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CreativeResize

YouTube Thumbnail Resizer

Upload one image and get a 1280 × 720 thumbnail, a 9:16 Shorts version and the image ad sizes YouTube campaigns use.

Free • No signup • Your images are processed in your browser

Drop your ad here

or

JPG, PNG or WEBP • Max 20 MB

A thumbnail has to be exactly 16:9

YouTube shows video thumbnails in a 16:9 box. Upload a square or a portrait image and it is letterboxed with black bars or cropped, and either way it loses to the tidy thumbnails around it.

CreativeResize fits your image to 1280 × 720 properly, and at the same time makes the vertical image Shorts need and the three image sizes used by YouTube ads in Google Ads.

What you get for YouTube

YouTube image sizes and the file CreativeResize produces for each
PlacementFile you getGood to know
Video thumbnail1280 × 720 (16:9)The long-standing common size. YouTube asks for 16:9 and at least 640 pixels wide, and now recommends up to 3840 × 2160.
Shorts1080 × 1920 (9:16)Full-screen vertical, for Shorts covers and vertical ads.
Image ad, landscape1200 × 628 (1.91:1)For Demand Gen campaigns, which show image ads on YouTube.
Image ad, square1200 × 1200 (1:1)Used in the YouTube home feed and other feed placements.
Image ad, portrait1080 × 1350 (4:5)The tallest image ad shape, for mobile feeds.

Last updated: . Thumbnail figures were checked against YouTube Help, and image ad figures against Google Ads Help for Demand Gen, on 6 October 2026. Sizes shown are recommended or commonly used sizes unless a minimum is stated. Platform specifications can change. Check the platform's current advertising documentation before launching a campaign.

Getting a clean result

  • Turning a square into a thumbnail

    Cropping a square to 16:9 keeps about 56% of its height, enough for a centred face or product. Otherwise use Fit or Background, which keep the whole image and fill the sides.

  • Mind the file size on mobile

    YouTube's limit for a video thumbnail is 2 MB when you upload from the mobile app and 50 MB on desktop. A JPG at 1280 × 720 is far below either. A large PNG can pass 2 MB, so start from a JPG copy if you upload from a phone.

  • Keep the bottom-right corner free

    YouTube prints the video length over the bottom-right corner of every thumbnail. Keep text and faces away from it.

Your images stay on your device.

Creatives are processed directly in your browser and aren't uploaded to our servers. There is no account, no image storage and nothing to delete afterwards. Close the tab and they are gone.

Questions

What size is a YouTube thumbnail?

A 16:9 image at least 640 pixels wide. 1280 × 720 is the common size. YouTube Help currently recommends 3840 × 2160 for the sharpest result, and limits files to 2 MB on mobile and 50 MB on desktop.

What size is a YouTube Shorts image?

1080 × 1920 pixels, a 9:16 ratio, the same as other full-screen vertical formats.

Can I use a phone photo as a thumbnail?

Yes. A portrait photo needs to be reshaped to 16:9 first. Crop works if the subject is centred. Background keeps the whole photo and fills the sides with a blur.

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