AI Thumbnail Maker
Enter your video's title, then paste the script or upload the video. You get a thumbnail built around what the video actually covers, or up to three different ideas to choose from.
How to make a YouTube thumbnail with AI
- 01
Enter the title
Type the title your video will have. The thumbnail is written to work next to it, not to say the same thing twice.
- 02
Add the script or the video
Paste the script, or upload a video or audio file up to 15 minutes long and we transcribe it. Pick 16:9 for YouTube or 9:16 for Shorts, Reels and TikTok.
- 03
Pick a thumbnail and download
Choose one, two or three thumbnails. Download the one you like, or ask for a new version of any of them.
What makes a thumbnail worth clicking?
A thumbnail and a title are read together, in about a second, at the size of a postage stamp. The ones that work give the eye one thing to look at and leave a question the title doesn't answer. The ones that don't are usually trying to show everything in the video at once.
Most AI image tools start from a prompt, which means you still have to come up with the idea. This one starts from the video. It reads your title and script, or listens to the video you upload, and writes a concept before it draws anything. Ask for two or three thumbnails and each gets its own concept: one built on curiosity, one on what is at stake, and one on a single bold image that stands for the whole video.
The rules it follows come from studies of videos that beat their own channel's average: a single subject that fills the frame, a face with a real expression when the topic has a person in it, and three words of text or fewer that add to the title instead of repeating it.
Who it's for
Faceless channels
Get a thumbnail with a strong subject when there is no creator's face to put on it.
Solo creators
Skip the hour in an image editor after every upload and spend it on the next video.
Educators and explainers
Turn an abstract topic like inflation or black holes into one picture that makes sense at a glance.
Channels that A/B test
Get up to three genuinely different ideas per video to run through YouTube's Test & Compare.
What the tool does for you
Starts from your video, not a prompt
You don't describe a picture. The tool reads the title and script and decides what the thumbnail should show.
Up to three different ideas
Ask for more than one and each is its own idea: curiosity, what is at stake, or a single bold image. You choose between ideas, not between copies of one.
Reads your video for you
No script on hand? Upload the video or its audio and the tool transcribes it first. The file is deleted once it has been read.
Short text that adds to the title
Up to three large words: a number, a verdict or a question. Turn text off if your channel's style is image only.
Layouts that get clicked
Pick a proven layout like Reaction, Before / After, Versus or Close-up, or leave it on Auto and each idea gets the layout that suits it.
The size YouTube asks for
Horizontal thumbnails download as 1280 by 720 JPEGs, ready to upload. Vertical covers are 720 by 1280.
Ideas are free
Writing the concepts costs nothing. Credits are only spent on the images.
Why use this instead of designing a thumbnail by hand
Frequently asked questions
Do I need the script, or is the title enough?
The title is enough to get a thumbnail. With the script or the video, the ideas come from moments and details that are actually in the video, so the thumbnail doesn't promise something the video never shows.
Can it put my face or my product on the thumbnail?
Yes. Upload a photo and mark it as a person or an object, or pick a frame from your video. A person keeps their face in a new pose and scene, and a product keeps its look in a new setting. Without a photo, a concept that calls for a person draws a generic one. On its own it never draws real, named people or brand logos.
Is it free?
Your first thumbnail is free once you sign up, and writing the concepts is always free. The free thumbnail carries a small ShortsCrafter watermark unless you have bought credits before. After that, each thumbnail costs 15 credits and you choose whether to make one, two or 3 at a time.
What files can I upload?
MP4, MOV and WebM video, or MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC and FLAC audio, up to 15 minutes long. Only the spoken words are used. For a longer video, paste the script instead.
How long do you keep my files?
Your video or audio file is deleted as soon as it is transcribed. Your thumbnails stay in the tool for 90 days, so download the ones you want to keep.
Will the text on the thumbnail be spelled correctly?
Usually, because the text is kept to three words or fewer. Image models still misspell a word now and then. If that happens, ask for a new version of that thumbnail.
Can I use the thumbnails on a monetized channel?
Yes. The thumbnails you download are yours to use on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram or anywhere else, including monetized videos.
Need the video too?
ShortsCrafter writes the script, records the voiceover and makes every scene from just your idea. Or scroll up and make a thumbnail for a video you already have.