Getting Started with ThumbnailCreator

Your first steps with ThumbnailCreator — sign up, upload your first image, generate a thumbnail, and download it ready for YouTube.

Welcome to ThumbnailCreator — the AI-powered tool that helps you create stunning YouTube thumbnails in seconds. This guide walks you through creating your very first thumbnail.

Step 1: Create Your Account

Visit ThumbnailCreator.com and click Start now
Sign up with your Google or Microsoft account, or use email and password
Complete the short onboarding flow to set up your organization

Every new account comes with free credits to get started.

Step 2: Upload or Generate an Image

From the dashboard, you have two main paths:

Upload an existing image

Go to Editor in the sidebar
Under the Upload Image tab, either:
- Paste a YouTube URL to extract its current thumbnail
- Drag and drop an image file (1280x720 recommended)

Generate from scratch

Go to Utilities in the sidebar
Click AI Thumbnail Generator
Describe your thumbnail in the text prompt
Click Generate — the AI creates your thumbnail from scratch

Step 3: Edit with AI

Once you have an image loaded in the editor, you can refine it:

Type what you want changed in the Edit with AI text field — for example, "add bold white text saying 'TOP 10 TIPS'" or "make the colors more vibrant"
Click Apply Edit
The AI processes your request and shows you the result
Repeat until you're happy — use the undo button if needed

Step 4: Download Your Thumbnail

When your thumbnail looks great:

Click the Download button
Your thumbnail is saved at 1280x720 — YouTube's recommended resolution
Upload it to YouTube Studio

What's Next?

Now that you've created your first thumbnail, explore these features:

Face Swap — Put your face in any thumbnail for consistent branding
Style Cloning — Clone the visual style of any popular thumbnail
Design Rules — Set permanent AI rules for your brand
Creating Variations — Generate multiple versions for A/B testing

Tips for Beginners

Start with the AI Thumbnail Generator if you don't have a base image
Be specific in your prompts — "excited person pointing at a graph going up" works better than "good thumbnail"
Use 16:9 aspect ratio for standard YouTube thumbnails
Upload your face to get consistent, branded thumbnails every time