The YouTube thumbnail is a reduced-size model of the preview picture for movies on the positioning and provides the viewer some perception into the content material. David Altizer is a YouTube thumbnail creator for YouTubers like Max Fosh, Kurtis Connor and Jeff Wittek, and he’s engaged on a web site the place folks can go to learn to do what he does. Why?

A very good thumbnail is what makes an viewers resolve whether or not they’re going to click on on the content material. An excellent higher thumbnail attracts audiences who will watch your entire video. 

Altizer makes use of Photoshop to make most of his thumbnails, however he additionally makes use of a number of AI instruments to create them sooner and extra effectively. 

“I’m utilizing Midjourney [and] ChatGPT to do my mockups. I’ll open ChatGPT and begin typing,” Altizer says. “Then it’ll simply begin to spit up and generate stuff utilizing Dali. That’s my method into storyboarding.”

After that, Altizer collaborates with the creator to decide on a mockup storyboard earlier than attending to work on the thumbnails. He additionally makes use of a device referred to as Magnific AI that upscales his photos. 

“I’m truly spending $80 a month on AI instruments,” Altizer admits. 

From magic tips to YouTube

Altizer’s first ardour was magic and illusions. At 14 years outdated, he grew to become knowledgeable illusionist, working at totally different eating places round Nashville, Tennessee, the place he grew up. He even met his spouse at a restaurant the place he carried out. 

“As I used to be doing magic, I used to be additionally studying and crafting within the filmmaking world,” he remembers. “Doing weddings, documentaries, industrial tasks—all types of issues.”

Skilled illusionist and stuntman Brock Gill ultimately took Altizer below his wing. “I began occurring the highway with him,” Altizer says. “He sat me down and stated, ‘It’s actually tough making a residing being a magician, and also you’re actually proficient at video as properly.’”

That was all it took for Altizer to go all in on video. 

David Altizer was observed by Google

“After I was solely 21 or 20 years outdated, I had a video that received a workers decide on Vimeo, which then led to Google reaching out and asking if I might direct a industrial—a half-a-million greenback industrial, which I had no expertise in [making] by any means,” Altizer says, including, “I used to be only a child. I didn’t have any expertise. In order that was like a strong second for me. I ought to take myself significantly if Google thinks I’m legit.”  

He began directing music movies and tasks round Nashville however grew bored with working with totally different purchasers and frequently having manufacturers shoot down his concepts in favor of boring options. So he determined to begin a YouTube channel and was invited to host for channels together with the now-renamed Kinotika and Indy Mogul.

It was ultimately throughout a 40-day quick for his church that Altizer felt he obtained a message to stroll away from his profession in video. He listened.

The unintended YouTube thumbnail maker

Thumbnailing got here to Altizer as an inspiration quickly after. 

“A few months later, a YouTuber buddy of mine was combating a video,” Altizer says. “I assumed the video was nice, however his thumbnail was unhealthy. I informed him, ‘I believe when you simply change the thumbnail up, this video will do loads higher.’ We have been attempting to speak it out on the telephone and I used to be like, ‘ what? I’ll simply do it for you.’”

Altizer’s YouTube thumbnail helped the video carry out a lot better. Impressed, his buddy informed Altizer he can be prepared to pay for thumbnails for his movie commentary channel, Body Voyager.

“A thumbnail I did about Christopher Nolan carried out rather well,” Altizer remembers. “It received like 700,000 views, and he’s a smaller channel.” 

After sharing his work on X, Altizer discovered himself getting extra thumbnail requests. 

“The primary thumbnail that I made for Max [Fosh] was titled, ‘I Cooked a Frozen Meal in an Lively Volcano,’” Altizer says. “It went nice, and clearly, that simply continued to snowball.”

Certainly, Altizer says 40 million folks have considered the thumbnails he’s made in simply the final 5 months.

David Altizer’s ardour? Schooling and neighborhood 

Altizer says there’s a thumbmaker neighborhood on X, and he’s began an area on the platform titled “Thumbnail Thursday,” the place thumbnail artists speak store. He’s additionally creating a web site for folks to learn to make thumbnails. 

Altizer’s recommendation to would-be YouTube thumbnail makers?

“Composition is the No. 1 factor that I inform folks to study. Should you simply do a search on rule of thirds, you may study that,” he explains. “Composition is essential, and ease can be key. You need to boil down the idea to probably the most minimal and easy thought attainable, and that takes a variety of talent.” 

Photograph by Body Inventory Footage/Shutterstock.com