How to add and create Facebook thumbnails for videos
Summary/Overview
Why are Facebook thumbnail images important
Facebook thumbnails can be used to make your video content look both interesting and professional. A video thumbnail represents what your video is about and encourages people to watch the entirety of your content. Therefore, it’s important to choose a thumbnail image that will give insight into the video content, as well as create intrigue.
Because an image is worth a thousand words, your Facebook thumbnail image can convince people to watch your content better than your video title or description ever could.
Your thumbnail will be especially important for users who have video autoplay turned off for Facebook videos, as this will mean that every video will display with their thumbnail image visible. As a result, your thumbnail images will play a major role in persuading people to stop and watch your video instead of scrolling straight past it.
Adobe Express is home to a huge library of templates and inspiration for your video thumbnails. Check out our library of options that are perfect for Facebook or YouTube video thumbnails.
Create your video thumbnails now
What are Facebook video thumbnails?
Facebook video thumbnails are the images that are displayed on Facebook videos when they have either not begun playing, or when they are being shared outside of Facebook. These are used to represent each video and entice people to watch the content. Facebook video thumbnail images can be static shots taken from the video or images that are designed separately to persuade people to watch.
How to make Facebook video thumbnails
Facebook thumbnails can be created by taking a shot from your video and using this as the image for your video thumbnail. However, if you want to create more exciting and engaging Facebook video thumbnails, it’s easy to make use of Adobe Express to create professional and imaginative looking Facebook thumbnail images such as these:
How to choose a thumbnail on Facebook video: Thumbnail best practices
Not sure what makes a good Facebook thumbnail? Nobody actually likes clickbait, but there’s nothing wrong with using the tools in front of you to create the most visually enticing thumbnail you can. Here’s what you should be mindful of when it comes to creating your Facebook thumbnail image:
- Facial expressions: If you’re working with a video featuring one or more people, it’s a good idea to choose a shot from the video where the facial expressions of those featured are at their most exaggerated. This can be used to mine attention from those who want to understand the emotions of the people in your video.
- Add the title to your thumbnail: It’s a good idea to add the title of your video (or an abridged version of the title) in big, clear writing to your Facebook thumbnail image. This is because people will typically focus on the video thumbnail more than the written video title and description and will be able to instantly understand what the video is about from just looking at your thumbnail image.
- Add color: Whether you add emojis, illustrations, or colorful text, do what you can to make your video bright and eye-catching.
- Keep it high quality: If your thumbnail image looks blurry and low quality, then people will assume that the rest of your video is of similarly low quality. Choose a high-resolution image, as your thumbnail is intended to represent the core quality of your video.
- Maintain branding: If you’re working on building a recognizable visual brand, make sure that your video thumbnail aligns with your branding (font, colors, etc.) and is consistent across all your marketing materials.
Make use of the “Remove background” feature in Adobe Express to experiment with your thumbnail images and change your background into something more exciting.
How to add a thumbnail to your Facebook video
- Prepare your Facebook post and upload your video of choice.
- Select “Edit” from the top left of your video.
- Select the “Change Thumbnail” to reveal further options.
- Select either “Choose suggested,” “Upload image,” or “Choose from video” to add your Facebook video thumbnail.
- Once done, press “Save.” Your video will now be published with your chosen thumbnail image.
Facebook video thumbnail FAQs
Do thumbnails matter on Facebook?
Facebook video thumbnails become much more crucial when users don’t have autoplay turned on for Facebook videos. For those without autoplay, the thumbnail you add to your Facebook video will be the first thing they see and have a big effect on whether or not they choose to watch your video. Because you won’t have any way of knowing whether the people your video reaches have autoplay switched on or not, it’s important to add a thumbnail image to your video to create the best possible experience for everyone who has your video in their feed. Thumbnail images will also display as the lead image of your video content when your video is shared across other social channels.
What size should my Facebook thumbnails be?
While there is flexibility when it comes to Facebook thumbnail size, the recommended image dimensions are 1200 x 630 pixels at minimum and should be as close to the 1.91:1 aspect ratio as possible. PNG and JPEG formats are accepted.
Further reading: The ultimate guide to Facebook image sizes
Can Facebook thumbnails and YouTube thumbnails be the same?
There’s no harm in using the same thumbnail image for your video on Facebook or YouTube. However, because the recommended size of a YouTube video thumbnail is 1280 x 720 pixels with a ratio of 16.9, you may consider resizing your thumbnail image for each platform.
Want to resize your images quickly and easily? Check out our free image resizer in Adobe Express.