Where to get backgrounds, fonts, elements and templates for clickable thumbnails
Why It Matters to Use Quality Materials
A YouTube thumbnail is the first point of contact.
Bad graphics = low CTR (click-through rate)
And that means even a strong video won’t get watched.
To avoid losing views and spending hours “drawing it by hand in Canva,” it is worth building a library of ready-made solutions.
What a Thumbnail Needs:
- A background (a solid color or a photo)
- A highlighted subject (a person, a product, an emotion)
- A title (font, composition, readability)
- Graphic elements (icons, arrows, frames)
- A color palette and a style recognizable across the series
The Best Resources: Where to Get Materials
Photos and Backgrounds
Free:
- Unsplash: stylish high-quality photos
- Pexels: especially good for background shots
- Pixabay: photos, vectors, graphics
Paid:
- Depositphotos: convenient filtering and a rich library
- Envato Elements: backgrounds, gradients, textures
Fonts
Free:
- Google Fonts: clean, highly readable fonts
- DaFont: for finding creative and unusual ones
Paid:
- Creative Market: quality designer fonts
- Fontspring: licensed fonts for a brand
Graphic Elements
Free:
- Flaticon: icons in SVG and PNG
- Shape.so: minimalist shapes
Paid:
- Icons8: icons + illustrations + UI kits
- Motion Array: dynamic elements and graphics
Ready-Made Templates and Thumbnails
Free:
- Canva: has ready-made templates for YouTube
- Adobe Express: a Canva alternative with AI generation
Paid:
- Placeit: interactive mockups and templates
- Fiverr: designers for any style and budget
- DesignBundles: thumbnails, fonts, bundles
AI Tools: Thumbnails Without a Designer
If you don’t have a designer on staff or time for Photoshop, you can make a thumbnail from scratch in 5–10 minutes, adapt the style to your channel’s format and save money.
- Canva (with AI generation). Thumbnail templates, automatic font selection, and the Magic Design feature suggests options from a keyword. Suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
- Adobe Express (with Firefly AI). Image generation and edits in a couple of clicks: you can change the background and style, add text and save presets.
- Thumbnail.AI. A service made specifically for YouTube thumbnails: it generates options and rates their appeal, and is handy for A/B tests.
- Designs.ai. A universal set: logos, banners, social media and YouTube. It helps you quickly create a visual identity for your channel.
- Looka or LogoAI. If you need an AI logo and styling for a channel or product: you can get a brand book and turn the channel into a recognizable media brand.
To learn how to make thumbnails with your own face in Getmade, read How to Make YouTube Thumbnails With Your Face in Getmade.
What to keep in mind when working with neural networks:
- Contrast is the main thing: the thumbnail must stand out even as a small preview.
- Face + text works best.
- Test. What you like doesn’t always get clicked by the viewer.
- Keep your style. A neural network gives you a template, and you adjust it for yourself.
What to Look For When Choosing a Resource:
- Legality and licensing (don’t use random pictures from Google)
- The right to use it commercially
- Compatibility with your style and goals
- The ability to hand it to a designer with access to the library
How to Speed Up Thumbnail Creation
- Create a template in Canva / Figma with your palette and fonts
- Collect a base of ready-made elements in Notion or Google Drive
- Write down 5–7 title formats that work well for you
- Run A/B tests and add the best thumbnails to a “golden set”
Want to Delegate the Visuals?
If you feel that growing a YouTube channel takes too much of your time and you’d rather focus on your business, take a look at how I work.
I help entrepreneurs, experts and teams delegate channel management, with strategy, analytics and growth as the priority.