A YouTube banner is a large image that appears across the top of your channel page. The YouTube banner (also known as a Channel Header Image) is the largest and most prominent image on your YouTube channel. It helps to set the tone of your channel identity and give visitors a flavor of your videos.
Behaving in a similar way to a fantastic book cover design, a thoughtfully designed banner will help to communicate the mood and style of your videos and brand, while enticing visitors into exploring the video content you have on offer.
Consider this your ultimate guide to creating beautifully designed YouTube banners that will convert one-time channel visitors into regular viewers and subscribers.
We’ll take a look at best practices for sizing and designing your banner, five creative ideas for making the most of that lucrative banner space, and show you how to make your own using Shutterstock’s Create tool.
Don’t miss our complete guide to creating a compelling channel identity for your YouTube channel:
Viewers can access YouTube from a wide range of screen sizes, from large-scale TV screens to mobile devices. So, there’s a fine art to getting the sizing and layout of your banner just right.
YouTube recommends a banner size of 2560 x 1440 pixels, with a minimum dimension of 2048 x 1152 pixels and a file size limit of 6MB.
The recommended size is so large because a visitor to your channel might be viewing YouTube on a smart TV screen. That means the banner will expand to full height and width to fill the available screen space.
That same banner will have to adapt flexibly to a range of other devices, like desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Smaller screens reduce the height of the banner considerably, cropping off the top and bottom areas of your large image. The width of the image also reduces incrementally as screen size reduces.
The main things to keep in mind when designing a YouTube banner are that:
- You should always design the banner to its maximum dimensions (2560 x 1440 px) to ensure the image has sufficient height and appears crisp and clear on large screens.
- You should place the key elements of your banner, such as text, logos, and images, inside the “safe area.” The minimum image safe area specs for text and logos are 1235 x 338 px.
Keeping the size limitations of your banner in mind, focus on creating an eye-catching layout with a strong central focus. Combine a photo of the channel’s star, a logo, or channel title with your brand color palette, graphic shapes, or interesting backgrounds to create a professional look quickly and easily.
You can create a banner design using any 2D design software, such as Shutterstock Create, Adobe Photoshop, or Adobe InDesign. Set the dimension unit to pixels and the color mode to web-friendly RGB, and you’re good to go!
A tip? If specs stress you out, know that Create takes care of everything for you. If you go that route, you can choose between YouTube banner blank canvases, or easily customizable YouTube banner templates. To start with a blank canvas in Create, click Start now or scroll to find your YouTube banner template.
For the former, you’ll see Create’s home page looks like this:
If you’re inside the tool already, simply click File > Create new > Blank Canvas. Scroll or search (CTRL or Command + F) “YouTube” for the YouTube Channel Art option. You’ll see the specs here again, 2560 x 1440 px. Click to open.
Now that you know your options, let’s get back to the inspo! We’ll return to the tool later for more hands-on design tips.
Some channels might have an individual as the focus of video content. However, this might not be the case with channels that host videos featuring a broad range of people or subjects.
In this example, the logo, brand colors, and an abstract concept form the backbone of a banner design for a lecture-based, business-centric channel.
The logo and lit bulb have been placed in the safe area of the banner. The concept of light bulbs is only emphasized further when viewers see the banner on large TV or desktop screens.
Convey what viewers can expect from your channel through conceptual images. License the photo used in this banner design via contributor HappyAprilBoy.
You could also create a similar layout using a seamless background image with an abstract or geometric style. Place your logo or channel name over the top of the background in the safe area. This creates a quick and simple banner design.
If your video channel is based around an individual, it makes sense to use a photo of them as part of the banner design.
For example, the photo is positioned to place the face of the subject in the safe area of the banner. Meanwhile, the full-height banner expands the reach of the photo.
To achieve this style of banner design, ensure you have a photo with enough scope to expand across the whole banner while keeping the subject’s face or head in the central safe area. If you don’t have a photo in mind, obviously we’ve got your back.
You can peruse Shutterstock’s epic stock photo library, or search within Create to find your faves. If you do use personal pics, click Images > Upload in the tool to drop ’em onto the canvas.
Ideally, you want a design adaptable for multiple sizes. The above image’s specs emphasize this bold and artsy look. No matter what, be okay with experimenting and don’t get too attached to an image before seeing that it works.
Want to include more of the person’s head or body in the safe area? If so, the photo will need to have a very generous background area. Alternatively, cut out the subject from the background and replace it with a seamless background image or color. This magic is also known as Create’s Background Remover.
Available to Pros, this feature lets you swap or cut backgrounds in one click! To use it, simply highlight the background layer, then click Remove bkgnd. Poof! In an instant, the subject will be accompanied by a blank background for you to keep or replace at your leisure.
For a full tutorial on this fantastic asset (say that 10 times fast), check out How to Remove Backgrounds in Photos next.
If you need some help here, simply click on the background layer in Create, then select Change color. Peruse our endless solids, gradients, textures, and effects to build the look of your dreams. You can also use the Images tab to search for a texture, if you prefer.
Top tip: You can use the Eyedropper Tool in Create to pick up color from your chosen photo, before applying it to text or logo elements. No one needs to spend time seeking out specific hex codes when you can simply match one color to another element in a few clicks.
Cohesive designs always win.
Seamless or repetitive patterns are an easy way to inject style into your banner designs. Choose or create a pattern that works just as well on the full-scale layout as it does on the reduced banner size.
Know that patterns like this one can busy your design, so use them discerningly. If you go this route, make sure you’ve got simpler elements to layer on top, like text, graphics, and images.
Patterns are also a clever way of adding color and dynamism to your channel page. If you opt for a thematic pattern, such as this pizza-themed banner for a cooking channel, you can tie in the content of your videos with the banner content, too.
Vector patterns you can edit in Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape are also handy. After all, they offer an easy way to incorporate your brand colors into the design.
To jump right in, simply click the Textures tab in Create to see what all of our background patterns can do for you.
Mirroring an image on your banner design isn’t just a handy way of expanding the reach of a single image. It also results in a pleasing, symmetrical effect on your layout.
Take this DJ’s YouTube channel, for example. The image is mirrored in such a way that the main subject appears at either end of the safe area. The designer can also place a logo or name centrally on the banner. The advantage of the mirrored style is that its symmetry draws the eye towards the logo.
Symmetrical designs naturally draw the eye. License this banner image photo via contributor Beatriz Vera.
To mirror an aspect in Create, simply highlight the image or graphic, then right-click > Duplicate layer. Then, click the folded triangle from the right toolbar that says Flip horizontally. Drag to position and done!
Trippppy.
High-resolution images, particularly vectors, make for superior YouTube banners. They appear crisp, clear, and vivid—even on the largest screens.
Select a ready-made image if you don’t want to hand-make a custom banner for your YouTube channel.
Large-format scenes, such as this illustration of runners in a landscape, provide enough detail to allow you to still provide an interesting banner design on small screens.
This YouTube channel’s theme is fitness. So the main detail of the image (the runners) is still located in the safe area of the banner. This gives small-screen viewers a thoughtfully-positioned snapshot of the full banner design.
If you’re on the hunt for a simple, alternative editing program, Create is your go-to. Add text, crop images, remove backgrounds, and more, all without leaving the tool.
As mentioned, Create has countless pre-made YouTube templates (for all your YouTube needs), so it’s easy to design all of your channel art at once. Coordinating your banner with the other art elements on your channel, such as your thumbnails, will help you establish your channel branding early on.
In the tool, simply type “YouTube Channel Art” into the search bar and find your favorite template to customize. This is helpful for those in the beginning stages, or those needing design inspo. Get a feel for where to place elements, color schemes, and more!
Once you select your blank canvas or template, simply follow these steps for YouTube banner mastery:
- Add text by selecting Text > Add headline. Customize font pairs strategically and centralize text.
- Choose background colors from the Change color tab. Select solids, gradients, images, textures, and/or effects.
- Add graphics from the Graphics tab, then edit colors and sizing accordingly.
- Click Download, choose high-quality, and select your file format. Download again to save to desktop, or Publish to upload straight to YouTube.
A few more quick template design tips for inspo? You got it!
1. Simplicity Rules
Simple doesn’t have to mean boring. The title “Rick the Cooking Dude” gives enough personality to even out a subdued textured background. Using a simplistic design like this one is beneficial for that safe area.
Plus, having minimal elements emphasizes your design choices. Here, font and font placement are everything. For some help on font selection, be sure to check out these 101 best fonts on the web right now.
2. Blur Can Be Better
Whether you’re in the fitness, influencer, coaching, or mindfulness industry, this YouTube banner template is adaptable for several uses. Blur the background with Create’s Effects tab. Check out Focal Soften or Soften to start. Fade as much as you wish.
Nice!
3. Geometric Greatness
Geometric shapes and patterns are one of the most timeless ways to spruce up a design. Utilize Create’s Shapes tab to build a grid like this one. Then, fill in each element with your color of choice.
Of course, if you don’t want to build from scratch, use a template like this to customize and adjust colors.
Notice how this design caters to the safe area by keeping everything centralized. The contrasting black and white trend with green shades alone can subliminally influence an audience. Don’t know where to start? Study the right color combos for yourself using our color psychology tutorial! (We know, we’ve thought of everything.)
Ultimately, decide whether you want your audience to know you in a what you see is what you get kinda way. Or, surprise and delight with an unexpected and abstract aesthetic. Either way, look to incorporate brand colors throughout for cohesion.
Pro tip: Absolutely take advantage of Create’s Smart Resize tool (available to Pros). Smart Resize lets you adapt your design for multiple different outputs at once without compromising image quality.
In other words, say you want your YouTube banner design to also serve as your YouTube thumbnail, Instagram post, and Facebook cover photo at once, all with different specs. Disaster? Not even!
Simply click Smart Resize, select your outputs of choice, then Resize again. Done! Now, you have the same design in multiple specs for whatever platforms you need.
Here’s what that looks like:
In this day and age, it’s hard to build one social media platform without accounting for others. Cohesion amongst platforms is key. That way, you can cross-link your channels and drive traffic everywhere.
Social media users will also be able to recognize you easier if they know what icons and profile pics to expect.
Once you’ve exported the image as a JPEG, PNG, or PDF file, you’re ready to upload your design to YouTube. Follow the steps below to do so.
First, sign in to your YouTube account. Then click on the thumbnail for the drop-down menu at top-right, and click Your channel. Click anywhere onto the blank banner area, then upload an image from your computer.
A preview of the banner will appear in a new window showing you how your YouTube banner displays across different screen sizes. If you want to, you can adjust the crop to reposition the image.
Finally, click Select when you’re happy with your image. YouTube will apply your banner to your channel, and it will appear on your channel’s web page.
Your YouTube banner is now standing proudly at the top of your channel, ready to draw in viewers and potentially contribute to conversions.
If you have aspirations for a YouTube empire, make sure to check out the tutorials and tips available on the Shutterstock blog to make your channel as effective and watchable as possible.
We also have a video subscription made just for YouTube creators, so you can get access to fresh, high-quality stock footage clips on demand. Sign up to get 5 clips/month, billed annually or billed monthly with no contract.
With countless resources on YouTube-related everything, we’re fully confident you’ve got everything you need—right here. So? Jump into Create and give it a go!
For more references on achieving YouTube profile expertise, be sure to check out:
License this cover image mockup via Roman Samborskyi, Ron Dale, and Ron Dale.