Elevate Your Video Game: Top Tips for Perfect 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

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!

Dive Into a Stream of 9 Full-Length Festive Flicks - No Charge

Watch 9 Free Full Length Christmas Movies On Youtube

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.

1. The nutcracker 1990

The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :

2. A smoky mountain Christmas

A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:

3. Ernest saves Christmas

This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:

4. A Christmas story

A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:

5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish

In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:

6. On the second day of Christmas

This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:

7. Santa Who?

Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:

8. A Christmas Carol

In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:

9. Miracle on 34th street

In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.

1. The nutcracker 1990

The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :

2. A smoky mountain Christmas

A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:

3. Ernest saves Christmas

This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:

4. A Christmas story

A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:

5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish

In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:

6. On the second day of Christmas

This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:

7. Santa Who?

Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:

8. A Christmas Carol

In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:

9. Miracle on 34th street

In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.

1. The nutcracker 1990

The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :

2. A smoky mountain Christmas

A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:

3. Ernest saves Christmas

This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:

4. A Christmas story

A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:

5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish

In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:

6. On the second day of Christmas

This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:

7. Santa Who?

Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:

8. A Christmas Carol

In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:

9. Miracle on 34th street

In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

If you are looking for Christmas entertainment this season you may be quick to look towards a provider like iTunes or Netflix to give you some excellent Christmas movies. The good news is that you can also find a number of excellent classic Christmas movies on YouTube. Accessing these movies on YouTube while to save your rental fees as well as make sure that you can have a steady stream of Christmas entertainment whoever you might be visiting over the holiday season. Here are some of the top 10 classic movies that you can find for free on YouTube right now.

1. The nutcracker 1990

The Nutcracker is a holiday classic that many people seek out every year on the stage. This family ballet classic was filmed by the Pacific Northwest ballet in a huge and lavish version of the production in 1986. This still stands as one of the best versions of the Nutcracker ever captured on film and you can watch it for free on YouTube. You can find the Nutcracker at :

2. A smoky mountain Christmas

A Smoky Mountain Christmas is a film from 1986 directed by Harry Winkler and starring Lee Majors and Dolly Parton. The full musical fairy tale can be found online on YouTube and it’s about a country singer who is trying to spend a quiet Christmas holiday at home. She suddenly becomes involved with a mysterious mountain man, an evil witch and is forced to protect seven orphans over the holidays. This film can be found at:

3. Ernest saves Christmas

This film from 1989 features Jim Varney and his most famous character Ernest in a holiday Christmas movie that is an instant classic. This film is very funny and a favorite amongst some of the Ernest films for many. This Christmas movie from 1989 can be found at:

4. A Christmas story

A Christmas story has long been one of the favorite Christmas movies for many families. In this film from 1983 we travel back in time to a traditional 1940s Christmas. In this film we follow the nine-year-old Ralphie who is looking for the famous red Ryder BB gun for Christmas and will stop at absolutely nothing to get it. A Christmas story can be found at:

5. Richie Rich’s Christmas wish

In this film from 1998 we hear the story of the richest kid in the world on Christmas. In this film we see the richest in the world wishing that he had never been born with the wish coming true. Richie needs to find himself a new wishing machine and a way out of the parallel universe he gets stuck in to get back to his family. You can find this film at:

6. On the second day of Christmas

This film stars the hulk Mark Ruffalo in one of his earlier roles as a store employee who catches a con woman trying to steal from a department store on Christmas. His character agrees to be responsible for the con woman and her niece over the holidays to prevent them from staying with social services. A romance develops! This 1997 film can be found at:

7. Santa Who?

Santa who is a film from the year 2000 starring Leslie Nielsen. In this holiday classic Santa suffers a severe case of amnesia on Christmas Eve and needs to recover for Christmas day in order to make it through and deliver presents to all of the good children of the world. See if Santa gets his Christmas memories back by watching Santa Who here:

8. A Christmas Carol

In this film from 1984 George C Scott brings to life the role of Ebenezer Scrooge from the perspective of the Charles Dickens novel. This is heavily been regarded as one of the most accurate versions to the Charles Dickens story. Although it may not have all of the special effects of some of the other versions of a Christmas carol this is still one of the favored versions of the story out there. You can watch this 1984 film here:

9. Miracle on 34th street

In this recreation of the original film from 1947 this shortened full-length version from 1955 per trade is the classic story of santa on trial. A department store Santa suggests that he’s the real santa and goes on trial to prove it. In this version of miracle on 34th Street starring Thomas Mitchell and Macdonald Carey we learn who really believes in Santa Claus. You can find this classic film here:

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

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