Have you updated your channel on YouTube lately? If not, your cover art needs updating, since YouTube switched over to a new layout on June 5. One Channel, a new, responsive channel design is now the default layout for all users. All you have to do is set it up once and your YouTube channel will look great on every device and screen size. This is important, given the fact that YouTube is accessed on most every connected device out there. To wit:
• 25% of global YouTube views come from mobile devices.
• YouTube mobile gets 1 billion views a day.
• YouTube is available on hundreds of millions of devices.
• Traffic from mobile devices tripled in 2011.
(Source: YouTube, http://www.youtube.com/yt/press/statistics.html)
Let us Help
The YouTube Channel Art Guidelines are helpful, but some of the specs can be a bit confusing. To help jumpstart the process, we created a YouTube Channel Art Template that will provide you with a native .PSD file to use when designing your graphic.
Download Free YouTube One Channel Template
Some Guidelines
- First, make a brand consistent background texture — preferably without text at 2560 px wide by 1440 px tall. You might also consider a background image with subject matter focused in the center.
- Keep in mind that the largest majority of viewers will only see the section that’s vertically aligned middle and horizontally aligned center — a space that is 1546 px wide by 423 px tall.
- Save your image as a .jpg. At full quality this will be a large file. YouTube allows you to upload channel artwork of up to 2mb. However, aim for an even lighter load time. A JPEG at 60 percent or 70 percent quality should keep the size light while maintaining image fidelity.
- Chances are you already have a profile icon and probably don’t need to update it. However, the new YouTube One Channel layout for larger screens places your profile icon over your background texture. It automatically generates a soft, drop shadow for separation, but we recommend that you still take a look and make sure the colors work well together. If the colors don’t work, try these simple fixes to the background texture:
- Make sure your hex colors match.
- If the colors clash when placed on top of each other, try desaturating the background image by 10 percent. This will usually help blend colors that aren’t getting along. If that doesn’t work, try a grayscale or monotone image, which can be achieved by placing a layer of your brand color over the image and selecting the “Overlay” filter in Photoshop or your preferred image editing software.
- Even an amazing photo may not work in this space. Don’t be afraid to try a few different images if it’s not coming together.
The new One Channel layout will help provide a responsive, consistent visual presentation of your brand, as well as usability optimized across all devices. It’s worth the time and effort to make it look great, so download our free Youtube One Channel template and get started!