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YouTube formats

YouTube long-form video, trailers, and Shorts sizes plus thumbnail and cover tips.

YouTube uses landscape for classic videos and vertical for Shorts. Do not reuse one thumbnail style for both without redesigning the crop.

Long-form video

Best default: 16:9 at 1920×1080.

Use this for standard uploads, tutorials, interviews, and evergreen explainers.

How to ask:

  • “YouTube video concept and title pack, 16:9 cover, educational tone, clear chapter outline.”

Trailer / promo cut

Best default: 16:9 at 1920×1080.

Trailers are short promotional cuts of long-form work. Keep landscape framing consistent with the main video.

How to ask:

  • “YouTube trailer, 16:9, 30-45 seconds, highlight three moments, strong end card CTA.”

Short

Best default: 9:16 at 1080×1920.

Shorts are full-screen vertical. Keep faces and text toward the center; some surfaces crop toward a tighter frame. Cover art should also be 9:16.

Duration sweet spots are often in the tens of seconds; open with an immediate hook.

How to ask:

  • “YouTube Short, 9:16, about 30-45 seconds, hook first, captions on screen, matching vertical cover.”

Thumbnail tips

For 16:9 videos:

  • Design a dedicated thumbnail (do not rely on a random frame)
  • High contrast, few words, readable face or product
  • Target around 1280×720 or higher while staying 16:9

For Shorts:

  • Redesign for 9:16; do not stretch a landscape thumbnail
  • Keep the subject centered for safer crops
  • Avoid critical text near the edges

Title and packaging

  • Promise a clear outcome in the title
  • Match thumbnail claim to the first seconds of the video
  • Avoid cluttered text walls on the thumbnail

Common mistakes

  • Using a 16:9 thumbnail as a Shorts cover without a vertical redesign
  • Soft, low-contrast covers that disappear in recommendations
  • Landscape letterboxing inside a Short
  • Weak first 3 seconds on vertical content

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