Image stretcher
Stretch a YouTube banner to 2560×1440
A YouTube channel banner is 2560×1440. A television shows that whole frame. A phone shows a short band through the middle, so type at the far left or right never reaches the phone. Shorts are 1080×1920, and the watermark is 150×150.
YouTube banner, thumbnail, and Shorts
The banner is 2560×1440. The thumbnail is 1280×720. Shorts are 1080×1920.
Size chart
Pixel width, height, and the reduced ratio for every template on this page.
| Template | Width | Height | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banner | 2560 | 1440 | 16:9 |
| Thumbnail | 1280 | 720 | 16:9 |
| Shorts | 1080 | 1920 | 9:16 |
| Profile | 800 | 800 | 1:1 |
| Post | 1080 | 1080 | 1:1 |
| Watermark | 150 | 150 | 1:1 |
What a 2560×1440 banner hides on a phone
The banner file is 2560×1440, and a television can show all of it. Desktop and phones keep a short band through the middle. Words at the far left or right vanish on a phone.
A thumbnail is 1280×720. A channel post is 1080×1080. The profile picture is 800×800. None of those is a crop of the banner.
Shorts are 1080×1920. The 150×150 watermark is a separate tiny square. Stretching the banner down to that watermark throws away the frame you just set.
How to stretch an image for a YouTube frame
A channel banner, a thumbnail, and a Short are not one 16:9 file at three scales.
- Step 1
Open the artwork, not a compressed thumbnail
The banner on this page is 2560×1440. Starting from a 1280×720 thumbnail and stretching up makes the banner soft.
- Step 2
Select the YouTube row
Banner is 2560×1440. Thumbnail is 1280×720. Shorts are 1080×1920. Profile is 800×800. Community post is 1080×1080. Watermark is 150×150.
- Step 3
Keep the banner’s safe middle in mind
2560×1440 is the file. A television shows all of it. Phones and desktop show a short band through the middle, so type at the far left or right never reaches a phone.
- Step 4
Export the thumbnail separately
1280×720 is the watch-page thumbnail. A 1080×1920 Short will not letterbox into that thumbnail without its own stretch or a crop.
YouTube slots with their own pixel boxes
Use the row that matches the surface, then stretch.
Channel banner
2560×1440. A television can show the whole frame. Phones keep a short center band, so faces at the extreme left and right get cut there.
Thumbnail
1280×720. This is the 16:9 still beside the title. Stretching a vertical Short into it squashes the subject.
Shorts
1080×1920. The lower portion carries the title and buttons. A banner file turned on its side is the wrong source.
Profile and watermark
Profile is 800×800. The watermark is 150×150. Stretching the banner down to 150×150 destroys the mark; export the logo on its own.
Community post
The post row is 1080×1080. It is not the thumbnail and not the banner.
Why stretch for YouTube with ImageStretcher
The banner’s safe area is the center
Channel art is 2560×1440. A television shows that whole frame. Desktop and phones show a short band through the middle, so words at the far left or right vanish on a phone.
Thumbnails are judged small
A thumbnail is 1280×720 and YouTube shows it small in search. Thin type that looks fine at full size disappears there.
The watermark is a corner stamp
The watermark slot is 150×150 and sits over the player. A full scene stretched into that square becomes a blob.
Shorts are not the thumbnail
Shorts are 1080×1920. The 1280×720 thumbnail is a different file. Stretching the thumbnail taller does not make the Shorts frame.
Formats and limits for YouTube stretching
Download JPEG for a YouTube thumbnail or a photographic banner. Download PNG for the 150×150 watermark so the edges of the mark stay sharp at that tiny size.
Type-led channel art at 2560×1440 holds its edges as PNG. A photographic thumbnail at 1280×720 is fine as JPEG.
The 150×150 watermark needs a simple mark. Shrinking the banner into that square throws the frame away.
The thumbnail is not a shrunk banner
2560×1440 and 1280×720 share a shape. The thumbnail is still its own file, and a phone hides the banner’s left and right even when the television does not.
Shorts are 1080×1920. Turning the banner on its side does not produce that frame, and the 150×150 watermark is a corner stamp, not a miniature banner.
YouTube 2560×1440 banner FAQ
- Which YouTube sizes can I stretch on this page?
- Banner 2560×1440, thumbnail 1280×720, Shorts 1080×1920, profile 800×800, post 1080×1080, watermark 150×150.
- Is the YouTube banner just a big thumbnail?
- No. The thumbnail is 1280×720. The banner is 2560×1440. A television shows the banner whole, and phones crop it to a center band. Stretch the banner from a larger source.
- Can I reuse a Short as the thumbnail?
- Only after a second export. 1080×1920 does not fill 1280×720. Cropping the Short’s middle is often cleaner than stretching it wide.
- What happens if I stretch type on a thumbnail?
- The letters get wider or taller with the photo. For a 1280×720 thumbnail, stretch the picture, then add type at the final size so the words stay square.
- What should I download for YouTube?
- JPEG for the 1280×720 thumbnail and the photo banner. PNG for the 150×150 watermark and for flat channel art.