Thumbnail Font System
Loki Studio includes a professional font selection system for creating eye-catching thumbnails that don't look AI-generated.
Location: Profile Settings → Thumbnail Customization → Font
1. Curated System Fonts (26 fonts)
Carefully selected for thumbnail readability and visual impact:
Top Tier (Recommended)
- Impact (default) - Widely used for YouTube thumbnails
- Arial Black - Bold, high-contrast
- Bebas Neue - Modern, condensed
Sans-Serif (Clean & Modern)
Arial Bold, Tahoma Bold, Verdana Bold, Calibri Bold, Segoe UI Bold, Trebuchet MS Bold
Display Fonts
Anton, Oswald Bold, Montserrat Bold, Roboto Bold, Franklin Gothic Heavy
Serif (Distinctive)
Times New Roman Bold, Georgia Bold, Palatino Linotype Bold
2. User-Installed Fonts (Unlimited)
Pro Tip: User fonts are completely unrestricted! Install as many custom fonts as you want for unique thumbnails.
- All fonts installed "for this user only" automatically appear in the dropdown
- Marked with (User) suffix for easy identification
- No limit on number of user fonts
- Perfect for brand-specific fonts or unique styles
How to Install User Fonts (Windows)
Method 1: Windows Settings
- Download a TrueType font (.ttf) or OpenType font (.otf) file
- Right-click the font file
- Select "Install for this user only" (NOT "Install for all users")
- Restart Loki Studio to see the new font
Method 2: Manual Installation
- Download a .ttf or .otf font file
- Copy it to:
C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Fonts
- Restart Loki Studio
Why User-Only Fonts?
- ✓ No admin rights required
- ✓ Doesn't clutter system fonts
- ✓ Easy to remove if you don't like them
- ✓ Automatically detected by Loki Studio
What Makes a Good Thumbnail Font?
DO Use
- High contrast (bold/heavy weight)
- Clear outlines (auto-added by app)
- Readable at small sizes (50x50px)
- Wide letters
AVOID
- Thin fonts - they disappear at thumbnail size
- Script fonts - hard to read quickly
- Overly decorative fonts
Font Recommendations by Style
| Style |
Recommended Fonts |
| Best Overall |
Impact (bold, condensed, high readability) |
| Modern |
Bebas Neue, Montserrat Bold, Roboto Bold |
| Classic |
Arial Black, Helvetica Bold |
| Dramatic |
Anton, Oswald Bold, Franklin Gothic Heavy |
Where to Find Free Fonts
Other Thumbnail Customizations
Beyond fonts, you can customize in Profile Settings → Thumbnail Customization:
- Subtitle Color - RGB color values for subtitle text
- Game Color - RGB color values for game title
- Outline Color - RGB color for text outline (default: black)
- Logo - Path to game logo PNG (overlaid on thumbnail)
- Logo Position - top-left, top-right, bottom-left, bottom-right
- Flair - Additional decorative images from Flair/ folder
Note: All thumbnail customizations are per-profile. Different games/series can have different fonts, colors, and logos.
Testing Different Fonts
Quick Workflow
- Generate a thumbnail with default font (Impact)
- Change font in Profile Settings → Save
- Return to Thumbnails tab
- Check "Keep same frame" (to use same video frame)
- Click "Regenerate Thumbnail"
- Compare the two thumbnails
Pro Tips
- Test thumbnails at 50x50px - if you can't read it, YouTube viewers can't either
- Use bold fonts like Impact for maximum readability at small sizes
- The app automatically adds black outlines for better contrast
- Different profiles can have different fonts for each game/series