How to Make YouTube Banners
This wikiHow teaches you how to design and upload banners for YouTube. YouTube banners look different on various devices, which can make the design process pretty confusing. Luckily, YouTube offers design templates you can download to make the process a lot easier.
[Edit]Steps
[Edit]Creating the Banner
- Download a YouTube banner template. A YouTube banner template is an image that illustrates where you should put your text and logos in your banner image. It shows which parts of the image will be viewable on mobile devices, tablets, desktop computers, and TVs. Use the following steps to download the official YouTube banner template.
- Navigate to https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2972003 in a web browser.
- Scroll down and click to expand Channel Art Template.
- Click Channel Art Template in the expanded text to download the template as a zip file.
- Extract the contents of the zip file.
- Open the channel art template in a photo editing application. The zip file contains a .psd and a .png file. You can open these files in Photoshop. If you don't have a Photoshop subscription, you can download and install GIMP which has similar features to Photoshop and is free to download. You can also use MS Paint or Preview on Mac, but some features may not be available in these apps. Use the following steps to open the file in Photoshop or GIMP.
- Right-click either "Channel Art Template" file.
- Select Open with.
- Click the image editing program you want to design the banner in.
- Familiarize yourself with the template. There are four areas of the template you should be aware of. They are as follows:
- TV Safe Area: The vast majority of your YouTube banner will only be viewable on a television screen using a YouTube app. The size of the entire YouTube banner/channel art image is 2560 pixels wide and 1440 pixels tall.
- Desktop Max Area: The Desktop Max area is the part of the image that is viewable on desktop computers using a web browser. Not everything that goes in this area will be viewable on tablets or smartphones. This is a narrow strip in the center of the image that is 2560 pixels wide and 423 pixels tall. It starts at about 500 pixels from the top of the image.
- Tablet Safe Area: This area of the image is will be viewable on tablets, desktop computers, and TVs, but not necessarily on smartphones. This area is 1855 pixels wide and 423 pixels tall. It starts at about 350 pixels from the left and right edges inside the Desktop Max Area.
- Text and Logo Safe Area: This area is viewable all devices. All text, logos, key images, and information should go in this area. This area is 1546 pixels wide and 423 pixels tall. It is in the center of the Desktop Safe Area approximately 510 pixels from the right and left edges.
- Add text to your banner. Use the text tool in your image editor application to add text to your banner. It's the icon that resembles a capital "A" or "T" in the toolbar to the left or at the top. Click the text tool and click where you want your text to go. Use the menus at the top or to the left to select the text color, font, font size, and style.
- Remember that any text not placed in the "Text and logo Safe Area" may not be viewable on all devices.
- If you are using Photoshop or GIMP, you may want to lock the layer with the YouTube channel art template. To lock it, click the layer with the channel art template in the Layers panel in the lower-right corner. Then click the icon that resembles a lock (Photoshop) or the icon that resembles an arrow in the shape of a cross (GIMP).
- Add images to your banner. You can add images to use as a background or logo, or anything else you want to add to your banner. Remember that any element of the banner you want to be viewable should go in the Text and Logo Safe Area. This includes key elements of your background image. Use the following steps to add an image to your banner as a new layer:
- Click File in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Place (Photoshop) or Open as Layer (GIMP).
- Select an image file.
- Click Open
- Click and drag the image layer to move it.
- Add a background color. Because there are so many different areas that are part of a YouTube banner, some people choose to create a separate background for the strip and the middle of the strip in the center that is viewable on desktop and mobile devices. You can also a gradient or color transition in GIMP or Photoshop. Use the following steps to create a color background.
- Click the icon that resembles a sheet of paper below the Layers panel to the right.
- Click the new layer in the Layers panel to select it.
- Click the colored box on top below the toolbar to the left.
- Use the color picker window to select a color you want.
- Click the rectangle marquee tool in the tool in the toolbar.
- Click and drag over the area you want to color.
- Click the icon that resembles a paint bucket in the toolbar.
- Click anywhere inside your marquee selection.
- Add anything else you want. Image editors have many tools that allow you to design however you want. You can use the brush tool to draw or create textures. You can also create patterns in Photoshop and GIMP.
- When designing in Photoshop or GIMP, it's a good idea to place each design element on a separate layer. To add a new layer in Photoshop or GIMP, click the icon that resembles a sheet of paper below the Layers panel to the right.
- Arrange your layers. After you have added all your text, logos, images, colors, patterns, and other design elements you want to add to your banner, you'll need to make sure your layers are in the proper order. Click and drag the layers up and down in the Layers panel to the right to rearrange them. Your text and logo layers should go on top. Place any banner images, colors, or patterns behind the text layers. Place the background layers behind the banner images and patterns.
- Save your image. It's a good idea to save your YouTube banner in its native file format in case you need to edit it later on. The native file format for Photoshop is ".psd" and ".xcf" for GIMP. Use the following steps to save your work:
- Click File.
- Click Save as.
- Type a name for the image in the field next to "Name" or "File name".
- Click Save.
[Edit]Uploading the Banner to YouTube
- Export your banner image from your image editor. If you haven't already done so, open your YouTube banner in the image editor of your choice. Use the following steps to export the image:
- Click File.
- Click Save as or Export as (GIMP).
- Click Select File Type (GIMP Only).
- Select "'JPEG'", "'JPG'", "'PNG'", or "'GIF'" as the format or file type.
- Type a name for the image next to Name or File Name.
- Click Save or Export.
- Navigate to https://www.youtube.com/ in a web browser. You can visit your YouTube channel using any web browser.
- If you are not signed in to your YouTube account, click Sign In in the upper-right corner and sign in with the email address and password associated with your YouTube account.
- Click your profile image. It's in the upper-right corner of the YouTube web page. This displays the Account menu.
- If you have not selected a profile image, a colored circle with your initial is displayed in the upper-right corner.
- Click . It's at the top of the Account menu that appears when you click on your profile image. This displays your YouTube channel.
- Click . It's the first blue button at the top fo the page when you view your YouTube channel. If you already have a banner, it will be below the banner.
- Click or the pencil icon . If you have never added channel art to your channel, a default banner appears at the top fo the page with a blue button in the center that says Add channel art. Click this button to add channel art. If you already have channel art for your channel, place your mouse cursor over the banner to display the pencil icon in the upper-right corner of the banner. Click the pencil icon.
- Click . It's the blue button in the center of the window. This opens a file browser you can use to browse image files on your computer.
- Alternatively, you can drag and drop a JPEG, GIF, or PNG image of your YouTube banner/channel art in the center of the window. Images must be no more than 6 Mb in size with a minimum of 2048 pixels wide and 1152 pixels tall.
- Select your YouTube banner/channel art and click . This uploads the photo to YouTube. When it uploads, you will see a preview window that displays how the image looks on different devices.
- If need be, you can click Adjust the crop in the lower-left corner of the window. Click and drag the corners or center of the image to adjust where the safe preview area is located.
- Click . It's the blue button in the lower-left corner of the window. This saves the image as the banner for your YouTube channel.
[Edit]Video
[Edit]Tips
- Use large resolution images in your YouTube banners. The standard width for YouTube banners is 2560 x 1440 pixels.
- Don't use the same background image for the TV area and desktop area. Most of the channel art image falls in the TV area and will be cut off when people view your channel on their desktop browser or mobile devices. Use a separate background image for the desktop strip in the middle and the TV area.
- Test your image to see how it looks on YouTube. If something looks off or out of place, don't be afraid to go back into Photoshop or GIMP and make adjustments.
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