GUIDE / THUMBPULL
JPG vs PNG vs WebP for YouTube Thumbnails
There is no single best image format for every thumbnail. The right choice depends on the artwork and where the file needs to go next.
Choose by image type
JPG is usually efficient for photographs and detailed tonal images. PNG is lossless and useful for hard-edged graphics or transparency. WebP can produce excellent visual quality at smaller file sizes and is useful in web workflows.
YouTube's current help guidance lists formats such as JPG or PNG for custom thumbnail uploads. If your workflow requires a specific accepted upload format, use ThumbPull to convert without forcing an unnecessary resize.