Videos are an engaging, dynamic medium that allows you to sell the emotive components of your message and leave a lasting impact on viewers. However, in order to get the desired outcomes, you must actually persuade people to view the video. While auto-play in the Facebook feed may certainly assist to draw attention, you shouldn’t depend only on it.
After all, some users deactivate auto-play, and you still want them to be intrigued when they simply see a title and a thumbnail. This might be the case when they see suggested video samples, when they browse search results, or when they browse your Facebook Page. This is why thumbnails on Facebook are so crucial. The maximum thumbnail size for Facebook videos is 1280 x 720 pixels. The recommended thumbnail size for Facebook videos is 1200 x 675 pixels.
In this BLOG, we’ll go over all you need to know about Facebook video thumbnail size.
What is a Facebook video thumbnail?
Your Facebook video thumbnail is a still picture that viewers will see before a video begins to play on Facebook and in search engines.
In general, its function is clear. It should tell your viewers what they’ll see when they click to watch your video. Without a forceful sale, it should pique their interest in what’s within.
The thumbnail will show visitors what your content is about rather than merely informing them via a mix of visual signals and text.
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a good thumbnail is worth much more!
If you’ve ever seen a lot of video material, you’ve undoubtedly spent some time on YouTube or Vimeo. Some videos include instructive thumbnails, as you might have observed.
The majority of these will include text, images of the “star,” and other visual information. The thumbnail design for a specific channel is frequently repeated throughout all of its material.
Some of the other thumbnails, for videos that are likely to be just as entertaining, are less instructive. They may include a randomly selected still from the video material.
What is the Facebook video thumbnail size?
A Facebook video thumbnail size has a maximum size of 1280 x 720 pixels.
The optimal aspect ratio to strive for is about 1.9:1, and your goal should be to maintain your balance as near to this as feasible. This will increase the likelihood of it displaying appropriately.
It should also be no smaller than 470 x 246; this is the size at which it will display in people’s feeds, and any lower than this will result in distorted and odd thumbnails. The recommended image size is 1200 x 675 px.
However, the best rule of thumb for the appropriate Facebook video ad thumbnail size is that it should be the same size as the video itself if feasible. This consistency keeps things neat and helps the viewer to concentrate on what’s in front of them.
Here are the specs that you need to know:
- You can utilize either square or horizontal video formats, so choose the appropriate thumbnail.
- Aspect ratios are either 16:9 or 1:1.
- The suggested thumbnail picture size for Facebook is 1200 x 675 pixels.
When do Users see Facebook Video Thumbnails?
On Facebook, the majority of users have auto-play activated. If this is the case, the video will begin playing very immediately.
A thumbnail, on the other hand, will appear when the video does not immediately play. Users who search for “how to make avocado toast,” for example, will find several results that include a thumbnail of the video.
And they’ll see the thumbnails while they’re browsing around your Page or see a suggested movie list come up when viewing another video on the platform.
While Facebook can automatically produce several thumbnail alternatives from the video, they virtually never work to your advantage. The picture becomes blurry, and if there are any people in it, they are likely caught mid-blink or mid-sentence, which is never attractive.
Take the time to produce a still picture with a strong thumbnail text that’s ideal for clicks and views and indicates what the video will be about.
Best Practices For Creating Facebook Video Thumbnails
Getting the picture size appropriate and good aspect ratio is a good start, but there are several additional best practices and design suggestions to keep in mind!
Let’s look at the four most important video ads thumbnail best practices, as well as examples of how to execute each one.
1. For Your Primary Background, Choose High-Quality Images
Facebook video ads thumbnails must be fascinating, and if the thumbnail does not seem to be of great quality, viewers will infer the video itself is not.
Make sure you’re working with a high-resolution file that will display properly. You should also use clear, easy-to-read cover photo that will stand out on smaller displays, even amid crowded feeds. Colors that are bright and contrasting are usually an excellent choice.
Choosing beautiful backdrop pictures might be a wise decision. Don’t worry if you don’t have any custom images of your own. When you use Predis.ai, you can access our huge collection of free-for-commercial-use stock pictures and customize them for your social media platforms with text, graphics, and logos.
2. Make Sure Your Text is Reader-friendly
Not all videos can be summarized in a single picture. Adding text overlay to your custom thumbnail to communicate the title of your video is a terrific design option. People are more likely to notice the title when it appears on the thumbnail rather than when it shows in the text underneath the video itself.
If you do include text in the video thumbnail, make sure it’s simple to read, even on a smartphone. It’s difficult to read the video title overlay in white on the area above. If necessary, use text borders or vary the color of the text for each unique video.
3. Use the Thumbnail Image to Summarize the Video
The goal of the Facebook thumbnail is to get visitors to click and watch because you have piqued their interest. Choosing visuals that emphasize the video’s main idea will assist with this.
Which, for example, would be more appealing? A plain backdrop with “How to Make Hasselback Potatoes” or the words superimposed on top of delectable, mouthwatering potatoes? Before you click, you already know what you’re going to see, which is precisely what you want.
4. Create Thumbnail That Looks Branded
Including effective social branding in your video thumbnail can boost brand recognition and increase views if people notice it, identify the content, and are eager to watch it.
Creating a branded appearance may be as basic as including your company’s logo anywhere on the thumbnail, but it can also entail establishing a consistent style for every video thumbnail on your platform, as well as for each particular video campaign or playlist (the latter is typically easier to maintain).
Wrapping It Up
They say don’t judge a book by its cover, but there’s little doubt that people do when it comes to Facebook videos. Use the tips above to make your thumbnails more identifiable and effective.
Creating video campaigns is a time-consuming process that begins with the initial idea and continues through the execution of filming, edit videos, and, hopefully, adding closed captions. The last thing you want to do is ignoring little factors like the video ads thumbnail.
Fortunately, with the correct design ideas and a simple tool like Predis.ai, you can quickly create high-performing Facebook thumbnails.
