YouTube Banner – Why it matters [+ Template]

A Youtube Banner and Channel Art are different names for the same thing. Here we look at what a YouTube Banner is, why it’s important, its size and where you can get a template.

What is a YouTube Banner/ Channel Art?

Over the years YouTube has grown and become the go to place for online video searches. It’s not just full of funny cat videos (although there are quite a few), there is a whole spectrum of YouTube creators. They make content as diverse as the global population. From makeup tutorials to bushcraft skills, from cooking channels to science projects, its all there.

To help the view understand what a channel is all about YouTube allow us to upload Banners, also known as Channel Art

Why is YouTube Channel Art Important?

This is your chance to make an impact and show your viewers what you are all about.

It also conveys your brand identity and is one of the requirements to claiming a custom URL for your Youtube Channel

Here’s an example of Channel Art from The Spice Guy

But what is the ideal banner size?

YouTube Banner Sizes

On most social media platforms its quite simple. You have one image that is displayed pretty much the same across all devices.

But youtube likes to do things differently.

The recommended dimensions for YouTube Channel Art is 2560 x 1440 px which is a 16:9 ratio image, this is the same size as a widescreen TV. But the banner we see above is only 423 px high making it appear a lot longer.

This is because the YouTube Banner is shown very differently depending on what device you are viewing the channel on.

As you can see, the TV version of Channel Art uses the whole image. The desktop version uses a smaller 423px high section from the middle to make the banner. The mobile version is similar to the desktop version but the ends are cropped off.

To be clear, you can only upload one image that YouTube processes and crops automatically giving consistency but you cannot adjust the way each version is cropped.

Which can be a bit confusing first time you make your new banner at the recommended resolution. Upload it, then scratch your head as to why it hasn’t worked.

So it is important to keep your logo and any text in the centre area of the YouTube Banner image.

Template

You might be thinking this is all a bit confusing, luckily YouTube publish guidelines and a Channel Art Template for Photoshop making it really easy to make an image to the required sizes.

Keep in simple

Less is more so keep the design simple, crisp and sharp.

If you have new videos coming out at the same time every week then you can add that in there. “New episodes Wednesday at 4pm” for example. You can also include the topics you cover but use text sparingly and make it as large as possible within the safe area.

Make your own

Once you have downloaded the YouTube Banner template you can open it in Photoshop and use it as a template to be sure that the important text is within the safe area.

If you don’t have Photoshop there are a host of free image editing tools out there including canva.com.

Canva does have a large selection of designed templates to choose from but some of these do place the text outside of the safe area, so pick a design carefully and modify it with a degree of care.

To check the image fits the template you can download the Channel Art Template and upload the .png file as a new layer in Canva. Make sure it’s behind the logo and text and turn the opacity down to make the template semi-transparent. Although, in our tests this is easier said than done.

Get one designed for you

If all of this makes you head spin then do get in touch and we’ll be glad to create a banner for you for £40