What Is One Of The Best Colors For YouTube Thumbnails, And Why?
To help you create the best YouTube thumbnails, we asked experienced content creators and marketing professionals this question for their best recommendations. From colors that elicit emotion to colors your competitors are not using, there are several color choices that you may apply to your YouTube thumbnails to achieve the best results with your content.
Here Are The 11 Best Colors For YouTube Thumbnails:
- Colors That Elicit Emotion
- Brighter is Better
- Colors That Match Your Content
- Red And Other Bright Colors
- Blue
- Bright Greens
- Yellow
- Light Purples
- Colors Based on Analysis
- Your Brand Determines The Color
- Colors Your Competitors Are Not Using
Colors That Elicit Emotion
Thumbnails are especially important on youtube because it is the only factor other than the title that entices viewers to click on your video. A great thumbnail will also stick out from the rest which is why deciding on colors can make a huge difference.
Colors are powerful in eliciting emotion so picking a color that compliments your video can be useful in getting clicks. For instance, yellow is happy and warning while blue is trustworthy and inviting. Whatever emotion you are trying to elicit from your viewers, pick a color for your thumbnail that corresponds. This will ensure congruence, helping to build trust between you and your viewers before they even click on the video.
Bright Colors
When it comes to thumbnails, the general rule of thumb is that brighter is better. This is because bright colors tend to stand out more against a dark background and tend to attract attention more easily. That said, there's no one "perfect" color for thumbnails; it all depends on the specific video and on what you want to communicate to viewers.
Saadia Hussain, Pearl Scan
Colors That Match Your Content
There are no best colors for thumbnails...thumbnails exist to get your attention and give you an idea of the content you should expect. For instance, if your content is targeted toward children, I would suggest using as many colors as possible since children love engaging and fun content. For a more serious video, I would actually suggest using pictures and words that might shortly describe what you are trying to get through your video.
So choose carefully because you would not want to invite the wrong audience to your account because if people click the video based on the thumbnail and receive different content from what they expected, they will click away! And that would damage the performance of the video and your account will not be recommended for a larger audience.
Luke Smoothy, Get It Made Ltd
Red and Other Bright Colors
While it may vary depending on the mood of your video overall, there is no denying that bright color in your thumbnail will go a long way to making people stop, especially among the thousands of other videos people are scrolling through.
Considering options like red, orange, and yellow are a good place to start as they are alerting colors, literally used to get your attention - consider road signs and traffic lights - they are naturally attention-grabbing, and by the time people have stopped, they've also now read the title of your video, and are ready to potentially click through to your video.
It isn't all about attention-grabbing though, you should also be considering your brand and how it represents what you do. An alerting orange may not be the best to promote your calming meditation videos for example
Phil Scully, Haro Helpers
Blue
The best color for YouTube thumbnails is blue. Blue is a very calming and relaxing color, which is perfect for videos that are meant to relax the viewer. It also works well with other colors, such as orange and purple, as these colors have a high contrast ratio and are therefore able to stand out in a crowded environment.
It is important to choose the right shade of blue for your thumbnail. If your thumbnail has a dark background, then you should choose a lighter blue; if it has a bright background, then you should choose a darker blue. There are many shades of blue available on the market today; however, the most common one is probably navy blue.
Chel Gacrama, Content Editor, Castnoble
Bright Greens
Bright green is a great color option for a YouTube thumbnail. Though green is generally considered a cool color (as opposed to a warm color) that recedes from vision, bright neon or sea-foam green has a vibrancy that will pop and attract attention. These types of green will pair well with neutrals or other active colors for a variety of visual effects that will draw eyes to the thumbnail.
Yellow
Yellow is one of the best colors for Youtube Thumbnails. It is a powerful color that grabs instant attention among users. Use yellow to draw the attention of your audience and convey your confidence in your abilities. Yellow is the color that draws the most attention since it is the most easily noticeable.
Yellow can be used in a tiny amount to draw notice in your thumbnail. I would also suggest being careful with yellow as a huge amount of the hue can be tiring to the eyes. Use it to grab the initial attention of your viewers and balance the effect by using other subtle tones or the right contrasting hues.
Light Purples
A light purple is an excellent color for YouTube thumbnails. A soft lavender hue will contrast nicely with nearly any other color that might also be incorporated into the still image. This color is also uncommon from other branding styles involving colors, so a thumbnail of light purple will stand out among other video options on YouTube.
New Melchizedec S, Expertrec
Colors Based on Analysis
The color of a YouTube thumbnail should always be a matter of analysis, not a general trend. The best way to identify which coloring will work best for you is to analyze the competitors' videos and their thumbnails. For example, if most thumbnails for a particular topic are in shades of blue maybe you should consider using a different color like green or yellow. This will help your thumbnail stand out more and attract attention.
Bartek Trzmielewski, PhotoAiD
Your Brand Determines The Color
It depends on the brand. For instance, if you're making a Youtube thumbnail for an automobile brand, red could be a suitable color as it is often associated with cars. People will automatically get a feel for your business's personality when they see the aesthetics of your branding, so think about how specific colors evoke certain emotions and ensure that these emotions line up with your brand.
Colors Your Competitors Are Not Using
The best color for your YouTube thumbnail is whatever color your competitors don't use. Go to YouTube and search your keyword. Look at the thumbnail colors. How can your thumbnail stand out? How can you make your thumbnail better? By doing this analysis of your competitors, you'll find a way to make your thumbnails stand out so you get the clicks.
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