Hello, friends. Vasily Blinov is in touch and we continue to set up our YouTube channel. Today we’ll talk about how to make a channel header. Let's consider how you can draw it yourself or order it from a designer. Also in this article you will find marked blank template for the YouTube header in psd format, an archive with ready-made templates, backgrounds and a selection of clip-arts.

Besides technical points I want to tell you why a header (banner, background) of a YouTube channel is needed, what can be depicted on it, what semantic component it carries and how it affects promotion.

Yes, it, like any other element, helps make it better and significantly influences new viewers. This is probably the most important and, of course, the largest graphic element that improves the entire appearance. Without it, any channel will look unfinished, as if the author does not care; you must admit, this reduces trust at first glance.

The background should complement the channel with information about it and visually convey the theme of your videos.

If it's a personal channel where you upload live videos, vlogs, etc., then your header photo will work best. This will immediately show users who the author of the channel is and they will remember you. Remember that your face is your brand.

If the channel of the project and there is no specific author, then in this case they usually beautifully outline the logo or name, understandable and memorable target audience. Some values, project goals, etc. are used.

It’s a normal thing for hats on YouTube to change, update and improve from time to time. Now our task is to make the first background, then you will find new ideas and edit it. When the channel starts making money, contact the designer and order a new, more professional one.

How to make a header for YouTube?

What size do you need? We recently tested it and noticed that if you make the non-recommended size of 2560 x 1440, then when scaling by YouTube, the image quality is slightly lost. Therefore, it is better to take a 2560 x 1440 pixel image or a template that I will give you and customize the image according to it.

The specifications also say that the file should weigh no more than 4 MB. But a 10 MB banner loaded smoothly for me.

This is what a template template for a YouTube header looks like, opened in Photoshop.

Blue stripes are a special marking so that you can understand which part is displayed on different monitor resolutions from TV to screen mobile phone. This markup can be disabled or enabled using the keyboard shortcut ctrl + H.

1. Download the archive with ready-made templates for YouTube (we are still preparing)

Where can I get pictures for the header?

Here either Google and Yandex, or special photo stocks will help you.

Here is a small list of photo stocks:

• rgbstock.com
• bigfoto.com
• freemediagoo.com
• foter.com
• everystockphoto.com
• stockphotos.io
• wylio.com
• canweimage.com
• littlevisuals.co
• unsplash.com
• picjumbo.com
• gratisography.com
• imcreator.com
• morguefile.com

When you search for images in the search, set the parameters so that the search does not show small images.

Otherwise, when stretched to fit the template, their quality will deteriorate.

Can't do it beautifully?

If you are not a Photoshop master and you don’t like the result, then contact the designers. You can find them yourself at. Making a banner will cost from 500 to 3,000 rubles, depending on what you want.

Now that you have a picture background image for the channel, all that remains is to install it.

How to set a background on a YouTube channel?

Step 1. Let's go to our channel. Place the cursor over the place where the background image will be and click on the pencil that appears in the upper right corner. Choose “Change channel design”.

Step 2. Drag the finished banner into the window that appears or select it on your computer.

Step 3. If you did everything according to the template, then you don’t need to crop anything. When cropping, as I already said, the quality may deteriorate.

Step 4. Click "Choose" and the background will load.

You can watch an example on the channel "Remote Worker School". We made an absolutely simple hat. Write in the comments what do you think?

We've sorted out this setup step, let's move on... And don't forget to subscribe to our newsletter.

Are you creating interesting video content? Don't forget to design your channel beautifully!

The most important role in channel design is played by the so-called header (banner, background, template). This is a big picture that conveys the essence of your hobby or business.

On this graphic element it's worth reflecting what you do. If these are games, then place gaming elements; if this is a business, then place cool cars and yachts. If you are a blogger, then it makes sense to post your photo - this will increase the trust of your subscribers.

I'll show you how to make a header for a YouTube channel. I'll also give you 50 ready-made templates, which can be downloaded for free.

How to make a header for a YouTube channel

In order for the picture to be displayed correctly on all devices (phone, TV, computer), you need to know its size. The recommended template size is 2560 x 1440 pixels. The header weight should not exceed 6 MB.

Pay attention to how the image will look on your PC and phone. In this narrow area you need to place the most important information. These devices account for the most views.

I’m sharing a ready-made template for a YouTube header, which you can use as a guide when creating a design and its layout. The template is designed to work in Photoshop.

We’ve decided on the size, now we need to find a suitable picture of the right size.

Where can I find beautiful pictures for headers?

All pictures are taken from Yandex and Google. Open Yandex and enter the word by which you need to find a photo.

Then click on filters and size. An additional window will open in which you need to enter the size of interest. Set 2560 x 1440 and click “ok”.

The output will show all the pictures on your topic in the required size. All you have to do is download them to your computer.

And also don’t forget about free photo hosting sites, where thousands of pictures are posted. High Quality and permissions. Here is a list of popular ones:

1. Public Domain Archive

Use an online translator to search for pictures by keywords. You will find more interesting photo options in English.

Where to order a header for a YouTube channel

If you don’t have the time and design skills, then you should turn to professionals and order a banner from them.

Majority large channels and bloggers order a header for their channel from .

It's inexpensive, but fast and tasteful. Look at the example of design from your Western colleagues, they know a lot about this. You can order a header for YouTube on the freelance exchange:

Here you will find hundreds of ready-made templates in psd format (for Photoshop). Download the template, edit it to your liking and use it for free. Don’t be lazy and find a few more similar groups or sites!

You can make a hat online via free service canva.com.

After registering, select “use custom size” and click create.

Use the Elements tab to create a design image. In the “Text” section you will find a lot of fonts, but not all of them will look as beautiful as in English. And in the “My” tab you can upload your own images.

This service is intended mainly for creating advertising materials for social networks, but if you get the hang of it, you can use it for any other needs.

Or use free online Photoshop and edit the templates in it.

Important! Each template uses its own fonts. They are downloaded separately! You can find them by name in any search engine.

How to install a header on YouTube

After the header is made, it needs to be uploaded to the channel. To do this, go to “my channel” and hover your mouse over the header. A camera icon will appear in the upper right corner, click on it, upload a picture and click “Select” again.

The header is installed, now you can attract new subscribers to your channel!

Users watch videos on Youtube per month and on average spend more than 1 hour per day on it. Companies cannot afford to ignore this platform as a source of traffic. If your business does not yet have a YouTube channel, we recommend starting one.

The design of a Youtube channel does not play such a critical role as the cover of a business page on Facebook. The video attracts many times more attention than a static channel header. But it also helps to brand the channel, convey a message to users and gain subscribers.

If you already have a great YouTube cover, you should add variety and update it from time to time. We’ll tell you how to do this easily and where to get ideas in this article.

What size is a YouTube banner?

Header sizes depend on the platform. The banner you see on your monitor is significantly different from what you see on your mobile screen. Here's a little guide:

The text should be located in the center of the banner, then it will not be cut off different devices. If you want to add a logo to it, place it in this “safe area”. Follow the recommendations from Google:

• Minimum uploaded image size: 2560x1440 pixels
• Size of the “safe zone” for placing text and logo: 1546x423 pixels
• Maximum width: 2560 pixels. Edges will be cut off on different devices.
• Upload file size: maximum 6 MB

What is a good YouTube banner?

A good Youtube channel header is another chance to tell people who visit your page about your company. Therefore the header should be:

1. High resolution

2560 x 1440 is a file big size. Some people watch YouTube videos on TV, so the banner should look good on large screens as well.

2. In brand style

A YouTube channel is an opportunity to promote your brand, but it should be done carefully. Don’t put everything on the banner at once: logo, slogan, call to action and contact information. Place the logo in a “safe area” so that it is visible on all devices. Use your brand colors, fonts and overall style.

3. Relevant to content

It's easy to get carried away with creating a design and sometimes you may forget the main message. The banner design should be relevant to your brand and the content you post.

How to create a banner for Youtube

To avoid creating a Youtube header design from scratch, find a simple graphic editor with ready-made templates. For inspiration, you can look at the collection of themed Youtube banner templates from Crello. To create a banner, select a template, add text and your logo.

Crello is a very convenient tool - you don't have to select sizes and worry about lack of ideas. You can take a ready-made design as a basis and change it as you need.

7 examples of great Youtube banners

Let's look at good YouTube header designs from famous brands.

1. GoPro

Tip: The image should contain objects that represent your brand. If in doubt, add images of people in the context of using your product.

2. TripAdvisor B2B

Tip: use a banner to clearly show the functionality of your product.

Tip: make your banner bright, add personality - this will make it different from others.

Tip: if you can't choose one image, make a collage. Place your company logo or one short message in the “safe area”.

Tip: Keep your target audience in mind. Lego's audience is children, and the designs are designed specifically to attract their attention.

Tip: Read about basic design tips. You will learn how to correctly combine colors, objects and fonts.

Advice: keep it simple. The LinkedIn banner has a black and white image and the logo is part of the text. Despite the lack of bright colors, the banner evokes emotions and is memorable.

Even if you don’t have the opportunity to order a banner from a designer, you can design your Youtube channel professionally. Take an example from big brands, look for ideas among ready-made templates and try it out. Good luck!

A YouTube channel header is a very important factor for success on YouTube. A poor header can significantly reduce the number of subscribers, even if you have high-quality and interesting videos. In this article I will tell you everything you need to know about the YouTube channel header: how to create a cool header, the size of the header, where to download free images for the header, where to order and how to upload the header to your channel. At the end of the article, I will show you the channel headers of the coolest YouTubers in the world and Russia. Looking ahead a little, I will say that many cool YouTubers advise not to make a hat yourself, but to order it from professional designers; more about this later in the article. First, let's define the terminology.

CONTENTS

What is a YouTube channel header?

The YouTube channel header is the image at the top of the channel. It's easier to see once than to hear 100 times. This is what the header of the most popular channel in the world, PewDiePie, with 57 million subscribers, looks like today:

The red picture above is the header of the world's most popular channel PewDiePie with 57 million subscribers

When I was writing this article, I discovered with interest that the channel header is also called “ cover youtube«, « banner youtube«, « background youtube«, « youtube template«, « picture youtube". All these are other names for the YouTube channel header, although the template and picture are not the header itself, but blanks for creating it. And the official name of the header, which is used in the YouTube help, is “ channel background image«.

Banner sizes for YouTube

Look at the official YouTube video about how the YouTube channel header is displayed on various devices(enable Russian subtitles in the video settings):

How to make a beautiful YouTube channel header from any picture

As you already understand, for the cover of a YouTube channel you can use any image with a size of at least 2560 x 1440 pixels. To turn a beautiful picture into a channel header, you need to write your own text on this picture and always in the “safe zone” so that this text is displayed on all devices. You can add text to a picture in any graphic editor, for example, Photoshop, Gimp, Paint (the easiest!), etc. When you upload a picture to your channel, YouTube will show how it will be displayed on various devices:

How the YouTube header looks on different devices

If you click the “Crop” button, you can select the area of ​​the picture that will be displayed as your channel header.

As a channel cover, you can use any beautiful photo, photos with landscapes, and, finally, just ordinary textures. Here's how nice it can look (click on the image):

YouTube banner with landscape

YouTube banner with a beautiful photo

YouTube banner with texture

You can see more examples and even download the textures in the article from which I took these photos: “20 Free YouTube One Channel Art Designs“.

How to upload a channel banner on YouTube

Uploading a new banner to your channel is very simple - you need to hover your mouse over the header of your channel, and a button will appear in the upper right corner, clicking on which you can upload a new header:

When you click on this button, you will see the window that I already showed above in the picture “What the YouTube header looks like on different devices,” and everything there is already intuitively clear. Just upload your picture and that's it. You won't have any difficulties with this. YouTube loves to change the interface, and if, when you read this article, it changes it again, then read the YouTube help “How to add or change the background image of a channel.” The information there should always be up to date.

Where can I download pictures for YouTube for free?

Well, here are the places where you can download pictures for free. Don't forget that pictures must be at least 2560 x 1440 pixels in size.

• Google and Yandex. Search in pictures, setting the minimum image size;
• libraries of free images. Here are my favorites: pond5.com, pixabay.com, pexels.com, gratisography.com, unsplash.com, freepik.com. I also have an article that contains 12 free stock photos: “ “;
• libraries of free textures. Try these two: freepik.com/free-vectors/textures and pixabay.com/en/photos/?cat=backgrounds or Google “free background textures” to find other sites;
• galleries of free YouTube hats. There are a lot of them on the Internet, but they usually don’t exist for a long time, so I won’t give a link. Type in Google: “download a ready-made header for YouTube for free.”

Where to order a professional YouTube channel background and how much does it cost?

It is advised to order a hat rather than making it yourself. This is because the design of the header is very important to the success of the channel, and if you are not a designer, then it is unlikely that you will be able to make a decent header yourself. Therefore, it is better to buy a hat than to make it yourself. Where can I order a hat? There are these options:

Professional graphics stores, the price of a YouTube banner is 150-600 rubles

If you want to get a professional header for your channel and are willing to pay a small amount for it in the range of 150-600 rubles, then you should look at ready-made banners for YouTube at professional graphics store Graphicriver. Yes, you will pay a little, but you will save time and get a professional and beautiful hat. In addition, this header will rarely be found anywhere, because it is paid.

It seems to me that this is the most best option. You choose a ready-made professional banner for YouTube and buy it for a small amount.

Freelance exchanges, the price of a YouTube banner is 300-3000 rubles

This is my least favorite option. Usually, before you get anything from freelancing, you have to negotiate and change several freelancers. However, there are no guarantees that the freelancer who will make your hat will be a professional. BUT... A channel header ordered in this way will be 100% unique and no one else will have one like it! Those. you can tell the designer any of your fantasies, and he will realize them. I recommend these exchanges:

• Fiverr ($5 per header). If you still order a hat from freelancers, then I usually use the fiverr service, where all services cost five dollars. Yes, the banner will cost only five bucks, but you will have to communicate in English. The same service is recommended. When I made headers for YouTube channels, I usually had to change 2-3 freelancers before I got what I needed. I have been working with freelancers for many years and here I can give the following advice: if after the second revision you are not satisfied with the work, change the freelancer. With freelancers, I usually either succeed at everything at once with one or two modifications, or never at all. There is no point in tormenting each other if nothing worked out after the first or second revision.
• Fl.ru (3000 rubles for a YouTube header, Russian). This is the oldest and most popular freelance exchange in Russia. There you will find a Russian freelancer who will make you a banner for YouTube. Use this option only if you do not know English language and therefore cannot use Fiverr, and if you did not find anything suitable in professional graphics store graphicriver.net. Russian designers want at least 3,000 rubles for any banner.

Online services for creating background images for YouTube, the price of a YouTube banner is from 0 to 800 rubles

There are many services for creating a background image for YouTube, but one of them I liked is canva.com. This service is paid, but there is a powerful free tariff plan that contains a lot of beautiful templates YouTube channel headers. They look very cool! If you don't have enough free options tariff plan, then you can take trial version paid plan for 30 days. During this time you can do anything you want, and for free. The paid plan costs $13 per month.

Another service that I liked and which I used to create headers for my YouTube channels: Fotor (you can select Russian in the upper right corner). Try it, maybe it suits you better.

What is the difference between a brilliant YouTube channel header and a mediocre one?

Let's figure out what tasks the YouTube channel header solves? What is it for? Here are the main goals that your channel header should ideally help achieve. Ideal hat:

1. Makes you want to immediately subscribe to the channel.
2. Makes you want to show the hat to your friends.
3. It's immediately memorable.
4. Arouses interest, curiosity, attracts attention.
5. It immediately makes it clear what the channel is about, or creates a burning desire to find out.
6. Causes positive emotions and pleasure.
7. Looks cool, professional, like a million dollars.

I told you about an ideally brilliant hat, but a mediocre hat is the same thing, only exactly the opposite: it is not memorable, not interesting, does not correspond to the spirit and theme of the channel, evokes bad emotions, makes you want to immediately leave the channel and looks very dumb.

Channel headers of the most successful YouTubers in the world and Russia

Well, in conclusion, let's look at examples of channel headers of the most successful YouTubers. Let's learn from them - how to do it!

PewDiePie - how it was)

This is the channel header of the world's most popular YouTuber Pewdiepie at the time when he had 46 million subscribers. I don’t know about you, but I have no words. The first thought that comes to mind is: “Moron!” and you start laughing. It is clear that the man was just fooling around. Nevertheless, it attracts attention and is immediately remembered, making you want to show it to your friends. Please note that the word TWETER is misspelled on the header, as it is actually spelled Twitter. These are my thoughts, what thoughts and emotions does this hat evoke for you? Tell us in the comments...

PewDiePie channel header at the time of 46 million subscribers

And here is his channel header in the days when PewDiePie had 35 million subscribers:

PewDiePie channel header at the time of 35 million subscribers

And here's the Pewdiepie channel header, which it looks like he had for a long time in his early days. I can’t say exactly how many, but I know for sure that this hat was there when he had 10 and 28 million subscribers. I saw screenshots on the Internet.

And what kind of hat does PewDiePie have now, you saw in the very first picture in this article. What can we say? It seems that every year the hats on his channel are getting worse and worse and at the same time more and more interesting))).

VanossGaming

VanossGaming is the world's most popular gaming YouTuber with 21 million subscribers. As you can see, today this is an ordinary hat, there is nothing special about it. Simple, but tasteful. Vanos is very popular and can afford it. It's a pity that we don't know what kind of hats he had before. However, Vanos' videos are very cool and funny, even for those who don't like to play. Watch it like a comedy... I recommend it!

Header of the most popular gaming channel in the world Vanossgaming

Ivan Gai

This is one of the most popular YouTube channels in Russia with 12 million subscribers. The cover speaks for itself. I have nothing to add. Do you like it)?

Frost

Frost is the most popular gaming channel in Russia with 7 million subscribers. I have a lot of respect for Frost for being so successful. But I don't like his hat, in my opinion, it's nothing special. It's clear that the guy didn't bother much.

Kate Clapp

TheKateClapp is the most popular girl channel in Russia with 6 million subscribers. I really respect Katya for what she has achieved and I really like her videos - she is a professional. And the cover was made professionally, by a good designer. But still, its cover is some kind of color cacophony. The central idea and genius are missing. It doesn’t arouse interest or curiosity, I don’t want to show it to friends and subscribe... The cover can be made much more professional and stylish.

Adobe Channel

And here is the cover of the channel of Adobe, which released graphics editor Photoshop. These are very rich guys and I think they spent a huge amount of money making this hat. And although they only have 260 thousand subscribers, I show their channel cover as an example of a good business channel header.

Watch a video with an overview of the hats of the most popular YouTubers in the world and Russia in order of increasing “suckiness”:

Instead of a conclusion, which YouTuber’s hat is cooler?

Of all the hats reviewed here, I liked the PewDiePie hats the most, I think they are the coolest. It's no surprise that PewDiePie has become the most popular YouTuber in the world. He understands that the YouTube channel header is one of the important factors for the success of the channel. He has the most ingenious hats I've ever seen. All the other hats discussed in this article can hardly be called genius. In second place in terms of professionalism is VanossGaming, but our YouTubers don’t really bother with the design of their hats, except for Katya Klap... Katya Klap was confused, and she was very confused.

When creating a header for your channel, focus on the unrivaled leader - PewDiePie if you have a personal channel, and the Adobe channel header if you have a business channel, and then you will have significantly more subscribers than with a poor header.

I hope that this article gave a comprehensive answer to the question of how to make a YouTube channel header. If not, ask questions in the comments...

On this page we have placed ready-made headers for the Youtube channel, which you can freely download and install on your channel in just a couple of clicks.

Download header for Youtube channel

We know that sometimes making a hat for YouTube yourself is long and not interesting. In some situations there is simply no time for this, and sometimes there is a lack of inspiration or skills. Especially for such situations, we have prepared a small collection of high-quality hats for YouTube, which you can download directly from our website. All these hats were in free access, and we just collected them in one place.

Ready-made hats for Youtube channel

Along with the header in the presented archives you will find a file with a font and instructions on how to install and configure the whole thing. Don’t be lazy to read and install the desired font, otherwise the entire effect of the header will be lost.

Why do you need ready-made headers for your YouTube channel?

As we wrote earlier, there are a lot of situations when you need to use a template rather than something original. Starting from a lack of funds and time, and ending with the banal inability to do such things on their own.

Be that as it may, we understand this perfectly well and therefore decided to help our readers and selected 20 free hats for the design of the YouTube channel, which are made in accordance with all the rules put forward by the system.

The only thing that will need to be changed is to add your name. Fortunately, each template in the archive comes with a file with fonts exactly the same as those used in the template itself. So that everything looks organic.

Brief installation instructions are also included in the archive. Everything is very simple. Even without any skills, you can do all this in just a couple of minutes.

We hope that you will find something you like in our article. If not, then write in the comments and we will help you make your own unique hat for YouTube.