hi, how do I create an opening shot for my youtube video.
this would be what you see on you tube homepage.
is the text overlaid on the video or do you take a moment from the video and add text?
then insert at the beginning of video?
any links would be appreciated,
You mean thumbnails like those on the YouTube page?
Fancy ones are usually done with an image editor, like Photoshop or Gimp. But you can also export a frame from your video. In Shotcut, chose the frame you want to use and go to File > Export frame…
Upload that file in YouTube Studio where they ask you to choose a thumbnail.
Don’t forget that you have to have verified your account to be permitted to upload thumbnails:
so if I am reading this correct I can capture any photo from the video, add text and use it for my thumbnail. ?
Yes.
Technically, you can also add a text filter to Shotcut to place text over your video, then export that frame with text as an image, then delete (or inactivate) the text filter before saving or exporting your actual project. If the built-in text abilities of Shotcut are sufficient for you, then it isn’t even necessary to use another tool like GIMP. Although, it may be necessary to resize the frame down to 1280x720 if YouTube still has that maximum thumbnail size restriction. I haven’t checked in awhile.
Not saying that’s the best option… just saying it does work as an option if you don’t want to learn another tool.
I just checked and in the documentation they do recommend 1280x720.
I’ve always used 1920x1080 photos though 
So, I just uploaded a video as a test and sent a 1920x1080 image for the thumbnail. It worked without any problems.
I guess what they really mean is that we should use photos that “Have a resolution of at least 1280x720”
That makes Export Frame even easier. Thanks for checking!
thanks for that, I been using photoscape for years to resize and add text.
if 1280x720 is correct all is good.
This topic was automatically closed after 90 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
