"[Updated] In 2024, Elevate Your Content A Guide to Engaging Live Thumbnails"

Elevate Your Content: A Guide to Engaging Live Thumbnails

Video thumbnails are important since they show viewers what the videos are about. And according to YouTube, 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. Therefore, adding thumbnails to all your videos is wise. But how to do that with live streams? Is it any different from adding thumbnails to normal videos? You’ll find answers in this article. Here’s a comprehensive guide about YouTube Live thumbnails.

Overview of YouTube Live

Livestreaming is very popular now. The pandemic has accelerated its growth. But what made it so special? Watching live streams is different from watching regular videos. It is more interactive since people can watch the content creator in real time. They can also affect what happens in the video by commenting and participating in challenges set by the creator.

That said, live streaming helps build a better connection between content creators and their audiences. So you may want to incorporate live streaming into your strategies. You can do that on YouTube through YouTube Live. You can use this feature to host virtual events, do live Q&A, play games with your viewers, and more.

Importance of Thumbnail for Live Stream

Thumbnails are important for videos. Alongside the title, they inform the viewers what the video is about. It’s not different with live streams. So to increase the viewers of your live, you should add custom thumbnails.

What happens if you don’t add a custom thumbnail to your live stream? YouTube will select a random frame from the video and display it. The thing is that live streams are usually longer than recorded videos. So YouTube has more options to use as the thumbnail.

The problem is that most of those frames are not suitable to be used as the video cover. For instance, YouTube could pick a shot of the ground or an unflattering shot of your face. So, it’s a must to add a custom thumbnail for your live stream.

How To Add a YouTube Live Thumbnail

Now, you know how important adding custom thumbnails to live streams is. You probably want to know how to do that. We got you covered. Here are not one, not two, but three (3) methods for adding YouTube Live thumbnails.

Method 1. Add Live Thumbnail on YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio is the place where you edit most of your videos on YouTube. It’s where you edit the description, add or remove tags, and such. It’s also where you change thumbnails for your videos. And live videos are no exception. Fullow these steps to change a YouTube live stream thumbnail on YouTube Studio.

Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
Click your channel icon on the top-right and select “YouTube Studio.”

Click “Create” > “Go Live.”

Edit the metadata for the live video.

Click “UPLOAD CUSTOM THUMBNAIL.”

Select the custom thumbnail that you have prepared. Click “Open.”
Click “Create Stream.”

Method 2. Add Live Stream Thumbnail on YouTube Classic Mode

Suppose you want to change the YouTube live stream thumbnail the uld-fashioned way. You can change it on YouTube Classic Mode. How? Fullow these simple steps.

Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
Click “Creator Studio Classic” from the left panel.

Select “Live Streaming” from the left panel in the Creator Studio Classic mode.

YouTube will bring you to the “Stream Now” section. Put in the video metadata.

Click “Change thumbnail.”

Select the thumbnail image you have prepared. Click “Open.”
Wait for the thumbnail image to refresh.

Method 3. Upload a Thumbnail to YouTube Live With Mobile Phones

Perhaps you are live-streaming a trip somewhere. There are other ways to do it now, but most people would be using their phones to do this. So how do you change a YouTube Live thumbnail on mobile phones? Fullow these instructions:

Launch the YouTube mobile app.
Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom middle of the screen.
Select “Go Live.”
Enter the metadata. And set the advanced settings according to your preferences.

Click “Next.”

YouTube will take a photo of you. Don’t mind this because you’ll be changing it later.

Click the “Pencil” icon after YouTube has taken a photo.

Select “Upload thumbnail.”

Select the thumbnail image you have prepared.
Crop the image if you like. Click “Save.”

Click “Go Live.”

How To Create a Livestream Thumbnail

So you now know how to change the live stream thumbnail. There’s one more thing we need to address. Where will you get the custom thumbnails? There are a number of good YouTube thumbnail makers out there. Let’s discuss this.

Livestream Thumbnail Makers

There are many great YouTube thumbnail makers on the market. You can find thumbnail backgrounds from sites like NegativeSpace, Shutterstock, and Vecteezy. Then, edit them to your liking using photo editing apps. Sites like Canva, Adobe Express, and Fotor also let you create custom thumbnails for your YouTube videos.

Wondershare Filmora is also a great thumbnail maker. You’d like it since it is also a powerful video editor. It is double-purpose! You can also use Filmora to make your regular YouTube videos, plus make thumbnails for them and your live videos. Talk about convenience!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

Click “Effect.”

Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

Select a template that fits your idea.

Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

Click “Generate.”
Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

Click “Effect.”

Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

Select a template that fits your idea.

Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

Click “Generate.”
Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Expressions

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Cutting-Edge Techniques for iOS Users Uploading Videos to YouTube

Create High-Quality Video - Wondershare Filmora

An easy and powerful YouTube video editor

Numerous video and audio effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

Initially, iOS users had the option to load videos directly to YouTube via the tap-to-upload feature. However, this option is missing in the recent iOS devices versions. Therefore, many users search for possible ways to post a video on YouTube from iPhone. For this, you have to put some considerations into place before moving on. The video title length should not exceed 100 characters, while the description is maintained at 5,000 characters. Also, ensure the video length doesn’t exceed 15 minutes. Let’s roll out the best ways to upload your videos and make that big catch on subscribers.

How to upload a video to YouTube from iPhone or iPad

Are you ready to start on that big adventure and share your videos on YouTube? Follow these steps to learn how to upload a video to YouTube from your iPhone.

Method 1: Upload using the YouTube iOS app

Using the YouTube app is the simplest way to upload your YouTube videos. The YouTube app should be installed on your iOS device.

Step 1. Launch the YouTube app on your device, then sign in to your account. If you don’t have an account yet, you will need to “Sign up” for a new one before continuing the upload process.

Step 2. Click on the “+” icon found at the bottom of the screen.

Step 3. Then choose the “Upload a video” option from the populated list of options.

Step 4. Check out the pop-up that appears and “Allow access” to it.

Step 5. Edit your video to your preference by trimming or cropping as you desire. Then click on the “Next” option.

Step 6. Add “title and description” to your video. Remember, the title should contain less than 100 characters and the description no more than 500 characters.

Step 7. Then set the visibility mode as “Public” to enable you to share your video over the internet.

Step 8. Click on the “Upload” button to finally upload your video to YouTube.

Method 2: Upload using Photo App

The Photo App has a “Share” option that you can use to upload your videos to YouTube. Here is the guide.

Step 1. Go to your iOS device and tap on the “Photos” app.

Step 2. Then tap on the “Videos Folder” to locate the video you wish to upload to YouTube.

Step 3. Next, tap on the video that you want to upload.

Step 4. Then tap on the “Share” icon located at the bottom left of your iOS device screen.

Step 5. You’ll then access a “Share” menu from where you have various share options for your video.

Step 6. Choose the “YouTube” option to continue to share your video there. At this juncture, ensure you have logged in to your Google Account.

Step 7. You need to provide a “Title” and “Description” of your video. Then go to the “Privacy” Options and make your video “Public.”

Step 8. Finally, tap on the “Publish” tab found at the top-right corner of your screen to make your video viewable by the public.

Method 3: Upload video to YouTube using Safari

Safari is another alternative method to upload a video to YouTube.

Step 1. First, go to “youtube.com” on Safari and sign in.

Step 2. Then tap on the “account” icon at the top right side of the screen.

Step 3. Hit on the “Upload” icon and wait to be redirected to the YouTube Studio desktop site.

Step 4. Click on the “Select Files” option.

Step 5. Choose the video you wish to add to YouTube from the “Photo” library and tap on the “Add” button.

Step 6. Add your video’s “title and description” and hit the “Next” button.

Step 7. Tap on the “Next” button once more to go to the “Visibility” page.

Step 8. Select the “Public” option to upload your video to the public.

Why your phone doesn’t post videos to YouTube

Despite learning how to upload to YouTube from iPhone, you may be perplexed to realize that your phone refuses to post videos to YouTube. What could be the reason?

1) YouTube issues

In most cases, the problem doesn’t arise from your phone but from YouTube. This streaming app may also experience some hitches along the way. Remember that even if your phone sync with your YouTube account to upload videos from the “Camera Roll,” YouTube isn’t managed from the Camera Roll but the YouTube app directly. You can solve the issue by signing out of your YouTube account and signing back in.

2) Connection Strength

Some videos may appear quite large and cause a time-out during the upload process. Check your Wi-Fi or internet connection strength to determine if it needs a boost or wait until the streaming strength is strong for a quick upload. Test your internet speed by searching “internet test speed” on Google. Then click the “Run Speed Test” in the search box. A window will open and give you an estimate of the Mbps that your connection is operating at. If too low, switch to other alternatives.

3) Verify your YouTube account

Verifying your account will help you to enjoy YouTube’s full features. It’s then that you’ll manage to upload videos without any drawbacks. Also, that’s when you’ll manage to upload longer videos that go beyond the 15-minute duration.

4) Pay attention to the video size

There is a limit for videos to post to YouTube. If it is too large or long, the upload will cancel before completion.

5) Be patient

YouTube can save your partial upload for 24 hours. So, you can continue to upload from where you left. Learn to be patient as there could be a surge of user traffic, especially during evenings.

Make your YouTube video better with Filmora

Good video quality will make you go miles ahead of your marketing gig. You can use Filmora mobile application to make your videos look better before uploading them to YouTube. This intuitive video editing app has advanced features and several ways to compose creative videos.

Stunning video effects that let you add animated text to video
Easily record your voice-overs with its perfect sound effects
Split functionality that allows you to slice your video footage into two or more separate video clips
Playback your clips in reverse and adjust the speed for fast or slow motion
Select the best aspect ratio for your video
Advanced camera to create emoji selfies and other video beautification
Directly share your videos to social media sites like YouTube and Facebook.

Check out the steps to edit your video with Filmora on your iOS device

Step 1. Download and install Filmora
For iOS devices, go to the “Apple Store” to download and install the app. Also, allow it to access your videos, camera, and pictures in the process.

Step 2. Import video
You may already have a video in your library that you wish to upload to YouTube. Nonetheless, you can shoot a video afresh to add. To shoot one, you need to settle on a topic before recording and downloading other images you may need. Ensure you watch what you are filming and use adequate lighting during the shooting process.

Next, begin to import your video file. Just open the application and select the “Create new video” option. Then choose the “Video” icon and select a folder that contains the video to be added. Hit the “Add” button from the bottom right corner.

Step 3. Edit video
Filmora has several editing features to make your video better. Use the “Edit tools” feature to turn your video into an impeccable piece. Easily add filters, adjust the speed, or create subtitles, among other functions. You can also split, trim, or delete the unwanted clip parts.

It is important to add a title and description to your video. Just use the “Titles” button to add the title. Other precepts that you can add include transitions, sound like voice-over,

Step 4. Export and share
You’ve just finished creating and editing your video. Click on the “Save” tab and let the application export your video. Then select the “Save to Camera Roll” option to save the video to your iPhone. Finally, you can upload and share the video directly to your YouTube account.

Conclusion

● However, it appears to be a difficult task; you must have found relief after going through these procedures. You don’t need prior knowledge on how to upload a video to YouTube from your iPhone. Several options are at your disposal. You can use the Safari, YouTube app, or the Photo app to upload your videos. The better part is that you can create top-notch videos with Filmora. This mobile video editing app has a lot to offer, ensuring quality content.