How to crop a picture for YouTube
- Open your picture; the thumbnail frame (16:9, 1280 × 720 output) is already set.
- Place the frame so faces and text sit away from the bottom-right corner, where the video length is shown.
- Crop and download; upload it as the custom thumbnail.
Thumbnails, banners and safe areas
A thumbnail is shown tiny in lists and large on TVs, so it needs one clear subject and very little text. Channel banners are 2560 × 1440, but only the middle 1546 × 423 strip is shown on every device — keep your name and face inside it. Pick Channel banner in the panel to get the right shape.
| Shape | Ratio | Recommended size |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 |
| Channel banner | 16:9 | 2560 × 1440 |
| Profile picture | 1:1 | 800 × 800 |
Sizes checked 2026-09-24. Platforms change their guidance from time to time.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a YouTube thumbnail?
1280 × 720 pixels, 16:9. It has to be under 2 MB; a JPG at Balanced quality is usually a few hundred kilobytes.
My picture is smaller than 1280 × 720 — can I still use it?
Yes, but it will be enlarged and look softer. CropPicture asks you to confirm before enlarging anything.
What about Shorts?
Shorts are vertical 9:16. Use the 9:16 ratio instead.