Video Notes

A strong thumbnail for YouTube often has a bold photo with a clear caption overlayed. This guide covers the essential Photoshop techniques to quickly accomplish this goal.

Start With the Correct Canvas Size

Create a new document at 1280 × 720 pixels, the standard size for YouTube thumbnails.

Import and Position Your Photo

• Drag and drop your photo onto the canvas
• Scale the image to 100% so you can freely reposition it
• Adjust placement to bring the subject into focus
• Confirm the transformation once you’re happy

Clean Up the Canvas

• Right click the image layer and choose Rasterize Layer
• Use Image > Trim to remove any excess image outside the canvas

Enhance the Photo

Boost Color

• Open Filter > Camera Raw Filter
• Increase Vibrance to add color without oversaturating
• Use the preview toggle (little eyeball icon) to compare before and after

Add Background Blur for Focus

• Enable Lens Blur to separate the subject from the background
• Increase blur strength as needed
• Use Visualize Depth to see what’s in focus vs blurred
• Fine-tune problem areas with the Blur Brush

Add and Preview Text at Thumbnail Size

• Add text using the Type Tool
• Open Window > Navigator to preview how the thumbnail looks when scaled down (as it will look when listed on YouTube)
• Choose a bold, readable font. Examples:
  • Cubano
  • Impact — very heavy and condensed, great for bold captions
  • Arial Black — thick and strong, wider than Impact
  • Tahoma Bold — not ultra-condensed but very readable and solid
  • Verdana Bold — wide, clear letterforms that read well at small sizes
  • Helvetica Bold (Mac) ↔ Arial Bold (Windows) — close equivalents; not as blocky but still clear and bold
• Adjust line height and letter spacing while ensuring text remains legible in the small Navigator preview

Improve Text Contrast and Visibility

• Open Blending Options on the text layer
• Add:
  • Color Overlay (white works well)
  • Stroke (black for separation)
  • Drop Shadow for added depth