Resize to YouTube Shorts thumbnail 9:16
Convert any image to 2160x3840 pixels — the vertical 9:16 format YouTube uses for Shorts covers.
JPG, PNG or WebP
Exports at 3840x2160, 1280x720 (under 2 MB), or Shorts 9:16.
Need text and templates? Open the thumbnail studio
Vertical is a different shape, not a smaller one
Shorts are portrait 9:16 where regular videos are landscape 16:9. That is not a crop of the same picture, it is the opposite proportion, so a thumbnail designed for a normal video cannot be reused. Horizontal photos are cropped hard or padded, depending on the fit mode, and either way most of the original frame is gone.
Where the cover actually appears
In the Shorts feed the video plays immediately, so the cover is doing less work than a normal thumbnail. It matters on your channel page, in search results and in suggested panels, where a grid of vertical rectangles is all a viewer has to choose from. Design for that grid: one clear subject, large text, nothing that depends on fine detail.
Keep the centre clear
The top and bottom of a Shorts frame carry interface — the title, channel name, action buttons and progress indicator all sit over the edges. Anything important belongs in the middle band. Text along the bottom is the most common casualty, and it is invisible to exactly the people you were trying to reach.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a YouTube Shorts thumbnail?
1080x1920 pixels is the usual answer and the sensible minimum. This tool exports 2160x3840, the same 9:16 shape at twice the resolution, so it stays sharp on a high-density phone screen. Either is accepted — what matters is the 9:16 ratio, because a 16:9 image leaves empty bars above and below.
Is this the same as a regular video thumbnail?
No. Regular videos use 16:9 landscape and Shorts use 9:16 portrait. Pick the Shorts preset for vertical covers; using a normal thumbnail leaves large bars or crops most of the image away.
Can I set a custom cover for a Short?
You can choose a frame from the video, and on many accounts upload a custom image. Support has varied by region and app version, so if the option is missing, pick the strongest frame instead.
What if my photo is horizontal?
Crop keeps the centre and discards the sides, which suits a photo with a clear subject in the middle. Blur fit keeps the whole image and fills above and below, which is better when the edges matter.