(Intro music) 2 2
-: When I create the thumbnails for my videos, 3 3
I start by taking a screenshot of a place in my video 4 4
where I'm the most expressive 5 5
or a part where there's some action going on. 6 6
You can even record a little bit extra at the end 7 7
of your shoot and just keep the camera rolling 8 8
and start making different expressions, 9 9
or poses, or portraying a certain emotion. 10 10
And the sole purpose of doing this 11 11
is to get a good frame to screen capture for your thumbnail. 12 12
You may have seen YouTubers doing that before 13 13
because sometimes if the raw footage is really funny 14 14
they leave in the whole clip of them making faces 15 15
in the actual video itself. 16 16
Shane Dawson, I've seen him do that before. 17 17
I've done it before. 18 18
It's kind of funny, and you look pretty stupid doing it. 19 19
But it is the best way to guarantee 20 20
that you get a perfect frame. 21 21
Now, once you've chosen that perfect frame, 22 22
and you've captured the image, 23 23
then pull the image into whatever software product 24 24
you use and then you just start editing it. 25 25
You can add text if desired. 26 26
Or maybe you want to play around with the color. 27 27
I'll show you exactly how I do mine in another lecture, 28 28
but first let me give you a few rules or tips 29 29
that will help you decide what you want 30 30
your thumbnail to look like. 31 31
Generally speaking, it's often best to avoid thumbnails 32 32
that are too crowded. 33 33
They usually don't work as well. 34 34
People like to see faces somewhat close up, 35 35
and to do that you can't have ten people 36 36
in the shot, or too much small print filling up the screen. 37 37
Keep it simple and clear. 38 38
Check out the definition of thumbnail in the dictionary. 39 39
Thumbnail: a very small or concise description, 40 40
representation, or summary. 41 41
Okay? 42 42
A thumbnail sketch. 43 43
Synonyms: concise, short, brief, succinct, to the point, 44 44
compact, crisp, short, sweet, quick, rapid. 45 45
Do you see those synonyms? 46 46
Okay? 47 47
To the point, concise, succinct. 48 48
These are the qualities of a good thumbnail. 49 49
So keep it simple, and that usually works best. 50 50
There are exceptions to every rule, mind you. 51 51
If you feel you just have to have those ten people 52 52
in your thumbnail all at once, 53 53
then make sure that there's a main focal point. 54 54
We want something nice and big and clear to focus on. 55 55
Okay? 56 56
Also, keep in mind the little time code that sometimes 57 57
appears in the bottom right corner of thumbnails 58 58
when they appear in the feed, 59 59
because it'll cover up whatever is there. 60 60
So don't put anything too important 61 61
in the bottom right corner. 62 62
It could be a face that gets cut off by that time code 63 63
or it might be a bit of your text. 64 64
But it has happened to me on more than one occasion, 65 65
and it's quite annoying. 66 66
Anyway, learn from your mistakes. 67 67
Now, in the remaining videos in this section, 68 68
Chris and I are going to show you how we make images 69 69
that show our faces or the faces of other people 70 70
in our video. 71 71
But keep in mind you don't have to watch all of them. 72 72
Only watch the remaining videos in this section 73 73
that you really need, okay? 74 74
The ones that are going to help you use the software 75 75
product or products that you currently have 76 76
and that you currently enjoy using the most, 77 77
or perhaps the program you want to learn 78 78
how to use to make YouTube thumbnail images. 79 79
Enjoy.