Crafting the Quintessential Thumbnails for Live Video Success

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

Year’s Biggest Beauty Influencers on YouTube

10 Most Popular Beauty Gurus on YouTube in 2024

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Before the YouTube era learning makeup tricks or finding out useful skin care tips has been much more difficult. Today, you only have to do a quick search on the world’s largest video sharing platform and you can get the result instantly.

Besides knowing who to ask for a bit of beauty advice, you also need to trust the source of information. Instead of browsing through thousands of beauty videos on YouTube, you should listen to what top beauty gurus on YouTube have to say about the topic you’re interested in. The beauty vloggers we featured in this article have millions of subscribers for a good reason.

Let’s have a look at some of YouTube’s most influential beauty gurus.

Wanna making your beauty video and makeup video more attractive and get more views? Try to use some cool beauty effects in the Filmora video editor and add some stylish filters and overlays, change the speed video to fast forward some unimportant frames, or slow down the clip to show more details.

Top 10 Beauty Gurus on YouTube You Should Know in 2024

Bethany Mota
Zoe Elizabeth Sugg
Rachel Levin
Nikkie De Jager
Eva Gutowski
Marzia Bisognin
Jeffree Star
Carli Bybel
Mindy McKnight
Promise Phan

1. Bethany Mota

The American vlogger started her YouTube channel that currently has over 15 million subscribers in 2009. Bethany is more than just a beauty guru, even though she first became famous for her makeup and fashion videos because in recent years she started producing videos that cover a wide range of topics.

Eleven months ago, she released a truth or dare video with Logan Paul that has 4,6 million views which shows how popular the 22-year old beauty vlogger has become. Besides being an award-winning YouTube star, Bethany is also an accomplished singer and an aspiring actress.

2.Zoe Elizabeth Sugg

Zoe is better known for her online pseudonym Zoella. She started her career as a blogger in 2009. By the end of the same year, her blog had thousands of followers, which gave Zoe the idea to start her own YouTube channel. A little less than a decade later Zoella channel has 12 million subscribers and it is widely considered as one of the highest beauty and fashion authorities on the Internet.

Besides producing informative and captivating beauty tutorials, she also frequently uploads videos about food, lifestyle, fashion, and traveling. However, her skincare and makeup product reviews are what Zoe is famous for.

3. Rachel Levin

Rachel’s YouTube channel Rclbeauty101 has over 13 million subscribers and a few years ago, she has landed on the number one spot on Zefr’s Social Media Influencer Under 21 list. Today this 23-year old Philadelphian focuses on DIY beauty tutorials, although videos on her channel often cover a range of different topics.

Levin started her career with a video titled ‘How to Conceal Under Eye Circles’ in 2010 and in the next few years her YouTube channel was one of the fastest-growing channels in the world. Rachel’s most viewed videos combine humor with beauty and fashion which makes them a joy to watch.

4. Nikkie De Jager

A beauty guru from the Netherlands gained worldwide recognition when her video ‘The Power Makeup’ went viral in 2015. The Nikkie Tutorials YouTube channel has over 10 million subscribers 820 million views. The best part is that the rapid growth of Nikki’s channel is likely to continue in the foreseeable future.

Unlike many of her fellow YouTube beauty gurus, Jager is a professional makeup artist who frequently features the commissioned work in the videos she uploads to her channel. The young Dutch star is only 24 years old, and she is already one of the best sources of beauty tips and tricks you can find on the Internet.

5. Eva Gutowski

The MyLifeAsEva YouTube channel was started by Gutowski in 2011 and for the last seven years, it has steadily grown more popular. In June 2018 Eva’s channel had 8.6 million subscribers and her unique beauty videos frequently attract millions of viewers.

The California-based beauty guru is praised for her entertaining videos that cover a wide range of topics, from date tips to step-by-step DIY makeup tutorials. Eva also has a successful acting career as she has appeared in a number of TV shows and she has a YouTube Red show titled ‘Me and My Grandma’.

6. Marzia Bisognin

Books, movies, vlogs, beauty, or makeup are just a few topics Marzia or CutiePieMarzia covers in her videos. The Italian YouTube superstar has been dating Felix Kjellberg or PewDiePie, the owner of the most subscribed channel on YouTube, since 2011.

Although her boyfriend may be more famous than her, Marzia’s channel still has 7.5 million subscribers and nearly half a billion views. Her fashion style is appealing mostly to younger generations, although her makeup tips can be applied by anyone regardless of their age. Marzia designs clothes and shoes that can be purchased at her online store.

7. Jeffree Star

Besides being one of the most influential beauty gurus on YouTube Jeffrey Steininger is also a songwriter, singer, fashion designer, and model. He first rose to prominence by publishing music on his MySpace page, which soon resulted in his first solo album ‘Beauty Killer’.

His style may be unorthodox since it resonates better within a younger, more open-minded audience, but the makeup tips he provides in his videos can be used by anyone to get the look they always wanted. Jeffree Star’s YouTube channel has 7.4 million subscribers which shows just how popular this Californian really is. Jeffry also has his own fashion and cosmetics line.

8. Carli Bybel

Most of the videos you can find on Carli’s YouTube channels, the one with the most subscribers is named Carli Bybel, are centered around different cosmetics product reviews, makeup tutorials, and fashion tips. She started producing YouTube videos in 2011 and over the years she reviewed some of the most popular makeup lines, including those released by Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner.

Some of her videos have over a million views while one of her most popular videos ‘How to Grow Your Eyebrows and Eyelashes’ has over 7 million views. Carli’s is undoubtedly one of the top beauty vloggers today and her popularity should continue to grow.

9. Mindy McKnight

A great idea for a new haircut is hard to come by, which is one of the reasons why Mindy’s Cute Girls Hairstyles channel is so popular. The idea to create hairstyle videos came in the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until 2008 that Mindy realized she wanted to produce vlogs. She has been posting videos to YouTube since 2009, and she currently has 5.5 million subscribers.

Her videos offer quick and creative hairstyle solutions that will make any women look amazing. Mindy’s twin daughters, Brooklyn and Baily have their own YouTube channel with a substantial amount of subscribers.

10. Promise Phan

Since 2009, Promise has run her incredibly popular dope2111 YouTube channel that has over 5 million subscribers. Her makeup transformation techniques which she presents in the videos posted on her channel have stunned the world. Promise has disguised herself as Johnny Depp, Scarlett Johansson, Michael Jackson, or Angelina Jolie to mention just a few celebrities she covered.

She got the idea to create makeup videos after watching the movie Avatar and trying to recreate the Naa’vi looks. The video went viral and made Promise a YouTube beauty guru and one of the most respected makeup authorities on the Internet.

Conclusion

Coming up with ideas for a new look is not always easy. So in order to get a fresh perspective, you should check out the top beauty vloggers we featured in this article and discover useful makeup tutorials or fashion tips that will help you to always feel confident about the way you look. Leave a comment below and let us know who is your favorite YouTube beauty guru.

If you’re a business holder and want to find YouTube influencers for collaboration, you can check out InflueNex, which is a helpful influencer marketing platform for you to find, manage and contact the social media influencers.