1 1 00:00:00,741 --> 00:00:03,241 line:15% (Intro music) 2 2 00:00:05,876 --> 00:00:08,250 When I create the thumbnails for my videos, 3 3 00:00:08,250 --> 00:00:12,310 I start by taking a screenshot of a place in my video 4 4 00:00:12,310 --> 00:00:14,860 where I'm the most expressive 5 5 00:00:14,860 --> 00:00:18,700 or a part where there's some action going on. 6 6 00:00:18,700 --> 00:00:22,050 You can even record a little bit extra at the end 7 7 00:00:22,050 --> 00:00:25,690 of your shoot and just keep the camera rolling 8 8 00:00:25,690 --> 00:00:29,746 and start making different expressions, 9 9 00:00:29,746 --> 00:00:33,303 or poses, or portraying a certain emotion. 10 10 00:00:34,647 --> 00:00:36,560 And the sole purpose of doing this 11 11 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:41,130 is to get a good frame to screen capture for your thumbnail. 12 12 00:00:41,130 --> 00:00:44,160 You may have seen YouTubers doing that before 13 13 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:48,240 because sometimes if the raw footage is really funny 14 14 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:51,770 they leave in the whole clip of them making faces 15 15 00:00:51,770 --> 00:00:54,070 in the actual video itself. 16 16 00:00:54,070 --> 00:00:57,680 Shane Dawson, I've seen him do that before. 17 17 00:00:57,680 --> 00:00:59,840 I've done it before. 18 18 00:00:59,840 --> 00:01:03,610 It's kind of funny, and you look pretty stupid doing it. 19 19 00:01:03,610 --> 00:01:06,290 But it is the best way to guarantee 20 20 00:01:06,290 --> 00:01:09,140 that you get a perfect frame. 21 21 00:01:09,140 --> 00:01:12,510 Now, once you've chosen that perfect frame, 22 22 00:01:12,510 --> 00:01:14,670 and you've captured the image, 23 23 00:01:14,670 --> 00:01:18,960 then pull the image into whatever software product 24 24 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:22,870 you use and then you just start editing it. 25 25 00:01:22,870 --> 00:01:24,780 You can add text if desired. 26 26 00:01:24,780 --> 00:01:28,280 Or maybe you want to play around with the color. 27 27 00:01:28,280 --> 00:01:32,270 I'll show you exactly how I do mine in another lecture, 28 28 00:01:32,270 --> 00:01:36,420 but first let me give you a few rules or tips 29 29 00:01:36,420 --> 00:01:38,700 that will help you decide what you want 30 30 00:01:38,700 --> 00:01:40,723 your thumbnail to look like. 31 31 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,480 Generally speaking, it's often best to avoid thumbnails 32 32 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:48,470 that are too crowded. 33 33 00:01:48,470 --> 00:01:50,900 They usually don't work as well. 34 34 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:54,360 People like to see faces somewhat close up, 35 35 00:01:54,360 --> 00:01:57,210 and to do that you can't have ten people 36 36 00:01:57,210 --> 00:02:01,910 in the shot, or too much small print filling up the screen. 37 37 00:02:01,910 --> 00:02:04,980 Keep it simple and clear. 38 38 00:02:04,980 --> 00:02:08,943 Check out the definition of thumbnail in the dictionary. 39 39 00:02:10,260 --> 00:02:13,760 Thumbnail: a very small or concise description, 40 40 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,320 representation, or summary. 41 41 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:17,153 Okay? 42 42 00:02:17,153 --> 00:02:18,810 A thumbnail sketch. 43 43 00:02:18,810 --> 00:02:23,810 Synonyms: concise, short, brief, succinct, to the point, 44 44 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,540 compact, crisp, short, sweet, quick, rapid. 45 45 00:02:27,540 --> 00:02:29,940 Do you see those synonyms? 46 46 00:02:29,940 --> 00:02:30,773 Okay? 47 47 00:02:30,773 --> 00:02:32,830 To the point, concise, succinct. 48 48 00:02:32,830 --> 00:02:35,850 These are the qualities of a good thumbnail. 49 49 00:02:35,850 --> 00:02:39,513 So keep it simple, and that usually works best. 50 50 00:02:40,380 --> 00:02:43,890 There are exceptions to every rule, mind you. 51 51 00:02:43,890 --> 00:02:47,380 If you feel you just have to have those ten people 52 52 00:02:47,380 --> 00:02:50,050 in your thumbnail all at once, 53 53 00:02:50,050 --> 00:02:53,810 then make sure that there's a main focal point. 54 54 00:02:53,810 --> 00:02:57,810 We want something nice and big and clear to focus on. 55 55 00:02:57,810 --> 00:02:58,643 Okay? 56 56 00:02:59,510 --> 00:03:03,230 Also, keep in mind the little time code that sometimes 57 57 00:03:03,230 --> 00:03:06,550 appears in the bottom right corner of thumbnails 58 58 00:03:06,550 --> 00:03:08,840 when they appear in the feed, 59 59 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,050 because it'll cover up whatever is there. 60 60 00:03:11,050 --> 00:03:13,110 So don't put anything too important 61 61 00:03:13,110 --> 00:03:15,230 in the bottom right corner. 62 62 00:03:15,230 --> 00:03:18,550 It could be a face that gets cut off by that time code 63 63 00:03:18,550 --> 00:03:21,710 or it might be a bit of your text. 64 64 00:03:21,710 --> 00:03:25,570 But it has happened to me on more than one occasion, 65 65 00:03:25,570 --> 00:03:27,163 and it's quite annoying. 66 66 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:29,890 Anyway, learn from your mistakes. 67 67 00:03:31,210 --> 00:03:33,760 Now, in the remaining videos in this section, 68 68 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:38,080 Chris and I are going to show you how we make images 69 69 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,640 that show our faces or the faces of other people 70 70 00:03:41,640 --> 00:03:42,473 in our video. 71 71 00:03:43,540 --> 00:03:46,510 But keep in mind you don't have to watch all of them. 72 72 00:03:46,510 --> 00:03:49,370 Only watch the remaining videos in this section 73 73 00:03:49,370 --> 00:03:51,390 that you really need, okay? 74 74 00:03:51,390 --> 00:03:53,810 The ones that are going to help you use the software 75 75 00:03:53,810 --> 00:03:56,950 product or products that you currently have 76 76 00:03:56,950 --> 00:04:00,303 and that you currently enjoy using the most, 77 77 00:04:00,303 --> 00:04:02,310 or perhaps the program you want to learn 78 78 00:04:02,310 --> 00:04:05,670 how to use to make YouTube thumbnail images. 79 79 00:04:05,670 --> 00:04:06,503 Enjoy.