Will your thumbnail read in the feed?
A thumbnail is judged at 168 pixels wide, next to ten others. Drop yours with its title, add a second version to compare, and see both where viewers meet them.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded, no signup.
42 / 100 characters
0 / 100 characters
No picture yet? Cut one from your video with the frame grabber.
Approximate sizes: about 360 px wide in a home grid and in search, 168 px in “Up next”, the full width on a phone. Titles stop after two lines, as feeds do; the exact cut changes with the device and its font.
Watch an example
13 seconds · a made-up example
12:34
12:34The studio makes a different video for every account and publishes it for you (beta).Join the beta
How it works
Short and checkable: every limit links to the platform's own page, read on 28 Oct 2026.
Five places, two themes
The home grid, a phone feed, search, the up-next column and a Shorts shelf, in dark and light: the same picture reads very differently at 360 and at 168 pixels wide.
The corner that's covered
The length stamp sits over the bottom-right corner of every wide thumbnail. Keep faces and words out of it.
Titles cut after two lines
Feeds stop a title after two lines. The 100-character limit is YouTube's; the words that carry the idea should come first.
What it doesn't do
- It is a neutral feed in YouTube's proportions, not YouTube's page: sizes are approximate and fonts depend on your device.
- It doesn't predict clicks; it shows what a viewer sees.
- Pictures stay in this tab; nothing is uploaded.
Questions
How do I preview a YouTube thumbnail before uploading?
Drop the picture here and type the title: it shows in a home grid, a phone feed, search, the small up-next column and a Shorts shelf, in dark and light, with the length stamp over the bottom-right corner — the corner to keep clear of text.
How long should a YouTube title be?
The limit is 100 characters. Feeds show two lines, so the words that matter should come first: what is cut depends on the device.
Can I compare two thumbnails?
Yes. Add a version B with its own picture or title and the two show side by side in each place.
Sources
- 1YouTube Help — Custom thumbnails: 16:9 (9:16 for Shorts), at least 640 px, JPG or PNG2 MB from the app, 50 MB on desktop · read 28 Oct 2026
- 2YouTube Data API — videos resource — title, description and tags limitsupdated 15 Oct 2026 · read 28 Oct 2026
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- Make the videoAuto subtitlesNo subtitles yet? Make them here.
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- Make the videoBurn subtitlesSubtitles that stay on TikTok and Reels?
- Make the videoSubtitle checkerCan people read your subtitles in time?
One thumbnail by hand. A tested version for each account.
Vertiscale makes several hooks and pictures for each idea, gives each account its own, and reads the results to keep what wins.