AI Thumbnail Editor

Not sure what to change? Improve it

Upload a thumbnail or bring one from Preview, type the change you want, and AI edits that image. Every version stays, so you can go on from any of them.

0/300

Start with:

One or two changes per edit work best. Big moves usually land only part of the way.

How the AI thumbnail editor works

  1. 1

    Upload it or bring it from Preview

    Drop in a thumbnail, paste a YouTube link, or pick one already in your Preview workspace. An image that isn't 16:9 is fitted first, cropped to fill or with black bars, or you can resize it to 16:9 yourself.

  2. 2

    Type the change

    One sentence, up to 300 characters: new words, a colour, a glow, the background. Nothing is analysed first.

  3. 3

    See before and after side by side

    The image the edit started from sits next to the new version, so you can check what changed.

  4. 4

    Keep going

    The original stays pinned first. Tap any version and your next edit starts from it.

What it changes, and what it keeps

Edit turns your sentence into a short list of changes and tells the image model to keep everything else as it was:

  • People stay the same people — same identity, same face.
  • Words you didn't mention keep their exact spelling, font and colour. New words are spelled the way you typed them, and text is added only when you ask for it.
  • Faces, text and logos that are fully in the picture stay inside the frame unless your change removes them.
  • The result fills a 16:9 frame at 1280×720.

When a change moves or enlarges something, other things may be moved or resized to make room. The image model redraws the whole picture to make any change, so fine text and small details can shift, and over many edits text can soften. If it does, pick an earlier version and edit from there.

Edit, Improve or Generate?

Use Edit when you know what to change: it makes your change, and nothing is analysed first. Use Improve when you'd like to be told: it critiques the thumbnail first, suggests fixes and scores the new version. Use Generate for new thumbnail ideas from your video instead of a change to this one. For a score on its own, run an AI critique.

After the edit

Every version gets the same buttons. Critique this version scores it. Improve this version opens it in Improve. Compare with the version it came from asks AI which wins. Preview in feed shows both in a mock YouTube feed. Try again runs the same change on the same starting image, because AI results vary. Download gives you the 1280×720 PNG to upload in YouTube Studio.

What it costs

Editing is free with an account: 1 edit a month, and 50 on Pro, separate from your critiques and improves. Try again uses an edit too. A picture or request the content check refuses costs nothing. Free downloads carry a small ThumbnailPeak mark in the corner; Pro downloads come clean.

Questions

What is an AI thumbnail editor?
A tool that changes a thumbnail you already have from a sentence you type. You upload it or bring it from Preview, and AI edits that image.
What can I change?
The words, a colour, a glow or outline on one element, the background, a small added object. One clear change at a time works best. Large moves often land short.
Will the rest stay the same?
It's told to keep what you didn't mention, but the AI redraws the whole picture, so fine text and small details can shift. Before and after sit side by side so you can check.
What if I don't like the edit?
Every version stays in the strip, with your original first. Tap any one and your next edit starts from it.
How many edits do I get?
1 a month on a free account and 50 on Pro, separate from critiques and improves. The count resets on the 1st (UTC).
Does it score my thumbnail?
No. Edit makes only your change. Improve critiques first and suggests fixes. For a score, send any version to Critique.
How do I put it on my video?
Download it. In YouTube Studio, open Content, open the video, and under Thumbnail click Upload file.
What images work?
Anything YouTube accepts: at least 640 px wide and up to 50 MB. An image that isn't 16:9 is fitted first, cropped to fill or with black bars, your choice.

Guides