Thumbnail Studio
See your thumbnail in the feed before you publish.
Preview it on YouTube home, mobile, search and up next for free. Then get an AI review or generate four fresh concepts.
Feed preview is free, no account, and runs in your browser. Your first set of concepts is free too.
Want to see it next to the real top videos on your topic instead of placeholders? Try the free Thumbnail Tester, or compare two versions with the Thumbnail A/B Test.
How it works
Three steps. One package that's ready to publish.
Add a thumbnail
Upload your design, or describe the video and generate concepts. Add the title you plan to use.
See it in the feed
Check it on home, mobile, search and up next, in light and dark mode, and at the tiny sidebar size.
Get a second opinion
An AI vision review gives a decision, marks how it reads at feed size next to winning thumbnails and lists the fixes that matter most.
- Feed preview (free)
- Your thumbnail and title in four YouTube layouts, light and dark, plus a shrink test at 168 x 94 and 120 x 68.
- Decision
- Publish, tweak or rework, with a one-line verdict. 5 credits.
- Five checks
- Readability at feed size, one clear focus, contrast, emotion, and fit with the title, each marked strong, OK or weak with a reason and set beside winning thumbnails.
- Text it can read
- The words the model reads on the image and their count, with a warning past five.
- Where the eye lands
- The focal point a scanning viewer hits first.
- Fixes and strengths
- The changes that matter most, in order, and what already works.
- Four concepts
- 4 distinct 16:9 directions from your idea, downloadable. First set free, then 20 credits.
Method
Real data in. Clear fixes out.
AI judgement
A sharp editor's read with the reason attached, so you know exactly what to change.
- The decision, the five checks and their reasons.
- The detected text, the focal point, the fixes and the strengths.
- Generated concepts are an image model's interpretation of your idea.
Measured or computed
Hard numbers from real YouTube data.
- The feed preview is a faithful layout at YouTube's display sizes. Nothing is judged there.
- The word count comes from the text the model reads on the image.
- Credits are charged only for reviews and concepts that come back.
Privacy. Uploaded images are resized in your browser and not stored. The feed preview never leaves your device. Review text is saved to your private workspace. Privacy policy · How scores work
FAQ
Thumbnail Studio questions
Is the feed preview free?
Yes. Previewing your thumbnail on YouTube home, mobile, search and up next, in light and dark mode, is free and needs no account. The image is prepared in your browser and stays on your device.
What does the AI review check?
A decision (publish, tweak or rework) and five checks, each marked strong, OK or weak with a reason: readable at feed size, one clear focus, contrast, emotion or tension, and whether it adds to the title. It is set side by side with winning thumbnails on your topic, and it also reports the text it can read, where the eye lands first and the fixes that matter most. A review costs 5 credits.
How are thumbnail concepts generated?
An image model turns your video idea, optional thumbnail text and a style into 4 distinct 16:9 concepts. Your first set is free; after that a set is 20 credits. Concepts never use real people's faces, logos or brands, and you are charged only for concepts that come back.
Does a "publish" decision mean more clicks?
No. The review is an AI vision model's second opinion on how the image reads at feed size. It is not a CTR prediction. Test real performance with YouTube's own thumbnail testing once the video is live.
Is my thumbnail stored?
No. Uploaded images are resized in your browser, sent only when you ask for a review and not stored. The text of the review is saved to your private workspace. Generated concepts are returned to your browser, not kept on our servers.