{"data":{"slug":"youtube-thumbnails","name":"Create YouTube thumbnails","category":"design","description":"Produce 1280×720 click-worthy thumbnail images combining a subject, bold headline text and brand colours, usually in a repeatable series style.","synonyms":["thumbnail","thumbnails","youtube thumbnail","video thumbnail","cover image","youtube cover","video cover art","make thumbnails","thumbnail design"],"links":{"page":"/capabilities/youtube-thumbnails","api":"/api/v1/capabilities/youtube-thumbnails"},"outcomes":["I need to create 15 YouTube thumbnails every month","make thumbnails for my channel"],"keyDimensions":["quality","precision","brandConsistency","batch"],"related":["social-media-graphics","image-generation","photo-editing"],"solutions":[{"tool":"canva","toolName":"Canva","fit":"native","scores":{"quality":4,"ease":5,"precision":3,"batch":3,"brandConsistency":4,"reliability":4},"skill":"none","availableOnPlans":"all","cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"free","name":"Canva Free","monthlyUSD":0,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["Background remover needs Pro or above","Less control over compositing and text effects than Photoshop"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[{"url":"https://moda.app/blog/canva-pricing","title":"Moda: Canva pricing guide (third party)","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"States Canva's US pricing page was re-checked on 2026-09-08. Secondary source."}],"notes":"Scores are editorial. Plan gating follows a third-party snapshot of Canva's pricing page (2026-09-08); canva.com blocked direct checks on 2026-10-13."}},{"tool":"adobe-express","toolName":"Adobe Express","fit":"strong","scores":{"quality":4,"ease":5,"precision":3,"brandConsistency":4},"skill":"none","availableOnPlans":"all","cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"free","name":"Adobe Express Free","monthlyUSD":0,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["Background removal needs Premium or Teams"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[{"url":"https://www.adobe.com/express/pricing","title":"Adobe Express pricing","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Served Australian pricing (A$) to our fetcher on 2026-10-13; used for plan features, seat minimum and billing terms."}],"notes":"Scores are editorial. Feature availability per plan was read from adobe.com/express/pricing (Australian version) on 2026-10-13."}},{"tool":"adobe-creative-cloud","toolName":"Adobe Creative Cloud","fit":"strong","scores":{"quality":5,"ease":2,"precision":5,"batch":2,"brandConsistency":3,"reliability":5},"skill":"technical","availableOnPlans":["photoshop","creative-cloud-standard","creative-cloud-pro","photography","creative-cloud-pro-teams"],"cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"photography","name":"Photography plan (1TB)","monthlyUSD":19.99,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["No ready-made thumbnail template library comparable to Canva","Requires Photoshop skills"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[{"url":"https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/plans.html","title":"Adobe Creative Cloud plans","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Served Hong Kong pricing (HK$) to our fetcher on 2026-10-13; used for plan names and inclusions only."},{"url":"https://www.adobe.com/genuine-shared/fragments/new-genuine-default-experience/all-apps/individual","title":"Adobe.com plan fragment (US individual plans)","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Official adobe.com page fragment showing US$ prices for Creative Cloud Pro, Photoshop, Firefly Pro and Acrobat Pro."}],"notes":"Scores are editorial. App inclusions per plan were checked on adobe.com plan pages (Hong Kong and US fragments)."}},{"tool":"gemini","toolName":"Google Gemini","fit":"partial","scores":{"quality":4,"ease":4,"precision":2,"batch":2,"brandConsistency":2},"skill":"none","availableOnPlans":["ai-plus","ai-pro","ai-ultra-5x","ai-ultra-20x"],"cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"ai-plus","name":"Google AI Plus","monthlyUSD":4.99,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["Exact text placement and fonts are unreliable","No saved series template","No layered editing"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[]}},{"tool":"chatgpt","toolName":"ChatGPT","fit":"partial","scores":{"quality":4,"ease":4,"precision":2,"batch":2,"brandConsistency":2},"skill":"none","availableOnPlans":["plus","pro","business","business-premium","enterprise"],"cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"plus","name":"Plus","monthlyUSD":20,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["Exact text placement and font control are unreliable","No saved template to keep a series consistent","No layers for quick edits to one element"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[]}},{"tool":"grok","toolName":"Grok","fit":"partial","scores":{"quality":3,"ease":4,"precision":2,"batch":2,"brandConsistency":1},"skill":"none","availableOnPlans":["premium","super","ultra"],"cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"premium","name":"Premium","monthlyUSD":30,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["Unreliable text rendering and placement","No template system for a consistent series"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[]}},{"tool":"figma","toolName":"Figma","fit":"workaround","scores":{"quality":4,"ease":3,"precision":5,"batch":3},"skill":"basic","availableOnPlans":"all","cheapestQualifyingPlan":{"id":"starter","name":"Starter (free)","monthlyUSD":0,"unit":"account","evidenceStatus":"verified"},"limitations":["No thumbnail templates or stock photos built in","Weak photo editing and background removal"],"evidence":{"status":"editorial","sources":[{"url":"https://www.figma.com/pricing/","title":"Figma pricing","accessedAt":"2026-10-13","note":"Prices in USD; Professional shown with annual billing selected."}],"notes":"Scores are editorial. Which seats include which Figma products was checked on figma.com/pricing (FAQ) on 2026-10-13."}}],"workflows":[{"slug":"youtube-thumbnails-with-chatgpt","title":"Make YouTube thumbnails with ChatGPT instead of Canva","page":"/workflows/youtube-thumbnails-with-chatgpt","api":"/api/v1/workflows/youtube-thumbnails-with-chatgpt"}]},"meta":{"apiVersion":"v1","dataVersion":"b50ff0897461","dataGeneratedAt":"2026-10-13T15:03:29.611Z","docs":"/docs/api","evidenceLegend":"/docs/data-model#evidence","disclaimer":"Prices and capabilities change. Check each item's evidence status and verification date. Savings are estimates, not guarantees."}}