Google YouTube Creator Playbook Guide Version 2 - Manual (Page 46)

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How-To Steps
1. Keep thumbnail optimization in mind when shooting
Shoot your videos to make the content translate into a great thumbnail.
Proper lighting, framing the shot, and capturing compelling imagery
when you shoot will provide you with better material to work with when
creating a thumbnail.
Consider taking photographs during your shoots to capture images for
thumbnails.
2. Create a great thumbnail
Using images from the video and supplemental images (where
relevant/appropriate) to create a custom thumbnail that shows off the
best aspects of the video.
Using photo-editing software to resize, modify, or combine images
together in the frame.
Apply effects such as adjusting the contrast and brightness of the
image to make it stand-out and make the colors brighter.
Preview your thumbnail design at the actual size it will appear on the
site to know if the image will still be eye-catching at smaller scales.
Track changes in viewership after you optimize your thumbnails. Use
the Viewership graph and Traffic Sources information available in
Analytics to track any increase in viewership coming from search,
homepage feed, or suggested video where thumbnails are important for
attracting clicks.
Publishing & Optimization Thumbnail Optimization