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YouTube thumbnail maker

Create a 16:9 image with your own text and photos, then download it.

Choose a starting point

Original, fully editable templates

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All example copy is illustrative. Replace it with your own facts.

Choose an editable JSON or a design backup ZIP downloaded from this maker. The file is sent to GridWhim’s servers to be checked; it is not saved as a project. Opening it replaces the scene in this editor. A backup ZIP brings its images back as new private copies under this browser’s session, with the usual seven-day expiry. Any other file holds layout and text only, so each uploaded image has to be added again.

Your current editable design preview

Your editable layout is kept in this browser. Preview and export send the design, including its text, to GridWhim’s servers for rendering. Reloading resumes an active export. Server exports expire seven days after the export starts. Saved projects expire seven days after saving and open through this browser’s session. Review the rendered preview before downloading. Learn how saving works

To keep a design beyond seven days, download it. Editable JSON holds the layout and text. Backup ZIP also holds this design’s images, up to 20 images and 16 MiB in total. Reopen either file with Open a saved design; images reopen only from a backup ZIP.

Compose around one subject

Use an owned photo or illustration, one clear headline and enough separation between text and image. A split layout, question card and before/after comparison solve different visual tasks.

Check the actual download

This editor’s 1280×720 preset is a practical 16:9 export. YouTube’s current Help page recommends 3840×2160 for videos, minimum width 640, and JPG/PNG. Upload limits differ by device: 2 MB on mobile and 50 MB on desktop, checked October 4, 2026. Inspect the measured file size and source sharpness.

Keep the promise accurate

A thumbnail should describe the video viewers will receive. Previewing helps catch small text and awkward crops; it cannot tell you how many people will click.

Sources and format checks

Content/source review: 2026-10-04