YouTube Rolls Out New Tools for Customizing Shorts Thumbnails

YouTube / Shorts Thumbnails Text & Effects 

YouTube has rolled out updates for customizing Shorts thumbnails. Creators can now add text and filters to their Shorts thumbnails on mobile. When selecting a thumbnail for their Shorts, they will see new text and filter icons available for use. Additionally, creators can choose and edit thumbnails for existing Shorts.

In July, YouTube originally announced that these tools would be coming. It also has plans to launch more tools next year.

Why It Matters: While YouTube has emphasized that thumbnails play a minimal role in the consumption of Shorts—since thumbnails aren’t displayed in the Shorts feed, where a majority of views are generated—added customization is something creators have desired.

The combination of native text and filter tools, along with the ability to edit thumbnails after a Short has been uploaded, gives creators more options for the packaging of their Shorts content, including its aesthetics.

What creators really want from YouTube, however, is the ability to upload fully customized thumbnails, but YouTube seems reluctant to add that feature. Why? It's likely because allowing custom thumbnails could lead to creators spending more time and effort on thumbnail creation, potentially slowing down the volume of Shorts uploads, similar to what happens with long-form videos.

YouTube isn’t the only platform expanding options for short-form video thumbnails. TikTok recently added support for custom thumbnail covers, while Instagram quietly rolled out the option to edit covers for Reels after they’ve been published.