Get started by using any of our professionally-designed templates and make it all your own. Each template is completely customizable to match your company brand. Customize the thumbnail template by hand or upload your branding to access a collection of Smart Templates automatically customized to fit your brand.
Free online YouTube thumbnail maker
Quickly create and distribute a stunning YouTube thumbnail with the Marq brand templating platform. With a powerfully intuitive editor, it's never been easier to impress your audience... and yourself.
Haven't signed up yet?
Give us a try.
Sign up with Google By signing up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
Easy YouTube thumbnail design
Lay out text, images, shapes & video with a simple drag-and-drop motion—nothing could be easier. Try our keyboard shortcuts to save even more time. You'll feel like a design genius.
More features
Brand consistency
Eliminate the risk of team members accidentally stretching, moving, discoloring (you get the point) your brand assets by locking down fonts, images, logos, position, and more.
More featuresWork together
Lay out text, images, shapes & video with a simple drag-and-drop motion—nothing could be easier. Try our keyboard shortcuts to save even more time. You'll feel like a design genius.
More features
Why choose our YouTube thumbnail maker?
You don’t have to be a brilliant designer to craft beautiful content. Whether you’re a team of one or a team of five, our brand templating platform makes it easy to create content and build your brand in the new design democracy.
Brand assets
Make customizing content even easier by storing all your brand assets in one place.
Web-based platform
Since Marq' platform is web-based, there's nothing to download or install — so you'll always have the latest version.
Data automation
Smart Fields auto-populate information in your templates, so you don't have to chase down information.
Easy Import
Marq integrates with your favorite tools to put content at your fingertips. Transfer text from a Google Doc, import an InDesign file or insert photos from Dropbox, Facebook or Unsplash so you can stay focused on your work.
How to make YouTube thumbnails
Growing an audience on YouTube takes work. The Marq Youtube thumbnail creator takes some of that effort off your shoulders with the ability to convert any document into a personal template. That way, once you have the perfect YouTube thumbnail, you can convert it to a template and reuse it with slight adjustments over and over again.
Step 1: Choose a layout
An effective YouTube thumbnail should drive interest in your video, show what the video is about and avoid being too busy.
Step 2: Choose an image
Want to stand out in YouTube search results? Images with faces and bright colors do best at capturing the audience's attention. Choose a fun shot from the video itself or upload a photo related to the content.
Step 3: Brand the thumbnail
Incorporate your brand colors and your brand logos into the thumbnail to drive brand recognition and awareness.
Step 4: Download and share
Share your thumbnail with with the world. Download a high quality image and upload it to YouTube.
Create all of your on-brand collateral in Marq
The #1 brand-templating platform trusted by over 6 million users worldwide
Find out whyFrequently asked questions
A captivating thumbnail is crucial for drawing viewers to your videos. It serves as a visual preview and can significantly impact whether users click to watch. A well-designed thumbnail can increase your video's click-through rate and overall engagement.
Absolutely! Marq's YouTube thumbnail maker allows you to upload your own images, logos, and graphics to create personalized and branded thumbnails. You can make your thumbnails consistent with your channel's identity.
Yes, YouTube has specific recommendations for thumbnails. It's advisable to use images with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels, follow a 16:9 aspect ratio, and ensure the thumbnail remains clear and legible even at smaller sizes. Marq's thumbnail maker helps you design within these guidelines.
While Marq's thumbnail maker doesn't directly offer performance tracking, YouTube's analytics provide insights into how your thumbnails are performing. You can see metrics like click-through rate (CTR) and views to assess which thumbnails are driving the most engagement and adjust your designs accordingly.