“Creators on iOS: We’re starting to roll out Shorts thumbnail selection to your devices. The ability to choose a frame from your Short to be used as the video’s thumbnail will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.”
Short Circuit
To set the record straight, creators can already choose a thumbnail for their Shorts within YouTube Studio, but this new process makes it possible within the in-app upload flow, which could help streamline your process. If you want to select a thumbnail frame for your Shorts, simply follow these instructions:
Record or import a video with the Shorts camera then navigate to the final upload screen.
Tap the pencil icon that is overlaid over the thumbnail of your video.
Scrub along your video’s timeline to pick a thumbnail then hit ‘Done’.
Upload your Short.
YouTube says that it’s currently impossible to change the thumbnail after your Short has been uploaded, but it does look to add the function in a future update. So, at least for the time being, it would be best to come up with an ideal title before publishing your Short/s.
This could become an even more pressing issue if TikTok does get banned in the US. Should that happen, many TikTok refugees will be left looking for a new platform to call home, and YouTube could well provide the best opportunities, along with the most similar in-app creation tools and options. As such, it makes sense for YouTube to continue refining and improving its Shorts tools. This update marks another step in its broader process overhaul.
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