Compress WebP Images for YouTube

YouTube thumbnails are the single most impactful factor in video click-through rate. Compressed, well-sized thumbnails load quickly and display crisply across all devices. Modern image format developed by Google offering 25–35% smaller files than JPEG/PNG at equivalent visual quality. Use ImageSmith to compress your WebP images to the ideal file size for YouTube — target under 2,048KB for optimal performance. Processing is fully browser-based — no server uploads, no privacy risk.

Recommended format

JPEG

Max file size

2,048KB

Dimensions

1280×720 (thumbnails), 2560×1440 (channel art)

Custom thumbnails must be under 2MB file size
Use 1280×720 pixels — displayed at various sizes across devices
High contrast with bold, readable text increases click-through rate
Bright, saturated colors stand out in recommendation feeds

Compress WebP for Other Platforms

Compress WebP for YouTube — FAQ