YouTube Rolls Out A Visual Makeover Including A More Modern-Designed Video Player

Source: YouTube

A new look is coming to YouTube. The Google-owned video platform announced the roll-out of a visual makeover, emphasizing vibrant colors, a cleaner, more modern video player, and easier video navigation for viewers.

An Emphasis On Color

YouTube is introducing Ambient Mode, which uses dynamic color sampling to match the app's background color with the colors playing in a video. It’s also updating Dark Theme with a darker version so that colors are more vibrant.

With a big emphasis on color, YouTube creates a more immersive watching experience for viewers. Depending on the type of videos, creators may start to film and edit their videos in a way that allows them to take advantage of enhanced color.

A More Modern-Designed Video Player

The YouTube video player is getting modernized. Thumbnails and all buttons will have a rounded design. They will also have a unique background color and be placed closer to the channel name on desktop and higher up on mobile, respectively. Links in video descriptions will also be turned into buttons. The formatting for actions like Like, Share, and Download are being revamped to minimize distractions.

These changes result in a cleaner layout and benefit creators by making it easier for their viewers to take action, such as subscribing to their channel or liking the videos through prominent and accessible buttons.

New Video Navigation Options

Pinch To Zoom and Precise Seeking, both tested previously, are being rolled out.

With Pinch To Zoom, viewers can use two fingers to zoom in and out of a video when watching on an iOS or Android device. Viewers can use this to get a closer look at details in a video, which provides opportunities for creators to gamify their videos with “Easter eggs.”

Using Precise Seeking, viewers can click on the video progress bar and swipe through thumbnails to find a specific moment in a video, such as their favorite part or a key step in educational and tutorial videos.

Its First Significant Design Change In A While

As YouTube celebrates its 17th birthday this year, it introduces its first significant design change. Whenever there is change, there will always be pushback. Thankfully, YouTube’s design overhaul is good, especially considering the updates don’t impact any existing functionality. Creators will have to make some adjustments in the short term, but these updates create a more immersive experience for viewers in the long run.