Free YouTube Thumbnail Maker — a Canva alternative

Thumbnail Studio (youtubethumbnail.org) is a free YouTube thumbnail designer. Make thumbnails, Shorts covers and channel banners in your browser, with no sign-up and nothing uploaded to a server.

What you can make

• YouTube thumbnails at 1280 × 720
• YouTube Shorts covers at 1080 × 1920
• YouTube channel banners at 2560 × 1440, with TV, desktop, tablet and mobile safe areas

Features

• AI background remover for cut-out photos, with outline and glow
• Bold text with outline, glow and shadow, plus templates and brand presets
• Image enhancement, an icon library and colour and font psychology guides
• A thumbnail score and test report, and a preview on real YouTube surfaces in light and dark mode
• Export as PNG, JPG or WebP — free, with no watermark

Why use it instead of Canva?

It is built only for YouTube, so every design starts at the right size and is checked for what matters on YouTube: readability on a phone, the safe area and contrast. It is free, needs no account and keeps your photos on your own device.

Created by Abhishek Ranjan, a YouTuber and software engineer from India.