--- title: 'YouTube Updates: Shorts Thumbnails, AI-Generated Thumbnails, and Community Features' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=IsoUDk7m3yA' video_id: 'IsoUDk7m3yA' date: 2026-07-28 duration_sec: 361 --- # YouTube Updates: Shorts Thumbnails, AI-Generated Thumbnails, and Community Features > Source: [YouTube Updates: Shorts Thumbnails, AI-Generated Thumbnails, and Community Features](https://youtube.com/watch?v=IsoUDk7m3yA) ## Summary YouTube has rolled out several new features for creators, including custom thumbnails for Shorts, generative AI thumbnail creation in YouTube Studio, one-month membership trials, and enhancements to Communities. The updates aim to give creators more control over their content presentation and community engagement. ### Key Points - **Custom Thumbnails for Shorts** [00:02] — Creators can now add fully custom thumbnails to new Shorts on desktop, or select from three suggested thumbnails. For existing Shorts, upload via YouTube Studio on desktop. - **Aspect Ratio Sweet Spot** [00:56] — While Shorts are 9:16, the optimal aspect ratio for thumbnails across devices is 3:2. Keep important elements away from edges. - **Eligibility and Limitations** [01:09] — Fully custom thumbnails are only available to channels in the YouTube Partner Program, with gradual expansion. No A/B testing and desktop-only at upload; mobile support may come later. - **Generative Thumbnails via Ask Studio** [02:02] — Ask Studio now generates thumbnails based on video transcript and channel style. Creators can iterate, adjust text/colors/layouts, and integrate into their workflow. - **One-Month Membership Trials** [03:36] — YouTube is launching trials where eligible viewers can try a channel membership free for one month. No revenue during trial; goal is conversion to paid membership. Channels can opt out. - **Communities Updates** [04:27] — New features include community-only posts, improved moderation (pin, reply, multi-select), quick mod assignments with badges, quoting creator posts, and new discovery options. ### Conclusion These updates provide creators with more flexibility in branding Shorts, leveraging AI for thumbnail design, testing memberships, and enhancing community management. ## Transcript Can I get a finally and a W in the comments? Hello Insiders, I'm Rene Ritchie, a long-time creator now working at YouTube, and here's what's up. can now add a fully custom thumbnail to a new Short as part of the upload flow on desktop, or to add a custom thumbnail to an existing Short, open YouTube Studio on desktop, go to the Content tab, select Shorts, click the details, want to edit. Under the thumbnail section, click to upload your custom And if you don't want to make a fully custom thumbnail, but you do want to select a different thumbnail on desktop, you would now pick between one of three suggested thumbnails for your Short the same way you've previously been able to do for your long-form on desktop. And if you want to pick a completely custom frame, you can still do that on mobile. A few things for creators to keep in mind. While the aspect ratio for Shorts is 9x16, the sweet spot for Shorts thumbnails across devices and presentations is closer to 3x2. So, keep anything important just away from the edges. Also, fully custom channels in the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube will be expanding access over time though, so stay tuned for future updates. And, yeah, there's no AB testing for Shorts thumbnails, at least for now, and it's desktop only, also at upload via mobile, and you still want a fully custom thumbnail, you just have to go to the desktop and add it in at any point later. My, how the tables have turned. Why did this take so long? Well, at first, Shorts were intended to be low lift, a way to allow the next generation of creators to get on YouTube the way a bunch of us OGs did back in the day when horizontal videos weren't very much different from Shorts today. Also, most Shorts are viewed in the Shorts feed most of the time when there are no thumbnails. But, more and more recently, creators have been telling YouTube that the way Shorts look on the homepage, and maybe most importantly, on the home and Shorts tab of the channel page to brands is really important and there really should be a way to set a fully custom thumbnail. So, now there is. Thumbnail generation is coming to Ask Studio. Not design, but a lot of us still want to be able to conceptualize, iterate, and refine video packaging to get the best results possible for our videos and channels. And now, Ask Studio will let creators do exactly that. And with an understanding of the specific video based on the transcript and the channel in general based on what's been previously posted. And yes, some creators love nothing more than to lose ourselves in every exquisite detail of the thumbnail process. But, if it's all just tedious and time-consuming for you or if you just want to collaborate and have a conversational jam to vibe with, well, that's where generative thumbnails and tailored specifically for your content, so they'll match the same style, topics, and audiences. And they can be iterated on fast and flexibly, so you can sort through a bunch of ideas, fine-tune text, colors, layouts, and more to rapidly get where and what you want. And because it's all in YouTube Studio, you can integrate it into your overall production process from video ideas based on comments or insight to title suggestions and now thumbnail generation in post-production. Just type create a thumbnail for my video in Ask Studio to get started or hit the get suggestion chip on upload. And if you're looking for a specific vibe, add something like create a high-energy generation is available now globally on desktop. YouTube is launching 1-month membership trials for eligible viewers and channels. Memberships are a powerful way for creators to deepen community and earn revenue directly from fans in an often more reliable and predictable way. But getting viewers to see the value of a membership can be a challenge. To help with this, YouTube is launching a promotion that will offer select qualified viewers a trial period to one channel membership free of charge so they can see what creator memberships free of charge, there won't be any revenue generated for that month from members who join via the trial, but the goal is for as many trials as possible to convert to fully paid memberships once the free period ends. Most importantly, if the promotion isn't right for you or your channel, you can opt out or back in at any time in the memberships tab in YouTube Studio. If you don't see a toggle, it just means the channel isn't currently eligible for the promotion, but YouTube will keep you posted as it expands. Communities are getting some rad new updates including community-only posts, more and better moderation options in Studio, quick mod assignments and alerts, and new ways to interact, access, and stay alerted. YouTube is focused on making communities easier to manage for creators and more meaningful for fans. That now includes community-only posts so creators can share updates exclusively to the community via desktop or mobile, and those posts stay locked to the community experience and aren't available on the standard public post tab. Though they can and will still pop up in places like the subs feed and the homepage wrecks alongside those standard public posts. YouTube is also adding more moderation options in Studio so creators can pin posts, reply to viewers, and manage the community as it grows by multi-selecting fan posts to approve, delete, or report all at once, all inside Studio. Creators can also use the three-dot menu on community posts in the YouTube app to instantly add moderators or approved users. New mods even get a notification and a custom profile badge. For fans, you can now quote creator posts in a new post of your own, not other fans' posts, just creator posts, but it's a great way to spark new threads all of your own. community in more ways and more places across YouTube including mobile search results and in a new spotlight card And you can get alerts when a creator when those updates are pinned or hearted. So, creators, jump into your communities and or your favorite creator communities, give these new updates a questions in the comments, and keep it real.