Thumbnails are the preview images that represent your videos in your Catalog. They're the first thing your audience sees before deciding to watch your content, making them crucial for engagement.

💡 TIP: Effective thumbnails can significantly increase your video's click-through rate and overall viewer interest.

Adding Horizontal Thumbnails

Navigate to Content > Videos
Click on the video you want to add a thumbnail for
Scroll down to the Thumbnails section
Hover your mouse over the current thumbnail
Click to upload your own
- Recommended proportion: 1480 x 840 px
Click Save Changes

📝 NOTE: All thumbnail images are limited to a file size of 100 MB. If your image is larger, optimize and compress it before uploading.

Adding Vertical Thumbnails

Vertical thumbnails provide a movie poster-like appearance for your videos, creating a more engaging catalog experience similar to popular streaming services.

Navigate to Content > Videos
Click on the video you want to add a thumbnail for
Scroll down to the Thumbnails section
Hover your mouse over the current thumbnail
Click to upload your own
- Recommended proportion: 1188 x 1682 px
Click Save Changes

📝 NOTE: The vertical thumbnail feature is available in the New Website Editor and mobile apps version 3.20 or later.

🔗 Learn more about the New Website Editor

Setting Up Vertical Thumbnails

To display vertical thumbnails in your catalog:

Navigate to Website
Go to the Catalog tab
Select which categories will use vertical thumbnails
Click Save & Apply

Adding Square Thumbnails

Square thumbnails provide a clean, uniform appearance for your videos, ideal for grid-based catalog layouts and social media sharing.

Navigate to Content > Videos
Click on the video you want to add a thumbnail for
Scroll down to the Thumbnails section
Hover your mouse over the current thumbnail
Click to upload your own
- Recommended proportion: 1080 x 1080 px
Click Save Changes

Setting Up Square Thumbnails

To display square thumbnails in your catalog:

Navigate to Website
Go to the Catalog tab
Select which categories will use square thumbnails
Click Save & Apply

📝 NOTE: The square thumbnail feature is available in the New Website Editor and mobile apps.

🔗 Learn more about the New Website Editor

Thumbnail Display in the Catalog

Horizontal Thumbnails

Horizontal thumbnails display in a standard grid layout across your catalog, showing more videos per row.

Vertical Thumbnails

Vertical thumbnails create a movie poster-like appearance, similar to popular streaming services.

📝 NOTE: While thumbnails can be vertical, videos still play in landscape orientation as Uscreen doesn't currently support vertical video playback.

Square Thumbnails

Square thumbnails offer a balanced, symmetrical presentation ideal for showcasing individual subjects or creating Instagram-style catalog layouts.

Best Practices for Effective Thumbnails

Use High-Quality Images: Clear, high-resolution images make your content look professional
Include Recognizable Elements: Feature instructors, key moments, or clear text that indicates what the video contains
Maintain Consistent Branding: Use similar styles across your thumbnails for a cohesive look
Consider Contrast: Ensure text is readable against your background
Test Different Approaches: Try various designs to see what resonates with your audience

FAQs

Why isn't my new thumbnail showing up?

Due to CDN caching, new thumbnails may take a few minutes to appear. Try clearing your browser cache or waiting a few minutes. 🔗 Learn more about CDN Caching

Can I remove a thumbnail without replacing it?

Currently, you can't remove a thumbnail without replacing it with a different image. If you want to revert to the system-generated thumbnail, you would need to delete and re-upload your video. Instead of removing a thumbnail, a workaround is to replace it with a placeholder image.