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Video Thumbnail Generator
Open a video and get a set of clean thumbnails straight away. Pick frames at exact times, evenly spaced or every few seconds, crop them to 16:9, 1:1 or 9:16, or build a contact sheet that shows the whole video in one image. Nothing is uploaded.
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Contact sheet
Thumbnails
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How to use the Video Thumbnail Generator
- Choose a video (MP4, WebM or MOV). Six evenly spaced thumbnails are made right away.
- Pick how frames are chosen: evenly spaced, at exact times such as 0:05, 1:30, or every N seconds.
- Set the shape and size: keep the original, or crop to 16:9 at 1280 px for a YouTube thumbnail, 1:1 or 9:16.
- Press Generate thumbnails, or play the video and press Capture this frame to grab the exact moment you want.
- Make a contact sheet on the Contact sheet tab: choose columns, rows and tile width, then press Create contact sheet.
- Download single images, the contact sheet, or everything as a ZIP.
Thumbnail sizes for popular platforms
| Where | Shape | Recommended size | Settings here |
|---|---|---|---|
| YouTube video thumbnail | 16:9 | 1280 × 720 (min. width 640), under 2 MB | Shape 16:9, width 1280 px, JPG |
| YouTube Shorts, TikTok, Reels covers | 9:16 | 1080 × 1920 | Shape 9:16, original width from a vertical video |
| Instagram feed cover | 1:1 or 4:5 | 1080 × 1080 or 1080 × 1350 | Shape 1:1 or 4:5 |
| Website or blog video poster | Same as the video | Width of the player, e.g. 1280 or 640 | Shape Original, JPG 80-90% |
| Small previews and lists | 16:9 | 320 × 180 or 160 × 90 | Width 320 or 160 px |
When you choose a shape that differs from the video, the frame is cropped from the centre. Choosing a larger width than the video upscales the frame, which keeps the required pixel size but cannot add detail.
How the frames are chosen
- Evenly spaced splits the video into N equal parts and takes the frame in the middle of each part, at duration × (i + 0.5) ÷ N. This avoids the black first and last frames that most videos have.
- At exact times grabs the frames you type. 1:30 means 1 minute 30 seconds, 1:02:05 means 1 hour 2 minutes 5 seconds, and 75.5 means 75.5 seconds.
- Every N seconds starts at 0:00 and grabs a frame every N seconds up to the end (at most 200 frames).
- Skip dark and blank frames measures the brightness and contrast of each frame. If it is almost black or one flat colour, the tool looks a little later, at growing steps up to about 10% of the video length (at least 3 seconds), and uses the first frame with real content.
What makes a good video thumbnail
- Pick a frame with a clear subject and sharp focus: step frame by frame around a moment to avoid motion blur.
- Faces with a visible expression and high contrast between subject and background stand out at small sizes.
- Check the thumbnail at 160 px wide: if you can't tell what it shows, choose a simpler frame.
- Use the contact sheet to scan a long video quickly, then capture the best moment at full size.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make a thumbnail from a video?
Open the video, play or scrub to the moment you like and press Capture this frame. Use the frame step buttons to land on the sharpest frame, then press Download under the thumbnail. To get several options at once, press Generate thumbnails for evenly spaced frames.
What size should a YouTube thumbnail be?
YouTube recommends 1280 × 720 pixels (16:9) with a minimum width of 640 pixels, under 2 MB, in JPG, PNG or GIF. Choose 16:9 for the shape and 1280 px for the width to get exactly that size.
What is a contact sheet?
A contact sheet (also called a thumbnail sheet or video preview grid) is one image that shows many evenly spaced frames of a video in a grid, usually with the time of each frame. It lets you see the content of a whole video at a glance, which is handy for catalogues, reviews and choosing scenes.
Why do some thumbnails skip a little ahead?
With Skip dark frames switched on, a frame that is almost completely black or one flat colour (fades, scene cuts, title cards) is replaced by a frame slightly later, so you get a usable picture. Switch it off to get the exact times.
How do I enter exact times?
Choose At exact times and type the times separated by commas or spaces. You can write seconds (75 or 75.5), minutes and seconds (1:15) or hours, minutes and seconds (1:01:15). Times beyond the end of the video are ignored.
Is my video uploaded?
No. The video is decoded by your own browser and the frames are drawn on a canvas on your device. Nothing is sent to a server, so it also works with private footage.
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