How to Make a YouTube Banner Like a Pro: Best 2023 Guide for Beginners

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There are numerous elements that can make your channel engaging for viewers and prepare it for Youtube monetization. One of them is your YouTube channel banner. Your YouTube banner is a very basic element that can generate attention and interest in viewers when they visit your channel page.

Creating a YouTube banner may seem at first glance like a simple task, and perhaps one that doesn’t need much effort. A successful YouTube channel art has a huge impact on gaining viewers and finally taking your YouTube channel to the top of the most watched channels. Because your banner art gives viewers who visit your YouTube channel page the first idea about your channel. In a way, it reflects the identity of your channel.

It is possible to promote your YouTube channel to the viewers by having a good YouTube banner. You don’t need huge texts for this, we are in a visual age now. If you don’t want to waste such an opportunity, stay with us.

Features Of a Good YouTube Banner

Before designing YouTube channel art, you should of course know about the features it should have.

  • First and foremost, your YouTube banner design should be simple. If you make a cluttered banner design, instead of attracting the viewer’s attention, you will push them away. At the same time, the space you can use for the YouTube banner is limited anyway, so it doesn’t make sense to fill it with too much stuff. So try to design YouTube banners as plain as possible. But of course everything is good in moderation. A banner should also attract attention, so avoid overdoing the simplicity and eroding the attractiveness of your banner. Use design elements in a well balanced.
  • Your YouTube banner should tell about your channel and reflect your spirit. You can create an interesting banner, but it won’t mean anything if it doesn’t connect to what your channel creates. A viewer should be able to understand what your channel is about by looking at your YouTube banner art.
  • Your YouTube banners should also be in line with the identity you create on your channel. Certainly, your YouTube channel may also represent a brand. In this case, yo should have YouTube banners that are compatible with the identity that your brand represents. In other words, you should pay attention to this harmony instead of randomly choosing elements such as color palettes, icons, fonts, etc.
  • The YouTube channel art you create should be call to action. In other words, it should contain slogans that mobilize viewers. These can often be things that will increase your engagement with your viewers. For example, calling them to subscribe or telling them to turn on notifications.
  • We left the most essential feature for last. It’s your YouTube banner size. As you know, we use YouTube on many different devices. On our mobile device, on our smart TV, on our computer, etc. Therefore, when we create YouTube channel art, it must be suitable for all these devices. A great YouTube banner looks flawless on any device. To realize this, your YouTube banner must be the right size. This is perhaps the most important thing to pay attention to.

These YouTube hacks for design can go a long way!

Things to Know About YouTube Banner Size

If you want to create YouTube banners for your YouTube channel, there are some important details you need to know. You need to adjust the banner sizes properly for smooth display on different devices. So you should not use an image of random size as your banner. You should be careful about the size of your banner image. Otherwise, your banner may look perfect on a TV, for example, but may turn into a meaningless image for mobile users. I’m sure you’ve wondered about the banner dimensions that are in line with the YouTube algorithm, let’s take a look at them now.

  • Recommended YouTube banner size is: 16:9 aspect ratio and 2560 x 1440 px.
  • YouTube banner safe area is: 1235 x 338 px. It is recommended that your text and logos remain within this area so that your banner can be displayed smoothly on different devices.
  • The maximum file size for YouTube banner is 6mb.

In short, choosing the correct YouTube banner size is extremely important. If you design a banner by ignoring the required YouTube banner dimensions, it means you waste time. So make sure you are using the correct size image file for your banner.

Creating YouTube Channel Art

Yes, now you know what you need to pay attention to for YouTube banner design. At the same time, you are aware of the correct dimensions required for your YouTube banner to appear smoothly on all devices. It remains to design a YouTube banner.

I call it designing because creating a YouTube banner requires some design moves as you can see. This goes beyond using tools that can technically handle the job, but also includes everything from the color theme you will use to deciding where your logo or text will be placed.

So how do you create a YouTube banner? If you want to design your own YouTube banner from top to bottom, one of the most suitable tools is Adobe Photoshop. When you open your project with Adobe Photoshop, you can adjust the dimensions and create a YouTube banner designed entirely by yourself. It is indeed possible and very enjoyable to create great YouTube banners using this useful program from Adobe. With the functional tools it has, your work gets much easier. But if you are an entry-level designer, Photoshop can be challenging for you. If you don’t have the technical knowledge to use Photoshop or its equivalents, this is still not the end of the road.

Using YouTube Banner Templates

You may not want to deal with adjusting YouTube banner sizes. Or you may not have much time for design processes that may take a long time. In this case, there are applications that you can benefit from YouTube banner templates. And they are free templates! Today I’m going to show you two examples that will be very useful for you if you are an entry or mid-level channel in the YouTube game.

#1 Canva

The first of these is Canva. Canva has YouTube banner templates suitable for many types of YouTube channels. You can choose the one you want and customize it according to your channel on Canva’s user-friendly interface. All you need to do this is to get a canva membership. Then go to the home page and search for the keywords YouTube banner or YouTube channel art in the search tab.

make YouTube banner with Canva
Canva

You will see many results. Of course, you may need canva pro to access some of these templates, but most of them are free. Templates with a crown icon mean you can use them if you get a pro plan. Choose a YouTube banner template that you like. As you can see on the page that opens, it even offers you some other templates. After clicking Customize this template, you can start customizing this template.

YouTube banner design templates on Canva
Canva YouTube Banners

Choose a YouTube banner template that you like. As you can see on the page that opens, it even offers you some other templates. After clicking Customize this template, you can start customizing this template.

Canva
Canva YouTube Channel Art

On the left side of the page you will see many tools. Don’t worry, they are all very simple to use. Canva has a really user-friendly interface. Here you can change the color scheme of the template, add new icons and change the font. You can also add your own images to your design. It’s also easy to upload files from your own system. You can use the ”uploads” tab for this.

You can start customizing your template using the tools on the left.
Canva Designs

In Canva, you can easily add many elements that will create visual interest to your design. From here on, it’s up to your creativity, but don’t forget to think like a content marketer! Canva is a YouTube banner maker that offers great possibilities for this.

#2 Adobe Express

The second application I will talk about is Adobe Express, another Adobe application. Adobe Express is similar to Canva in terms of its core features, and likewise, you can use it for free. For more advanced features you need to upgrade to the premium plan. Using Adobe express you can create a new banner for your YouTube channel. When you enter the application, you are greeted with many template options for social platforms. It is possible to find a templates for almost everything you need for social media.

To use it to create a YouTube channel banner, simply type the magic words YouTube banner or YouTube channel art into the search bar and customize the channel art template you like from the results.

Adobe Express
Adobe Express

As you can see, there are more than 6,000 results. This means you have a lot of options. Choose any template from here and start customizing.

YouTube Channel Art with Adobe Express
YouTube Banner Templates on YouTube

With the Discover feature, you can get suggestions for items to add. You can change your background and add photos. Another great feature of Adobe express is that you can schedule the content you create here for sharing. This may not be useful for making youtube banners, but it can be very handy for your other content.

Adobe Express YouTube banner template on
Adobe Express Templates

If you have noticed, the simplicity of the tools and the way they are used are quite similar. This means that once you are familiar with one, you can easily use the other. Depending on your needs, you can alternate these two great apps.

How to Upload your YouTube Banner to Your Channel

Actually, we have answered the question of how to make a YouTube banner so far. Now here comes the step-by-step guide on how to upload the banner you created to your YouTube channel.

Log in to your YouTube account and first, go to your YouTube homepage. Then click on your profile photo at the top right and select the option your channel.

How to Upload your YouTube Banner
YouTube Channel

When you go to your channel’s homepage, you will see customize channel on the top right, now click on it.

Customize Your Channel on YouTube
Customize Your Channel on YouTube

Switch to the Branding tab, and there it is! You see the banner image option.

Upload on YouTube
Upload on YouTube

Click on upload and select your banner image from your computer. If you need to adjust the size, do so and you’re done. Then wait a bit and your photo will be uploaded.

After you see the file you uploaded in the banner image section, click publish from the top right and make your banner official.

And that’s the whole adventure. You now have the answers to the question of how to make a Youtube banner. From the golden rules for YouTube banner design, to the right sizes required, which applications to use and how to add your YouTube banner to your channel, you have a wide range of knowledge. one last reminder! Don’t forget to also create a profile picture and a logo for your channel that coordinates with the other elements. You have completed one more step to be successful on YouTube and now it is time for the others.

Cyrus Nambakhsh

Cyrus is a serial entrepreneur, product-led-growth expert, a product visionary who launched 7 startups. He has built scalable platforms to help businesses and entrepreneurs. ==> For Guest Posts and Links Contact: [email protected]