# Thumbn — AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels > Thumbn turns a video into click-worthy thumbnails. Paste a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels link — or upload the file — and it watches the footage, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept, renders every platform size, then scores and re-edits its own work until it clears a quality bar. Paste a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels link — or upload the file. Thumbn actually watches it, finds the most clickable second, writes the concept and renders the thumbnail at every size you need. ## How the thumbnail maker works Three steps, all visible while they run. Every image it makes is kept. ### It watches the whole video Scene by scene with timestamps, then picks the single second that would stop a scroll — instead of asking you to describe your own footage. ### It renders every platform size One concept becomes a 1280×720 YouTube thumbnail and a 1080×1920 image for TikTok and Instagram Reels. ### It grades and redoes its own work Each render is scored against the style's rubric, then re-edited until it clears the bar. Nothing is overwritten. ## Then you direct it A generator that stops after one image isn't much use. Click any thumbnail to point the agent at it and say what to change. ### Targeted edits Point at one image and the agent edits that exact frame, returning a new version rather than overwriting the old one. ### Your face, logo or reference look Attach reference images so faces, logos and products stay faithful across renders. ### Full version history Every version is kept, scored and downloadable as a PNG. ### Styles Switch between MrBeast, clickbait, cinematic, minimal, aesthetic and documentary styles at any time. ## Pricing Credits cover renders that run on Thumbn's API keys. Bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key and those renders bill to your provider account instead. Monthly plan credits reset each billing period; credits bought as packs never expire. ### Pro — $19/month 60 credits a month - Both image models - No watermark - 4 concepts per run - Full agent studio ### Studio — $49/month 175 credits a month - Everything in Pro - Highest monthly allowance - Credit packs never expire - Priority rendering ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an AI thumbnail generator? An AI thumbnail generator creates video thumbnails automatically instead of you designing them by hand. Thumbn goes further than a text prompt: it watches your actual video, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept and renders the image. ### How does Thumbn make a YouTube thumbnail? Upload a video file or paste a link. Thumbn analyses the footage scene by scene, picks the peak moment, writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose, then renders it at 1280×720 for YouTube and 1080×1920 for TikTok and Reels. ### Can I edit the thumbnail after it is generated? Yes. Click any thumbnail to point the agent at it and describe the change — bigger text, a different background, a red arrow. Every version is kept, so you can always go back to an earlier one. ### Does the thumbnail maker work for TikTok and Instagram Reels? Yes. One run produces both a 16:9 image for YouTube and a 9:16 image for TikTok and Instagram Reels, from the same concept. ### Do I need my own API keys? No. Renders run on Thumbn's keys and spend credits from your plan. If you add your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key, those renders bill to your provider account instead and stop using credits. ### How much does Thumbn cost? Pro is $19 a month for 60 credits, and Studio is $49 a month for 175 credits. Monthly credits reset each billing period; credits bought as packs never expire. --- # Thumbn — AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels > Thumbn turns a video into click-worthy thumbnails. Paste a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels link — or upload the file — and it watches the footage, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept, renders every platform size, then scores and re-edits its own work until it clears a quality bar. ## How the thumbnail maker works Three steps, all visible while they run. Every image it makes is kept. ### It watches the whole video Scene by scene with timestamps, then picks the single second that would stop a scroll — instead of asking you to describe your own footage. ### It renders every platform size One concept becomes a 1280×720 YouTube thumbnail and a 1080×1920 image for TikTok and Instagram Reels. ### It grades and redoes its own work Each render is scored against the style's rubric, then re-edited until it clears the bar. Nothing is overwritten. ## Then you direct it A generator that stops after one image isn't much use. Click any thumbnail to point the agent at it and say what to change. ### Targeted edits Point at one image and the agent edits that exact frame, returning a new version rather than overwriting the old one. ### Your face, logo or reference look Attach reference images so faces, logos and products stay faithful across renders. ### Full version history Every version is kept, scored and downloadable as a PNG. ### Styles Switch between MrBeast, clickbait, cinematic, minimal, aesthetic and documentary styles at any time. --- # Thumbn — AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels > Thumbn turns a video into click-worthy thumbnails. Paste a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels link — or upload the file — and it watches the footage, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept, renders every platform size, then scores and re-edits its own work until it clears a quality bar. ## Pricing Credits cover renders that run on Thumbn's API keys. Bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key and those renders bill to your provider account instead. Monthly plan credits reset each billing period; credits bought as packs never expire. ### Pro — $19/month 60 credits a month - Both image models - No watermark - 4 concepts per run - Full agent studio ### Studio — $49/month 175 credits a month - Everything in Pro - Highest monthly allowance - Credit packs never expire - Priority rendering --- # Thumbn — AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels > Thumbn turns a video into click-worthy thumbnails. Paste a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels link — or upload the file — and it watches the footage, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept, renders every platform size, then scores and re-edits its own work until it clears a quality bar. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is an AI thumbnail generator? An AI thumbnail generator creates video thumbnails automatically instead of you designing them by hand. Thumbn goes further than a text prompt: it watches your actual video, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept and renders the image. ### How does Thumbn make a YouTube thumbnail? Upload a video file or paste a link. Thumbn analyses the footage scene by scene, picks the peak moment, writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose, then renders it at 1280×720 for YouTube and 1080×1920 for TikTok and Reels. ### Can I edit the thumbnail after it is generated? Yes. Click any thumbnail to point the agent at it and describe the change — bigger text, a different background, a red arrow. Every version is kept, so you can always go back to an earlier one. ### Does the thumbnail maker work for TikTok and Instagram Reels? Yes. One run produces both a 16:9 image for YouTube and a 9:16 image for TikTok and Instagram Reels, from the same concept. ### Do I need my own API keys? No. Renders run on Thumbn's keys and spend credits from your plan. If you add your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key, those renders bill to your provider account instead and stop using credits. ### How much does Thumbn cost? Pro is $19 a month for 60 credits, and Studio is $49 a month for 175 credits. Monthly credits reset each billing period; credits bought as packs never expire. --- # Thumbn for developers and AI agents Make YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels thumbnails from your own code, or connect Thumbn to Claude, Codex and Cursor over MCP with OAuth. REST API, API keys, and six tools including your choice of image model. ## MCP server Endpoint: `https://api.thumbn.so/mcp` (Streamable HTTP) Authorization is OAuth 2.1 against Thumbn's own authorization server, discoverable at `https://api.thumbn.so/.well-known/oauth-authorization-server` and `https://api.thumbn.so/.well-known/oauth-protected-resource`. Dynamic client registration is supported, so a client can connect without pre-registration. ### Connecting each client **Claude Code** — The Claude CLI, in your terminal 1. Add the server. Nothing to paste — no client id, no token. ``` claude mcp add --transport http thumbn https://api.thumbn.so/mcp ``` 2. Start the sign-in. Run /mcp inside Claude Code, choose thumbn, then Authenticate. Your browser opens, you sign in to Thumbn, and you approve the connection. ``` /mcp ``` 3. Check it worked. Ask Claude to list your image models — it should answer without asking you for a key. ``` claude "using thumbn, what image models can I choose from?" ``` _Add -s user to make the server available in every project instead of just the current one. Tokens refresh automatically; revoke with Clear authentication in the same /mcp menu._ **Claude desktop & web** — The Claude app, or claude.ai in a browser 1. Open Settings → Connectors, and choose Add custom connector. 2. Paste the Thumbn MCP endpoint as the URL and confirm. Leave every other field empty — there is no client id or secret to provide. ``` https://api.thumbn.so/mcp ``` 3. Sign in and approve. Claude opens Thumbn in a browser tab; approve the connection and you are returned to the app. 4. Thumbn now appears in the connector list, and its tools are available in any new conversation. **Codex CLI** — OpenAI's Codex, in your terminal 1. Add the server. ``` codex mcp add thumbn --url https://api.thumbn.so/mcp ``` 2. Sign in. This opens the same browser flow. ``` codex mcp login thumbn ``` 3. Or, if you prefer editing config directly, add this to ~/.codex/config.toml and then run the login command above. auth = "oauth" is the default and is shown only for clarity. ``` [mcp_servers.thumbn] url = "https://api.thumbn.so/mcp" auth = "oauth" ``` _Codex prefers the scopes a server advertises. Thumbn advertises openid, profile, email and offline_access — offline_access is what lets your session refresh instead of expiring mid-task._ **Codex app** — The Codex desktop app 1. Open Settings → MCP servers, and choose Add server. 2. Name it thumbn, set the transport to Streamable HTTP, and paste the endpoint as the URL. There is no command to enter — that field is for STDIO servers only. ``` https://api.thumbn.so/mcp ``` 3. Save the server, then choose Restart. The app does not pick up a new server until it restarts. 4. Sign in. Thumbn will be listed as needing authentication — select Authenticate, and the browser flow opens. Approve the connection and you are returned to the app. 5. Verify it. Type /mcp in the composer to list connected servers; thumbn should be there with its tools. ``` /mcp ``` _The desktop app, the CLI and the IDE extension all share ~/.codex/config.toml, so adding Thumbn in one adds it everywhere. Worth knowing: the desktop app rewrites that file when it starts, so if you keep it in version control, diff it after a desktop session rather than assuming it is untouched._ **Cursor** — The Cursor editor 1. Open Cursor Settings → Tools & MCP, and edit mcp.json. Use ~/.cursor/mcp.json for every project, or .cursor/mcp.json for just this one. 2. Add Thumbn as a remote server. Only the URL is needed. ``` { "mcpServers": { "thumbn": { "url": "https://api.thumbn.so/mcp" } } } ``` 3. Cursor sees that the server requires authentication and opens the browser flow. Approve, and the tools appear. _Never put an API key in mcp.json if you can avoid it — the file sits in cleartext and gets committed. OAuth avoids the problem entirely, which is why it is the recommended route here._ **Any other MCP client** — Anything speaking Streamable HTTP 1. Point the client at the endpoint over Streamable HTTP. Discovery does the rest — an unauthenticated request answers 401 with a WWW-Authenticate header naming the resource metadata, and the client follows it from there. ``` https://api.thumbn.so/mcp ``` 2. Clients that cannot open a browser can authenticate with a Thumbn API key instead, sent on every request. ``` x-api-key: sk_your_key_here ``` _Dynamic client registration is supported, so nothing needs pre-registering. Authorization is authorization-code with PKCE (S256); refresh tokens are issued._ ### Tools - `create_thumbnail` — Watch a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram Reels video and generate thumbnails for it. Returns a job id. (spends credits) - `get_thumbnail_job` — Check a job's progress and collect the finished images once it completes. - `list_thumbnail_jobs` — List recent projects on the account, newest first. - `list_image_models` — List the image models, style presets and platform sizes available, with the credit cost of each. - `estimate_cost` — Price a run in credits before starting it, so the cost can be confirmed first. - `get_account` — Read the plan, subscription status and remaining credit balance. ## REST API Authenticate with a Thumbn API key on `x-api-key` (create one in Settings). The same key works on every endpoint the web app uses, as the same user, on the same plan. ```bash curl -X POST https://api.thumbn.so/jobs \ -H "x-api-key: $THUMBN_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{ "videoUrl": "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=...", "platforms": ["youtube", "reels"], "imageModel": "nano-banana-pro", "variants": 2 }' ``` Poll `GET https://api.thumbn.so/jobs/{id}` until `status` is `complete`, then read the `thumbnails` array. ## FAQ ### How do I connect Thumbn to Claude? Add https://api.thumbn.so/mcp as an MCP server. Claude discovers the authorization server automatically, opens a browser window to sign in to Thumbn, and connects to your own account — you never paste a token. In Claude Code the one-liner is: claude mcp add --transport http thumbn https://api.thumbn.so/mcp ### Does it work with Codex, Cursor and other MCP clients? Yes. The server speaks Streamable HTTP MCP with OAuth 2.1 discovery (RFC 8414 and RFC 9728), which is the standard transport, so any compliant client can connect. Clients that cannot run a browser flow can send a Thumbn API key on the x-api-key header instead. ### Can I choose which image model generates the thumbnail? Yes. Call list_image_models to see what your plan allows, then pass imageModel to create_thumbnail. You can also pick a style preset and which platforms to render for — YouTube at 1280x720, Instagram Reels and TikTok at 1080x1920. ### How do I get a Thumbn API key? Create one in Settings once you are signed in. The key is shown once and stored only as a hash, so copy it when it appears. Send it as x-api-key on any request, or as a bearer token. ### Does the API need a subscription? Yes. Creating thumbnails through the API, the MCP server or the web app all draw on the same plan and the same credit balance — an API key is another way to sign in as yourself, not a separate free tier. Reading your existing projects stays available either way. ### What does a thumbnail cost in credits? Analysing the video costs 2 credits once per job. Each rendered image costs the model's rate — 1 credit for Nano Banana Pro, 2 for GPT Image 2. Instagram Reels and TikTok share one 9:16 render. Call estimate_cost for an exact figure before you spend anything. --- Thumbn — AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. https://thumbn.so --- # Thumbnail sizes for YouTube, Instagram Reels and TikTok (2026) YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels at 16:9, with a minimum width of 640 px. Instagram Reels covers and TikTok cover photos are both 1080 × 1920 at 9:16. YouTube's file size limit depends on the device you upload from: 2 MB on mobile for video thumbnails, 10 MB on mobile for podcasts, and 50 MB on desktop for either. The older 1280 × 720 remains perfectly valid. Figures verified against the platforms' own documentation on 26 July 2026. ## Specifications | Platform | What it's called | Recommended | Aspect ratio | Formats | Max file size | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | YouTube | Custom video thumbnail | 3840 × 2160 px | 16:9 | JPG, GIF, PNG | 2 MB on mobile, 50 MB on desktop | | YouTube | Podcast thumbnail | 3840 × 2160 px (1:1 for podcast playlists) | 16:9, or 1:1 for a podcast playlist | JPG, GIF, PNG | 10 MB on mobile, 50 MB on desktop | | YouTube Shorts | Shorts cover | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 | JPG, PNG | As above — Shorts use the same thumbnail limits | | Instagram Reels | Reel cover | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 | JPG, PNG | No published limit — covers are cropped, not rejected | | TikTok | Video cover photo | 1080 × 1920 px | 9:16 | JPG, PNG | No published limit | ## Safe zones — where covers actually get cut - **YouTube — The timestamp sits bottom-right.** The duration badge overlays the lower-right corner in every feed. Keep faces and text out of roughly the bottom-right 15%. - **YouTube — Design for 210 px wide, not 1280.** A sidebar suggestion renders around 168–246 px across. If the text is unreadable when you shrink the image to thumbnail-of-a-thumbnail size, it is unreadable where it counts. - **Instagram Reels — The profile grid crops to 4:5.** You upload 1080 × 1920 (9:16), but the grid shows 1080 × 1440. Anything above or below that centre band is invisible on your profile. - **Instagram Reels — Keep the subject in the centre 1080 × 1080.** That square survives every crop Instagram applies across the grid, the feed and Explore. - **Instagram Reels — Avoid the bottom ~320 px.** The caption, account name and audio ticker are drawn over it in the feed. - **TikTok — The right rail and caption eat the edges.** Action buttons run up the right side and the caption sits across the bottom. Compose to the upper-left two thirds. ## Frequently asked questions ### What size should a YouTube thumbnail be in 2026? YouTube recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels at a 16:9 aspect ratio, with a minimum width of 640 pixels. The long-standing 1280 × 720 is still valid and still displays correctly everywhere — it is simply no longer the recommended maximum, because thumbnails now render on 4K television screens where the extra resolution shows. ### Is the YouTube thumbnail file size limit 2 MB or 50 MB? Both, depending on where you upload from. YouTube's limit depends on the device: 2 MB for video thumbnails uploaded on mobile, 10 MB for podcast thumbnails on mobile, and 50 MB for either on desktop. Most guides still quote a flat 2 MB, which has not been the whole picture for some time. If a large thumbnail is rejected, upload it from a desktop browser. ### Is 1280 × 720 still fine for a YouTube thumbnail? Yes. 1280 × 720 is the same 16:9 ratio, well above the 640 px minimum width, and looks identical to a 4K file on phones and laptops. The difference appears only on large high-resolution displays. A JPG at quality 85–90 at that size lands comfortably under even the 2 MB mobile limit. ### Why does my YouTube thumbnail look blurry? Usually one of three things: the image was under 640 px wide and got upscaled; it was saved at a low JPG quality to squeeze under the 2 MB mobile limit; or it was exported at the wrong aspect ratio and YouTube cropped and rescaled it. Export at 16:9, keep the width at 1280 px or more, and upload from desktop if the file is large. ### What size is an Instagram Reels cover? 1080 × 1920 pixels, 9:16. The catch is the profile grid, which crops that to 4:5 (1080 × 1440). Keep your subject and any text inside the centred 1080 × 1080 square so it survives every crop, and stay out of the bottom ~320 pixels where the caption and audio ticker are drawn. ### What size is a TikTok cover photo? 1080 × 1920 pixels at 9:16, the same as the video. Compose towards the upper-left: the action buttons run up the right-hand side and the caption sits across the bottom. ### Do YouTube Shorts need a separate thumbnail? Shorts use a 9:16 cover at 1080 × 1920 rather than the 16:9 thumbnail a standard video uses. If you publish the same video in both formats you need both images, which is why generating every size in one pass is worth doing. ## Sources - [YouTube Help — Add video thumbnails](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72431) - [Instagram Help — Reels](https://help.instagram.com/270447560766967) - [TikTok Help Centre](https://support.tiktok.com/en/using-tiktok/creating-videos) --- # The Best AI Thumbnail Generators in 2026, Compared > A fair comparison of the AI thumbnail generators for YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels: Canva, Adobe Express, vidIQ, Pikzels, Thumbmagic and Thumbn. What each is genuinely best at, and which to pick for your situation. **Disclosure:** Thumbn makes one of the tools compared here. Capability claims were checked against each tool's own documentation on 26 July 2026. No prices are quoted, because they change. Thumbn is not ranked first and its weaknesses are listed alongside everyone else's. | Tool | Best for | How it decides what to make | Free tier | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Canva](https://www.canva.com/create/youtube-thumbnails/) | Designing it yourself, with templates | Templates plus a full manual editor, with AI generation added on | Generous free tier with templates and editing | | [Adobe Express](https://www.adobe.com/express/create/thumbnail/youtube) | Adobe users and brand-controlled workflows | Templates and manual editing, with generative AI credits | Free tier with a monthly generative credit allowance | | [vidIQ](https://vidiq.com/youtube-thumbnail-maker/) | Creators already using vidIQ for channel analytics | Analyses your video, title and visual cues, selects frames, and generates around them — trained on performance data from a large video corpus | A few generations without an account; more on a free account | | [Pikzels](https://pikzels.com/) | Iterating on formats that already work | Prompt-to-thumbnail, plus recreating the format of an existing YouTube thumbnail from its link, with a scoring feature | Credit-based, paid | | [Thumbmagic](https://www.thumbmagic.co/) | A fast free trial with no watermark | Paste a YouTube URL, and it transforms the existing thumbnail with your face while keeping a proven style | A small number of free generations with no watermark | | [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so) *(ours)* | Multi-platform output, and driving it from code or an assistant | Watches the whole video with a multimodal model, writes the concept, renders every platform size, then scores its own output against a style rubric and re-edits until it passes | None — subscription only. Free utility tools, but no free generation. | ## The tools ### Canva **Strength.** The best actual editor on this list by a wide margin. If you know what you want and want to place it yourself — layers, brand kits, exact fonts, a team library — nothing here competes. It is also the tool your editor already knows. **Limitation.** It is a general design tool. It does not know what a YouTube thumbnail needs to do, so the judgement is entirely yours. ### Adobe Express **Strength.** Proper typography and image editing, and it sits inside the Adobe ecosystem — if your assets and fonts already live there, that continuity is worth more than any AI feature. **Limitation.** Like Canva, it is a design tool that can make thumbnails, not a thumbnail tool. Nothing in it is opinionated about click-through. ### vidIQ **Strength.** The only tool here with a serious channel-analytics product behind it. Its thumbnail suggestions come from the same company that has been looking at what gets clicked for years, and if you already pay for vidIQ this is included rather than another subscription. **Limitation.** The thumbnail generator is one feature of a large suite, and the free allowance is tight. You are buying the suite. ### Pikzels **Strength.** The recreate-from-a-link feature is genuinely good product thinking: it lets you take a format that is already proven in your niche and iterate on it, rather than starting from a blank prompt. It also scores thumbnails across virality, clarity, curiosity and emotion, and offers credit rollover. **Limitation.** Credit costs vary by model and by action, which makes the real per-thumbnail price harder to predict than a flat rate. ### Thumbmagic **Strength.** Lowest friction on this list to a usable result. The free tier has no watermark, which most free tiers cannot say, and putting your own face into a proven style is the exact job most creators actually want done. **Limitation.** It works from an existing thumbnail rather than the video, so it inherits whatever the source thumbnail decided the video was about. ### Thumbn (we make this) **Strength.** Two things nothing else here does. It renders YouTube 16:9 and Reels/TikTok/Shorts 9:16 from one run rather than one platform at a time. And it exposes an MCP server — the only one on this list — so Claude, Codex or Cursor can make thumbnails directly, alongside a documented REST API. **Limitation.** No free tier at all, which makes it the wrong choice for trying an idea once. Its manual editor — layers, display fonts, shapes, image adjustments — is far younger than Canva's: there is no team library, brand kit or template marketplace. ## Which one to pick - **You want to try one thumbnail, for free, right now** → Thumbmagic or vidIQ. Both let you generate without paying, and Thumbmagic's free output has no watermark. Thumbn has no free tier, so it is the wrong tool for this. - **You already know exactly what the thumbnail should look like** → Canva or Adobe Express. When the judgement is already made, you want a fast editor and precise control, not a model guessing. AI generation adds a round trip for nothing. - **You pay for channel analytics already** → vidIQ. It is bundled. Adding a second subscription for one feature rarely pays off. - **You want to copy a format that works in your niche** → Pikzels. Recreating from an existing thumbnail's link is built for exactly this, and the scoring gives you something to iterate against. - **You publish the same video to YouTube, Reels and TikTok** → Thumbn. Every other tool here is YouTube-first and makes one image at a time. Getting 16:9 and 9:16 from one run removes a whole manual step. - **You want thumbnails made from code, or by an AI assistant** → Thumbn. It is the only tool on this list with an MCP server and a documented REST API, so an agent can make thumbnails directly. - **You have hundreds of back-catalogue videos to re-thumbnail** → Thumbn, or a template tool with an API. This is an API job. Doing it by hand in a browser tool is the expensive way, whoever you buy from. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best AI thumbnail generator? There is no single best one, because the tools differ on what they optimise for rather than on quality. Canva and Adobe Express are the best editors. vidIQ is best if you already use it for analytics. Pikzels is best for iterating on a format that already works. Thumbmagic is the fastest free result. Thumbn is the only one that renders every platform size in one run and the only one with an MCP server and API. Pick on which of those matches your situation. ### Which AI thumbnail generators are free? Thumbmagic and vidIQ both allow generation without paying, and Canva and Adobe Express have substantial free tiers for manual design. Thumbmagic's free output carries no watermark. Thumbn has no free generation tier — it is subscription-only, though its downloader, preview, resizer, safe-zone and CTR tools are free with no account. ### Do AI thumbnail generators actually watch your video? Some do and some do not, and it is the biggest functional difference between them. vidIQ analyses your video and selects frames. Thumbn watches the whole video with a multimodal model before writing a concept. Thumbmagic and prompt-based tools work from an existing thumbnail or a text description instead, which is faster but means the tool never sees the footage. ### Can an AI thumbnail generator be used through an API or MCP? Rarely. Most are browser products with no programmatic access. Thumbn exposes an MCP server at api.thumbn.so/mcp — the only MCP server on this list — and a REST API with personal API keys, so Claude, Codex, Cursor or your own script can generate thumbnails directly. Pikzels also offers an API platform, and template-fill services like ThumbAPI and DynaPictures offer APIs that populate a template rather than working from your video. ### Are these comparisons impartial? Thumbn makes one of the tools listed, which is a real conflict of interest and worth knowing. What we have done about it: every capability claim was checked against each tool's own documentation on the date shown, no prices are quoted because they go stale, each tool's genuine strength is stated including where it beats ours, Thumbn's own weaknesses are listed, and several entries in the decision guide send you to a competitor. --- # Thumbn vs Thumbmagic: Which AI Thumbnail Maker Fits You in 2026 > Thumbn and Thumbmagic compared in detail: how each decides what to make, editing options, multi-platform output, avatars, APIs and free tiers, with clear guidance on which tool fits which creator. The short version: Thumbmagic is the fastest way to put your face into a thumbnail format that already works, and its free trial produces watermark-free images with no card required. Thumbn watches your actual video, derives the concept from the footage, renders YouTube and Reels sizes in one run, and adds both an editing agent and a manual layer editor. Pick Thumbmagic for speed and proven formats. Pick Thumbn for footage-driven concepts, multi-platform output and automation. Every Thumbmagic detail on this page was checked against https://www.thumbmagic.co/ on 21 August 2026. Thumbn is made by the team behind this site (https://thumbn.so). These are two genuinely different philosophies rather than two grades of the same tool. Thumbmagic starts from formats that already work: templates modelled on successful creators, with your face applied. Thumbn starts from your actual footage: it watches the video, finds the moment, writes the concept and renders every platform size. Which one suits you depends on which of those inputs you trust more, the market's proven formats or your own video. Below is that trade-off examined dimension by dimension, with the cases where each tool clearly wins. | Dimension | Thumbn | Thumbmagic | | --- | --- | --- | | How it decides what to make | Watches the whole video with a multimodal model, scene by scene, picks the most clickable moment, writes the concept, then scores its own render against a style rubric | Works from your YouTube URL, video or transcript and applies templates modelled on proven creator styles, including putting your face into a style that already works | | Platforms from one run | YouTube 16:9 and Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 rendered together | YouTube and Reels supported, generated per format | | Editing after generation | Both kinds: a conversational agent that sees the image it edits, with masked region edits and text and graphic overlays, plus a manual layer editor with 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows, icons, image adjustments and full undo history | AI editing via natural language instructions | | Avatars and templates | No avatar library. Reference images keep your face and brand consistent | Saved avatar library with more slots on higher plans, template collections modelled on viral creators, and template replication | | Version history | Every render and edit is an immutable version you can return to | Generations are saved to your library | | Programmatic access | MCP server plus a documented REST API with personal keys | None advertised | | Bring your own model key | Yes. Google, OpenAI or Anthropic keys bill your provider account instead of credits | No | | Free tier | No free generation, subscription only. Free utility tools such as the downloader, preview, resizer and CTR calculator need no account | A few free thumbnails with no watermark and no card required | ## How Thumbmagic works Thumbmagic, built by the Submagic team, is engineered for speed to a proven result. You paste a YouTube URL, upload a video or paste a transcript, choose from template collections modelled on successful creators, and it renders the image with your face applied through its avatar system. Higher plans add a saved avatar library, template replication that reproduces a thumbnail style you point it at, AI filters and face expressions, and faster generation queues. Exports go up to 4K resolution. Editing is natural language: describe the change and it regenerates. The free trial is the lowest-friction start of any tool we have compared, a few thumbnails with no watermark and no card, which makes it the easiest way to find out whether the template-first approach produces something you would actually publish. The trade-off is inherent to the approach. Because it starts from templates and existing thumbnails rather than from the footage, it inherits whatever the source format decided the video was about. When your video fits a proven format, that is exactly what you want. When your video's best moment is something no template anticipated, the tool never sees it. ## How Thumbn works Thumbn starts from the footage. Paste a link or upload the video, and a multimodal model watches it scene by scene with timestamps. It sees the peak moment, the real facial expressions, and the actual subject of the video. It then writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose and renders it. One run produces the YouTube 16:9 image and the Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 image from the same concept, so publishing to several platforms does not double the work. Each render is scored against the chosen style's rubric. When you ask for something ambitious, the agent re-edits until the score clears your target. Refinement happens in two ways, and you can mix them freely. You can tell the agent what to change in plain English, and it sees the image it is editing, so it can also repaint only a region you mask out. Or you can open the manual editor, which offers layered text in 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows, icons, image adjustments and a full undo history, and finish the last 10% by hand. Manual overlays can be saved back as a version that the agent then works on. Every render and every edit is kept as an immutable version, so nothing is ever overwritten. Thumbn also exposes an MCP server and a REST API with personal keys, which means an AI assistant or your own script can do all of the above without opening a browser. If you bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key, renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## Proven formats or your footage: the real decision Template replication is not a lesser approach. It is a bet that your niche's winning formats are already known, and that the fastest path to click-through rate is putting your face inside one of them. For established niches such as reaction content, gaming and listicles, that bet often pays off. Thumbmagic executes it with less friction than anyone else. The video-first bet is different. It assumes your footage contains a moment more specific and more clickable than any generic format, and that a model which has actually watched the video will find it. That costs more compute and a little more time per run, which is part of why Thumbn is subscription only while Thumbmagic can afford a free tier. Most channels eventually need both modes. The honest question is which one you need on the video you are publishing this week. ## Output, formats and day-to-day workflow On raw output resolution, Thumbmagic advertises 4K exports, which is more than YouTube needs. YouTube compresses thumbnails to display sizes well under the 1280 by 720 upload standard, so both tools comfortably exceed what viewers will ever see. The practical difference is formats: Thumbn produces the 16:9 and the 9:16 image in the same run from the same concept, while Thumbmagic generates per format. Day to day, Thumbmagic's workflow is choose a template, apply your avatar, adjust with an instruction, download. Thumbn's workflow is upload once, review the concepts it derived from the footage, then iterate in chat or in the layer editor, with every step saved as a version you can return to. Creators who publish daily and value speed tend to prefer the first shape. Creators who treat the thumbnail as part of the edit tend to prefer the second. If you want to compare them on your own content, run the same video through both. Thumbmagic's trial makes that comparison free on their side, and the image you would genuinely click is the only benchmark that matters. ## When Thumbmagic is the right choice - You want a usable thumbnail in the next two minutes, free, with no watermark and no card. Thumbmagic's trial is the lowest-friction start of any tool we have compared, and Thumbn has no free generation at all. - Your goal is your face inside a format that already wins in your niche. Thumbmagic's template replication and avatar library are built for exactly that job. - You want a library of saved avatars and expression variants to reuse across many videos. ## When Thumbn is the right choice - You publish the same video to YouTube, Reels and TikTok. One Thumbn run renders 16:9 and 9:16 together instead of one platform at a time. - You want the tool to actually watch the footage. Thumbn's concepts come from the video itself, the peak moment and the real expressions, not from an existing thumbnail or a text description. - You want to finish the last 10% by hand. Thumbn has a real layer editor with display fonts, shapes, arrows, image adjustments and masked region edits alongside the agent, and your manual overlays can be saved back as a version the agent then works on. - You drive tools from code or an assistant. Thumbn exposes an MCP server and a REST API, so Claude, Cursor or your own script can generate and edit thumbnails directly. - You already pay for model API keys. Bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key and renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the main difference between Thumbn and Thumbmagic? Where the image comes from. Thumbmagic starts from proven formats, meaning templates modelled on successful creators with your face applied, which is fast and reliably on-trend. Thumbn starts from your actual footage: it watches the video with a multimodal model, picks the moment, writes the concept, renders every platform size, and then lets you refine it with an agent or a manual layer editor. ### Is Thumbmagic free? It has a free trial of a few thumbnails with no watermark and no card required, then paid plans with monthly generation limits. Thumbn has no free generation tier. It is subscription only, though its downloader, preview, resizer, safe zone and CTR tools are free without an account. If you want to try one thumbnail for free today, Thumbmagic is the better answer. ### Which is better for TikTok and Instagram Reels? Thumbn renders the 9:16 Reels and TikTok image and the 16:9 YouTube image from the same run and the same concept, so multi-platform creators skip a whole manual step. Thumbmagic supports YouTube and Reels but generates per format. ### Can I edit the thumbnail after it is generated? In both. Thumbmagic offers AI editing from natural language instructions. Thumbn offers that too, and its agent sees the image it is editing and can repaint only a region you mask. Thumbn additionally has a manual editor with layers, 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows and image adjustments, with every edit kept as a separate version. ### Does either tool have an API? Thumbn does: an MCP server at api.thumbn.so/mcp and a REST API with personal keys, so an AI assistant or your own script can make thumbnails directly. Thumbmagic does not advertise programmatic access. ### Is Thumbn a good Thumbmagic alternative? It is the natural alternative when you outgrow templates. Creators typically switch when they need concepts derived from the footage rather than from a format, when they start publishing the same content to Reels and TikTok and want both sizes from one run, or when they want automation through an API or an AI assistant. If templates are serving you well, there is no reason to switch. ### Can I use Thumbmagic and Thumbn together? Yes, and some creators do. A common split is Thumbmagic for quick videos that fit a proven format and Thumbn for flagship uploads where the footage deserves a concept of its own, or where the same video ships to YouTube, Reels and TikTok at once. --- # Thumbn vs Pikzels: Which AI Thumbnail Tool Fits You in 2026 > Thumbn and Pikzels compared in detail: prompt and recreate workflows against watching the actual video, Pikzels Score against style-rubric critique, Personas against reference images, credits, APIs and free trials. The short version: Pikzels is the strongest tool for iterating on formats that already win, with its recreate-from-a-link feature, its five-dimension Pikzels Score, matched title generation and a free trial. Thumbn is the only one of the two that watches your actual video, renders YouTube and Reels sizes in one run, and pairs its editing agent with a manual layer editor and an MCP server. Pick Pikzels to iterate on proven formats with titles included. Pick Thumbn for footage-driven concepts, multi-platform output and automation. Every Pikzels detail on this page was checked against https://pikzels.com/ on 21 August 2026. Thumbn is made by the team behind this site (https://thumbn.so). Pikzels and Thumbn are the two most iteration-minded tools in this space. Both score their own output and both expect you to refine rather than accept the first render. They differ on the input. Pikzels works from a prompt, or recreates the format of an existing thumbnail from its YouTube link, with your Persona applied from three photos you upload once. Thumbn works from the video itself. That single difference drives almost every row in the table below, including the rows where Pikzels is plainly the better choice. | Dimension | Thumbn | Pikzels | | --- | --- | --- | | How it decides what to make | Watches the whole video with a multimodal model, picks the peak moment, writes the concept, renders it | Prompt to thumbnail, or paste a YouTube link and it recreates that thumbnail's format for you to iterate on | | Your face in the image | Reference images keep faces, logos and products faithful | Persona: upload three photos once and reuse them consistently across all thumbnails | | Scoring | Critique against the chosen style's rubric, with automatic re-edits until the score clears your target | Pikzels Score across virality, clarity, idea quality, curiosity and emotional impact, plus a One-Click Fix that applies improvements | | Editing after generation | A conversational agent that sees the image, with masked region edits and overlays, plus a manual layer editor with fonts, shapes and adjustments | Request changes with simple notes and updates apply instantly | | Titles | No title generation, thumbnails only | Generates click-optimised titles matched to the thumbnail | | Platforms from one run | YouTube 16:9 and Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 rendered together | YouTube focused | | Programmatic access | MCP server plus a documented REST API with personal keys | An API platform is offered at app.pikzels.com/platform | | Pricing shape | Flat credits per render, and you can bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key so renders bill your provider instead | Credits that vary by action, where generation costs more than analysis, granted monthly or all at once on annual plans | | Free tier | No free generation, subscription only. Free utility tools need no account | Free trial without paying upfront | ## How Pikzels works Pikzels gives you three ways in. Describe the thumbnail in a prompt and it renders options in seconds. Paste a YouTube link and its Recreate feature reproduces that thumbnail's format, which is the fastest way to iterate on a design already proven in your niche. Its Persona feature takes three photos of you, once, and keeps your face consistent across everything it makes, while trained Styles do the same for your visual branding. Iteration is where it is strongest. The Pikzels Score grades a thumbnail across five dimensions: virality, clarity, idea quality, curiosity and emotional impact. One-Click Fix applies improvements automatically. It also generates click-optimised titles to pair with the thumbnail, which no other tool in our comparison does. Changes are requested with simple notes and applied instantly. Its credit system prices actions differently, so a generation costs more credits than an analysis. That buys flexibility at the cost of a less predictable per-thumbnail price. Like Thumbmagic, it never watches your footage: the prompt or the source thumbnail is the whole input. ## How Thumbn works Thumbn starts from the footage. Paste a link or upload the video, and a multimodal model watches it scene by scene with timestamps. It sees the peak moment, the real facial expressions, and the actual subject of the video. It then writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose and renders it. One run produces the YouTube 16:9 image and the Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 image from the same concept, so publishing to several platforms does not double the work. Each render is scored against the chosen style's rubric. When you ask for something ambitious, the agent re-edits until the score clears your target. Refinement happens in two ways, and you can mix them freely. You can tell the agent what to change in plain English, and it sees the image it is editing, so it can also repaint only a region you mask out. Or you can open the manual editor, which offers layered text in 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows, icons, image adjustments and a full undo history, and finish the last 10% by hand. Manual overlays can be saved back as a version that the agent then works on. Every render and every edit is kept as an immutable version, so nothing is ever overwritten. Thumbn also exposes an MCP server and a REST API with personal keys, which means an AI assistant or your own script can do all of the above without opening a browser. If you bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key, renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## Two scoring loops, two different judges Both tools believe a thumbnail should be graded, not just generated, which is a conviction most of the market does not share. The difference is what the judge knows. Pikzels scores the image in isolation: is it clear, curious, emotionally striking? That is a fair proxy for click-through rate, and its five-dimension breakdown gives you something concrete to fix. Thumbn's critique knows the style you chose and grades against that rubric, then spends its own renders re-editing until the score clears your target. Neither judge has seen your audience. Both are opinionated stand-ins for it. If you iterate on prompts, Pikzels' loop is faster. If you want the loop to run itself against footage-derived concepts, that is Thumbn's. ## Faces: Persona against reference images Pikzels' Persona is the simpler system. Three photos, uploaded once, and your face appears consistently in everything it renders. There is nothing to manage afterwards, and for a solo creator whose face is the channel, that simplicity is worth a lot. Thumbn's reference images are more general but require slightly more intent. You upload the images that matter, your face, your logo, a product shot, and attach them to a generation so the model keeps them faithful. The upside is scope: the same mechanism that locks your face also locks a client's product or a brand mark, which matters for channels that are not built around one person. On programmatic access, the honest note is that both tools offer an API. Pikzels lists an API platform, and Thumbn provides a documented REST API. Thumbn additionally exposes an MCP server, which matters if you want an AI assistant like Claude or Cursor operating the tool directly rather than you writing integration code. ## When Pikzels is the right choice - You iterate on formats that already win in your niche. Recreate from a link is built for exactly that, and nothing else does it as directly. - You want titles and thumbnails generated together as one package. - You want to try before paying. Pikzels has a free trial and Thumbn has no free generation at all. - You want a face pipeline with zero setup beyond three photos. Persona is simpler than managing reference images. ## When Thumbn is the right choice - You want concepts that come from the footage, not from a prompt or someone else's thumbnail. Thumbn is the only one of the two that watches the video. - You publish to YouTube, Reels and TikTok. One run renders 16:9 and 9:16 together. - You want manual control for the last 10%: a layer editor with display fonts, shapes, arrows, masked region edits and image adjustments, alongside the agent. - You drive tools from an AI assistant. Thumbn's MCP server lets Claude, Cursor or your own agent generate and edit thumbnails directly. - You already pay for model API keys. Bring your own and renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the main difference between Thumbn and Pikzels? The input. Pikzels works from a prompt or recreates the format of an existing thumbnail from its YouTube link, with your Persona applied, which is ideal for iterating on proven formats. Thumbn watches your actual video with a multimodal model and derives the concept from the footage, then renders YouTube and Reels sizes from one run. ### Do both tools score thumbnails? Yes, and it is the most interesting overlap. Pikzels Score grades virality, clarity, idea quality, curiosity and emotional impact, with a One-Click Fix. Thumbn critiques each render against the chosen style's rubric and automatically re-edits until the score clears your target. ### Does Pikzels have an API? Yes. Pikzels offers an API platform at app.pikzels.com/platform. Thumbn offers a documented REST API with personal keys plus an MCP server at api.thumbn.so/mcp. The MCP server is what lets AI assistants like Claude or Cursor operate it directly, and between the two tools it is unique to Thumbn. ### Which is cheaper, Thumbn or Pikzels? We deliberately do not quote prices because they change monthly. The shapes differ: Pikzels prices actions individually in credits, where generation costs more than analysis, while Thumbn charges flat credits per render and lets you bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key so renders bill your provider instead. Check both pricing pages for current numbers. ### Is Thumbn a good Pikzels alternative? For creators who want the concept to come from the video rather than a prompt, yes. The usual reasons to switch are multi-platform output, the combination of agent editing with a manual layer editor, and MCP access for automation. If your workflow is built on recreating proven formats and generating matched titles, Pikzels remains the stronger fit. ### Can I use Pikzels and Thumbn together? Some creators do exactly that: Pikzels to explore formats proven in the niche and to generate title options, then Thumbn when the video itself has a moment worth building the thumbnail around, or when the upload also ships to Reels and TikTok. --- # Thumbn vs vidIQ Thumbnail Maker: Which Fits You in 2026 > Thumbn and vidIQ's AI thumbnail maker compared in detail: a dedicated multi-platform thumbnail tool against one feature of the best-known YouTube analytics suite, and why already paying for vidIQ changes the answer. The short version: vidIQ's thumbnail maker is one feature of a large channel analytics suite, informed by performance data from one of the biggest video corpora in the industry, and it is included if you already subscribe. Thumbn is a dedicated thumbnail tool: it watches the full video, renders YouTube and Reels sizes in one run, offers agent plus manual editing with version history, and exposes an API and MCP server. If you already pay for vidIQ, use its maker first. If you need a dedicated pipeline, Thumbn goes deeper. Every vidIQ detail on this page was checked against https://vidiq.com/youtube-thumbnail-maker/ on 26 July 2026. Thumbn is made by the team behind this site (https://thumbn.so). This comparison is really about bundling. vidIQ's thumbnail maker is one feature of a large channel analytics suite made by a company that has been studying what gets clicked on YouTube for years. Thumbn is a dedicated thumbnail tool that does nothing else. That framing decides most cases before the feature table does. If you already pay for vidIQ, its thumbnail maker is included, and adding a second subscription for one job rarely makes sense. The table below is for everyone else. | Dimension | Thumbn | vidIQ | | --- | --- | --- | | What you are buying | A dedicated thumbnail tool: generation, editing, versions, API | A channel analytics suite covering keywords, SEO, competitors and coaching, with a thumbnail maker as one feature | | How it decides what to make | Watches the whole video with a multimodal model, picks the moment, writes the concept, scores its own render against a style rubric | Analyses your video, title and visual cues, selects frames and generates around them, informed by performance data from a large video corpus | | Platforms from one run | YouTube 16:9 and Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 rendered together | YouTube focused | | Editing after generation | A conversational agent that sees the image, with masked region edits and overlays, plus a manual layer editor with fonts, shapes and adjustments | Regeneration and adjustment within the maker | | Version history | Every render and edit is an immutable version you can return to | Generations saved to your account | | Programmatic access | MCP server plus a documented REST API with personal keys | None advertised for the thumbnail maker | | Free tier | No free generation, subscription only. Free utility tools need no account | A few generations without an account and more on a free account, though the free allowance is tight | ## How vidIQ's thumbnail maker works vidIQ approaches the thumbnail from the analytics side. Its maker analyses your video, title and visual cues, selects promising frames, and generates around them. The interesting part is what stands behind that: performance data from one of the largest video analytics corpora in the industry. The suggestions come from the same company whose browser extension has been showing creators competitor view velocity and keyword scores for years. For a creator already inside the vidIQ ecosystem, the case is straightforward. The thumbnail maker is included with the suite, it reads context that standalone tools never see, and there is no second subscription. The free allowance lets anyone try a few generations, though it is tight, and the paid product is the suite: you are buying analytics, coaching and SEO tooling with a thumbnail maker attached, not a thumbnail tool. That is also its limitation. As a thumbnail tool specifically, it is one feature among many: YouTube focused, without a dedicated editing pipeline, version history or programmatic access. ## How Thumbn works Thumbn starts from the footage. Paste a link or upload the video, and a multimodal model watches it scene by scene with timestamps. It sees the peak moment, the real facial expressions, and the actual subject of the video. It then writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose and renders it. One run produces the YouTube 16:9 image and the Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 image from the same concept, so publishing to several platforms does not double the work. Each render is scored against the chosen style's rubric. When you ask for something ambitious, the agent re-edits until the score clears your target. Refinement happens in two ways, and you can mix them freely. You can tell the agent what to change in plain English, and it sees the image it is editing, so it can also repaint only a region you mask out. Or you can open the manual editor, which offers layered text in 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows, icons, image adjustments and a full undo history, and finish the last 10% by hand. Manual overlays can be saved back as a version that the agent then works on. Every render and every edit is kept as an immutable version, so nothing is ever overwritten. Thumbn also exposes an MCP server and a REST API with personal keys, which means an AI assistant or your own script can do all of the above without opening a browser. If you bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key, renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## The bundling question, answered honestly If you pay for vidIQ today, use its thumbnail maker first. If it gets you images you would actually publish, a second subscription buys you very little. The cases that genuinely favour a dedicated tool are the ones the suite does not cover. You publish the same content to Reels and TikTok and need 9:16 without a second pass. You want an editing pipeline with an agent and manual layers rather than regeneration. You want every iteration kept as a version. Or you want thumbnails made by an API or an AI assistant, which no analytics suite offers. If you are choosing from zero, with neither subscription, the question is simply which product you would use more: a channel analytics suite that also makes thumbnails, or a thumbnail tool that does nothing else but goes deeper at it. ## What the analytics data buys you, and what it does not vidIQ's genuine edge is context. Knowing what performs in your niche, which keywords are rising and how competitors' uploads are doing is information a standalone thumbnail tool simply does not have, and generation informed by it starts from a better prior about what your audience clicks. What data does not replace is specificity. A corpus can tell you that shocked faces outperform neutral ones in your niche. It cannot know that minute seven of your video contains the exact shot that would stop a scroll, because it has not watched minute seven. That is the gap a video-watching model fills, and it is the core of Thumbn's approach. The two kinds of knowledge are complementary, which is why the practical answer for many channels is vidIQ for research and titles, and a dedicated tool for the image itself when the upload matters. ## When vidIQ is the right choice - You already pay for vidIQ. The thumbnail maker is included, and a second subscription for one feature rarely pays off. - You want thumbnail suggestions informed by channel analytics and a large corpus of what actually gets clicked on YouTube. - You want to try a few generations for free right now. vidIQ allows generation without paying and Thumbn does not. - You want one subscription covering SEO, keywords, competitor tracking and thumbnails together. ## When Thumbn is the right choice - You need a dedicated thumbnail pipeline, not a feature of a suite: generation, agent editing, a manual layer editor, and immutable version history. - You publish to YouTube, Reels and TikTok. One run renders 16:9 and 9:16 together, while vidIQ's maker is YouTube focused. - You want the model to watch the whole video and derive the concept from the footage, then score and re-edit its own output against a style rubric. - You drive tools from code or an AI assistant. Thumbn's REST API and MCP server have no equivalent in the vidIQ maker. - You already pay for model API keys. Bring your own and renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the main difference between Thumbn and vidIQ's thumbnail maker? Scope. vidIQ's maker is one feature of a channel analytics suite, its suggestions draw on performance data from a huge video corpus, and it comes bundled if you already subscribe. Thumbn is a dedicated thumbnail tool: it watches the full video, renders every platform size in one run, offers agent plus manual editing with version history, and exposes an API and MCP server. ### Is vidIQ's thumbnail maker free? It allows a few generations without an account and more on a free account, though the allowance is tight. The paid product is the full vidIQ suite. Thumbn has no free generation at all: it is subscription only, with free utility tools such as the downloader, preview, resizer and CTR calculator that need no account. ### I already pay for vidIQ. Should I also get Thumbn? Try vidIQ's maker first, since it is included in what you already pay. Add Thumbn only if you hit its edges: you need 9:16 Reels and TikTok output, an editing pipeline with versions, or API and MCP access for automation. If you never hit those, one subscription is the right number. ### Which produces better thumbnails, Thumbn or vidIQ? They optimise differently and we cannot honestly declare a universal winner. vidIQ generates around frames and performance signals from its analytics corpus. Thumbn derives concepts from watching the footage and grades renders against a style rubric until they clear a target score. Run the same video through both where possible and judge with your own click. ### Does vidIQ work for TikTok and Instagram Reels thumbnails? Its thumbnail maker is YouTube focused. If the same video also ships to Reels, TikTok or Shorts, Thumbn renders the 9:16 image alongside the 16:9 one in the same run, from the same concept. ### Is Thumbn a good vidIQ alternative? For the thumbnail job specifically, yes. For everything else vidIQ does, no: Thumbn has no keyword research, SEO scoring or competitor tracking, and does not try to. They compete on one feature and complement each other on the rest. --- # Thumbn vs Canva for Thumbnails: Which Fits You in 2026 > Thumbn and Canva compared in detail for video thumbnails: a video-watching AI generator against the best manual design editor with over a million templates, Magic Studio AI, brand kits and team collaboration. The short version: Canva is the best manual design editor available, with over a million templates, brand kits, real-time team collaboration and Magic Studio AI assists, and its free tier covers full manual design. Thumbn automates the layer Canva leaves to you: it watches the video, writes the concept, renders YouTube and Reels sizes in one run and grades its own output. Pick Canva when a human is doing the designing. Pick Thumbn when you want the machine to. Every Canva detail on this page was checked against https://www.canva.com/create/youtube-thumbnails/ on 21 August 2026. Thumbn is made by the team behind this site (https://thumbn.so). Canva is not really Thumbn's competitor. It is the incumbent for a different philosophy. Canva assumes you or your editor will design the thumbnail, and gives you over a million templates, the best drag-and-drop editor in the business, brand kits, team collaboration and a growing set of Magic Studio AI tools to speed the manual work up. Thumbn assumes you would rather not design at all: it watches the video, writes the concept, renders every platform size and grades its own output. The useful comparison is therefore about which assumption matches you, and about the sizeable middle ground where creators use both. | Dimension | Thumbn | Canva | | --- | --- | --- | | Core philosophy | AI first: the tool watches the video, writes the concept and renders, and you refine by instruction or with a layer editor | Design first: you compose the thumbnail in a full manual editor, with AI assists to speed it up | | Templates | Styles such as MrBeast, cinematic and minimal that steer generation, with no template library | Over a million professionally designed templates across every niche | | Manual editing | A young layer editor: text in 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows, icons, image adjustments, masked region edits, undo history | The best in class: full drag-and-drop editor, filters, huge font and asset libraries, years of maturity | | AI features | The whole product: video analysis, concept writing, generation, agent editing that sees the image, rubric-based critique with automatic re-edits | Magic Studio assists: Magic Eraser, Magic Edit, Magic Grab, Magic Expand and Magic Media text-to-image, several of which require Pro | | Knows what a thumbnail needs to do | Yes. Styles, the critique rubric and target scores are all thumbnail specific | No. It is a general design tool, so the click-through judgement is entirely yours | | Team and brand | Reference images for face and logo consistency, with no team features | Brand kits with shared palettes, logos and elements, plus real-time multi-user collaboration and comments | | Platforms from one run | YouTube 16:9 and Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 rendered together | Any size you set up, with resizing done manually or through Pro's magic resize | | Programmatic access | MCP server plus a documented REST API with personal keys | A developer platform exists for building apps, but not a thumbnail generation API | | Free tier | No free generation, subscription only. Free utility tools need no account | Generous free tier for manual design, with several Magic Studio tools requiring Pro | ## How Canva works for thumbnails Canva's case is maturity. Start from any of more than a million templates, drop in your still, adjust brightness and contrast, set your type from an enormous font library, and export at YouTube's 1280 by 720. A brand kit keeps palettes, logos and elements consistent across a team, and collaboration is real time with comments. If a video editor makes your thumbnails, this is almost certainly where they make them. Its AI has grown into a real accelerator. Magic Eraser removes distractions, Magic Edit swaps objects from a text prompt, Magic Grab lifts and repositions subjects, Magic Expand extends backgrounds, and Magic Media generates imagery from text. Several of these require the Pro subscription, but the free tier remains the most generous in this comparison for manual design. What Canva does not have is an opinion about thumbnails. It does not watch your video, does not know which moment is clickable, and will not tell you a design is weak. Every judgement about concept, moment, composition and click-through is yours. For someone with taste and time, that is freedom. For someone with neither, it is the whole problem. ## How Thumbn works Thumbn starts from the footage. Paste a link or upload the video, and a multimodal model watches it scene by scene with timestamps. It sees the peak moment, the real facial expressions, and the actual subject of the video. It then writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose and renders it. One run produces the YouTube 16:9 image and the Reels, TikTok and Shorts 9:16 image from the same concept, so publishing to several platforms does not double the work. Each render is scored against the chosen style's rubric. When you ask for something ambitious, the agent re-edits until the score clears your target. Refinement happens in two ways, and you can mix them freely. You can tell the agent what to change in plain English, and it sees the image it is editing, so it can also repaint only a region you mask out. Or you can open the manual editor, which offers layered text in 24 display fonts, shapes, arrows, icons, image adjustments and a full undo history, and finish the last 10% by hand. Manual overlays can be saved back as a version that the agent then works on. Every render and every edit is kept as an immutable version, so nothing is ever overwritten. Thumbn also exposes an MCP server and a REST API with personal keys, which means an AI assistant or your own script can do all of the above without opening a browser. If you bring your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key, renders bill your provider account instead of consuming credits. ## When you should honestly use both The workflows are complementary more often than competing. A common pattern: generate with Thumbn to get the concept and the moment right, the parts that require having watched the video, then hand the image to Canva when a team needs to apply house branding or when a designer wants pixel-level control beyond what Thumbn's younger editor offers. The reverse also happens. Teams standardise on a Canva template and use generation only for the background scene. Thumbn's export is a plain PNG precisely so it can enter any pipeline. If you must pick exactly one, pick Canva when a human is doing the designing and pick Thumbn when you want the machine to. Paying for both is cheaper than a bad thumbnail on a good video. ## Skill, time and where each tool pays off Canva's output quality tracks the skill of the person using it. In practised hands it produces thumbnails as good as anything on YouTube, and the template library means beginners start well above zero. The cost is time: a polished thumbnail in Canva is a 20 to 60 minute job for most people, and the judgement calls about what to depict are all yours. Thumbn compresses that to minutes, because the concept work is done by a model that watched the footage and the polish loop runs against a rubric automatically. The ceiling for a master designer is lower than Canva's open canvas, which is an honest limit, but the floor is much higher and the time cost is a fraction. That is why channel size matters to this choice. A team with a designer already owns the Canva skill and should keep it. A solo creator publishing twice a week usually gets more click-through per hour from the automated loop, with Canva in reserve for the uploads that justify hand-finishing. ## When Canva is the right choice - You or your editor already know what the thumbnail should look like. When the judgement is made, you want a fast precise editor rather than a model guessing, and Canva's editor is the best there is. - A team makes your thumbnails. Brand kits, shared libraries and real-time collaboration have no Thumbn equivalent. - You want to design for free. Canva's free tier covers full manual design, while Thumbn has no free generation. - Your workflow lives on templates you refine over months. A million-template library plus magic resize beats regenerating. ## When Thumbn is the right choice - You do not want to design. Thumbn watches the video, finds the moment, writes the concept and renders. The judgement Canva leaves to you is the product. - You publish to YouTube, Reels and TikTok. One run renders 16:9 and 9:16 from the same concept. - You want an opinionated grader: every render is critiqued against the style's rubric and re-edited until it clears your target score. - You want thumbnails from code or an AI assistant. The REST API and MCP server let Claude, Cursor or a script produce them directly. - You want AI edits scoped to a region: mask an area and the agent repaints only that, keeping every version. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Thumbn a Canva alternative? Only partly. Canva is a general design editor where you make the thumbnail. Thumbn is an AI generator that watches your video and makes it for you, with an agent and a smaller manual editor for refinement. If you love designing, Canva remains the better editor. If you want the design decided for you from the footage, that is Thumbn's entire product. ### Can Canva generate thumbnails with AI? It can assist with AI. Magic Media generates images from text, and Magic Eraser, Magic Edit, Magic Grab and Magic Expand accelerate manual editing, with several of these requiring Pro. What it does not do is watch your video, pick the moment, or judge the result. Those remain manual, and they are exactly the layer Thumbn automates. ### Which is better for a team? Canva, clearly. Brand kits, shared element libraries, real-time collaboration and comments are built for teams, and Thumbn has none of that today. Thumbn fits a team as the generation step whose output lands in the team's Canva workspace. ### Which is better for YouTube specifically? Canva knows YouTube's dimensions, while Thumbn knows what YouTube thumbnails are for. Its styles, critique rubric and target scores are thumbnail specific, and it derives concepts from the footage. If your bottleneck is executing a design you can already picture, use Canva. If your bottleneck is knowing what the thumbnail should be, use Thumbn. ### Is Canva free for YouTube thumbnails? Yes, for manual design. The free tier includes templates, the editor and standard exports at YouTube's 1280 by 720 size. Several Magic Studio AI tools such as Magic Eraser and Magic Edit require the Pro subscription. Thumbn has no free generation tier at all. ### Can I use Canva and Thumbn together? Many workflows do. Thumbn handles the footage-derived concept and the first render, then Canva applies team branding or pixel-level polish. In the other direction, teams keep a Canva template and use Thumbn only for the background scene. The export is a plain PNG so it moves between them freely. --- # Free thumbnail tools > Free tools for YouTube, TikTok and Instagram Reels creators. No account, no watermark. - [Free YouTube Thumbnail Downloader](https://thumbn.so/youtube-thumbnail-downloader): Grab any video's thumbnail in every resolution it has, including HD. - [Free YouTube Thumbnail Preview Tool](https://thumbn.so/thumbnail-preview): Mock your thumbnail into a real YouTube feed, sidebar and mobile view. - [Free Reels, TikTok & Shorts Safe Zone Checker](https://thumbn.so/thumbnail-safe-zones): Overlay the crops and UI that eat vertical covers on every platform. - [Free Thumbnail Resizer & Compressor](https://thumbn.so/thumbnail-resizer): Resize to any platform's exact dimensions and compress under the limit. - [Free YouTube CTR Calculator](https://thumbn.so/youtube-ctr-calculator): Calculate click-through rate and see how it compares to typical ranges. - [Free Instagram Video Downloader](https://thumbn.so/instagram-video-downloader): Download Instagram Reels and videos in HD, no watermark, no login. - [Free TikTok Video Downloader](https://thumbn.so/tiktok-video-downloader): Download TikTok videos without the watermark, in HD, free. - [Free YouTube Video Downloader](https://thumbn.so/youtube-video-downloader): Save YouTube thumbnails in HD instantly, plus supported videos. - [Free Instagram Reels Downloader](https://thumbn.so/instagram-reels-downloader): Save Instagram Reels in HD with audio, no watermark, no login. - [Free TikTok Downloader Without Watermark](https://thumbn.so/tiktok-downloader-no-watermark): Download TikToks with no watermark, clean HD MP4, free. - [Free YouTube Shorts Downloader](https://thumbn.so/youtube-shorts-downloader): Save YouTube Shorts as HD MP4 where available, plus thumbnails. - [Free YouTube to MP4 Converter](https://thumbn.so/youtube-to-mp4): Convert YouTube to MP4 where available, plus instant HD thumbnails. - [Free AI Thumbnail Generator](https://thumbn.so/ai-thumbnail-generator): Generate a click-worthy thumbnail with AI from a text description. - [Free YouTube Thumbnail Maker with AI](https://thumbn.so/free-youtube-thumbnail-maker): Make a 1280×720 YouTube thumbnail with AI from a description. - [Free TikTok Thumbnail Maker with AI](https://thumbn.so/free-tiktok-thumbnail-maker): Make a 1080×1920 TikTok cover with AI from a description. - [Free Instagram Reels Thumbnail Maker with AI](https://thumbn.so/free-reels-thumbnail-maker): Make a 1080×1920 Instagram Reels cover with AI from a description. - [Free Podcast Thumbnail Maker with AI](https://thumbn.so/podcast-thumbnail-maker): Make a click-worthy 1280×720 podcast thumbnail with AI. --- [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so) — AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube Thumbnail Downloader > Paste any YouTube link and download its thumbnail in every size YouTube stores for it, up to 1280×720 HD. Free, no account, no watermark, no placeholder images. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Paste the link.** Copy the YouTube URL from the address bar or the share button. Full links, youtu.be short links, Shorts links and bare video IDs all work. 2. **Pick a size.** Every resolution YouTube holds for that video is listed, from the 120×90 default up to 1280×720 maxres. 3. **Download.** Save the JPG. There is no watermark and no account, and the image is exactly what YouTube serves. ## Which sizes YouTube keeps YouTube stores several fixed derivatives of every thumbnail, and which ones exist depends on the source image the creator uploaded. `maxresdefault` at 1280×720 is only generated when the upload was at least that large, which is why some videos have it and some do not. The full ladder is 120×90 (default), 320×180 (mqdefault), 480×360 (hqdefault), 640×480 (sddefault) and 1280×720 (maxresdefault). This tool checks each one and shows you only the sizes that actually exist, rather than handing you a dead link. ## What you can and cannot do with a downloaded thumbnail The thumbnail is the creator's copyrighted work. Downloading one for reference, for a reaction video's B-roll, for a competitive teardown or for a study of what works in your niche is ordinary practice. Republishing it as your own thumbnail is not. The most useful thing to do with one is study it: look at how much of the frame the face takes, how many words the text uses, and how much contrast there is between the subject and the background. Then make your own. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I download a YouTube thumbnail in HD? Paste the video's URL into the box above and pick the 1280×720 maxres option if it is listed. HD is only available when the creator uploaded an image at least that large; if maxres is missing, 640×480 is the largest YouTube holds for that video. ### Does this work for YouTube Shorts? Yes. Shorts links are handled the same way. Note that Shorts covers are 9:16, so YouTube's stored derivatives are letterboxed inside the standard 16:9 frames — you will see bars at the sides. ### Is it free, and do I need an account? It is free with no account, no watermark and no limit worth mentioning. The images come straight from YouTube's own image CDN. ### Why is there no 1280×720 option for my video? YouTube only generates maxresdefault when the uploaded thumbnail was at least 1280×720. Older videos and ones with small custom thumbnails simply have no HD derivative — nothing is being withheld. ### Can I use a downloaded thumbnail on my own video? Not as-is. The image is the original creator's copyrighted work. Use it for research, reference or commentary, and generate your own thumbnail for your own video. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/youtube-thumbnail-downloader — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube Thumbnail Preview Tool > Drop in a thumbnail and see exactly how it looks in the YouTube home feed, sidebar, search results and mobile, in light and dark mode, at true pixel sizes. Free, private, nothing uploaded. Free, no account required. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. ## How to use it 1. **Drop in your thumbnail.** Drag a JPG or PNG onto the page, or click to choose one. It stays in your browser and is never uploaded. 2. **Check every placement.** The same image is rendered at home feed, sidebar suggestion, search result and mobile sizes, in both light and dark mode. 3. **Fix what breaks.** If the text is unreadable in the sidebar, it is unreadable where most impressions happen. Go back and make it bigger. ## Why 1280×720 is the wrong size to judge a thumbnail at Almost nobody sees your thumbnail at 1280 pixels wide. A sidebar suggestion renders at roughly 168–246 px across, a mobile home feed card at around 320–400 px, and a search result somewhere between. You design at full size and the audience sees a postage stamp. This is the single most common reason a thumbnail underperforms: five words of 40px text look bold and confident in the editor, and dissolve into grey mush at sidebar size. Previewing at the real size takes ten seconds and catches it every time. ## Dark mode is the majority case Most YouTube viewing happens in dark mode, where a thumbnail with dark edges bleeds into the page and loses its outline. A light border, a bright rim light or a high-contrast background is what keeps the frame distinct. The preview shows both. If your thumbnail disappears into one of them, that is worth knowing before you upload rather than after. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is my image uploaded anywhere? No. Everything happens in your browser — the file is read locally and rendered to a canvas. Nothing is sent to a server, which is also why the tool works with no account and no limit. ### What size should I test at? Test the image you are actually going to upload, at 1280×720 or larger. The tool scales it down to each real placement size, which is the point: you are checking that it survives the shrink. ### What is the smallest size a YouTube thumbnail appears at? Sidebar suggestions are the tightest common placement at roughly 168–246 px wide. If your text is legible there, it is legible everywhere else. ### Does this tell me whether my thumbnail will get clicks? No tool honestly can — click-through depends on the title, the audience and what it is competing against in that feed. What this shows is whether your thumbnail is legible and distinct at real sizes, which is the floor you have to clear before anything else matters. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/thumbnail-preview — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free Reels, TikTok & Shorts Safe Zone Checker > See exactly where Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts crop and cover your vertical thumbnail. Overlays the 4:5 profile grid crop, the centred safe square and the caption zone. Free, nothing uploaded. Free, no account required. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. ## How to use it 1. **Drop in your vertical cover.** A 1080×1920 image is ideal. Everything happens locally in your browser. 2. **Switch platform.** Each platform overlays its own crop lines and interface zones on your image. 3. **Move anything important inside the safe area.** Faces and text belong in the clear centre. Anything in a shaded band will be cropped away or covered by the interface. ## The 4:5 crop that ruins Instagram covers Instagram asks for a 1080×1920 cover at 9:16, then shows a 1080×1440 crop of it on your profile grid. That is a 4:5 window taken from the middle. Anything you placed near the top or bottom of the canvas simply does not exist on your profile. The fix is to keep the subject and any text inside the centred 1080×1080 square, which survives the grid crop, the feed and Explore. Then stay out of the bottom ~320 px, where the caption, account name and audio ticker are drawn over the top. ## TikTok covers the edges, not the middle TikTok does not crop a 9:16 cover, but it draws over it: the like, comment, share and sound buttons run up the right-hand side, and the caption and username sit across the bottom left. Compose towards the upper-left two thirds. A face centred slightly high and left reads cleanly; text along the bottom is competing with the caption for the same pixels. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the Instagram Reels cover safe zone? Keep everything important inside the centred 1080×1080 square of your 1080×1920 canvas, and out of the bottom ~320 pixels. The centre square survives the 4:5 (1080×1440) crop Instagram applies on the profile grid, and the bottom band is where the caption and audio ticker are drawn. ### Why does my Reel cover look cut off on my profile? Because the profile grid crops your 9:16 cover to 4:5 from the centre. Roughly the top and bottom sixth of the image is discarded there. Design for the centre square and it will look right in every placement. ### What size should a TikTok cover be? 1080×1920 at 9:16, the same as the video. TikTok does not crop it, but the right-hand action rail and the bottom caption cover the edges, so compose towards the upper-left. ### Do YouTube Shorts have a safe zone? Yes. Shorts use a 1080×1920 9:16 cover, with the title, channel name and action buttons overlaid along the bottom and right. The same rule applies: keep the subject centred and high. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/thumbnail-safe-zones — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free Thumbnail Resizer & Compressor > Resize any image to the exact thumbnail size YouTube, Instagram Reels, TikTok or Shorts needs, and compress it under the file size limit. Free, no signup, nothing uploaded. Free, no account required. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. ## How to use it 1. **Drop in an image.** Any JPG or PNG. It is processed in your browser and never uploaded. 2. **Choose a target.** Pick the platform. The tool resizes to that exact pixel size, cropping from the centre to fit the aspect ratio rather than squashing the image. 3. **Compress and download.** Adjust quality until the file is comfortably under the platform limit, then download the JPG. ## Why your thumbnail gets rejected for size YouTube's file size limit depends on where you upload from: 2 MB for a video thumbnail on mobile, 10 MB for a podcast thumbnail on mobile, and 50 MB for either on desktop. A large PNG straight out of a design tool routinely exceeds the mobile limit while sitting comfortably inside the desktop one. Two fixes. Export as JPG rather than PNG — a photographic thumbnail gains nothing from PNG's lossless compression and often triples in size. Or upload from a desktop browser, where the limit is 25× higher. ## Crop, do not squash Resizing a 4:3 photo into a 16:9 thumbnail by stretching it is instantly recognisable and looks amateurish — faces go wide, circles go oval. This tool crops from the centre instead, keeping the proportions correct and discarding the edges. If the important part of your image is not in the middle, crop it yourself first, then resize. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do I resize an image to 1280×720? Drop the image in above and choose the YouTube target. It scales the image to cover 1280×720 and crops the overflow from the centre, so proportions stay correct rather than being stretched. ### How do I get my thumbnail under 2 MB? Export as JPG rather than PNG and lower the quality until the file fits — quality 85 is usually indistinguishable from 100 at thumbnail sizes and is a fraction of the size. Or upload from desktop, where YouTube's limit is 50 MB rather than 2 MB. ### Does resizing lose quality? Scaling down does not visibly lose quality. Scaling up does — an image smaller than the target gets softer, and no tool can invent detail that was never captured. Start from the largest original you have. ### Is JPG or PNG better for a thumbnail? JPG for anything photographic, which is nearly every thumbnail. PNG is worth it only for flat graphics with hard edges and large areas of solid colour, or when you need transparency — and thumbnails are never transparent. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/thumbnail-resizer — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube CTR Calculator > Enter impressions and views to get your YouTube click-through rate, with honest context on what counts as good and why CTR alone does not decide whether a video succeeds. Free, no signup. Free, no account required. Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. ## How to use it 1. **Find your numbers.** In YouTube Studio, open a video's Analytics and the Reach tab. You need impressions and impressions click-through rate, or impressions and views. 2. **Enter them.** Type the impressions and the views. The click-through rate is calculated as views divided by impressions. 3. **Read it in context.** Compare against the typical ranges shown, and check retention before you change anything. ## What counts as a good YouTube CTR YouTube's own creator guidance notes that half of all channels sit somewhere between roughly 2% and 10% impressions click-through rate. That range is wide because CTR depends heavily on where the impressions came from: a video shown mostly to subscribers on the home feed will out-click the same video shown to strangers in suggested. This makes cross-channel comparison close to meaningless. The useful comparison is against your own videos, in the same niche, from the same traffic sources. ## Why a higher CTR is not automatically better A thumbnail that overpromises lifts click-through and destroys retention, and YouTube weighs watch time far more heavily than clicks. A video with 6% CTR and 50% average view duration will generally be promoted over one with 10% CTR and 20%. So read the two together. If CTR rises and retention falls after a thumbnail change, the new thumbnail is writing a cheque the video cannot cash — and the algorithm notices faster than the audience does. ## Frequently asked questions ### How do you calculate YouTube CTR? Divide the number of views that came from impressions by the number of impressions, then multiply by 100. If a thumbnail was shown 20,000 times and got 1,200 clicks, that is 1,200 ÷ 20,000 × 100 = 6% click-through rate. ### What is a good click-through rate on YouTube? About half of all channels fall roughly between 2% and 10%. Where you should sit inside that depends on your traffic sources — subscriber-heavy home feed impressions click far better than suggested-video impressions from people who have never heard of you. Compare against your own back catalogue, not someone else's screenshot. ### Why did my CTR drop when my views went up? Almost always because YouTube widened the audience. As a video is shown to people outside your usual viewership, more of them scroll past, so the rate falls even as total clicks rise. A falling CTR alongside rising views is usually a good sign, not a bad one. ### Should I optimise for CTR? Optimise for clicks the video can honour. CTR only helps if the people who clicked stay — YouTube promotes watch time above clicks, so a misleading thumbnail that lifts CTR and cuts retention makes things worse, not better. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/youtube-ctr-calculator — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free Instagram Video Downloader > Download Instagram Reels and videos in full HD, free, with no watermark and no app. Paste the link, get the MP4. Works on desktop and mobile, no login. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Copy the link.** On Instagram, open the Reel or video, tap the three dots and choose Copy link. 2. **Paste it.** Paste the link into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download and the MP4 saves to your device in the highest quality Instagram serves. ## Instagram Reels and videos, in full quality This pulls the original MP4 Instagram hosts, not a re-encoded, watermarked copy. You get the same resolution the creator uploaded, up to 1080p, with the audio intact. It works for public Reels and feed videos. Private accounts and stories are not downloadable — that is by design, and no tool that respects Instagram can change it. ## No watermark, no app, no account Most downloaders stamp their own watermark on the file or make you install something. This does neither. The file you get is clean, and the whole thing runs in your browser tab. One free download a day. If you download for work — repurposing Reels, building a swipe file, studying what performs — make a free account and it is unlimited, plus you can turn any video into a click-worthy thumbnail. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is it really free? Yes. One download per day with no account; unlimited once you sign up free. No watermark either way. ### Does it work with Reels? Yes, Reels and normal feed videos both work. Paste the Reel or post link and download the MP4. ### Can I download private or story videos? No. Only public Reels and videos can be downloaded. Private posts and stories are not accessible, and we do not bypass that. ### Will there be a watermark? No. You get the original file Instagram hosts, with no added watermark or logo. ### Is it legal to download Instagram videos? Downloading for personal use is generally fine, but the video still belongs to its creator. Only reuse or repost content you have the rights to, and credit the creator. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/instagram-video-downloader — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free TikTok Video Downloader > Download TikTok videos without the watermark in full HD. Paste the link, get a clean MP4. Free, no app, no account, works on phone and desktop. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Copy the link.** In TikTok, tap Share on the video, then Copy link. 2. **Paste it.** Paste the link into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download and the clean MP4 saves to your device. ## TikTok videos without the watermark TikTok's own save button burns a moving watermark into the video. This gets the source MP4 where possible, so the file is clean and reusable for edits, compilations or study. It works for public videos. Videos from private accounts, or ones the creator has marked not-downloadable, cannot be pulled. ## Free, fast, and nothing to install No app, no account, no email. Paste a link and the file downloads in your browser. One free download a day keeps it sustainable. Sign up free for unlimited downloads — and to generate scroll-stopping thumbnails and covers from any video you save. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does it remove the TikTok watermark? It fetches the source MP4 where TikTok exposes it, which is watermark-free. Some videos only offer the watermarked version; those download as-is. ### Is it free? Yes — one download a day without an account, unlimited when you sign up free. ### Do I need the TikTok app? No. It runs entirely in your browser on phone or desktop. Just paste the link. ### Can I download any TikTok? Any public video. Private accounts and videos the creator disabled downloads on are not accessible. ### Is downloading TikToks allowed? For personal use it is generally fine, but the creator owns the video. Only repost or reuse content you have permission to, and credit the original. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/tiktok-video-downloader — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube Video Downloader > Save YouTube content free. Grab thumbnails in full HD instantly, and download supported videos as MP4. No app, no account. Only download what you have rights to. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Copy the link.** Copy the YouTube video URL from your browser or the Share button. 2. **Paste it.** Paste the link into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download. For thumbnails, use our YouTube thumbnail downloader for instant HD grabs. ## Videos and thumbnails from any YouTube link Paste a YouTube link to save what the platform makes available. For thumbnails there is nothing faster — our free YouTube thumbnail downloader pulls every size up to 1280×720 HD instantly. YouTube restricts direct video downloads more tightly than other platforms, so full-video saving is best-effort and depends on the video. When it is not available, the thumbnail grab always works. ## Free, no app, respect the creator No software to install and no account for a single grab a day. Sign up free for unlimited use. YouTube's terms only permit downloading where the platform offers it, or with the copyright owner's permission. Use this for your own videos, licensed content, or clips you have the right to keep. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I download any YouTube video? YouTube limits direct video downloads, so full-video saving is best-effort and won't work for every video. Thumbnail downloads always work — use our YouTube thumbnail downloader. ### Is it free? Yes. One grab per day without an account, unlimited when you sign up free. ### How do I download the thumbnail instead? Use our dedicated YouTube thumbnail downloader — paste the link and get every stored size up to 1280×720 HD instantly. ### Is downloading YouTube videos legal? Only where YouTube offers a download, or with the copyright owner's permission. Download your own videos or content you are licensed to use — not others' videos without rights. ### Do I need an account or app? No. It runs in your browser, no install, no login for a daily grab. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/youtube-video-downloader — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free Instagram Reels Downloader > Download Instagram Reels in full HD with sound, free and without a watermark. Paste the Reel link, get the MP4. No app, no login, works on any device. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Open the Reel.** Open the Reel in Instagram and tap the three dots. 2. **Copy the link.** Choose Copy link, then paste it into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download and the Reel saves as an MP4 with its audio, in the quality it was posted. ## Reels in the quality they were posted Reels are the format worth saving — short, vertical, made to be rewatched and remixed. This grabs the original 1080×1920 MP4 with the audio track intact, not a shrunk, re-encoded copy. It only works for Reels on public accounts. Anything from a private account stays private, which is how it should be. ## Built by a thumbnail tool, for creators Thumbn is an AI thumbnail maker, so this downloader exists for the people who actually study Reels — to build a swipe file of hooks, or to pull a frame worth turning into a cover. One Reel a day is free with no account. Sign up free for unlimited downloads and to turn any Reel into a scroll-stopping cover automatically. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does it keep the Reel's audio? Yes. Reels download as a normal MP4 with the original audio track. ### Is there a watermark? No. You get the source file Instagram hosts, with no added watermark or logo. ### Can I download Reels from private accounts? No. Only Reels on public accounts can be downloaded. Private content is not accessible. ### What quality do I get? The resolution the creator uploaded, typically 1080×1920 for Reels. ### Is it free with no account? One Reel per day is free with no sign-up. It's unlimited once you create a free account. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/instagram-reels-downloader — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free TikTok Downloader Without Watermark > Download any TikTok without the watermark, free and in HD. Paste the link, get a clean MP4 you can reuse or edit. No app, no account, works on phone and desktop. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Copy the link.** Tap Share on the TikTok, then Copy link. 2. **Paste it.** Paste the link into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download to save the clean, watermark-free MP4. ## Why the watermark matters TikTok's own Save button burns a bouncing username-and-logo watermark into the frame. That flags the clip as re-uploaded everywhere else and looks amateur in an edit. Fetching the source MP4 avoids it. Where TikTok only exposes the watermarked version, the file downloads as-is — no tool can strip a watermark that is baked into the pixels without re-encoding and quality loss, and we won't pretend otherwise. ## Clean clips for edits and study A watermark-free MP4 drops straight into a compilation, a reaction, or a swipe file of hooks that worked. No cropping, no blurring. One clean download a day is free without an account. Sign up free for unlimited, plus AI thumbnails and covers generated from any clip you save. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does this really remove the watermark? It fetches TikTok's source MP4, which is watermark-free, so most videos come down clean. A few only offer the watermarked file; those save as-is. ### Is it free? One watermark-free download a day with no account, unlimited when you sign up free. ### Do I need an app or extension? No. It runs in your browser on phone or desktop — just paste the link. ### Does it work on desktop and mobile? Yes, both. Copy the TikTok link and paste it in on any device. ### Is downloading TikToks without the watermark allowed? For personal use it's generally fine, but the creator owns the video. Only reuse or repost content you have the rights to, and credit the original. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/tiktok-downloader-no-watermark — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube Shorts Downloader > Save YouTube Shorts as HD MP4, free. Paste the Shorts link to download the video where available, or grab its thumbnail instantly. No app, no account. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Copy the link.** Open the Short and copy its URL from the address bar or Share button. 2. **Paste it.** Paste the Shorts link into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download to save the Short. For the cover, use our YouTube thumbnail downloader. ## Shorts, saved in their vertical quality Shorts are YouTube's answer to Reels and TikTok — vertical, fast, and worth keeping for study or reuse. This saves the Short where YouTube allows it, in the resolution it was published. YouTube guards direct video downloads more tightly than other platforms, so full-Short saving is best-effort. The Short's thumbnail, though, always downloads instantly. ## Free, no app, creator-friendly No install, no account for one save a day. Sign up free for unlimited use. Only download Shorts where YouTube offers it or that you have the rights to — your own uploads, licensed clips, or content you're permitted to keep. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I download any YouTube Short? YouTube limits direct downloads, so full-Short saving is best-effort and won't work for every one. The thumbnail always downloads — use our YouTube thumbnail downloader. ### What format do Shorts save as? MP4, in the vertical resolution the Short was published, where available. ### Is it free? One save a day with no account, unlimited when you sign up free. ### How do I get the Short's thumbnail? Use our dedicated YouTube thumbnail downloader — paste the link and grab every stored size in HD instantly. ### Is downloading Shorts legal? Only where YouTube offers a download or with the owner's permission. Save your own Shorts or content you're licensed to use. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/youtube-shorts-downloader — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube to MP4 Converter > Convert YouTube to MP4 free. Download supported videos as MP4 and grab thumbnails in HD instantly. No app, no account. Only convert content you have rights to. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Copy the link.** Copy the YouTube video URL from your browser or the Share button. 2. **Paste it.** Paste the link into the box above. 3. **Download.** Press Download to save the MP4 where available, or grab the thumbnail with our thumbnail tool. ## YouTube to MP4, where YouTube allows it MP4 is the format that plays everywhere — phones, editors, presentations. This saves a YouTube video as MP4 when the platform makes it available. YouTube restricts direct video downloads, so conversion is best-effort and depends on the video. When it isn't available, the thumbnail grab always works and is instant. ## No install, no account, use it responsibly There's nothing to download or sign up for to convert one video a day. Sign up free for unlimited use. YouTube's terms only permit downloads it offers or that the copyright owner allows. Convert your own videos, licensed content, or clips you're permitted to keep. ## Frequently asked questions ### Can I convert any YouTube video to MP4? YouTube limits direct downloads, so conversion is best-effort and won't work for every video. The thumbnail always downloads — use our YouTube thumbnail downloader. ### Do I need to install anything? No. It runs in your browser — paste the link and download. No app, no extension. ### Is it free? One conversion a day with no account, unlimited when you sign up free. ### What about MP3 or audio only? This tool saves MP4 video. For thumbnails, use our YouTube thumbnail downloader. ### Is converting YouTube to MP4 legal? Only where YouTube offers a download or with the owner's permission. Convert your own videos or content you're licensed to use, not others' videos without rights. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/youtube-to-mp4 — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free AI Thumbnail Generator > Generate a click-worthy thumbnail with AI, free. Describe it, pick a style, and get a YouTube, TikTok or Reels thumbnail in seconds. No design skills, no account for your first one. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Describe it.** Type what your thumbnail should show — the subject, the emotion, the vibe. 2. **Pick a style.** Choose a look: MrBeast, clickbait, cinematic, minimal or aesthetic. 3. **Generate.** Press Generate and get a finished thumbnail in seconds. Sign up free to remove the watermark and generate from your actual video. ## The same engine that powers the studio This runs the exact image model Thumbn's studio uses to turn videos into thumbnails, so what you see here is the real quality — not a stripped-down demo. The free generator works from a text description. The full studio goes further: it watches your video, finds the most clickable moment, writes the concept for you, renders every platform size, and scores its own work until it clears a quality bar. ## Free to try, built to convert One thumbnail a day is free, with a small watermark. It is the fastest way to see whether AI thumbnails are worth it for your channel. Create a free account to remove the watermark, generate unlimited thumbnails from your real videos, get multiple concepts per run, and refine any of them by chatting with the agent. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is it really free? Yes — one thumbnail a day with no account, watermarked. Sign up free for unlimited, watermark-free thumbnails generated from your actual videos. ### Do I need design skills? No. Describe what you want in plain words and pick a style. The AI does the rest. ### Can it use my video? The free generator works from a text description. In the studio, Thumbn watches your uploaded video or link and builds thumbnails from the footage itself. ### Why is there a watermark? The free preview is watermarked so you can see the quality. A free account removes it. ### What platforms does it support? YouTube (16:9), plus TikTok and Instagram Reels covers (9:16). Pick the platform page for the right size. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/ai-thumbnail-generator — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free YouTube Thumbnail Maker with AI > Make a YouTube thumbnail free with AI. Describe it, pick a style, and get a 1280×720 thumbnail in seconds — no Photoshop, no design skills, no account for your first one. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Describe it.** Type what the thumbnail should show and the feeling you want. 2. **Pick a style.** MrBeast, clickbait, cinematic, minimal or aesthetic. 3. **Generate.** Get a 1280×720 thumbnail in seconds. Sign up free to remove the watermark and make thumbnails from your video. ## YouTube thumbnails at 1280×720, made in seconds Thumbnails decide clicks more than titles do. This makes one at YouTube's exact 1280×720 size from a plain description, using the same AI model behind Thumbn's studio. No Photoshop, no Canva, no stock hunt. Type the idea, choose a style, and iterate until it grabs. ## From a description now, from your video next The free maker works from text so anyone can try it in seconds. One a day, watermarked. Sign up free and Thumbn will watch your actual video, find the most clickable frame, and generate thumbnails from it — no watermark, multiple concepts, editable by chat. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is this YouTube thumbnail maker free? Yes. One watermarked thumbnail a day with no account; unlimited and watermark-free when you sign up free. ### What size are the thumbnails? YouTube's standard 1280×720 (16:9), ready to upload. ### Do I need Photoshop or design skills? No. Describe the thumbnail and pick a style — the AI generates it. ### Can it make a thumbnail from my video? Sign up free and the studio builds thumbnails from your uploaded video or link, using the footage itself. ### Why the watermark? The free preview is watermarked so you can judge quality. A free account removes it. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/free-youtube-thumbnail-maker — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free TikTok Thumbnail Maker with AI > Make a TikTok cover with AI, free. Describe it, pick a style, and get a 1080×1920 cover in seconds. No design skills, no account for your first one. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Describe it.** Type what the cover should show and the mood you want. 2. **Pick a style.** Choose a look that fits your niche. 3. **Generate.** Get a vertical 1080×1920 cover in seconds. Sign up free to remove the watermark and make covers from your video. ## Vertical covers that earn the tap TikTok shows your cover across your profile grid and in search, so a strong one lifts views on every video you post. This generates a 1080×1920 cover from a description with the same AI behind Thumbn's studio. No editor, no templates. Describe it, choose a style, done. ## Try it free, upgrade to your real footage One free cover a day, watermarked — enough to see the quality. Sign up free to generate covers from your actual TikToks with no watermark, plus multiple concepts and chat-based edits. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the TikTok cover maker free? Yes — one watermarked cover a day with no account, unlimited and watermark-free when you sign up free. ### What size are the covers? Vertical 1080×1920 (9:16), the size TikTok uses. ### Do I need design skills? No. Describe the cover and pick a style — the AI generates it. ### Can it use my TikTok video? Sign up free and the studio builds covers from your uploaded video or link. ### Why is there a watermark? The free preview is watermarked; a free account removes it. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/free-tiktok-thumbnail-maker — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free Instagram Reels Thumbnail Maker with AI > Make an Instagram Reels cover with AI, free. Describe it, pick a style, and get a 1080×1920 cover in seconds. No design skills, no account for your first one. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Describe it.** Type what the cover should show and the aesthetic you want. 2. **Pick a style.** Choose the look that fits your feed. 3. **Generate.** Get a 1080×1920 cover in seconds. Sign up free to remove the watermark and make covers from your Reel. ## Covers that keep your grid consistent A Reel's cover is what sits on your profile grid forever, so it shapes how your whole feed looks and whether people tap. This makes a 1080×1920 cover from a description with the same AI behind Thumbn's studio. No design app, no template hunting. Describe it, choose a style, and go. ## Free to try, powerful when you sign up One free cover a day, watermarked, so you can judge the quality. Create a free account to generate covers from your actual Reels with no watermark, multiple concepts, and chat-based refinement. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the Reels cover maker free? Yes — one watermarked cover a day with no account, unlimited and watermark-free when you sign up free. ### What size are Reels covers? Vertical 1080×1920 (9:16), which matches Instagram Reels. ### Do I need design skills? No. Describe the cover and pick a style — the AI does the rest. ### Can it use my Reel? Sign up free and the studio builds covers from your uploaded Reel or link. ### Why the watermark? The free preview is watermarked; a free account removes it. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/free-reels-thumbnail-maker — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # Free Podcast Thumbnail Maker with AI > Make a podcast thumbnail with AI, free. Describe your episode, pick a style, and get a click-worthy 1280×720 thumbnail for YouTube and video podcasts in seconds. No design skills. Free, no account required. ## How to use it 1. **Describe the episode.** Type the guest, the topic, or the hook that makes this episode worth a click. 2. **Pick a style.** Choose a look — bold and high-contrast, cinematic, or clean and minimal. 3. **Generate.** Get a 1280×720 podcast thumbnail in seconds. Sign up free to remove the watermark and generate from your episode video. ## Podcast thumbnails that actually get the click Video podcasts live or die by the thumbnail — on YouTube and Spotify's video feed it is the single biggest lever on whether someone hits play. A talking-head-in-a-box thumbnail blends in; a bold, expressive one stands out. This generates a 1280×720 thumbnail from a plain description using the same AI model behind Thumbn's studio. Name the guest, the topic or the tension, pick a style, and iterate until it grabs. ## Free to try, built for every episode One thumbnail a day is free, watermarked, so you can see the quality before you commit. Sign up free to remove the watermark, generate thumbnails from your actual episode recording, get multiple concepts per episode, and refine any of them by chatting with the agent — so every drop looks the part without a designer. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is the podcast thumbnail maker free? Yes — one watermarked thumbnail a day with no account, unlimited and watermark-free when you sign up free. ### What size are the thumbnails? 1280×720 (16:9), the size YouTube and video podcasts use for episode thumbnails. ### Do I need design skills? No. Describe the episode and pick a style — the AI generates the thumbnail. ### Can it use my episode video? Sign up free and the studio builds thumbnails from your uploaded episode or link, using the footage itself. ### Does it work for audio-only podcasts? Yes — describe the episode and it generates artwork. For square cover art, note the thumbnail is 16:9; crop to 1:1 with our free thumbnail resizer if you need a square cover. --- Use it at https://thumbn.so/podcast-thumbnail-maker — part of [Thumbn](https://thumbn.so), AI thumbnail generator for YouTube, TikTok and Reels. --- # YouTube Thumbnail Maker > Make YouTube thumbnails from your video, not a prompt. Thumbn watches the footage, finds the most clickable moment and renders a 1280x720 thumbnail you can keep editing. Most YouTube thumbnail makers hand you a blank canvas and a stock library. Thumbn starts from the video itself: it watches your footage, finds the second most likely to stop a scroll, and builds the thumbnail around it. You get a 1280x720 image sized correctly for YouTube, and an editor that takes instructions in plain English rather than layers and handles. ## YouTube thumbnail specifications - **Resolution:** 1280 x 720 pixels - **Aspect ratio:** 16:9 - **Minimum width:** 640 pixels - **File formats:** JPG, PNG, GIF - **Maximum file size:** 2MB ## How Thumbn makes a YouTube thumbnail Paste a YouTube link or upload the video file. Thumbn watches the footage scene by scene with timestamps, rather than asking you to describe it. It picks the single most clickable second, writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose, and renders it at 1280x720, the size YouTube expects. Each render is then scored against that style's rubric and re-edited until it clears the bar. Every version is kept, so you can go back to any earlier one. ## Editing a YouTube thumbnail after it is generated A generator that stops after one image is not much use. Click any thumbnail and tell the agent what to change: bigger text, a different background, a red arrow, a tighter crop on the face. The agent edits that exact image and returns a new version. Nothing is overwritten, so the earlier one is always still there. You can attach reference images too, so your own face, logo or brand colours stay consistent across a whole channel. ## What makes a YouTube thumbnail get clicked Thumbnails are judged at about 210 pixels wide in a sidebar, and smaller again on a phone. Anything that only works at full size is wasted. That means one clear subject, a face with a readable expression where the video has one, high contrast against YouTube's dark and light themes, and at most three or four words of text. It also means being honest. A thumbnail that oversells gets the click and loses the watch time, and YouTube's ranking cares far more about the second number than the first. ## For creators who publish on more than one platform The same concept renders vertically for TikTok and Instagram Reels in the same run, so a single video does not need three separate design sessions. See the [TikTok thumbnail maker](/tiktok-thumbnail-maker) and the [Instagram Reels thumbnail maker](/instagram-reels-thumbnail-maker). ## Frequently asked questions ### What size should a YouTube thumbnail be? 1280 x 720 pixels, a 16:9 ratio, at least 640 pixels wide. YouTube accepts JPG, PNG and GIF up to 2MB. Thumbn renders at exactly this size, so nothing is cropped or rescaled on upload. ### Is there a free YouTube thumbnail maker? Thumbn is a paid tool: plans start at $19 a month. Free thumbnail makers exist, but they work from templates and stock images rather than from your actual video, which is the part that makes a thumbnail match the content. ### Can I edit a YouTube thumbnail after generating it? Yes. Click any thumbnail to point the agent at it and describe the change in plain English. It returns a new version and keeps the old one, so you can compare or revert. ### Can it put my face on the thumbnail? Upload a photo of yourself as a reference image and the model works from it. Note that AI image models refuse to generate real, identifiable people from a text description alone, so a reference image is how face consistency is done. ### What is a good click-through rate on YouTube? It depends on where the impressions come from and how big the channel is, so a single number is misleading. Compare a new thumbnail against your own previous videos in YouTube Studio rather than against a blanket benchmark. --- Source: https://thumbn.so/youtube-thumbnail-maker --- # TikTok Thumbnail Maker > Make TikTok covers from your video. Thumbn watches the footage, finds the strongest frame and renders a 1080x1920 cover you can keep editing. TikTok calls it a cover, and it does more work than people expect. It is what someone sees on your profile grid, in search, and when a video is shared. Thumbn watches your video, picks the frame with the most tension, and renders a 1080x1920 cover. You can then edit it by describing the change rather than redesigning it. ## TikTok thumbnail specifications - **Resolution:** 1080 x 1920 pixels - **Aspect ratio:** 9:16 - **Where it appears:** Profile grid, search results, shares - **Safe area:** Keep text clear of the bottom third and right edge ## How Thumbn makes a TikTok thumbnail Paste a TikTok link or upload the video file. Thumbn watches the footage scene by scene with timestamps, rather than asking you to describe it. It picks the single most clickable second, writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose, and renders it at 1080x1920, the full vertical frame. Each render is then scored against that style's rubric and re-edited until it clears the bar. Every version is kept, so you can go back to any earlier one. ## Editing a TikTok thumbnail after it is generated A generator that stops after one image is not much use. Click any thumbnail and tell the agent what to change: bigger text, a different background, a red arrow, a tighter crop on the face. The agent edits that exact image and returns a new version. Nothing is overwritten, so the earlier one is always still there. You can attach reference images too, so your own face, logo or brand colours stay consistent across a whole channel. ## Why the cover matters more than the first frame In feed, a TikTok autoplays and the cover barely registers. Everywhere else it is the whole first impression: your profile grid, search, and any link someone shares. A profile that reads as a coherent set of covers keeps people scrolling through your back catalogue. That is where covers earn their views. Keep text out of the bottom third and away from the right edge, where the caption and the action buttons sit over the video. ## For creators posting the same video everywhere One run produces the vertical cover for TikTok and a 16:9 image for YouTube from the same concept. See the [YouTube thumbnail maker](/youtube-thumbnail-maker) and the [Instagram Reels thumbnail maker](/instagram-reels-thumbnail-maker). ## Frequently asked questions ### What size is a TikTok thumbnail? 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio, matching the video frame. Thumbn renders covers at exactly this size. ### Can you change a TikTok cover after posting? Yes. Edit the post in the TikTok app and select a different frame or upload a new cover image. Thumbn gives you the image; you upload it as the cover. ### Is there a free TikTok thumbnail maker? Thumbn is paid, starting at $19 a month. TikTok's own cover picker is free but limited to frames that already exist in your video, which is the constraint an AI cover removes. ### Where should text go on a TikTok cover? Keep it in the upper two thirds and away from the right edge. The caption, username and action buttons overlay the lower and right portions of the frame in feed. ### Does the TikTok cover affect views? Indirectly. It has little effect in the main feed, where video autoplays, but it drives clicks from your profile grid, search results and shared links, which is where back catalogue views come from. --- Source: https://thumbn.so/tiktok-thumbnail-maker --- # Instagram Reels Thumbnail Maker > Make Instagram Reels covers from your video. Thumbn watches the footage, picks the strongest frame and renders a 1080x1920 cover that still works cropped square in your grid. A Reels cover has to survive being cropped. It shows nearly full frame in the Reels tab, but your profile grid crops it square, and anything important near the top or bottom disappears. Thumbn watches the video, picks the strongest moment, and renders a 1080x1920 cover with the subject held near the centre so the square crop still works. ## Instagram Reels thumbnail specifications - **Resolution:** 1080 x 1920 pixels - **Aspect ratio:** 9:16 - **Profile grid:** Cropped to a square from the centre - **Safe area:** Keep the subject and text centred ## How Thumbn makes a Instagram Reels thumbnail Paste a Instagram Reels link or upload the video file. Thumbn watches the footage scene by scene with timestamps, rather than asking you to describe it. It picks the single most clickable second, writes a thumbnail concept in the style you choose, and renders it at 1080x1920, with the subject held centre for the grid crop. Each render is then scored against that style's rubric and re-edited until it clears the bar. Every version is kept, so you can go back to any earlier one. ## Editing a Instagram Reels thumbnail after it is generated A generator that stops after one image is not much use. Click any thumbnail and tell the agent what to change: bigger text, a different background, a red arrow, a tighter crop on the face. The agent edits that exact image and returns a new version. Nothing is overwritten, so the earlier one is always still there. You can attach reference images too, so your own face, logo or brand colours stay consistent across a whole channel. ## Designing for two crops at once The cover you choose is shown almost full frame in the Reels tab, but your profile grid takes a square from the middle of it. So a headline across the bottom looks fine in one place and vanishes in the other. Keep the subject and any text within the central square and it reads correctly in both. This is the single most common mistake with Reels covers, and it is invisible until you look at your own profile grid. ## For creators cross-posting to TikTok and YouTube The vertical cover works for both Reels and TikTok, and the same concept renders in 16:9 for YouTube in the same run. See the [TikTok thumbnail maker](/tiktok-thumbnail-maker) and the [YouTube thumbnail maker](/youtube-thumbnail-maker). ## Frequently asked questions ### What size is an Instagram Reels cover? 1080 x 1920 pixels, a 9:16 vertical ratio. Keep the subject centred, because your profile grid crops the cover to a square. ### Can you change a Reels cover after posting? Yes. Edit the Reel in Instagram and choose a different cover frame or upload an image. Thumbn produces the image for you to upload. ### Why does my Reels cover look cropped on my profile? The profile grid takes a square crop from the centre of the 9:16 cover. Anything near the top or bottom edge is cut off there, which is why text along the bottom disappears. ### Is there a free Instagram Reels thumbnail maker? Thumbn is paid, from $19 a month. Instagram lets you pick a frame from the video for free, but only frames that already exist in the footage. ### Do Reels covers affect reach? They affect clicks from your profile grid, the Reels tab and search rather than the algorithmic feed itself, where Reels autoplay. A consistent set of covers is what makes a profile worth scrolling. --- Source: https://thumbn.so/instagram-reels-thumbnail-maker