The YouTube Thumbnail Conspiracy
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 07. 2024
- Thank you Helix for sponsoring! Visit helixsleep.com/scottcramer to get 20% off your Helix mattress, plus two free pillows. Offers subject to change. #helixsleep
Thumbnails. They're super important. Sometimes. But not all the time! Let's talk about it.
MERCH
strugglrshop.com
INSTAGRAM
/ scottcramerslife
TWITTER
/ scottstol
PATREON
/ scottstol
SECOND CHANNEL
/ @scottisstruggling
0:00 Let's Talk About Thumbnails
1:54 Orange Guy
5:03 Commentary
10:46 Sponsor
11:55 MrBeast Style
14:31 Default Image
17:51 "Downfall" Videos
18:56 Apology / Breakup
21:22 Celebrity Interviews
22:30 Music Videos
24:05 Some of My Favorites - Komedie
I'm pretty solid at yellow arial text with black outline, but i think i'm trying to transition to distressed man in orange jumpsuit on blue background. will keep you posted.
thanks
I have a small folding chair you can borrow 🫡
I’m going to do yellow arial text WITH distressed orange jumpsuit man and change the game
Thank you Gabi lol
@@GunnarClineadd the mr beast screaming face and then you’ll win youtube
youre welcome i think
My humble addition to the list: the True Crime thumbnail, which has several pictures of a victim and/or perpetrator of a crime around the edges, and then in the middle of the thumbail is the youtuber looking sadly off to the side.
Also it's non-negotiable that you gotta put a black censorship bar over the victim/perpetrator's eyes. Make the thumbnail black and white and put a halftone filter on it so it looks like it came out of an old newspaper and now you're cooking up a banger true crime thumbnail.
Make the title something like "America's MOST NOTORIOUS grilled cheese counterfeiter (HE COUNTERFEITED $1 BILLION DOLLARS IN GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES??? in text in the thumbnail with an arrow pointing at the dudes face)" "The Truth Behind The Infamous 1979 Ottawa Duck Burglaries" "The Makings of Hawaii's Most Killingest Serial Killer" "The Mario Brothers: Italy's cold-blooded crime family" "She sent a video to her boyfriend... but hours later went missing" and boom you got a gazillion views and soon enough you'll have a podcast, merch, a dick pill sponsorship, and you'll be a titan in the true crime community
and caution tape!
optional blood splatters
And they also are like fully glammed out with makeup and it's the best picture of them They could take , front and center smh
Personally I think it's a bit distasteful when CZcamsrs insert themselves in the thumbnail right next a picture of the victim, especially when the CZcamsr is faking an exaggerated sad or horrified expression.
"Maybe you saw it on Twitter"
It warms my heart that we, collectively as a society, will never call it "X"
Except for journalists, but we understand that they are obligated to and would rather call it Twitter as well.
I even forgot that its name changed until I saw this comment
@@DiphenhydraAnd even they regularly add “formally known as twitter”
Calling "X" Twitter is the only time deadnaming is acceptable.
@@DavidRYates-tk2tq hahahaha yeess
Scott knows what he's talking about. I've been told he has a degree in advertising.
I think I've heard that rumor too
I've never heard this but Scott knows best
Maybe he should make a video about his degree!
ive been told nothing, ever, and im extremely lost
how ironic
I think thumbnails would be better if they all had Scott in them personally
Dang I hadn’t thought about that you got a point
they need to make that mr beast thumbnail extension but for scott ngl
Time to make a chrome extension (a-la jschlatts jambofier)
@@ScottCramerFather of two?!? I remember the birth of your son, but how did I miss you and Jaden having a second baby? I watch/subbed to both channels. If this is true and I missed it somehow, congratulations!
@@phoenixgirl70he said it in his previous video
I wanna see Scott put his family through an "Apology or Breakup" game show now.
And of course there will be the trick question that is both an apology and a breakup
It actually sounds like a Jacksfilms quiz.
Wait that would be so fun to watch!! I love scott’s family game videos!
@@fugitive_ I don't know what I like better, that Scott comes up with these ideas or that his family is so open to go along with it all
"yellow text/Arial font" Scott, you forgot the back shadow
My video wasn’t loading for a solid minute, so it was stuck on the still of his face. I didn’t realize it was frozen and just assumed he was really committed to the bit
Lmao I have bad wifi and I do that too sometimes. I’m like “is it loading or is this a bit?” 😭
The thumbnail would have been perfect if it had mr beast yelling 😭
With the green Game theory text
@@GeorgeFlemand red arrows pointing to a red circle
Also he missed the yellow text
Hehehe nice.
But never a red border ~ just don't!
the jojo siwa audio for the mr beast thumbnail change killed me 😭😭😭
The "Default Image" is great because that's how the most watched vlogbrothers video became one about giraffes
I think Smosh had the same with their most viewed video as it ended being a picture of Britney Spears accidentally flashing while getting out of a car. They've changed it to a custom thumbnail now but that image was at the right spot to end up as the original.
Nerdfighter alert
All thumbnails used to be picked automatically at a certain time stamp in every video, and Hank KNEW that so he planned to show an image of giraffes fucking at the right second. I used to think it was a happy accident, but I love it so much knowing that he was trolling
He sounds like someone who is interested in how things like thumbnails attract people, if this whole CZcams thing flops, he should get a degree in advertising and pursue that as a career.
felt the need to say how much I love the projector over something like a green screen
Me too! It gives watching a video in class type of vibes (which was my favorite part of any class)
watching at 6:40, I look down to the right at the recommended videos, and the first one is literally the *exact* formula, holding a mic not meant to be held, youtuber in the middle with the white outline, flanked by screenshots relating to the topic on each side with yellow text saying "it's getting worse". You got that pretty damn spot on Scott
Which one
lmaoooo it was gabi belle's latest video wasn't it
@@queencabbage3689 yep, I got that one too lol and I dont even know that youtuber
@@luks303 oh she rules check her out
GABI BELLE
Thumbnails are like book covers. Like you pointed out, they're useful for telling the audience what to expect from the video! Reaction video (like TV or movie watch-along) thumbnails are all essentially the same.
Like all the generic romance books that have the exact same cover font, slightly transparent, over a pastel color.
Scott: Do you have any idea how much time I spend making thumbnails?!
Also Scott: -makes 9 separate thumbnails for a video about thumbnails
Thank you for holding a dynamic mic instead of a condenser mic, Scott. Thank you. Thank you.
As someone who knows nothing about microphones and their different types I always thought he was just trying to bring a different vibe to his videos with the dynamic mic I didn’t realize the condenser mics most CZcamsrs hold aren’t meant for holding lol
Today is the day I learned the difference between the 2.... learn something new everyday... which is why I'm addicted to youtube 🙃
As someone who does know a thing or two about microphones, thank you for not assuming every microphone is the same microphone, able to be used in the same way. I do more live stuff than recorded stuff but holding condenser mics in videos absolutely drives me crazy. Why… would you do that?
Distressed person, sitting in the middle of the room wearing orange is the exact opposite of a tounge twister. It’s like a tounge cool breeze…
what the heck you are right bro
you are so right but how did you even think of this. love the way ur brain works
Except it's a 'tongue", but yeah apart from that@@soupbowl222
*tongue (please don't come for me)
Commentary CZcams really has me in a death grip.. I’ve seen EVERY single video that was used as an example thumbnail! Hold on I need to go touch grass
Okay plz help - who is the orange hat guy with the workout vid?? He's the only one I didn't recognize!
@@azuradawn5683Jacob Sharpe, he’s a close friend of Kurtis Conner
LITERALLY SAME. I was like dang I watch all of these creators 😅
Another style that I like is the gameplay fanart thumbnail.
Let's say the youtuber has a subreddit or twitter, on which people share fanart.
Maybe someone makes fanart based on whatever game they just played.
Then, the streamer uses that art as the thumbnail for that upload. I've noticed that it's popular among streamers.
oh yeah! i know that the minecraft youtuber docm77 does that, and i also really like it as a way to sort of give thanks back to their community by showcasing and crediting their fans
@user-zt4lp7fn1q techno did that a lot too! i always love watching the fanart montages at the end of his videos
My favourite type of thumbnails are the ones where it’s handdrawn art. It’s so eye catching and at times I’ve watched videos just because I liked the art styles on the thumbnails, and they don’t feel lazy at all.
A channel I’ve seen do this recently is a Pokemon channel called Shiny Catherine, I don’t even watch her content really, to be honest I don’t think I’ve seen a full video, but I love the thumbnails she has a ton.
AGREED ! Cdawgva has had drawn thumbnails for a long time and alpharad has semi recently adopted em too
It makes me hella happy to see these artists get work
Yes! A minecraft youtuber I follow (inthelittlewood) also has drawn thumbnails, makes it very easy to spot his videos and it's just super interesting!
yeah they're always nice
with the notable exception of sunnyv2
Good Mythical Morning constantly changes thumbnails the first few hours a video is up. Never understood why they did that. I get notified on my phone but by the time I watch the video the thumbnail has already changed lol
To appeal to those who prefer one image over another. CZcams do this automatically, it's not manual. It is new
I'm pretty sure I've heard them, or some other yters, talk about that. they always make two, and if the video doesn't catch on as quick as they expected, they'll try another. i don't think it's every single video, and it's most for people who post fairly regularly.
amanda from swell entertainment said she changed the thumbnail and title of a months-old video once and it blew up in popularity. so there is something to it
because they’ve been here forever and know what they are doing, mythical legends lol
A lot of people, like mr beast, can now just have alternate thumbnails that swap and they can see the statistics of what worked better
They want people to watch their video, and one thumbnail will do better than another. So they'll change the thumbnail if they're not getting the regular amount of engagement on the video
Commentary one was spot on. Honestly, there’s so many videos I haven’t watched just because they use that exact thumbnail.
It's gotten way too formulaic. I once had 3-4 different commentary videos recommended to me in a row, and I could not visually tell them apart, even though each video was actually made by a different CZcamsr.
Why would you not watch them just because of the thumbnail?
@@quangamershyguyyz7166 Because a lot of those videos are very similar in content
@@bobhumble So, you don’t watch them because of the thumbnails being similar, you don’t watch them because of the content being similar.
@@quangamershyguyyz7166 Which is signified by the thumbnails being very similar.
I call the default image thumbnail the apology video thumbnail. Nowadays a lot of CZcamsrs who usually put a lot of work into their thumbnails use the default when they want to appear down to earth, raw, vulnerable and 'just like us'... like sympathy fishing
I love how committed you are to not coming off as a bully in any way. So wholesome!
Damn, you really nailed the commentary thumbnail style, my mind is shook
Scott you were shouting out some epic thumbnails at the end but don't give yourself any slack! You've got thumbnails that usually stick out and it's clear you put work into them! You definitely have some of my all time favorite thumbnails
I would totally love a video with you and Chad Chad together!
And I appreciate you for reading my comment, out of aaaaaall the comments that are on here!
I think another type of thumbnails I've seen a lot are the ones about "I WATCHED ALL MOVIES/SEASONS OF X THING" where the person is usually in the middle with a distressed or tired look (bonus points if they add some exaggerated eye bags on them) and it's surrounded by elements of the thing they're watching (ie merch, dvds, games), sometimes they add text like how much time they spent doing it or just a comment saying "why did I do this?" or "it gets crazy"
I literally cried watching every single "Draw My Life" video back in the day 😂
Old CZcams was a different world, I miss it so much lol
THE JOJO SIWA AUDIO WHEN DISCUSSING MR. BEAST 😭💀
I'd like to think I'm more influenced by titles than thumbnails when clicking on videos. But honestly this video made me questionned how much that might still play a part without me really realizing. Good vid.
also with gaming content, the thumbails are either them mid laugh in front of game, or a cartoon chatacter of them in the game
I’d never really thought about it too much, but you’re very right. I was immediately able to tell what genre of CZcams video each thumbnail was representing
The fact that you created a bunch of fake thumbnails to non existent videos of yourself makes me smile, laugh, and smile again.
tbh the history of youtube thumbnails was really interesting, especially because i've been on the tube since grade 7 watching lolcats compilations lmaooo and remember all these things! the period in time when people would specifically joke about not knowing where to point after an update, then others always committing to pointing up long after updates lol. the top channels, the initial partner programs. there being a trend of annotations adding to the entire video sometimes, now they're gone omg. a deep dive into youtube by scotty man himself??... >.> hmmm ...
I love your attitude of kindness and love going out to all these channels. It's so easy to make videos just trash talking other channels and talking about everything wrong with them. Not often are we blessed with a video like this that feels like it comes from a place of joy and love. Shoutout Kurtis Connor, Gabbi Belle, Pinely, Mista GG, all some of my favorites :)
Thanks for your amazing videos as always Scott I hope you get to do this forever c:
just about to do a medical treatment and im so thankful i have this before to settle my nerves 💛 keep making content that is just good cozy vibes, not needlessly harsh, and so endlessly creative
Hey, good luck on whatever it is you're going through! You're doing great!
Good luck!
Good luck! I can definitely agree that Scott makes videos that feel like a warm home.
you got this! trust your professionals, they’ve got you
I like how you angled the projector so it isn’t shining directly over the couch so you can gesture around it without the light catching you. Really well thought out
Really making that marketing degree worth every penny
All the custom thumbnails definitely deserve a thumbs up. And whatever song that music video was for must be an absolute banger (or whatever the kids say these days).
marques brownlee was talking about this on his podcast a couple weeks ago, thanks for taking a deeper dive
EVERY TIME I hire somebody to make a thumbnail they try to Mr. Beastify it always makes my eyes bleed
love that u made a video about this! so many channels just clone everything they do, because they're so unoriginal. it turns me off those channels when i notice.
As someone who's followed musicians under those labels for some time, I can tell you wit certainty that the Vevo channel used to host all the videos for those labels, but the artists signed and/or their agents eventually started making their own channels. The super mysterious thing I find about this is that there can be a video that I _know_ was on the Vevo channel, but the upload date, comments and video themselves have been moved to a different channel. (I suspect it was some deal between the labels and CZcams some years ago, and a feature that literally only exists/existed for Vevo/label relations.)
the mrbeastification of youtube made the overall platform a worse experience
I actually think the music video thumbnail was PERFECT. I can’t think of one that looks *exactly* like that, but you captured the essence of it perfectly. I knew it was a music video immediately, AND I knew what type of song/video it would’ve been from first glance.
"Go girl!
Give us nothing."
I chocked on my water 😂😂😂
I dunno if you guys recognize him but there’s a gaming channel called callmekevin who used to put KEVO at the bottom left when the whole vevo thing was crazy
Holy crap I guessed the apology thumbnail instantly. I’ve never thought about how formulaic it is. You completely nailed it!
Really liked this dive into the technical aspects of CZcams and thumbnail making. It’s easy to observe patterns but it’s harder to put them into words and cohesive thoughts so this video was very edjutational! Would love more of this!
I talked a bit about this in a short a few months ago, but I'm glad that you go so much further in depth here. I love videos created for creators, and this is some great food for thought for my channel.
Bro. I didn't realize how close you are to 1M. !!!!!!
Thanks scott i needed this , laying in bed recovering from a car accident
Best of luck to you in your recovery
Thank Yall !
Hope you feel better soon!!
Seeing that Scott posted a new video literally always brightens my day. Thanks Scott
6:31 NOT me scrolling and noticing EVERY thumbnail IS like this 🤣🤣🤣
"She got caught!" Flanked by two pics on either side with a pic of the CZcamsr in the middle of the thumbnail 😂
& So on & so on...
"Stop doing this!"
"Don't get caught outside in this place!"
😂 Just the same thing over & over its pretty funny.
I guess I realized it without realizing it or even contemplating the meaning of why so many of them are similar.
Wow this channel is soooo SMART 🤓🦉😂
That's why we love you dude 💗
You're about my son's age so I feel like a proud mama when I see your success ❤
Congratulations ❤
Keep moving forward & take care of your family ❤ They are the priority now! ❤️
Dude, I JUST got recommented one of your videos that I had already watcheed and thought I wish he uploeded a new one. I ACTUALLY CANT BELIEVE THIS
YOU SUMMINED THE MAN THE MYTH THE LEGEND HIMSELF
I haven't kept up with the channel lately, but this kind of thing? Dissecting the artistic and practical value of CZcams thumbnails? Top tier, very fascinating. It reminded that this sort of content was why I started watching your channel in the first place!
I didn't realize how quickly I just vibe check a youtube video just off of the thumbnail, like I know exactly what genre and vibe the video is going to be so fast.
It's like a masterclass in thumbnail making without throwing any shade. I'm here for it❤
I really like how jaubrey does his downfall videos. He makes the people look like Caricatures of themselves snd it makes his video stand out. Kinda like a signature
I scrolled down to see the exact thumbnails he was talking about during the commentary segment
i’m not even kidding i was crying laughing my ass off when you showed the downfall thumbnails and apology thumbnail 😭
the thumbnail drew me in to this video. ngl i think 3 of my favorite things that i love hearing about rn (even though i have no interest in any kind of show business) are inside football for youtubers, comedians/podcasters, and hollywood(like bojack horseman and barry)
okay i gotta say Scott, i’ve been watching you for years now def a long time struggler lol and i feel like your videos (while they’ve always been great) have just gotten better and better. your humor is even more spot on and hilarious, your concepts and delivery are on point, and all this while being a new dad…
my fucking guy, keep up the great work. i say this every video, but that boy don’t miss!!!!
edit: that helix joke got me so weak omfg LMAOOO
Looking forward to watching this after work
Great video!!!
Gonna need a list of ALL the commentary youtubers shown in the condenser mic/ariel font part. Know most of them but not some others, I won't lie, for some reasons those thumbnails just work for me
Here's all the ones I could identify
gabi belle
Kurtis Conner
Jarvis Johnson
? (I've seen his channel before but don't remember his name)
courtreezy
Chad Chad
Jacob Sharpe
Andy King
Kuncan Dastner
@@kikiw3959 omg thank you!!!!
I like how Scott has his own style of thumbnail
How tho
Scott does such a good job teaching and explaining things. He could be a teacher.
Also, 5:57 Pretty witty 👍🏼
0:57 Hey Scott, that projected text with black(?) background looks good. Very pleasing. Do that more often.
Love this video looking at why youtube thumbnails tend to all look the same. Always enjoy watching your content :)
This was really fun! Can we get a sequel about youtube video title trends? I notice there’s a lot of “Rise and Fall of (insert media)” etc
I was already having a good day, then the realization that Diamondbolt posted a video about movie posters with a segment on thumbnails and Scott posted a video about thumbnails briefly mentioning movie posters hit. This has been an awesome day!
I have wondered for so long why there is trends among thumbnails! It was really cool to hear your break down of why things appeal from a marketing and visual art perspective. Loved the video Scott!
This channel itself has some really awesome thumbnails! I always save tons of videos to watch later because I am just so busy, but I often just can not resist clicking on videos on this channel.
I know this isn't put towards a specific person but I went to check Dylan Is In Trouble's(my favorite movie commentary channel; he is how I found this channel) thumbnails so fast. 😂
Edit: Half of Dylan's Ooga Booga videos have this yellow text. That's hilarious.
For me, and I don't know how other people feel about this, I find that it's the exact opposite. When every CZcamsr is doing the same thumbnail, it makes me actively avoid it. I've clicked on the "don't recommend channel" option because some people's thumbnails just annoy me, even if they are good seeming people. There's also just a sorta of vibe certain thumbnails give off so any CZcamsr that does them is an automatic no from me. Mr beast gives off "this video will give you whiplash because of how quickly it goes from thing to thing in order to keep 4 year olds entertained (as if 4 year olds are extremely dumb)." The Downfall videos give "50% of this video could've been cut and it wouldn't have changed anything." I get a lot of platinum trophy videos recommended (people earning every trophy/achievement in a video game), and those always give off "I'm gonna make this easy game seem like it was the equivalent of crawling through the 9 circles of hell." And, Imma say it, if it weren't for the fact I've been watching Philip DeFranco for a long time, I wouldn't watch him now. His thumbnails are ATROCIOUS! To the point where it's a joke in his comments with how much he clickbaits his videos, usually in a sexually suggestive way. Highly emotive thumbnails that are clearly wicked exaggerated. It's what I appreciate about ProZD and Vlogbrothers (among others) is that they don't try to trick the viewer into watching it. They don't give off the impression that retention is more important than quality. They aren't conveying the message that the video is only enjoyable to a child. I've clicked on the "don't recommend channel" option when people's thumbnails annoy me, like Ryan Trahan. I'm sure he's a nice guy and all, but his thumbnails make me think I'm gonna hate the video. I don't know if anyone else feels this way, it could just be me. A lot of it probably comes down to, I know this is a trend, and trends usually decrease the quality because copycats are just doing the hot thing to get money and not putting in the effort to make something that starts the trend. Like you said, Mr beast can actually follow through with his thumbnails, other people can't. So everyone else I think, "oh, this video is complete bs."
Please, let me know if I'm crazy!!!
You’re not crazy because I’m the same way! I used to actually watch Downfall videos until they started to feel like the tabloids you see in Walmart. It’s why I love ProZD and his simple thumbnails (that and he’s legitimately funny)
Yeah, it only makes me less interested in being a CZcamsr. I don't like the idea of being trapped in a box like that. I'd rather just do what I want, the way I like it, and hope that others vibe with it too.
Just before watching this, I was searching for a different commentary video that I saw the thumbnail for but couldn’t remember who posted it. At 10:18 you showed Jacob Sharpe’s video, the one I couldn’t find because I couldn’t tell different commentary CZcamsr’s thumbnails apart
Omg Scott referencing Improv Everwhere??? I haven't thought about them in years! I used to be obsessed.
Get this man on the trending page love his videos
congrats on your second kid scott!! so excited for you and your family!!
🎉
Hey Scott!! Heard that you werent confident with what you said in the music video segment. Just wanted to say that I found a new(ish) music video with the features you said (Its called Aphid by Matt Champion if you would like to see!) But that's it so far! Wonderful video aswell
I love the thumbnails that look like a movie poster with beautifully crafted piece of art that looks like the best thing you've ever seen and it's all about some random guy for 2 hours
You forgot one more: the game theory thumbnails
I feel like Ryan Trahan is underrated despite being very highly rated - in the ‘broad popular appeal’ genre where Mr Beast’s ideas have been largely the same few challenge types over and over again (though very impressive and not feasible by any other CZcamsr because of their scale), Ryan continues to innovate and try out new ideas. I don’t even watch him regularly (I’m not a subscriber and it’s not my type of content), but I can’t help but continue to be impressed whenever I decide to watch one of his videos.
theres also the Video game essay thumbnail where its a picture of a view from the game they're talking about with a small color palette and the main character in the middle with a word behind them. They're pleasant to look at .
Funny thing is, this video is a better “CZcams thumbnail lesson video” than actual ones.
Awesome video again Scott!
Thank goodness someone is talking about this. Especially Scott.
Scott new vid means the world is healing
I like how you do a PowerPoint presentation about certain topics in ur vidz, super funny. I love this guy 😂😂
Scott you should talk about the weird new Clash Royale adds! They’re incredibly bizarre
Ryan Trahan is truly the thumbnail pioneer
one of the most creative commentary channel premises i’ve heard yet
Scrolling through the recommended and seeing real examples of these is the icing on the cake
Ok but can we talk about the thumbnail for THIS video?! 10/10!!
Scott really just wanted to teach an advertizing class.
I took a look at the thumbnails on my recommended tab to see how they hold up and it's pretty interesting how much they vary between genres and are so similar for the same genre. The Ordinary Things, Billiam, and Scott Cramer thumbnails all have the same format :o Scott's is the one where he applied to a bunch of gameshows, I hope he does that again someday because that was awesome.
i say this every time but nothing brings me more joy than a new Scott Cramer video!!! and omg the how dare you hoodie…..stop. just shut up and take my money!!! lmaoo
I’m gonna tell my grandkids about the day MrBeast closed his mouth
I hate all these AI generated bright thumbnails now