# THUMBNAILS.md: YouTube thumbnail system ## Canvas - 1280x720 px, 16:9 (YouTube's recommended size). Export JPG or PNG. - Design for the smallest place it shows: check it at 168x94 px. If you cannot read it there, it fails. - Keep the bottom right 15% free of important content (the video length badge sits there). ## Layout (pick one per video, keep it for the series) 1. Face + 3 words: face on the right third, looking at the text or the viewer, text on the left two thirds. 2. Before / after: split down the middle, left "before", right "after", arrow or line between. 3. Object hero: one big object or screenshot, slightly rotated, text top left. - One focal point. The eye should land in under a second. ## Text - Max 4 words. Never repeat the title, add to it. - Heavy condensed or grotesk typeface: [typeface], all caps or title case, one style for the series. - Size: cap height at least 12% of the thumbnail height. - White or [brand color] with a dark stroke or a solid block behind it. ## Color - Background contrasts with YouTube's white and dark modes: avoid pure white and pure black backgrounds. - One dominant color plus one accent [#HEX]. Faces stay natural. - Push saturation and contrast slightly more than in the video, but skin must still look like skin. ## Faces and real images - Real photos or real screenshots only. Clear emotion that matches the video (curious, surprised, focused). No fake expressions. - Cut out the subject cleanly and add a 4 to 8 px light outline to separate it from the background. ## Series rules - Same font, same text position and same accent color across the series so returning viewers recognize it. - Keep a template file with locked layers for background, subject, text and logo. ## Never - Misleading images or claims the video does not deliver. - More than 2 colors in the text. - Small logos or watermarks that compete with the subject.