YouTube just rolled out a set of updates that give creators more control over how their Shorts show up on the platform. The biggest one: you can now upload fully custom thumbnails for your Shorts, a feature creators have been asking for since Shorts launched.

Alongside that, YouTube is also bringing thumbnail frame selection to desktop for Shorts, closing a gap between the mobile and desktop editing experience.

Until now, if you wanted a specific image on your Short, you were basically stuck with whatever frame you could grab from the video itself. That's changing.

You can now upload your own thumbnail images for Shorts directly from YouTube Studio, the same way you would for a long-form upload. YouTube has said the feature will expand to more creators over time, so if you don't see it in your Studio yet, it's on the way.

On mobile, you've been able to pick any frame from your Short as the thumbnail for a while now. That functionality is moving over to desktop, but in a slightly different form.

Instead of scrubbing through the video to grab any frame, desktop users will now be given three suggested frames to choose from. It's less flexible than the mobile version, but it's a real step up from having no thumbnail control on desktop at all.

Should You Actually Use This?

Unlike long-form or mid-form content, where packaging is one of the biggest drivers of performance, Shorts don't rely on thumbnails nearly as much. The majority of Shorts views come from people scrolling the Shorts feed, where the thumbnail doesn't really factor into securing a view.

That said, there are still a few good reasons to care:

- YouTube keeps pushing Shorts onto the homepage, where viewers are choosing between multiple options and the thumbnail does start to matter.
- Consistent thumbnail branding can make the Shorts tab on your channel page look a lot cleaner and more intentional.
- For creators who already have a strong packaging system for long-form, extending that visual identity to Shorts is a natural next step.

If you have the resources, designing custom thumbnails for your Shorts is a nice touch and can strengthen your overall channel look. If you don't have the time or capacity for that, the three-frame selection on desktop is still a meaningful upgrade over what was available before.

If you have any questions about this update or anything else YouTube, feel free to contact us.

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