Prompts for YouTube thumbnails
A thumbnail competes with a dozen others on the same screen and is almost always seen small, on a phone. What works is simple: a big subject, a clear emotion, lots of contrast and room for three or four words.
These codes solve those pieces: YouTube's 16:9 format, reaction faces, before-and-after comparisons and areas reserved for the headline.
Recommended codes
/••••••••Video thumbnail frame
Composes an eye-catching video thumbnail…
/••••••••High-impact thumbnail style
Composes a thumbnail with a high-impact visual style.
/••••••••Reaction face composition
Includes an exaggerated reaction face as part of the composition.
/••••••••Space for bold headline
Leaves a clear, high-contrast space for a large headline.
/••••••••Versus comparison layout
Arranges two elements facing off in a versus-style comparison card.
/••••••••Viral hook framing
Composes a frame designed as a visual hook to grab attention instantly.
/••••••••Split-screen layout
Splits the frame into two independent halves…
/••••••••Direct eye contact with camera
Directs the subject to look into camera…
/••••••••Bright rim light
Adds a strong rim light that outlines the edge of the subject.
/••••••••Vibrant saturated colours
Pushes color saturation to the max for a vivid…
/HighContrastColorHigh colour contrast
Boosts color contrast, with very dark shadows and strongly lit highlights.
/••••••••High contrast headline area
Creates a high-contrast zone where a headline stays highly legible.
/••••••••Copy space on the left
Leaves the left side of the frame clear for adding text.
/••••••••Title area at top
Reserves the top of the frame for placing a title.
/••••••••Dark area for light text
Creates a dark zone where light-colored text stands out strongly.
/SplitBeforeAfterSocial before-after split
Splits the frame in two to show a before and after, in social format.
Recommended combinations
Open them in the Builder to turn them into a prompt, and swap the quoted subject for your own.
A face with emotion and room on the left for the title.
Open in the Builder →PROFormat (Pro code: with Pro you see which one it is and can copy the combination)"Surprised cook in front of a giant paella" Lighting (Pro code: with Pro you see which one it is and can copy the combination) Color (Pro code: with Pro you see which one it is and can copy the combination) Social (Pro code: with Pro you see which one it is and can copy the combination) Text Safety (Pro code: with Pro you see which one it is and can copy the combination)-16:9
PRO2 more ready-to-copy combinations for this case, in Pro.
See plansTips
- Check the thumbnail at phone size: if it isn't clear in two seconds, simplify it.
PRO2 more tips to get the most out of it, in Pro.
See plans