How to Make a YouTube Banner
Having a sleek YouTube banner is a great way to attract your audience’s attention. If you don’t know how to make a YouTube Banner, today we’re going to give you the ins and outs.
Having a sleek YouTube banner is a great way to attract your audience’s attention. If you don’t know how to make a YouTube Banner, today we’re going to give you the ins and outs.
As a creator, one of the most important things you can be doing (besides creating great content) is effective branding. This helps set the tone for the experience of consuming your content. One of the most prominent branding features on YouTube is the YouTube Banner, sometimes called YouTube Cover. While this tutorial will focus on YouTube banners, you should consider all your social platforms when updating branding.
YouTube banner dimensions and formats
If you plan to make a YouTube Banner from scratch, here are the key dimensions and formats to export into:
- The recommended YouTube banner dimensions are 2560 x 1140 pixels.
- At a minimum, your banner should be 2048 x 1152 pixels.
- As the image tends to trim the edges on different devices, the ‘safe area’ for any branding, logos, or text is 1546 x 423 pixels. The safe area is measured in the middle of the image.
- The maximum width for content on different devices is 2560 x 423 pixels.
- Your file size should not exceed 6MB.
- The best options for file format are jpeg, png, or gif (non-animated).
What to consider when making a YouTube banner
When you make a YouTube banner, it’s not so simple as finding an image you like and uploading it. The best YouTube banners convey the feeling of the channel while also providing a branding anchor for the content. For most, that’s the channel name, any important affiliations, and perhaps your face, logo, or other recognizable content staples. Think of it as a thumbnail for your entire channel. When in doubt, keep it simple. Don’t try to over-design it or make it too flashy!
If you need some inspiration, there’s nothing wrong with looking at others in the industry. Just make sure that you’re only taking inspiration and not copying someone else’s work.
How to make a YouTube banner
If you have Photoshop or another graphic design software – and experience using them, that’s a great place to start. Simply open a new document in the above recommend size (2560 x 1140 pixels), and then lay out the ‘safe area.’ If you’re looking for images, a great place to explore is Unsplash. They have thousands of freely usable photos for creators! Next, add any text, logos, and other images you want in the YouTube Banner. When your thumbnail is complete, save it and upload it to YouTube.
How to make a YouTube banner online
If you don’t have Photoshop, many online services can help you make a YouTube banner. These services offer free templates and easy customization. Even the least technical person can create a beautiful-looking banner in a matter of minutes. These services include Canva, Picmonkey, and Adobe Creative Cloud Express, though there are others as well!
Bonus tip: Once complete, change the image’s dimensions to meet the requirements for other platforms. Save and upload them all simultaneously to maintain the best branding and a unified experience for your fans!
How to upload your YouTube banner
Now that you have made a YouTube banner, it’s time to upload it to your profile. You can do this in just five easy steps.
- Visit your YouTube Studio profile.
- On the left-side navigation menu, select “Customization.“
- At the top of the page, select “Branding.“
- Where it says “Banner Image, “you’ll click on “Change.“
- Find your image, and upload it. You’re done!
At this point, your new YouTube banner will be live across the platform. Now is a great time to look at it on different devices. Try looking at it on your phone, a tablet, and other size windows on your computer. A well-designed YouTube banner will convey any critical information within the previously mentioned ‘safe area.’ If you notice anything cut off, now would be a good time to go back and work on the banner a bit more.
Are you a YouTuber? Whether you’re an editing master or just a beginner, discover what Epidemic Sound has to offer on our Epidemic Sound for YouTube page. And, just in case you’re looking for some sound effects for YouTube, we got you covered.
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