Can you add a thumbnail to a youtube video after upload

Used on nearly all video hosting sites, video thumbnails give viewers a quick snapshot of your video and it plays a vital role in promoting views. Generally speaking, a thumbnail will be generated automatically after uploading. When it comes to YouTube, you can even pick one from the three options the platform generated.

If you are not satisfied with the video thumbnail YouTube generated, this post is exactly what you need. It will show you a simple way to put a thumbnail on a YouTube video. As for videos that have uploaded to YouTube, you can also change the thumbnail. Refer to the part you need and get started.

Can't Miss: How to Create a YouTube Trailer Video >

As mentioned above, after uploading your video, YouTube will generate three video thumbnails automatically and you can pick any of them. Here before posting, you can also add a custom thumbnail to a YouTube video.

Step 1 Log in your YouTube account, and click the Upload button and choose the video you want to upload, you will then brought to another page.

Image Board: Add a Thumbnail to a YouTube Video - Step 1

Step 2 Scroll down to the end. Choose one of the automatically generated video thumbnails. If you don’t like them, click on the Custom thumbnail button to upload a picture and set it as video thumbnail.

Image Board: Add a Thumbnail to a YouTube Video - Step 2

Part 2. How to Change a Thumbnail for a Posted YouTube Video

The process of changing a thumbnail for YouTube video is also easy and simple.

Step 1 Log in your YouTube account, click on your profile icon and select YouTube Studio. If you are on Android or iOS, download YouTube Studio application from App Store directly.

Step 2 Click on Video button on the left page, click on the video you want to change its thumbnail. A new page will pop out.

Step 3 Go to Details > Basic. Scroll down to the Thumbnail section.

Step 4 Click the Custom thumbnail button, upload any picture you like. Save the change.

Image Board: Change Default Thumbnail

Bonus Tip: How to Create a YouTube Video That Gets Likes & Comments

Tip 1. Find a good topic. Some topics may be liked by majority of people, while some topics are less popular. Check this post on 60+ YouTube Video Ideas to get inspiration.

Tip 2. Efficient. The sooner you post videos than others, the more views you get. That’s to say, you might need to abandon the troublesome and time-consuming software like iMovie or Premiere Pro while editing urgent videos. Try FlexClip. It has all professional editing features of Premiere Pro. Any edits can be made in a few clicks. Make cool video edits with FlexClip now >

Tip 3. Call for likes or subscriptions. Don’t be shy. People won’t discard you because of that. On the contrary, calling for likes or subscriptions is just like a kind remind.

Tip 4. Make a video jointly with other bloggers. Having some friends who are also bloggers? Great! Make videos with them together. Your fans might like your friends and subscribe them and their fans may subscribe you too.

Tip 5. Reply comments & listen to people’s advice. Replying fans’ comments is a great habit for all bloggers. The more you engage with your fans, the more faithful your fans are.

The Bottom Line

That’s all for how to add audio to videos. The above three ways are all easy and simple. Hopefully, you have made a video with sound. If you find this blog helpful, please share it with others.

Member of PearlMountain Limited. Has a mania for video editing. Love to share photo/video shooting tips and ideas.

In case you upload your own videos to YouTube, you might be interested in knowing how to Add Thumbnails to YouTube Videos or Change Thumbnails on existing videos in your YouTube Account.

YouTube automatically prepares 3 small video clips for every video that you upload to YouTube and allows you to choose anyone of these 3 video clips as an animated thumbnail for your YouTube Video.

In case you want to be more creative, you can get your YouTube Account verified by Google, which provides you with the privilege to assign Custom Thumbnail Images for your YouTube Videos.

You will find below the steps to Add Thumbnails to YouTube Videos using 3 different methods.

1. Add Thumbnails to YouTube Videos while uploading
2. Add or Change YouTube Video Thumbnails after uploading
3. Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube Videos

1. Add Thumbnails to YouTube Videos While Uploading

While uploading Videos on YouTube, you will be prompted to select a thumbnail from 3 images that YouTube automatically prepares for the uploaded video.

1. Go to YouTube and click on the Sign In option located at the top-right corner of your screen.

2. Once you are signed in, click on the up Arrow icon

3. Select the Video that you want to upload to YouTube.

4. After the Video is processed, you will see 3 images in “Video Thumbnails” section. You can select any of these 3 images as the thumbnail for the video that you just uploaded.

5. Click on the Done button to save the Video and Thumbnail selection.

2. Add or Change YouTube Video Thumbnails

In case you did not choose a thumbnail while uploading the Video, YouTube will automatically assign a Thumbnail for your video.

However, you can always change YouTube Video Thumbnails by following the steps below.

1. Go to YouTube and Sign In to your YouTube account.

2. Click on the Profile Icon and then click on Creator Studio option in the drop-down menu.

3. Next, click on the Edit button located next to the video to which you would like to add a thumbnail.

4. On the next screen, you will see 3 small video clips next to the Video. You can select any of these Video clips as an animated thumbnail for your video.

5. After making your selection, click on Save Changes button.

3. Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube Videos

In case you are not interested in using any of the 3 thumbnails automatically created by YouTube, you can add custom thumbnails to YouTube videos.

Note: The privilege to Add Custom Thumbnails to YouTube Videos is only available to Verified YouTube Account holders.

1. Go to YouTube and Sign In to your YouTube account.

2. Click on the Profile Icon and then click on Creator Studio option in the drop-down menu.

3. Next, click on the Edit button located next to the video to which you would like to add a thumbnail.

4. On the next screen, you will see 3 small video clips next to the video. Click on the Custom thumbnail button located below these 3 videos.

5. Browse to the image that you would like to use as a custom thumbnail on your computer and click on the image.

Note: Custom thumbnail images needs to have a minimum width of 640 pixels and should be below 2 MB in size. Also, uploaded custom images must follow YouTube community guidelines.

Adding an interesting thumbnail to YouTube videos can make people click on your Videos as they appear in search results.

This can have a direct impact on the number of views that your videos generate on YouTube.

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