Online Thumbnails

Client: A friend with a gaming-focused YouTube channel.

Goal: My friend needed some thumbnails for his gaming videos that advertise the content nicely and entice possible viewers to check it out.

Approach: There are two methods. The first is obtaining the video and watching through the whole thing to find the best moment to base the thumbnail on. The second involves finding assets to piece together something that’s new but still truthfully advertises the video. Once I find the necessary, I go into Photoshop and work with what I have. I either reframe then cut multiple layers out of the screenshot I acquired, or use the assets I found to arrange something. I then add the title/logo of the game itself somewhere in the thumbnail, as that’s the most straightforward way to show what’s being played. Then, I add any effects or adjustments to the layers to give the appropriate visuals I intended.

Result: A thumbnail showing off one of the more intense parts of the video, framed in a manner that would entice potential viewers to check out what exactly happened for themselves.