The Right Thumbnail Sizes for Every Social Media Platform

You did it! You finished editing your video or crafting the perfect post. Now comes the cherry on top: a perfect thumbnail. Let this article be your ultimate guide to thumbnail dimensions!

The Right Thumbnail Sizes for Every Social Media Platform

You did it! You finished editing your video or crafting the perfect post. Now comes the cherry on top: a perfect thumbnail.

A thumbnail is an image that is displayed as a preview to your real content. Thumbnails can convince someone to click on your content, drawing their attention from other content in the feed or grid. Thumbnails can also help you maintain a certain brand or aesthetic on your social media channels. You can post lower resolution or raw videos without disrupting the overall look and feel of your feed.

Depending on the platform and content type, thumbnails can vary in size. We wanted to assemble an ultimate guide to thumbnail dimensions!

You can apply any of these dimensions to your own thumbnail designs by using Kapwing Studio, a free online tool for creators.

YouTube

Video Thumbnail

Dimensions: 1280px by 720px (minimum 640 px wide). Use this YouTube Thumbnail Template to resize. Check out this article showing how to make a custom thumbnail for YouTube online

Aspect Ratio: 16:9

File Type: JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG

Size: Under 2MB limit

YouTuber "Freddy My Love" uses thumbnails to achieve a consistent aesthetic.

Vimeo

Video Thumbnail

Dimensions: upload a thumbnail image the same dimensions as the video (cannot be larger than 9600 pixels wide or 5400 pixels tall)

File Type: JPG, GIF, or PNG

Resolution: same resolution as video

Many short films on Vimeo will utilize the thumbnail to show off awards.

Instagram

Instagram Feed Video Thumbnail

Dimensions: 161 pixels by 161 pixels. Maximum is 1080x1080, the same maximum as photos uploaded to Instagram.

Aspect Ratio: square 1:1

Use this Instagram Thumbnail Maker to append the thumbnail as the first frame of your video. Check out this article showing how to make a custom thumbnail for an Instagram video.

IGTV Video Thumbnail

Dimensions: 1240 pixels by 1920 pixels. Use this IGTV Thumbnail Maker to resize.

Aspect Ratio: 1:1.55

File Type: JPEG

Size: Under 4MB limit

Check out this article showing how to make a custom thumbnail for an IGTV video

Pinterest

On Pinterest users have the ability to choose the thumbnail cover of their boards from the selection of pins within the board. On a board cover there are both small and large thumbnails.

Large Thumbnail: 222 pixels by 150 pixels

Smaller Thumbnails: 55 pixels by 55 pixels

Check out this article showing how to resize an image for Pinterest

You can also upload a thumbnail for a Video Pin on Pinterest. Use this Video Pin Thumbnail Template to make one.

TikTok & Facebook

These three platforms do not allow you to upload your own custom thumbnail. Instead, these various platforms allow you to choose a frame from your video to highlight as your thumbnail image. The dimensions in this case are built in and not something you have to worry about!


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