How to create YouTubeChannel Art in seven easy steps
Starting a YouTube channel is a popular way to begin sharing your video content with the world. You can shoot and edit anything you want — be it for personal interests, your business, or friends and family. YouTube is a great way to connect with people. Good YouTube content will also help build your personal or professional brand. Since there are so many channels and so much content, it's important that your channel stands out. Your YouTube channel art is the first thing people will see when they land on your channel. It's big, it takes up the top of the screen, and it's impossible to ignore. So whether you're just starting your channel or bringing new life to an established channel, you need YouTube channel art that pops. Our YouTube channel art templates come professionally designed and ready to go.
Popular YouTube channel art templates
What is YouTube channel art?
YouTube channel art is the large image at the top of your channel's home screen. It's the first image viewers see when they visit your channel. Effective YouTube channel art communicates the tone of your videos in the image itself. By looking at it, visitors know if your videos will be light-hearted, funny, fast-paced, serious, or something else. You can also identify your industry or product if your channel promotes a business.
How to create engaging
YouTube channel art using templates
in Shutterstock Editor
YouTube channel art using templates
in Shutterstock Editor
If you have an idea how you might like to style your YouTube channel art, we have ready-made templates that you can customize quickly and easily using Shutterstock Editor. You bring the creativity, and we'll bring the design so you can create the perfect art for your channel.
Step 1:
Browse our YouTube channel art template by mousing over the "template" icon in the toolbar on the left side of the screen. Explore the available templates until you find one that matches the style and feel of the videos you feature on your channel.
Step 2:
Select the text editor icon from the toolbar, and add any text you'd like to include on your channel art.
Step 3:
Using the elements icon in the toolbar, try adding shapes, icons, or emojis to personalize your image and your channel.
Step 4:
Explore the Shutterstock library using the search icon at the top of the toolbar. Experiment with different search terms until you find the perfect image.
Step 5:
Set the photo as your background in the template, and position it for maximum visual appeal.
Step 6:
License the image quickly and easily by clicking on "download".
Step 7:
License and download the photo and upload your new image to your YouTube channel.
Get more design advice from pro designers
5 simple tip to get the most out of your YouTube channel art
Tip #1: Design smart YouTube offers some guidelines for how to design your image for different screens. If you've gone to the creative trouble to customize your design, you want to be sure that as many people as possible will see your message. That means you shouldn't put important aspects of your channel art at the edges of the image. The dimensions of the safe zone are 1235 by 338 pixels. The total dimensions of your image will be 2560 by 1400 pixels. If you want to know how large the "unsafe border would be," we can do a little math. Width: 2,560 - 1,235 = 1,325 1,325/2 (because two sides) = 662.5 That is between 20-25% of the total width on each side, pushed to the edge of the image. Height: 1400 – 338 = 1,062 1,062 /2 (because two sides) = 531 That is a little over 30% of the total height, pushed to the edges of the image. So keep your most important image elements out of these zones at the edges of the image. This will help viewers on all devices see the YouTube channel art messaging the way you intended it. Tip #2: Simple is better Since the channel art is the first thing your visitors will see when they land on your YouTube page, you want to make sure they are directed to your videos fast. An overly complicated image with too many elements may be distracting. If your visitor has to spend time figuring out what kind of channel the image represents, they could lose interest and move to another channel. Competition for viewers is stiff on YouTube, so do yourself a favor and feature a clear, eye-catching image, rather than a complicated motif that might be too small to see on smaller screens. Tip #3: Don't design in halves If you've ever heard of the Rule of Thirds, then you know it's not always a good idea to design directly in the middle of things. This rule has guided artists and architects for thousands of years. It tells us that our eyes move naturally to things that are off-center. It creates more visual impact, and a sense of movement that can draw your eye through an image and onto an endpoint, like your videos down below the channel art. The Rule of Thirds divides your image into nine segments — positioning your most important design elements along this grid is a good way to make your image stand out and catch a viewer's eye. Tip #4: Do yourself a favor YouTube channel art and video thumbnails that feature images of people do well on YouTube. Trust us — we keep an eye on these things. Luckily, you're a people, so not only can you take advantage of this trend when it comes to channel art, you can also improve your branding by letting your viewers see who you are. You can be your own best asset when it comes to creating your channel art — an image of yourself communicates authenticity in your content. Just be sure that the image of yourself that you use matches the tone and vibe of the channel. If your content is lighthearted and fun, don't use a moody, contemplative photo of yourself on a lonely clifftop. If your content is serious and professional, don't use your goofiest selfie. Take some time to think about how you'd like to present yourself. Tip #5: Don't get stuck So you've designed your YouTube channel art, uploaded it, and you're off to the content races. That's great, but don't stop there! YouTube channels are dynamic, and as you add content, your channel will become richer. You'll probably need to change your channel art now and then. It doesn't need to happen too often, but at least once a year, stop and look at your image. Is it still conveying the personality of the channel? Have you thought of a new image that might do it even better? Does it look like you're uninterested in maintaining your channel because you never update the art? These are all good questions to ask. If the answer to any of them is "yes," get back to work, and create another great image.
Ready to create your YouTube channel art? Start with these curated templates.
