Crop a photo to YouTube thumbnail size
1280x720 at 16:9 is the standard. In a list it renders tiny, so fewer elements and bigger type win. The bottom-right corner is covered by the duration badge.
- No upload
- No install
- No watermark
Your photo is processed inside this tab and never sent to a server.
- Spec
- 1280 × 720
- Ratio
- 16:9
Worth knowing at this size
- In a recommendation list this renders around 210px wide. Six words at most, and type at least 100px tall.
- The duration badge covers roughly 230x115px at the bottom right, so keep faces and text out of that corner.
- Going above 1280 is wasted work — YouTube scales it back to that width.
- Thumbnails must stay under 2MB. If a 1280x720 PNG goes over, save as JPG at 90 percent instead.
- Search results and channel pages round the corners, so keep anything that matters 20px in from the edge.
Other sizes
Questions
Is my photo uploaded anywhere?
No. From the moment you pick a file until you save it, everything happens in this tab. Disconnect from the internet and the editor still works.
Does asking for a bigger size ruin the quality?
Only if you use Fill, which scales the photo up. Fit inside and Crop leave the original untouched and add background around it, so nothing softens.
My iPhone photo (HEIC) will not open
Browsers cannot read HEIC. Set your camera format to Most Compatible in iPhone settings, or convert to JPG when sharing the photo.
Can I overlay a Reels or Shorts interface frame?
We do not ship frames that copy an app's interface. Instead there is a safe area guide that marks in grey where buttons and captions sit. The guide is never part of the saved file.
Is it free?
Yes. No account, no watermark. Ads on the page cover the running costs.