Video cover generator

Make YouTube thumbnails and social covers from a photo, blank, or pattern — with text and overlays in your browser.

Interactive calculator loads when JavaScript is enabled. All calculations stay on your device.

Usage

  • Add Image, Fill, or Text — options for the selected layer appear in the panel above the canvas.
  • Set a fill: colour, gradient (linear, radial, or angle), or pattern (noise, stripes, dots, mesh).
  • Randomize noise and mesh, centre stripes and dots, or switch dots between uniform and scatter.
  • Add photos, logos, or transparent PNGs. Crop, flip, centre, replace, or tweak colour on a selected image.
  • Optionally remove a photo background locally, then touch up leftover spots with Clean up, Erase, or Restore.
  • Style titles from the options panel: font, bold, underline, strike, colour, and alignment.
  • Hide, reorder, lock, or delete layers — extra fills can sit above or below photos and titles.
  • Select video cover sizes — YouTube thumb, Shorts, Reels, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
  • Set one size as the master style — others follow it, or break away and reset when you need to.
  • Turn on Guides so titles and faces stay inside each platform’s on-screen UI.
  • Blend extra fills with opacity and blend modes for readable titles on busy photos.
  • Download a zip with one cover per selected platform — nothing is uploaded.

Knowledge

Video platforms that take a dedicated cover or thumbnail: YouTube custom thumbs are 1280×720 (16:9); Instagram Reels covers are 9:16; TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn videos also use cover/thumbnail frames. This tool focuses on those sizes — use Image Optimiser for general still posts.

Tips

  • Mark one size as the master style; others follow it by default, with titles shifted into each platform’s safe zone. Turn off Use master style to design that size alone, or Reset to master style to drop local tweaks.
  • Start from a fill if you have no photo: colour, gradient (linear, radial, angle), or pattern (noise, stripes, dots, mesh). Randomize redraws noise and mesh; dots can be uniform or scattered.
  • Stack extra fills over a photo with blend modes (multiply, overlay, soft light) so titles stay readable.
  • On an image layer, use adjustments (temperature, tint, brightness, contrast, and more), then crop, flip, or centre. Use Fit (no crop) for stickers and cutouts.
  • Use Remove background when adding a photo or on a selected layer. The first run downloads a small on-device model (~5 MB); use Clean up, Erase, or Restore to touch up the cutout, and tap the checker to compare with the original.
  • Title fonts are open source, sourced from Fontshare and Google Fonts, and fine for personal and commercial covers. Roundo and your device’s system fonts are in the picker too.
  • The dashed Guides mark where player chrome, captions, and grid crops eat into the cover — keep faces and titles inside.
  • Layers stack bottom-up. Processing stays on your device — private and local.

FAQs

What does Video Cover Generator do?

It creates cover images and thumbnails for video platforms — YouTube, Instagram Reels, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Stack a base fill, extra colour or pattern washes, image layers (including transparent PNGs), and titles, then download a zip. Everything runs in your browser.

Which platforms are included?

Only formats that need a video cover or thumbnail: YouTube (16:9 thumb and Shorts cover), Instagram Reels cover (9:16), TikTok cover, Facebook video thumb, and LinkedIn video thumb. General still-post sizes are left to Image Optimiser.

How does master style work across cover sizes?

Mark one size as the master style (YouTube thumbnail starts as master). Other sizes use that style by default, with titles shifted to fit each safe zone. Turn off Use master style to start that size from scratch — turn it back on to restore the master layout plus any tweaks you had. Reset to master style clears those tweaks.

Can I start without a photo?

Yes. Add a Fill and choose Colour for one flat colour, Gradient for a two-colour blend (linear, radial, or angle), or Pattern for noise, stripes, dots, or soft mesh. Randomize redraws noise and mesh in the same colours; dots can be uniform or scattered. You can add photos and titles later without losing the fill.

How do the layers combine?

Like a Photoshop-style stack: every layer — fills, images, and titles — can sit above or below any other. Use Image, Fill, and Text above the canvas to add layers. Drag to reorder in the layers panel. Hide layers with the eye, lock ones you do not want to bump, or delete ones you no longer need.

What can I do with an image layer?

Select a photo to crop, flip, centre, replace, or delete it, and to tweak colour (temperature, tint, brightness, contrast, and more). When adding images, turn on Remove background, or use it on a selected layer. A small model downloads once and runs on your device — images never upload. After the auto cutout, use Clean up, Erase, or Restore to touch up leftover spots; tap the checker to compare with the original.

What is the safe zone guide?

Each platform draws its own UI over your cover — Shorts and TikTok add captions and buttons, YouTube stamps the duration, and the Instagram grid crops Reels covers. Turn on Guides for the dashed area that survives all of that.

Which fonts can I use?

The title picker includes Roundo (the Dab Tools face), your device’s system fonts, and a set of open-source families sourced from Fontshare and Google Fonts. They are free to use for personal and commercial covers. Pick a face, then bold, underline, strike, colour, and alignment from the options panel.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Framing, overlays, fonts, background removal, and export run on this device. Your images never leave the browser. The first background removal downloads a small local model from dab.tools — not your photos.

What formats can I download?

JPEG, WebP, or PNG in a zip with one file per selected platform. Quality controls apply to JPEG and WebP; PNG stays lossless.