Thread by @PhedEU

You can now use AI to create Faceless YouTube thumbnails in ~ 1 minute

No need to be spending $100 per thumbnail

Here's how to be your own designer in minutes

A thread 🧵

You guys really enjoyed yesterday's thread

So this will be the a tutorial on how to use ChatGPT 4o to generate thumbnails

Bookmark to come back and use this thread in the future👇

For the purpose of this thread, we will be designing thumbnails in the "Why it Sucks to be X character" niche, just like the scriptwriting tutorial

We want to find the most successful channel in the niche we're entering so we can replicate its style

First prompt:

Analyze the provided YouTube thumbnails and create a "thumbnail design profile" in the form of a JSON object.

This profile should extract and describe the visual tone, composition, color psychology, and strategic intent behind the thumbnail design, in a way that allows an AI to recreate similar thumbnails in the same style, but for entirely different topics.

Do not include or reference any specific text, characters, faces, brands, or subject matter from the original thumbnail.

Your job is to isolate and document the visual storytelling, emotional cues, design structure, and aesthetic choices used, so it can be applied to different content while maintaining the same thumbnail identity and impact.

The JSON should include, but not be limited to:

Color Scheme: bright / muted / neon / pastel / high-contrast / etc.

Lighting & Mood: cinematic / flat / dramatic / vibrant / dark / surreal / etc.

Subject Focus: facial close-up / object-centric / symbolic / abstract / text-heavy / etc.

Facial Expression Style (if any): exaggerated / intense / emotional / neutral / shocked / etc.

Text Style: big bold text / minimal text / handwritten / cinematic / outlined / etc.

Composition Style: centered subject / rule of thirds / zoomed-in / layered / asymmetrical / etc.

Visual Effects: glow / cutouts / drop shadow / motion blur / grain / collage / etc.

Emotional Tone: epic / mysterious / funny / intense / wholesome / inspirational / etc.

Thumbnail Strategy: curiosity gap / shock value / emotional storytelling / visual metaphor / aesthetic intrigue / etc.

Design Consistency: templated / freestyle / branded elements / recurring layout / etc.

General Style Tags: genre/feel, e.g., "true crime thriller", "motivational storytelling", "comedic commentary", "cinematic vlog", etc.

The output must be a well-structured JSON that an AI can use to recreate thumbnails in the same visual and strategic style, regardless of the actual subject matter.

* NOTE: *
(Attach 2-3 thumbnails of the SAME style)

If you don't know how to download thumbnails from YouTube videos, google "thumbnail grabber" and use any of the free downloaders

Simply copy paste the video link

example: youtube-thumbnail-grabber(dot)com

You have now created a thumbnail design profile in JSON format

Next step is to create a Custom GPT that we can use for all thumbnails moving forward

Click Explore GPTs, then Create

Your first prompt for the Custom GPT should be as follows:

Absolutely. Here's the full prompt and the JSON configuration you can give to a custom GPT to generate thumbnails in this exact visual style.

✅ Prompt for Custom GPT Thumbnail Generator

You are a YouTube thumbnail designer that creates thumbnails in a highly consistent visual style

Every thumbnail must follow these strict rules:

The left side of the thumbnail must show the animal or object specified by the user. It should be a vector-style illustration, with expressive facial features if it’s an animal or character. The subject must have a strong emotional expression, such as anger, sadness, or determination.

The right side of the thumbnail must contain 2–4 words of bold, handwritten-style text, based on what the user specifies.

The text should be black, with a curved arrow pointing from the text to the subject.
The thumbnail must be designed in a 1920x1080 resolution, with a white background, high contrast, and minimal distractions.

The overall tone should be emotionally provocative, curiosity-driven, and feel like it’s from an educational or storytelling YouTube channel.

The layout, font, arrow style, and expression style must stay visually consistent across all thumbnails — like a templated, recurring format

You will receive only two inputs from the user:
The subject (e.g., “octopus”, “robot”, “pigeon”, etc.) to draw on the left side.

The short text to place on the right side (e.g., “Feared by Many”, “Hunted for Fun”)

Based on that, generate a thumbnail following the exact format above.

🧠 {PASTE JSON HERE}

👇 Example User Input for the Custom GPT

"Replicate this exact thumbnail style, add a flamingo on the left, and the text "super smelly" on the right".

The Custom GPT will likely generate a name/custom PFP for itself

You can change everything by going to the configure tab

After you're done, click Create

The Custom GPT will appear in the sidebar of your window

Let's test it now👇

For perfect accuracy, we will be reattaching just one thumbnail

ChatGPT cannot generate 16:9 pictures yet, so we will use a workaround for that. Using any editing software, add black bars on top and on the bottom of the reference thumbnail

Export it as a 1526x1024 image - it should look just like this: (notice the black tv bars)

This is the prompt we will be using:

create a 16:9 aspect ratio youtube thumbnail with the black tv bar overlay on the top and bottom, and generate the following in between the bars: exact same style as the thumbnail attached, a flamingo on the left side and the text "super smelly" on the right side

After you get the result you are looking for, go back into any editing app (can use Canva since it's free) - and remove the black bars/export in 1920:1080 aspect ratio

Here's the outcome👇

So, after all is said and done - you can generate a thumbnail that is on the same level - or better than the competition, by simply writing in 1 simple prompt

Note that you should create one JSON/Custom GPT per thumbnail/design style. One GPT per niche/thumbnail style

homage to @apollonator3000 - drop him a follow to front run everyone on anything AI

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