WThumb
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YouTube Shorts thumbnail maker. Turn the brief into a vertical thumbnail.

WThumb makes 9:16 YouTube Shorts thumbnails composed for the tall frame, not cropped. Start from a reference, a title and an optional photo, or press Make the Shorts version on a finished 16:9 WThumb thumbnail.

Make a Shorts thumbnail

2 free credits (1 credit = 1 thumbnail), no card

WHAT CHANGES

One brief, two deliberately composed frames.

The vertical result reorganizes the subject and words for a tall canvas instead of cropping the landscape version.

A thumbnail WThumb made: a smiling creator with curly hair holding up a lit camping lantern at a purple dusk, a glowing tent by the sea behind him, headline Episode 5, How to Camp
a creator in a bucket hat holding up a golden fish against a sunset sea, headline episode 2 how to fish
ReferenceResult
16:9 variation
a portrait thumbnail with a different person holding a lit camping lantern against a purple dusk sea, headline episode 5 how to camp
Fresh 9:16 composition

HOW IT WORKS

How to make a YouTube Shorts thumbnail in three steps.

Open the Studio

  1. Bring the brief

    Paste a public YouTube link or upload a reference, then add the title and any direction.

  2. Choose 9:16 or both

    Request a vertical thumbnail alone or ask for landscape and vertical results from one submission.

  3. Generate the vertical version

    WThumb composes the idea for a tall frame instead of cutting the center out of a landscape design. Already have a finished 16:9 WThumb thumbnail? Make the Shorts version builds the vertical one from it.

BUILD THE BRIEF

Shorts thumbnail tips for a tall frame.

Compose for a tall frame

Give the subject and words enough vertical separation instead of squeezing a wide layout.

Keep the first read simple

Use one clear subject and short text that remains legible on a phone.

Check the publishing workflow

YouTube currently supports custom Shorts thumbnail uploads in YouTube Studio on a computer for verified accounts. YouTube controls this publishing workflow, so check its current Help guidance before publishing.

QUESTIONS

Questions about YouTube Shorts thumbnails.

No. It is a fresh 9:16 composition built from the same brief rather than an automatic center crop.

No. Add your own photo for a face-led version or leave it out for a faceless result.

YouTube recommends a 9:16 aspect ratio at 2160 by 3840 pixels, with a minimum height of 640, and WThumb's vertical result is a 1152 by 2048 JPEG. YouTube thumbnail Help.

Yes, for a thumbnail made in WThumb: open the finished 16:9 result and press Make the Shorts version. WThumb makes the same design in 9:16, composed for the tall frame rather than cropped, for 1 credit. It works once per thumbnail, from 16:9 to 9:16.

YouTube currently supports custom Shorts thumbnail uploads in YouTube Studio on a computer for verified accounts. YouTube controls this publishing workflow, so check its current Help guidance before publishing. YouTube thumbnail Help.

On the browse surfaces, where a Short is a tile before it plays. YouTube's help page says how to upload one, not where it shows, so treat these as places to check: your channel's Shorts tab, where every tile is a thumbnail, search results for the Short's title, and the Shorts shelf on your channel's Home tab. PPC Land's report of the rollout names the homepage and the channel's Home and Shorts tabs. Inside the swipe player each Short starts playing as it arrives, so the thumbnail has no job there.

WThumb is free to try: new accounts get 2 free credits, no card needed, and 1 credit makes 1 thumbnail, in 9:16 or 16:9 with no watermark. Paid plans start at $12 a month.

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