PandaFileKit

Resize an image to 1280 × 720 for a YouTube thumbnail

Set to 1280 × 720 with Crop to fill, the size YouTube recommends for custom thumbnails.

Thumbnail over 2 MB? Compress image to 2 MB

JPG · PNG · WEBP · HEIC · SVG → JPG / PNG / WEBP

Sent to server: 0 B

Requests made by this tool while processing · how to verify
Requests that could carry data
0
Engine downloads (code, models)
0
Analytics pings (no file data)
0

Counted with the browser's Performance API during the last job. It sees every request the page makes, but not what is inside them, so anything that is not a static download is counted above.

To check yourself: open DevTools → Network, clear the list, run the tool, and inspect each request. None will contain your file. You can also switch to offline after the page loads; tools whose engine is already downloaded keep working.

PresetSize: 1280 × 720 px · Crop to fill

Drop images here

or paste, or choose files

JPG · PNG · WEBP · HEIC · SVG → JPG / PNG / WEBP

Choose an image, then set the new size visually.

How to make a 1280 × 720 YouTube thumbnail

Drop the image and download. It comes out at exactly 1280 × 720 pixels, a 16:9 shape, using Crop to fill so the centre is kept and the edges trimmed instead of stretched. At the time of writing, YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 for custom thumbnails and a file under 2 MB; check YouTube Help for the current rules.

Step by step

  1. 01Drop your thumbnail image; 1280 × 720 and Crop to fill are set.
  2. 02Check that text and faces aren't trimmed at the edges.
  3. 03Download, and compress it if the file is over 2 MB.
  4. 04Upload it in YouTube Studio under Thumbnail.

YouTube thumbnail guidance

At the time of writing, YouTube Help lists a 1280 × 720 resolution (minimum width 640 pixels), a 16:9 aspect ratio, JPG, PNG or GIF format, and a 2 MB limit for custom thumbnails. Uploading the recommended size means the thumbnail looks crisp on large screens and isn't rescaled oddly.

Keep important parts away from the edges

Crop to fill trims whatever doesn't fit 16:9, and YouTube overlays the video length in the bottom-right corner. Keep faces and titles towards the middle of the frame.

  • Design at 16:9 from the start to avoid cropping surprises.
  • A screenshot from a 16:9 video already has the right shape.
  • Big, short text reads better at the small sizes thumbnails appear.

Questions

What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?

1280 × 720 pixels in 16:9, according to YouTube Help at the time of writing, with a minimum width of 640 pixels and a file size under 2 MB.

My thumbnail is over 2 MB. What now?

Run it through the image compressor with a 2 MB target, or save as JPG instead of PNG. A 1280 × 720 JPG is usually well under 2 MB.

Will my image be stretched to 16:9?

No. Crop to fill keeps the proportions and trims the edges. Choose Stretch if you'd rather keep the whole picture.

Is my image uploaded to resize it?

No. It's resized in this browser tab.

Same tool, other settings

All Image tools