Free · Rules, not AI · Opens as a template

YouTube thumbnail ideas for your niche and your video

Pick a niche and the kind of video. Get concrete compositions you can open and finish.

Each idea says where things go, what the face does, how many words to use and how much the colours contrast, measured, not guessed. Every idea is one of our starter templates, so one tap opens it in the editor with photo slots for your own pictures. Nothing here is generated by AI and nothing you pick is sent anywhere.

What each idea tells you, and where it comes from

An idea is only useful if you can act on it, so every card answers the same five questions with something specific.

Layout. Where the face, the photo and the words sit. It describes the starter template the card opens, which was designed on a 1280 × 720 grid with the bottom-right corner (where YouTube puts the video length) kept free of words.
Face. What the face should do for this kind of video. A reaction needs a reaction; a tutorial needs someone who looks like they know the answer; a list often needs no face at all, because the number is the hook.
Words. A range for the kind of video, and the number of words the template carries now, counted from its text, so you know whether to trim. Headline text in our templates is at least 96 px tall on the 1280 × 720 canvas, about 13 px at the 168 px width a phone feed shows.
Contrast. The WCAG contrast ratio of the headline colour and the accent colour against the darker and lighter of the two background colours, with the lower one shown. 4.5:1 is the WCAG line for normal text and 3:1 for large text; thumbnail headlines are large text.
Autopsy. The same checks the Thumbnail Autopsy runs on an upload (feed size, contrast, the duration badge corner, edges, clipped tones), measured on the template with its photo slots empty. Your photo changes the result, so run the Autopsy again on the finished thumbnail.

How the ideas are picked

There are 18 layouts in 10 colourways, with sample words for 10 niches. Each video type lists the three to five layouts that suit it; those come first. The rest of the six cards are layouts tagged for your niche. Shuffle reorders the extra layouts and deals new colourways, so you see different combinations without the advice changing under you.

How to get thumbnail ideas for a video

1. Pick your niche

Gaming, vlog, tutorial, reaction, podcast, tech, cooking, fitness, finance or travel. It sets the sample words on every card.

2. Pick the kind of video

Reaction, tutorial, review, comparison, challenge, vlog, list, before and after, interview or reveal. It chooses the layouts and the advice.

3. Read the ideas, shuffle for more

Each card gives the layout, the face, the word count and the measured contrast. Shuffle deals new colourways and other layouts for your niche.

4. Open one in the editor

The button opens that exact template. Click a photo slot to add your picture, change the words, then download or run the Autopsy.

Questions, answered

Is this an AI thumbnail idea generator?

No. The ideas come from rules we wrote for each kind of video, applied to our own starter templates. The numbers on each card (word count, contrast, Autopsy checks) are measured in your browser from the template itself. Nothing you pick is sent to a server, so there is no account, no credits and no wait.

How many ideas are there?

The templates are 18 layouts in 10 colourways, with sample words for 10 niches. A video type picks the three to five layouts that suit it, and the page fills six cards with layouts tagged for your niche. We do not multiply those numbers into one big count, because a colourway repaints the same layout.

Do I need my own photo?

Most layouts have photo slots marked Your face, Your photo or Before and After. In the editor, click a slot to add your picture. A few layouts, such as One Word and Three Steps, have no photo slot and work on their own.

What does the contrast number mean?

It is the WCAG contrast ratio between the text colour and the background colour, from 1:1 (no contrast) to 21:1 (black on white). The card shows the lower of the two ratios against the template's two background colours. 3:1 is the WCAG minimum for large text; most of our colourways sit far above it.

Why does a card say Look at?

The Autopsy checks are measured on the template with its photo slots empty, and a check that does not pass is named. Usually it is the duration badge corner or the edges, which your own photo changes, so run the Thumbnail Autopsy on the finished design.