistent product shots

    Bring all product photos to the same dimensions so your feed looks tidy and professional.

  • Agencies

    Prepare assets fast

    Adapt client material in seconds without opening Photoshop or taking up a licence seat.

  • Photography

    Keep your resolution

    Export at the full recommended resolution so your images are not displayed unnecessarily soft.

  • Profile optimisation

    Profile pictures without distortion

    Get your profile picture into the right aspect ratio up front instead of wrestling with it on upload.

YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 pixels in a 16:9 ratio for thumbnails. Smaller images get upscaled and look soft — particularly noticeable on TV screens.

Thumbnails are displayed very small in many places, such as mobile search results. Bold subjects and little text work better than a detailed collage.

For the channel banner (2560 × 1440), note that very different crops are visible depending on the device — only the central area shows everywhere.

Frequently asked questions

What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?

1280 × 720 pixels in a 16:9 ratio. That is the resolution YouTube recommends.

How large can a thumbnail file be?

YouTube caps the file size. Stay well below it by exporting as JPG — this tool does that automatically.

How big is the YouTube channel banner?

2560 × 1440 pixels. Only part of it is visible depending on the device, so keep important content centred.

Is my image uploaded?

No, processing runs entirely in your browser.

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