How to Change Your Channel Banner on YouTube

Your YouTube banner, cover, or channel art is something that you don’t want to overlook when customizing your channel. It’s one of the first things that people see when they visit your channel. Excellent YouTube banners can help build a great first impression. And you don’t want to drive people away just because your YouTube banner looks dull, rushed, or like you didn’t stop for a moment to think about it at all.

Impress your viewers and make them your subscribers by uploading a great YouTube banner art. Here, you will learn what makes a good YouTube banner and how to change your existing channel art. Plus, you will also see examples of fantastic YouTube banners to get inspiration from. Ready? Here we go.

Uploading a banner on your YouTube channel can be a little tricky. You may have to do some trial-and-error before being satisfied with the look of your YouTube banner. But if you know what exactly is YouTube looking for channel arts, then you’ll probably do it just one time.

The reason for this is YouTube channel art is displayed differently on various devices. Although YouTube’s recommended size is 2048 x 1152 pixels, some parts of your banner may be cropped out when viewed on a phone or a tablet.

Here’s a quick rundown of banner requirements:

• Recommended YouTube banner size: 2560 x 1440 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 16:9
• The minimum size required by YouTube: 2048 x 1152 pixels, with an aspect ratio of 16:9
• Safe area for all the important elements of your banner (text, logo, etc.): 1235 x 338 pixels
• File size: 6MB or smaller

When editing a YouTube banner, keep in mind that the image must be flexible enough so that people can view it across different devices. YouTube recommends 2048 x 1152 pixels (2560 x 1440 pixels if you want it to look sharper or more high-res). With this size, your YouTube banner can be viewed on TV which has an aspect ratio of 16:9.

However, when viewed on other devices such as desktops and phones, some parts of the image will be cropped out to fit into it.

The red one is the size of the recommended YouTube banner.

The orange one is the minimum size required by YouTube.

The yellow one is how your cover will be cropped when viewed on a desktop.

Now, you want to make sure that all the important elements such as your logo and tagline will be inside the green one a.k.a. the safe area. This is the part of your whole banner that will be viewable on all devices. This is why even if the other areas of your YouTube channel art are cut out, people will still be able to see it even if they’re using their phone.

You don’t want the good stuff to be cropped out in a bad way, so be sure to pay attention to your banner’s safe area when editing a YouTube banner.

However, don’t just neglect the background as well. You can still put patterns, include images, or other kinds of art, but make sure the important stuff will be visible to everyone, regardless of the device they’re using.

YouTube also only allows 6MB images. Anything bigger than that will not be accepted. If you find your image size a little bit bigger than the recommended one, you can resize it through photo-editing software and websites such as Photoshop, GIMP, and more. If you want to resize it quickly, you can use tools such as this online.

To change your banner image, simply do the following:

1. Step 1

   Go to YouTube and log in to your account if you haven’t already.

2. Step 2

   Click your profile picture or logo. A drop-down menu will appear. Select Your channel.

   

3. Step 3

   On your YouTube channel, click Customize Channel.

   

4. Step 4

   You will be redirected to YouTube Studio. Select the Branding tab between the Layout and Basic info tabs.

5. Step 5

   On the Branding page, find Banner image. Click Upload.

   

   If you already have a banner but want to change it, you will see Change and Remove buttons in there. The Change button will replace your existing banner image with a new one, while Remove will simply take out the existing banner. The banner area on your YouTube channel will be empty.

6. Step 6

   Select the image you want for your banner. After uploading, YouTube will ask you to customize your channel art. You will then see which parts are viewable across various devices.

   

7. Step 7

   Hit Done and your cover is ready to go. YouTube will give you a preview of what your banner will look like on different devices:

   

8. Step 8

   Click Publish on the top right side of your screen. Your banner art is now live! Here’s what it will look like after your YouTube channel art has been uploaded:

   

If you want to change your channel art again, you can click on Customize Channel and do the same steps as above. You can also change your channel art using the YouTube mobile app, but uploading it through desktop will allow you to customize your banner more.

With people coming to visit your YouTube channel, it’s important to put the links to your other main accounts on there. That someone who loved your video and decided to subscribe to your channel may want more of your content or may want to get to know you better. Through this, your following on other social media sites will grow, too.

The good news is, you can also add social media links to your YouTube banner. This is especially great for influencers who have accounts on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Besides that, you can also put the link to your website (if you have one) to the banner. People will instantly see it because it will be placed at the bottom part of your banner.

This is also one of the reasons why you should have a nice-looking banner that represents your brand well. It’s the first thing people will notice once they go to your platform looking for links to your other social media accounts.

Here’s how you can add links to your YouTube channel banner:

1. Step 1

   Go to YouTube and sign in to your account.

2. Step 2

   Click your logo on the top right corner of the screen and click Your profile on the drop-down menu.

3. Step 3

   Select Customize channel button, which you can now see below your YouTube banner.

4. Step 4

   This time, select the Basic info tab and scroll down. On the Links section, click Add link.

   

5. Step 5

   Type in the name of the website and link to your account. Click Publish on the top right side of the screen.

   

And done! Once you go back to your YouTube channel, you will see there’s a button below your banner that links to your social media account or website.

You can add more links by doing the same steps above. Go to the same settings page, too, if you want to delete or edit your links.

When it comes to great YouTube banners, you can do a simple search on YouTube or online for inspiration. There’s really no set rule when it comes to designing banners: you can simply upload a photo, use vectors and illustrations, or maybe your logo will do. The important thing is that your banner represents your brand and identity.

Here are a few examples of how top YouTubers design and use their channel banners:

1. Chloe Ting

   

   Chloe Ting is a nutrition and fitness YouTuber that shares workout videos, healthy recipes, and more on her channel. The banner she used is a picture of her working out, which will tell you straight away what she does. And that call to action text on her channel banner can very much convince you to watch her videos, even if you’re not a fitness enthusiast. I mean, who doesn’t want a nice pack of abs?

2. TheFatRat

   

   You may have already encountered this awesome fella if you watched some gaming videos featuring non-copyrighted music. That is because TheFatRat, or Christian Büttner, lets people use his music be used in videos, copyright-free. Some of his best-known songs are heavily influenced by video game music, which you can see on his banner art. He also uses his banner to promote his new album, Parallax.

3. Fearless and Far

   

   Fearless and Far is a travel YouTuber that posts videos of him going on wild adventures in far-flung, unfamiliar places that other people may find frightening but interesting at the same time. The text on the banner that is typed in bold letters reveals his daring and adventurous spirit. The images he used–the cave, the dragon logo, and that skull–make you intrigued about his travels.

4. Yoga with Adrienne

   

   Who says all banners should have big images and a bunch of text to stand out? This channel’s YouTube banner is deceptively simple, yet it carries Yoga with Adrienne’s identity and brand: building a happy and healthy life at home through yoga. The banner is clean and free of clutter with a calm feel, which perfectly represents the message Adrienne is sending out to people.

5. MrBeast

   

   While we’re mentioning banners that only have text on them, one can’t simply finish this list without this banner by MrBeast. He’s that guy who posts videos of him being buried alive, gives away cars, and ate a $70,000 golden pizza–you get the idea. You might be saying, well with that overwhelming subscriber count he has, he doesn’t really need to put much effort on the banner, does he? But still, you can see his identity through this humorous banner.