Hi all! Today I will tell you about what a preview image is and show you how to make a preview image on Youtube channel in such a way that it can attract the attention of viewers, thereby raising the number of views of your video.
Image previews on Youtube play an important role in channel promotion. The fact is that many Youtube users, before switching to a particular video, first of all look at the preview picture, and only after that they go to the video itself. Why is this happening? Yes, because any person pays attention faster and better than graphic components, such as images, banners, etc., than to text ones. That is why, in order to make the most of it, you must learn how to make beautiful previews of pictures in order to attract the attention of users. We will talk about this in this article, but a little later. Well, now a little theory.
What is a preview image
For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I'll explain. Image preview is simple images, which are created in any graphics editor(like Photoshop or Paint), and which are placed with the video on Youtube in order to show what is said in this or that video at the preview stage. The thumbnail size is usually 1280 by 720 pixels (HD). As an example, to show you what the preview image looks like, let's take these two screenshots (the red squares indicate those videos that have a preview image):
In the first case, the main page of Youtube is shown, in which only 5 of all the listed videos have preview images. On the rest of the videos, there are most likely no third-party previews of pictures, because instead of them there are frames from the videos themselves (three frames from which you can select immediately after uploading the video to Youtube).
In the second case, a list of similar video letsplays (or a video of the same author that the user is currently watching) is shown. As you can see, all videos from the list have preview images. They can be easily distinguished by the presence of text and various graphic effects.
I hope now many of you have understood what a preview of a picture on Youtube is and what they are eaten with. =) Well, let's now move on to discussing how to make a thumbnail picture on Youtube.
In order to create a high-quality preview image on Youtube, you must adhere to the following rules:
- The preview image must match the content of the video on which it is placed. You should not deliberately deceive your viewers by putting preview images that are different in meaning from the videos themselves, because, firstly, it is prohibited by Youtube laws, and secondly, even if one or another viewer watches such a video, he will be disappointed in it, not having found what he was looking for and with almost one hundred percent probability he will put a dislike, and maybe even complain to the site administration. If your main goal is to get additional subscribers on your channel, then you should not do this. Therefore, always post only those preview images that match the content of the video.
- Secondly, try to create such image previews, with the help of which you could stand out from the rest of the mass of "gray" videos, which either do not have a third-party image preview at all or they forgot to put it. To do this, you should diversify your preview pictures with various beautiful graphic effects, such as flashes, sparkles, etc. Remember, the same law applies on Youtube as in life, namely, they are greeted by clothes, and escorted by mind (in our case, by interest). =)
- Add text with a brief description of the video to your thumbnails. If you are engaged, then it makes sense to add episode numbers to the video preview. This will allow your viewers to better navigate your letsplays. Also, when placing text, try to make it as large as possible, with the expectation that it will be visible on the preview pictures. Too small text on your preview images will simply not be noticeable to viewers.
You've learned the 3 golden rules to easily create eye-catching thumbnail images for your Youtube videos. I hope you have no more questions about how to make a preview image on Youtube. In the end, I will give you an example of a competent preview of the let's play picture for the game Dune 2 – The Battle For Arrakis.
Hello friends!
What are YouTube video icons?
As we know, when loading any video, at the very beginning, even before opening it, we see only the video icon, that is, one frozen frame that is torn from the general video stream. If you're lucky, the frame perfectly describes what is happening in the video. And if not, then we see smeared figures and incomprehensible landscapes. At the same time, we always see beautiful hand-drawn icons that are so pleasing to the eye for experienced and successful vloggers. Do you want to know their secret?
Installing an attractive icon
When uploading a video to your YouTube channel, the site offers you a choice between three frames that can be displayed before the video is played directly. But unfortunately, these three frames are still randomly selected by the computer from a thousand frames. Therefore, there is a fairly high probability that even with this choice you will not be able to find the icon you need.
Do you want to not be dependent on these three frames? - Then you just need to go to the "Video Manager", next to the desired video clip, click "Edit", then - "Information and Settings", and under the 3 icon options provided, click on the "Custom Icon" button. This feature was added relatively recently, and it is thanks to it that all the famous stars and stars of the Internet have such colorful icons.
What to do if you do not have a "Custom Icon" button?
To open the ability to add custom icons, you need to have a verified account, a good and clean reputation, and the most important point is monetization enabled (you can enable it in the YouTube channel functions).
This is a very powerful tool, because you can draw anything you want, and put absolutely any of your pictures on the preview of the video. But remember, don't go anywhere. Therefore, when creating an icon, think twice so that in the future you will not be deprived of the “Custom Icon” tool for violation.
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Hi all! Want to learn how to stand out from the crowd and make your YouTube videos stand out so they get more clicks? Then stay with me!
If you watch videos on youtube at least sometimes, then you probably noticed more than once how some of them stand out from all the others. Their preview picture shows not a part of the video, but some kind of lure that makes you want to click. Previously, only those who had an affiliate program from YouTube had this opportunity. Now, I can make you happy this opportunity mere mortals (i.e. you and me) also have! =)
So let's get it right
how to make a splash screen for a youtube video?
To begin with, you must prepare the necessary picture, which we will upload to YouTube with you. For such a picture, YouTube puts forward certain requirements.
Firstly, such a picture must be of a certain size. The minimum image size is 640×360 px. The main thing is that the aspect ratio in your picture should be 16:9
, like the video format on YouTube. I usually set the image size to 1280×720.
Image size in megabytes must not exceed 2 MB.
What to depict on the very picture of the intro for a video on YouTube?
Of course, there are no strict rules here, but there are recommendations that YouTube itself gives in manuals for authors.
The picture should convey the content of the video. YouTube rules state that you can not use pictures with scenes of a sexual nature to draw attention to your video. Although I have seen this rule violated more than once.
Your the image should look good both in small and large format, because your video can be shown on home page YouTube and various recommended video pages.
Put interesting and intriguing pictures on the picture. If you are using your own photo, close up your face. The quality of the photo should be good: a clear, not blurry photo. If you post your recipe on YouTube, put your dish on the screensaver, photographed from the best angle and in good light. If you show how to do something, then show the finished result of your activity on the splash screen.
Most importantly, remember! Your screensaver will be shown on the side when watching a video, as a related video. And if your picture is bright, beautiful and colorful, then your video is more likely to be clicked on than a video without a beautiful picture.
So, let's say your picture is ready. What to do next? How to make a YouTube video intro?
YouTube account verification by mobile phone number
Next you need verify your number mobile phone . This is done in the channel settings. Click on the gear in the upper right corner. From the drop down menu select " Control Panel ". Then click " Channel settings ". You will open " Functions ". And already here you will have a button " Confirm ". Click on it.
Choose " Send SMS with code ”, then select your country, and then enter your phone number. Important! Write the phone number in the form as it is written in the example. Click send. Next, wait for SMS. I got it very quickly. Less than a minute. And then enter the code that you received by SMS.
Verifying your phone number on YouTube gives you some privileges, for example, after that you you can upload long video to youtube(more than 15 minutes) or make a splash screen on YouTube video(preview image).
Personalized YouTube badge
What's happened personalized badge? This is our intro video or preview picture. That's what it's called on YouTube. Where can I find a custom icon and how do I upload our picture? Everything is very simple! When you upload a video to YouTube, you are prompted below choose one of three frames from the video to be your splash screen. But after confirming your account via SMS, you have the opportunity to upload your personalized badge (your picture on the video). Just click on the button " personalized badge”and choose a picture prepared in advance. If you want to change the intros on your previously uploaded videos, that is also possible!
Go to M video manager”, select the video you want and click “ Change". And then also press the button " personalized badge and upload your picture. Then click "Save" in the upper right corner. You can check in a minute or even earlier. Your picture has become the intro to the video! Now your videos will stand out from the rest, and will attract more attention! 
I hope I have written how to make a splash screen for a youtube video. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.
Also write what you would be interested to know on YouTube. I am actively studying it now and making my own videos. By the way, they are already starting to bring me visitors to the site. I think this is the kind of traffic that you should pay attention to. If you have experience in promoting videos on YouTube - write in the comments =)
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