Success on YouTube largely depends on the proper design of your channel, which includes the avatar, video thumbnails, and banner. It’s the YouTube banner size that can cause problems, such as the video hosting platform complaining about the file size or important information being hidden on smartphone screens.
Let’s figure out what YouTube banner size is needed to satisfy both the video hosting platform and the users. This is important because it greatly affects the conversion rate from random channel visitors to subscribers and increases chances of becoming a real YouTube influencer.
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YouTube Banner Formats
The YouTube banner is an image positioned at the top of the channel page. On mobile devices and PCs, it occupies the top portion of the screen, while on TVs, it can take up the entire screen.
The help center of YouTube does not specify the required file formats for uploaded images. There are only recommendations for the avatar, which should be a round icon visible on the channel page, under uploaded videos, and in comments if you write something there. For avatars or icons, you can use GIF or PNG files, but animated GIFs cannot be uploaded.
The YouTube banner can be uploaded in various formats, including rare ones. Until you try, you won’t know if the video hosting platform will accept the image in the format you are using. It’s better not to take risks and immediately save the banner as a PNG or JPG file.
Recommended and Optimal YouTube Banner Resolutions in Pixels (px)
Content creators often don’t understand what YouTube banner size image is needed. The audience can view the channel page from a PC, tablet, smartphone, and even a TV. You need to upload a banner that displays well on all devices and informs users about the content.
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The content itself is somewhat understandable: the YouTube banner should reflect the theme of your channel. If you talk about cars, use car images. If you stream a popular game, take a screenshot from it and use it as a banner. The issue lies with the dimensions. YouTube itself has established the following:
- The minimum YouTube banner size is 2048×1152 px, with an aspect ratio of 16:9.
- The recommended size for a YouTube banner is 2560×1440 pixels.
- There is no maximum pixel size limit: theoretically, you can upload a banner of any resolution.
However, even with the recommended YouTube banner size, there can be issues.
The resolution of 2560×1440 pixels is the maximum allowable banner size that will be fully visible even on a TV. The YouTube help center recommends placing company information in the center area with dimensions of 1235×338 pixels. This is the part that users will see from any device, even from mobile devices with the smallest screens.
Theoretically, you can upload a 1235×338 px banner, but if users access your channel from a computer or TV, the banner will appear small. You can make it larger by simply placing contacts, logos, and other important information in the safe zone so that they are not cropped on mobile devices.
You can check how your channel banner looks on YouTube during the upload process. When you add a new image, the video hosting platform will automatically display it on different screens, allowing you to evaluate its appearance.
YouTube Banner Image Size in MB
There are no maximum pixel size restrictions, but there is a limit on the maximum file size for the illustration. YouTube will not accept an image larger than 6 MB. Therefore, you cannot use complex illustrations with a lot of graphic elements and bright tones.
If the image size exceeds a couple of megabytes, you can do the following:
- Use compression services that reduce the file size of the image.
- Reduce the resolution, which will automatically decrease the file size of the illustration.
If there are any issues with your YouTube banner, YouTube will automatically reject it and send you a notification. The notification will indicate what is wrong and what needs to be fixed.
Uploading a suitable banner on YouTube is not as difficult as it seems. Just avoid using complex graphic elements, maintain the correct proportions, and keep an eye on the file size of the image. If necessary, use optimizers to reduce the size.
