The Art of the Youtube Thumbnail
I work closely as an editor, visual effects artist and thumbnail artist for my friend Nolan and his youtube channel, Nolan the Composer. I've learned a lot about what makes a good thumbnail through trial and error, and I wanted to include some of my most successful examples on videos with the highest views.
At Nolan's request, I tend to work with photos of his face which I often Photoshop into strange scenarios involving encounters with characters in the game he's playing, or manipulations of his face and body to catch attention. He also likes incorporating striking black and white features like outline strokes, bold all-caps text, and vignettes.
