You guys have been following my progress and learning as I set out to become a YouTuber.
Today I want to give you a tutorial on how to create channel art. Now, channel art, just to be clear, is the header on your YouTube channel.
The problem with YouTube channel art is that you need one image that can successfully do 3 jobs: it’s seen on TV, on the internet and on mobile differently. This can be a big headache.
But I’m going to give you a few tips and tricks and tools that you can use to make killer YouTube Channel Art in this tutorial. Let’s go!
Creating your Channel Art
If you have Photoshop or GIMP or something of the like, you could certainly do this from scratch. The correct sizing would be to create a blank image that is 2560 x 1440 px. You’ll also need YouTube’s Channel Art Template. This will make sure that your art will look good across all platforms.
If you don’t have those programs, and you’re not a graphic designer, I’d suggest you use either Canva (which is what I used) or Adobe Spark. They both have templates to create YouTube channel art.
- Choose a background image. I’ve chosen to use one of my photographs, but you could easily use a simple coloured or patterned background.
- Using a text box, write the name of your channel smack dab in the middle of the image. You want any info in the box to be no larger than 1546 x 423px. You can include things like your name, your channel’s name, give an idea as to what kinds of videos you create, and even your video schedule (ie: “new videos every thursday).
- If there are other, less important bits of information you want to include, you can put those in as well, but be aware that they may not be accessible on YouTube or on mobile.
- Upload the YouTube Channel art template and overlay it on your image. Make it transparent so that you can see the channel art you’ve just created in the background, and make sure that your title is in the right place. Adjust as needed.
- Download your new template.
- Head to your YouTube channel, and click on the little pencil in the upper right-hand corner of your current channel art. Select “edit channel art” and upload your new art. Et voila! Killer YouTube Channel Art! See it in action here.
