“First impression is the last impression” is an old saying. Whether you believe it or not, it stands true in various cases. The meaning of this old saying in simple terms is that a first glance at anything could be a make-or-break factor. If anything fails to cast the right impression, no matter how good it is, it won’t be appreciated as much as it deserves. Take the example of write-ups; if their titles fail to impress the target audience, you won’t see them getting much reads.
Videos are considered the most modern form of content. They enjoy a lot of appreciation because they can combine the power of various types of content, including imagery, text, and audio. While videos have titles, people tend to notice something else about videos. The thing that gets more notice than the title of a video is commonly termed a “thumbnail”. Viewers who come to watch videos pay attention to their thumbnails and then decide whether those videos are worth their watch or not.
This phenomenon is because people only have a little time to view every video and review it for a few minutes to decide its value. Hence, a thumbnail gives the audience an idea about its content. This article will outline a thumbnail’s main purpose, discuss its importance, and shed light on the easy way to create it quickly.
What is a Thumbnail?
A thumbnail is a smaller version of a large image or video to give viewers an idea about the actual picture or video the thumbnail refers to. It is a compact representation of the image or video it represents. The term thumbnail comes from a human thumbnail with reference to its size. Since we are talking about video thumbnails here, a video thumbnail is a preview of content featured in a video. It could be a single frame of the video or a purposefully designed illustration featuring text and additional graphics to trigger the target audience’s curiosity.
The Main Purpose of a Thumbnail
You might have an idea about the main purpose of the thumbnail. Still, we will discuss the main purpose behind it here in detail. People tend to fulfil various requirements by watching videos. Some of them watch videos to consume information, while others view them to get entertained and kill their spare time.
Thumbnails to videos are like covers to books. People measure the readworthiness of a book by judging its cover. The same is the case with videos. People measure their value based on the thumbnail attached to them.
The main purpose of thumbnails being still images is to give a brief preview of the video and the content it features. This preview allows viewers to determine whether they will get the element they want after watching a particular video. Perfectly designed thumbnails can help content creators reflect the highlights of a video. These highlights will not only trigger viewers’ curiosity about the content a video packs but also entice them to watch it immediately. Therefore, doing a video thumbnail correctly is necessary.
How to Create Catchy Thumbnails Quickly?
Back in the old days, articulating catchy thumbnails was considered an uphill task that took a lot of time, effort, and budget. The reason behind this phenomenon was the unavailability of design tools that were easy to use.
A significant amount of experience and expertise was required to use complicated design tools. Hence, experienced graphic designers were hired for this purpose. The resultant thumbnail often failed to meet the requirements due to miscommunication and misunderstanding.
However, things have become much easier nowadays. Thanks to smartphone apps with advanced design tools, content creators can create thumbnails and channel art independently without relying on professional graphic designers. All you need to create a catchy channel art is an efficient thumbnail maker offering various templates. You can simply pick a template and edit it per your requirement to get a tailor-made thumbnail for your video.
Importance of Video Thumbnails
Now that we have understood the main purpose of thumbnails, their historical background, and the easier way to create them quickly, it is time to understand why video thumbnails matter and how they can make your videos better. Further details are given below.
Video Thumbnails Catch Attention
The first thing that makes video thumbnails a must nowadays is their ability to catch users’ attention. A video with a catchy thumbnail can easily stand out from the rest of the crowd and force users to watch it. This ability to grab attention can entice people to watch the video, and if the content sounds valuable, follow the given CTA (Call to action). Hence, a catchy thumbnail can help you boost conversions.
Give Professional Look
The modern-day audience is impressed by professionalism. People often tend to act based on the professionalism of a brand, channel, or influencer. Hence, if you want to showcase a professional look for your channel or brand and create a perfect impression in the target audience’s mind, a well-done video thumbnail is a must.
At the End
Video thumbnails are essential in various aspects. However, their main purpose is to provide viewers with a brief yet effective preview of the content featured in a video. A rightly done video thumbnail can quickly grab viewers’ attention, boost conversions, and boost professionalism.
Additionally, there is no need to learn complicated design tools to ensure highly customized thumbnails. You can quickly do it using an efficient thumbnail maker app installed on your smartphone. Using it will help you design thumbnails on the go and make the process significantly easier. Hopefully, you have learned a lot from this article. We wish you luck with content and thumbnail creation tasks!
