--- title: 'How YouTubers Make Thumbnails Just Changed Forever ...And It''s FREE!' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=el9eZOR7JUc' video_id: 'el9eZOR7JUc' date: 2026-08-04 duration_sec: 480 --- # How YouTubers Make Thumbnails Just Changed Forever ...And It's FREE! > Source: [How YouTubers Make Thumbnails Just Changed Forever ...And It's FREE!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=el9eZOR7JUc) ## Summary The video demonstrates how AI image generation tools, specifically Google's Veo 3 and an unnamed image editing tool, can be used to create and modify YouTube thumbnails without needing a photo shoot or Photoshop skills. The host shows how to transform a basic headshot into a cinematic, moody thumbnail by changing clothing, background, lighting, and adding text, all through simple text prompts. ### Key Points - **AI is changing content creation** [00:00] — The way we do things, from writing scripts to editing videos, is changing rapidly, and now it's applied to thumbnails. - **Uploading a thumbnail image** [00:29] — The host uploads a thumbnail image and notes that the tool maintains the aspect ratio (16:9 or 9:16). - **Prompting for a cinematic look** [01:08] — The host adds a prompt to make the image cinematic and moody, with a relaxing ambience, and the subject looking at the camera. - **Removing background people** [02:07] — The host removes people from the background, resulting in a cleaner, moodier image. - **Changing clothing and environment** [02:23] — The host changes the subject's shirt to a gray hoodie and notes that the environment changed as well, all from a basic headshot. - **Adding text and red hoodie** [03:05] — The host adds text 'Nimminati' and changes the hoodie to red, showing the tool can handle text and color changes. - **Adding accessories and lighting** [04:32] — The host adds a gold chain and changes ceiling lights to blue, showing how the tool blends elements naturally. - **Combining with Veo 3 for B-roll** [05:30] — The host suggests using the generated image in Google's Veo 3 to create B-roll with pan or zoom effects. - **Removing logos and text** [06:26] — The host demonstrates removing a YouTube logo and text from an image, maintaining the rest of the image. - **A/B testing thumbnail colors** [06:58] — The host shows how to change thumbnail colors (e.g., shirt color) to A/B test different versions. - **Generating group selfie** [07:23] — The host generates an image of four guys taking a selfie, making it look realistic, all with prompts. ### Conclusion AI tools are making thumbnail creation faster and more accessible, allowing creators to produce professional-looking images without a photo shoot or advanced editing skills. ## Transcript how we do things is changing faster than it ever has before. to how we write scripts, to how we edit videos, and now, And the best part is this change that just happened And I'm not hyping this up, I have to show this to you. how you can apply it to your thumbnails. So the first thing we're gonna do Next, I'm going to grab one of my thumbnail images Now, one thing that I've learned so far when using this it's gonna maintain that aspect ratio, it seems. So if I upload a 16-by-nine image like this, If I do a nine-by-16 vertical, And the same thing applies when you're loading images But let's see what we can do. wearing a black button up dress shirt. Let's see how it interprets that. And I'm gonna come up here and make a small modification And I'm gonna add that it should have a relaxing ambience. sitting in front of him. and the image should look cinematic and moody. Let's hit Run right down here and see what happens. and have him looking at the camera/viewer. Now I'm not sure if this is gonna be specific enough, It might remove this one. now it's just two people hanging out back there. So we're just gonna remove them entirely. Remove the people from the background. Yeah, much better. And look how just moody and all of that, that this looks. So now, instead of a black shirt, put him in a gray hoodie. it changed the environment that we were in And all we started with was the basic headshot. I do wanna let you know that you can add text with this, Canva or another thumbnail tool, that would've required a photo shoot in a matter of minutes with just a screenshot from a video. Make the image cinematic and moody, and he should be wearing a red hoodie. Yeah, this one actually turned out fantastic. So now, remove the people from the background. and see what we can do, I'm saying instead of a subway, Remove the mic stand and headphones, make the entire scene a little more moody. Change his hoodie to black instead of red. And we can see after all of these generations, but it's still holding the general look together. to the eyes. I'm saying put the word "Nimminati" on the wall behind him, to see if it'll do it. Change the Nimminati word to a red neon light, Also make the guy look backlit from the red light. We've officially gotten off the rails, change the text in the background to Nimminati Studios. I think that actually looks really cool back there. but I think it did a good job in terms of the text itself I was thinking that it was gonna put the Nimminati But I love how it just took the initiative thick gold rope chain around the guy's neck, Okay, he's starting to look more separate So now I told it, instead of white lights in the ceiling, so everything blends together more naturally So I guess is like once you have it match all the colors, a little bit of blue cast over there. Next we're gonna change the white ceiling Let's see if it can do that. Oh, nice. As you can see in this example, before we move on, And if you combine this with Google's Veo 3, and you can drop this into Veo 3 that you can also use for B-roll if you want as well. and add a little bit of a pan or a little bit of a zoom. And it's a great way to get the B-roll shots that you already have, like in this example. you're gonna use certain colors You can tell it to change the T-shirt realistic looking T-shirt color. And to make that change of the color on the shirt, to get everything perfect and balanced and looking right. regardless of your understanding of Photoshop, to make the image exactly as you want it Another thing you can do is hey, I would really like to use this image again, In that case I'm gonna tell it to remove the YouTube logo And bam, it removed the YouTube logo and the text. that was included in the previous version as well. and still maintain this actual line there. is if you wanted to A/B test thumbnail colors You can simply load up the thumbnail. to light blue and change the shirt color on the guy And just like that, we've changed the colors but make sure it's still complementary to the orange shirt. until we get what we want. but you didn't take the right pictures I say generate an image of these four guys taking a selfie but it looks a little bit wonky. to make it look realistic like they're really there. all in just a few prompts. and you can use it for free right now And to see more videos of AI tools And I'll see you in one of the other videos. Thanks for watching.