The Ideal YouTube Banner Size for 2024: A Complete Guide!

YouTube is a great platform for businesses that wish to get closer to their audiences by sharing marketing videos, but competition has been getting fiercer lately. As more businesses begin to establish themselves on this platform, it is critical to make your channel eye-catching to viewers in order to stand out. The first step in doing so is understanding what the ideal YouTube banner size is.

If you’re just getting started uploading your YouTube content ideas, creating attractive channel art can be the best way to win over your viewers, showcase your unique brand identity, and convince visitors to subscribe. That’s why, in this article, I’ll go over the right dimensions of YouTube banners and how to add one to your profile, and provide some high-quality examples to inspire you.

Let’s go!

Why Is Your YouTube Banner Size Important?

The YouTube banner, also known as the channel header image, is that large picture displayed at the top of your profile. It works as a visual representation of your brand because it lets visitors know at first glance what kind of content they can expect from you, be it high-quality cartoon style ads, educational video production, or simply “A day in your life” style video blogs.

That’s why a well-planned banner can be a valuable tool to urge visitors to subscribe. On this overly competitive platform full of promotional videos, people will want to figure out quickly what makes your channel different from others. With a good banner, you can portray the personality and essence of your brand, showcase the features that make you unique, and hint at where your business priorities lie.

However, all of this can only work if your header is properly displayed. As all animation companies know very well, awkward-looking pictures will create a negative image of your brand and even have the power to drive people away from your channel, costing you new subscribers and video views. Fortunately, knowing the right dimensions of YouTube banner images can help you prevent all of that.

What Size Is a YouTube Banner on Different Devices

When it comes to the ideal YouTube channel banner size, the most trustworthy source of information is Google itself. The tech giant provides a very detailed series of recommendations:

• The ideal YouTube banner size for upload is 2560 x 1440 px, that is, an aspect ratio of widescreen 16:9.
• The file size should be 6 MB or smaller.
• On a desktop, the banner is 2560 × 423 px.
• On a tablet display, a banner should be 1855 x 423 px.
• On a mobile phone, banners will measure 1546 x 423 px.
• On a television screen, a banner measures 2560 by 1440 px.
• JPG, PNG, BMP, and non-animated GIF are all file formats accepted for banners.

Do not be alarmed by the variety of sizes! YouTube videos are played on many devices, so the platform automatically resizes your banner’s dimensions depending on the platform being used. 

However, there are measures you can take (pun intended 😜) to make sure your banner is always properly displayed. Google recommends keeping all crucial elements of your design, like text or your logo, within a “safe area” of 1235 x 338 pixels in the center of your piece. The information inside those margins will surely be displayed correctly, regardless of the device being used.

Additionally, before uploading your image, you can see a preview of how your YouTube banner size changes depending on the platform. Let’s see how you can do just that!

How to Upload Your Banner to Your YouTube Channel

Uploading a new banner image to your channel is pretty easy. First, go to YouTube Studio.

From the left menu, select “Customization” and then “Branding.”

Click “Change” or “Upload” and then select an image. If you wish to make any changes to it, select a preview and change the crop, then click “Done.”

After you select the image, you will see a set of mockups of how your YouTube header size will appear on various devices. If it’s not displayed properly, you can drag the image, crop it, and resize it as you want. If it’s looking good, simply click “Publish.”

You can also add or update your existing channel art on the mobile app. First, go to your profile. There, you’ll see a pencil icon where you can edit your channel’s brand elements. Pick the camera icon on the right of the banner, and choose a design from your photos. You can crop the image if you’d like, and when you’re happy with how it looks, simply select “Use Photo.”

Great Channel Examples Adapted to YouTube Banner Size  Guidelines

That was a lot of information, I know. So, to help you visualize how all of that plays out, here are four examples of some channels that boast the best headers that comply with the YouTube banner dimensions we previously mentioned.

Let’s take a look!

1. Yum Yum Videos – Add a Tagline

YouTube banners are the ideal place to subtly let visitors know a little bit more about your brand. For example, in our header, we share our catchy tagline, which explains the name of our explainer video company‘s name and summarizes what we’re all about: “We make videos that taste different.”

A tagline is a succinct and direct way to describe your channel, and it can help people remember you better because it tends to be catchy. With this header, we’re making our channel’s name outstanding while helping viewers understand our brand’s core values. Moreover, we’re letting them know that they’ll find different kinds of unique videos on our channel: doodle videos, explainer videos, 2.5 animation,  drawn animation, motion graphics videos, and other animation styles.

2. Vox – Convey Your Company’s Mission

The goal of your banner is to quickly let visitors know what type of content you’ll be sharing on your channel, and this one achieves that perfectly. Here, the newspaper pieces, mixed with ground-breaking innovations in history like the train, let viewers easily comprehend that Vox is a news outlet.

All meaningful illustrations are perfectly placed within the “safe area” we previously discussed. And besides being adapted to YouTube size guidelines, this header also conveys the company’s mission of allowing its audiences to stay up-to-date with what’s happening all around the globe.

3. Billboard – Follow Trends

Worldwide famous magazine Billboard has a very valuable asset: the beautifully curated magazine covers they have produced over the years. That’s why they decided to take advantage of it and create an attention-grabbing banner that would stand out on any device.

If you look carefully, you may notice how they placed the most colorful pieces in the center of the banner, while, towards the edges, we see some black-and-white covers. Additionally, the center artists are some of the most popular ones today—Bad Bunny, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift.

If you’re wondering how to make a YouTube banner that compels new visitors to stay interested in your brand, adjusting your design to trends, popular topics, and upcoming events can be a great digital marketing strategy.

4. Salesforce – Promote Yourself

Although artistic and creative banners are very eye-catching for first-time visitors, you can also use your channel art to overtly promote your business. That’s exactly what Salesforce did in this example. After receiving an award as the #1 CRM application worldwide, they decided to promote it by displaying it widely on their profile.

Don’t be afraid of using your banner in a promotional manner. As long as you update it regularly and follow YouTube banner size guidelines, it can turn into a means of communication to engage with your audience, share important announcements, and even convince visitors to give your animated advertisement a chance and close the deal.

Tips for YouTube Channel Art

Now, I’ve gone over the YouTube cover photo size you should use, how to upload it, and some eye-catching examples to inspire you before creating. However, it may be hard for you to start working on it right off the bat.

Here are some recommendations to keep in mind when you’re designing your channel art to make you stand out and catch your visitor’s attention at a glance!

Choose the Right Picture

A golden rule when making banners for YouTube is to find the appropriate design that will let viewers easily understand the subject matter of your channel. Your banner should represent who you are, so make sure to display an image that properly captures your individuality and authenticity and matches the types of videos you’re planning to share on this platform.

It might be an excellent photo of you, your logo, or an illustration of what you do. Just make sure it matches your business’ branding so it can aid your video marketing strategy at the same time. Placing brand elements on your header makes your business look more professional and memorable and gives visitors a consistent look.

(Need YouTube intro ideas? Read our blog post about that!)

Add Valuable Information

Banners are a means of communication, so you can use them to provide visitors with valuable information. For example, you can display your upload schedule so people know when to expect new content from you and build excitement. You can also add the icons of the social media you have a profile on. Just make sure it falls into the “safe area” of the YouTube banner size.

Before, YouTube allowed you to place links directly on your banner, but, unfortunately, that’s no longer possible. Instead, you can upload up to 14 links under the channel’s “About Me” section. One of our best YouTube description tips is to link to your social media accounts there. That way, visitors can easily see on which platforms they can find you and reach out to you if they need to. Perfect way to boost your social media video production efforts!

Keep It Simple

Just like we always advise during promotional video production, you need to make sure your header designs are simple. If your header design is too cluttered, the message you wish to convey to visitors will be lost and ignored.

Google’s own banner size YouTube guidelines advise users to avoid including embellishments and additional elements to the design like shadows, borders, and frames. This is because you won’t be able to control the size in which the piece is displayed, as we mentioned before, so chances are high that some of the designs will end up cut off.

Wrapping Up

As you can see, making a header that perfectly fits the YouTube banner size guidelines is easier than it looks. And with all these tips, I’m sure you will be able to ace the design and size of your headers. 

If you can customize your channel art to perfectly convey the theme of the videos you upload, visitors won’t waste time going over your content and will subscribe quickly. So show them who you are and what makes you distinctive, and start making the most of online video marketing on YouTube.