Thumbnail Creation Guide

Overview

The Thumbnail tab (Idunn) creates professional YouTube thumbnails by extracting frames from your videos and compositing them with text overlays, logos, and flair images. Powered by the Huginn (frame extraction) and Freyja (compositing) modules.

Creating Your First Thumbnail

Step 1: Select a Video

1. Go to the Thumbnail tab (Idunn)
2. Select a video from the list on the left
3. The preview area will show the current thumbnail or a placeholder

Step 2: Configure Text

• Title: Main text overlay (usually the video topic)
• Subtitle: Secondary text (episode number, date, etc.)
• Gen Button: Click to AI-generate text from the transcript
• Blank Checkbox: Leave this text area empty

Step 3: Set Positions and Styling

• Text Position: center, top, bottom, corners
• Logo Position: top-right, center, corners, etc.
• Font: Select from installed system fonts (Impact is default)

Step 4: Configure Frame Selection

• Frame Time Range: Min/Max seconds to look for a frame
• Random: Pick a random frame within the range
• Brightest: Find the brightest/most visually appealing frame

Step 5: Generate

1. Click Generate Selected
2. Preview the result
3. Click Regenerate This Thumbnail if you want a different result

Text Overlay Settings

Title and Subtitle

Both title and subtitle support:

• Manual Entry: Type your own text
• AI Generation: Click "Gen" to create from transcript
• Blank Option: Check "Blank" to hide that text element
• Character Limit: 0-100 characters (shown in counter)

Font Selection

Choose from any font installed on your system. The dropdown is searchable - start typing to filter.

• Impact: Classic YouTube thumbnail font (default)
• Arial Black: Bold, clean alternative
• Bebas Neue: Modern condensed look

Color Customization

Configure colors in Profile Settings:

• Title Color: Main text color
• Subtitle Color: Secondary text color
• Outline Color: Text outline/stroke color

Font Scale

Adjust text size relative to the thumbnail:

• Title Font Scale: Default 4.0
• Subtitle Font Scale: Default 3.0

Logo Configuration

Add your channel logo to thumbnails automatically:

Logo Settings

• Logo Position: top-right, top-left, bottom-right, bottom-left, center
• Logo Max Size: Maximum pixel dimension (default 400)

Logo files should be placed in your profile folder. Supported formats: PNG (with transparency), JPG.

Flair Overlays

Flair images are additional decorative elements like badges, icons, or game logos:

Flair Settings

• Use Flair: Enable/disable flair overlay
• Flair File: Select the image file
• Flair Position: bottom-left, top-left, etc.
• Flair Max Size: Maximum pixel dimension (default 600)

Frame Selection Options

Frame Time Range

Control where in the video to extract the background frame:

• Min: Earliest timestamp to consider (default 30 seconds)
• Max: Latest timestamp to consider (default 120 seconds)
• Use the < > buttons to navigate manually

Frame Selection Methods

• Random (Fast): Picks a random frame within the range. Quick but may need regeneration.
• Brightest: Analyzes frames to find the most visually appealing. Takes longer but better results.

Brightness Interval

When using Brightest mode, this controls how many frames to skip between checks. Lower = more accurate but slower.

Keep Same Image Frame

Check this option to regenerate only the text while keeping the same background frame. Useful for iterating on text without changing the visual.

Batch Generation

Process thumbnails for multiple videos at once:

1. Use Select Ready to auto-select videos needing thumbnails
2. Or manually select videos with checkboxes
3. Click Gen All
4. Monitor progress in the log panel

Profile-Based Defaults

Each profile can have its own thumbnail settings. Configure in Profile Settings:

• Default colors (title, subtitle, outline)
• Default font and scale
• Logo settings
• Flair configuration
• Frame time range
• Selection method

This means your gaming channel can have different styling than your cooking channel, automatically applied.

AI-Generated Text

The "Gen" buttons use your configured AI (same as metadata) to create thumbnail text:

How It Works

1. Select an AI Personality from the dropdown
2. Click "Gen" next to Title or Subtitle
3. AI reads the transcript and generates short, punchy text
4. Edit the result as needed

Best Practices

• Keep thumbnail text SHORT - 2-5 words maximum
• Use action words and emotions
• Create curiosity or urgency
• Match your channel's style

Output Specifications

Thumbnails are generated to YouTube's recommended specifications:

Managing Thumbnails

Preview

The preview panel shows the generated thumbnail. Click on a video to see its current thumbnail.

Regenerate

Click Regenerate This Thumbnail to create a new version. The system will:

• Extract a new frame (unless "Keep same image frame" is checked)
• Reapply text, logo, and flair
• Overwrite the previous thumbnail

Delete

Use Delete Thumbs to remove selected thumbnail files.

Troubleshooting

Text is cut off or too small

• Reduce the text length (aim for 2-5 words)
• Increase the font scale in Profile Settings
• Try a different text position

Logo not appearing

• Ensure logo file exists in profile folder
• Check file format (PNG or JPG)
• Verify logo max size isn't set too small

Frame is too dark or bland

• Use "Brightest" frame selection mode
• Adjust the frame time range to a more active part of the video
• Reduce brightness interval for more options
• Regenerate multiple times

"No metadata - create content first"

Some features (like AI text generation) require the video to have metadata. Generate metadata first in the Metadata tab, or enter thumbnail text manually.

Generation is very slow

• Use "Random (Fast)" instead of "Brightest" mode
• Increase brightness interval
• Narrow the frame time range