The term thumbnail refers to the image associated with each of your uploaded videos. Each uploaded video is assigned a thumbnail, the default being the centermost frame of your video. You are also given the option of choosing the 25 percent or the 75 percent mark in your video as alternate thumbnails. Knowing this, you will be able to insert deliberate images in your video at these points for YouTube to grab and use as your thumbnail. This technique is used by numerous YouTubers and is acceptable if the image you insert is relevant to the video. If the image is not relevant, you are using a misleading, or gamed, thumbnail. Using a gamed thumbnail will lose you the respect of the YouTube community and may even cost you your channel. (You can learn more about cheating on YouTube in Chapter 9.)
The thumbnail you choose is an extremely important factor in whether your video will be watched. Bold thumbnails, vibrant reds, large bold fonts, or provocatively dressed young women will pull in thousands, sometimes hundreds of thousands, more views than a blurry, out-of-focus, dull thumbnail. Choose your thumbnails carefully, and keep them relevant.
To choose an alternate thumbnail for your video, click the Account link found at the top of every YouTube page, then choose My Videos, and finally select Edit. You will find your three thumbnail options on this screen (Figure 5-5).
