These are the starter templates that ship inside the ThumbCrafted editor: 18 layouts in 10 colourways, with sample words written for ten kinds of channel. They are our own designs, drawn on a 1280 by 720 grid with the bottom-right corner left empty for the video length badge.
A template page is only useful if it tells you something you cannot see in a pretty preview, so every template here has been run through the same checks as our Thumbnail Autopsy page: does it hold together at 168 by 94, the sidebar size, is there enough tonal contrast, is anything hiding under the length badge, does detail crowd the edges, and how much of the frame is pure black or pure white. The results are printed next to each design, numbers included.
18 layouts in 10 colourways. Across the ten genres that makes 850 layout and colourway pairs, each with its genre's sample words. Measured on 2026-10-29 with the photo slots empty, 246 of the 850 pass all five checks. The check that flags most often is contrast (546 pairs).
Each template is drawn at 1280 by 720 exactly as the editor opens it, with every photo slot showing its grey placeholder, and measured by the same code the Thumbnail Autopsy page runs on an upload. Five checks are printed on every card:
Feed size. The template is shrunk to 168 by 94, the sidebar size, and its edge energy is measured (the mean absolute Laplacian). Below 7, shapes and words start to blur together.
Contrast. The spread of brightness across the frame, as a share of the full range. 22 out of 100 or more passes.
Length badge corner. Detail in the bottom-right corner, where the video length badge sits, compared with the average across the frame. 1.1 times or less passes.
Edges. Detail in the outer 4% of the frame compared with the average. 0.9 times or less passes, so nothing important crowds the border.
Clipped tones. The share of pixels that are pure black or pure white. Under 8% each passes.
The size check (1280 by 720) is left out because every template is that size by design. For each layout and genre we measured all 10 colourways and show the one that measured best: the most checks passed, and on a tie the higher feed-size edge energy. Your own photo changes the numbers, so check the finished design in Thumbnail Autopsy before you upload.
The 18 layouts
Each layout appears on the genre pages it was designed for. Every one can also be opened from the Templates button in the editor.
18 layouts in 10 colourways. The colourways repaint the same layouts, so we count them that way instead of multiplying them into one bigger number. Each genre page shows the layouts that suit that genre, with sample words for it.
What does "measured with photo slots empty" mean?▼
Most layouts have a slot for your face, a product or a screenshot. We cannot know what you will put there, so the checks run on the template exactly as it opens: slots filled with a grey placeholder. A busy photo can change the result, so run your finished thumbnail through Thumbnail Autopsy before you upload it.
Why is each template shown in one colourway?▼
For each layout we measured all 10 colourways and show the one that measured best: the most checks passed, and on a tie the higher feed-size edge energy. The card also says how many of the 10 colourways pass all five checks, and the template gallery in the editor shows every colourway.
Are the templates free to use?▼
Yes. Open one in the editor, swap in your words and photos, and download the result. The editor runs in your browser and there is no sign-up.
Gaming9 templates, 5 pass all five checks 
Vlog10 templates, 4 pass all five checks 
Tutorial8 templates, 3 pass all five checks 
Reaction7 templates, 4 pass all five checks 
Podcast6 templates, 3 pass all five checks 
Tech8 templates, 3 pass all five checks 
Cooking11 templates, 3 pass all five checks 
Fitness9 templates, 6 pass all five checks 
Finance8 templates, 4 pass all five checks 
Travel9 templates, 4 pass all five checks