In this video from the team at Phlearn, they’ll show you how to create a popular style of YouTube thumbnail in Photoshop! Learn how to quickly cut a person out of their background, help them stand out with a white border, and then finish things off with some simple text and design options.

Here’s a quick overview of what’s covered in this 6-minute video;

  1. Select Subject in Photoshop
    1. Go to the Select menu, and click on Subject. you should now see an active selection around your subject. It may not be perfect but that’s fine. we’ll refine that later!
  2. Add a Border around your Subject
    1. With the subject cut out, we can now get them ready to be placed into a new background. We can help them stand out even more while giving the whole image a little more pop by adding a white border around them
  3. Refining the Selection
    1. Zooming in, there will likely be some areas where Select Subject trimmed off too much or too little of the subject’s body. There will also likely be some rough edges. While a low-res YouTube thumbnail can be forgiving with imperfections like these, it’s still a good idea to quickly clean up as much as you can.
  4. Creating a Thumbnail Background
    1. With your subject now ready, you can finish off the thumbnail design! Play around with backgrounds and find something that works for you and your style

And there you have it! quick and easy thumbnail for your next youtube video ready to rock! Be sure to watch the full video above for all the details and visit the official site here to download the sample image so you can follow along!

*Content shared with permission