Crop & Resize for YouTube Thumbnail

Prepare a thumbnail for a landscape YouTube video

This preset starts at 1280 × 720 with a 16:9 crop. It crops and resizes an image you already have; create your headline or other artwork in your image editor first.

Example: leave room for the subject and headline

Crop, export, and check your image

1. 1. Upload your finished artwork

   Use a JPG or PNG that your browser can open. Start from a sharp, larger image; enlarging a small screenshot will not recover detail.

2. 2. Position the 16:9 crop

   The YouTube preset is selected already. Drag the crop to keep the face, product, or focal point in frame. Check that existing text has space around it. Export uses the crop directly; Apply crop is optional.

3. 3. Export and inspect the PNG

   Keep 1280 × 720 or enter custom dimensions such as 3840 × 2160 when your source has enough detail. Download the PNG, view it small, and check its file size before uploading in YouTube Studio.

If the result is not ready to publish

The exported thumbnail is too large

PNG export has no target-file-size control. Try the compressor or convert the PNG to JPG, then compare text sharpness and check the resulting bytes. Neither resizing nor a quality setting guarantees a file-size limit.

The headline or face is cut off

Use Back to Edit and reposition the crop. A portrait image loses space when cropped to 16:9; add a landscape background in an editor if the whole portrait must remain visible.

YouTube rejects the upload or shows a different thumbnail

Check account eligibility, the current device-specific upload limit, and thumbnail policies in YouTube Help. Vertical videos can show a different crop on some surfaces; this preset does not control YouTube's display.