For those who want to create a thumbnail for casual chat streams but don’t know how to make it appealing or what points to pay attention to, you’re not alone.

This article thoroughly explains the key points and specific steps for creating thumbnails for chat streams, as well as recommended tools. Additionally, we introduce tips to grab viewers’ attention and increase click-through rates, so feel free to use them to make your streams more engaging.

What’s Important in Thumbnails for Chat Streams

Thumbnails for chat streams are crucial elements that influence whether viewers decide to watch a stream. Let’s begin by explaining the important points to consider before creating thumbnails.

What Are the Roles and Objectives of Thumbnails? Why Is it Necessary to Craft Thumbnails?

Thumbnails for chat streams play the vital role of serving as the “face” and “signpost” of video content.

Viewers choose streams that catch their interest, based on thumbnails among a multitude of streams. Attractive thumbnails are indispensable for catching viewers’ eyes and improving click-through rates.

The main objectives of thumbnails are as follows:

Objective	Description
Understanding Content	Thumbnails convey the stream content at a glance, helping viewers determine if it suits them.
Improving Click Rate	An attractive thumbnail draws viewers’ interest and encourages clicks.
Channel Branding	Consistent thumbnail designs contribute to increased channel recognition.
Enhancing Viewer Retention	By raising expectations with thumbnails, viewers are more likely to watch the stream to the end.

Some may wonder if it’s necessary to put so much effort into crafting thumbnails.

However, captivating thumbnails can grab viewers’ hearts and lead them to the stream. Conversely, if a thumbnail is unappealing, no matter how high-quality the streaming content is, it won’t attract clicks, and its appeal won’t be communicated.

Compared to other streams, chat streams are a genre where it is challenging to convey content solely through thumbnails. Therefore, by crafting thumbnails that entice viewers, you can differentiate yourself from other streams and attract more viewers.

What Makes an Attractive Thumbnail That Encourages Clicks?

An enticing thumbnail is one where “what the stream is about can be understood at a glance.”

In chat streams, where themes are less defined than in other streams, thumbnails need to imply the stream’s content and capture viewers’ curiosity.

For instance,

Content	Example of Thumbnail
Love Advice	Heart illustration and the words “Love Advice”
Daily Happenings	Lively cityscape photo and the words “Today’s Happenings”
Fan Activities	Pictures or illustrations of your favorite character and the words “Fan Talk”

It is ideal for thumbnails to convey the stream content at a glance.

Additionally, visually appealing designs that draw viewers’ eyes are crucial. Specifically,

• Bright and vivid colors
• Readable font size and type
• Photos or illustrations that reflect the personality of the streamer

By incorporating these elements, you can create thumbnails that people want to click.

Steps for Creating Thumbnails for Chat Streams

Next, we’ll divide the specific steps for creating thumbnails for chat streams into five steps and explain them.

Think of a Catchphrase that Expresses the Streaming Content in One Word

One of the most important elements of a chat stream thumbnail is the catchphrase.

This is because the catchphrase plays a role in capturing viewers’ hearts and encouraging clicks.

It’s important to create a compelling catchphrase that not only describes the stream content but also piques viewers’ interest.

Here are some tips on what to consider when crafting catchphrases:

Item	Description	Example
Clarify Content	Make the theme and content of the stream clear at a glance	・Example: What’s for Dinner? Chat Stream! ・Example: Love Confessions! Let’s Have an Honest Talk Tonight!
Emphasize Viewer Benefits	Highlight the benefits viewers will gain from watching the stream	・Example: Useful Information Packed Chat Stream for Tomorrow! ・Example: Empathetic Talks! Solve Everyone’s Worries!
Use Questions	Stimulate viewers’ curiosity	・Example: What’s the Secret to Dieting? Let’s Think Together! ・Example: Concerned About Recent News? Let’s Discuss!
Include Specific Keywords	Include easily searchable keywords	・Example: Revealing the Behind-the-Scenes of Game Commentaries! ・Example: Chat Stream While Doing Makeup

Using these points, create a catchphrase that accurately expresses the stream content and captivates viewers.

Choose (or Create) a Background Image

Next, let’s discuss how to choose and create a background image for use in chat stream thumbnails. A background image is an important element for conveying the stream’s content and catching viewers’ eyes.

By choosing an appropriate background image, the overall quality of the thumbnail is improved, leading to increased click-through rates.

The key points for choosing a background image are as follows:

Item	Content
Relevance to Content	By choosing an image that matches the stream content, viewers can intuitively grasp the content.
Use of Colors	The impression of the thumbnail changes significantly with color. Choose colors that match the stream content.
Visibility	Choose images with high visibility so that text and illustrations don’t get lost in the background.
Originality	To differentiate from other streamers, choosing an original image is effective.
Resolution	Low-resolution images lower the quality of a thumbnail; choose high-resolution images instead.

When choosing a background image, you can use free material sites to obtain high-quality images for free without worrying about copyright. However, because utilization agreements vary by free material site, be sure to check before using them.

Also, it is possible to create background images using tools such as PowerPoint or Canva. By using these tools, you can freely customize to match the streaming content.

Add Text: Pay Attention to Font, Size, and Color

Next, let’s explain the points when adding text to a thumbnail. Text is an important element for succinctly conveying the streaming content. Aim for a design that attracts viewers’ eyes by paying attention to font, size, and color.

First, font selection. Don’t just stick to gothic or serif fonts; try fonts with high design value. However, be careful not to compromise readability. By selecting a font that matches the feel of the streaming content, you can unify the overall impression of the thumbnail.

Next, size adjustment. Considering that thumbnails will be displayed in reduced form, include text in a larger size. Avoid situations where text is too small to be read when viewed on a smartphone. Display main text particularly large, and set subtext at a smaller size to make the prioritization of information clear.

Text Type	Size Guide
Main Text	Larger (e.g., 60pt)
Subtext	Smaller (e.g., 40pt)

Finally, choose the color carefully. Be mindful of the contrast with the background color, and select a color that makes the text clearly visible. While white and black are highly versatile, they can become difficult to see depending on the background color. If the background is bright, use dark-colored text; if the background is dark, use light-colored text to improve visibility.

Furthermore, by adding outlines to the text or drop shadows, you can make the text stand out more. However, over-decoration can have the opposite effect, so keep balance in mind.

Include Face Photos or Illustrations of the Streamer

Next, try incorporating illustrations or images of VTubers into the thumbnails. Illustrations are crucial for viewers to recognize VTubers, conveying a sense of familiarity, trust, and the character’s personality. By using illustrations instead of just straightforward photos, you can express the character’s world and create an effective thumbnail that captures viewers’ hearts.

Advantage	Disadvantage
Can Convey Character’s Appeal	The impression can vary with the quality of the illustration
Easy for Viewers to Remember	Creating new ones each time can be a heavy workload
Can Express the Worldview	May become monotonous if there’s little expression variation

In the case of VTubers, the illustrations used in thumbnails are required to be of high quality, reflecting the character design. By preparing a variety of expressions and poses, you can choose the best illustration that fits the streaming content and more effectively draw the viewer’s eye.

If creating high-quality illustrations is difficult, you can also consider commissioning work from illustrators. Using a Live2D model can also enable easy creation of various expressions and poses, reducing the effort required for thumbnail creation.

Guiding Eyes: Use Layout to Highlight What You Want to Emphasize

Finally, enhance the chances of increased clicks by strategizing layout to naturally guide viewers’ eyes to the information you want to emphasize.

In chat stream thumbnails, guiding viewers’ gazes is extremely important.

The basics of guiding gazes involve first dividing the whole thumbnail into several blocks. For instance, refereeing to the rule of thirds or the golden ratio can make it easier to create a balanced layout.

Block	Content
Upper Left	Main Visual (Photo or Illustration)
Center	Catchphrase Indicating Stream Content
Bottom Right	Supplementary Information like Streaming Date, Channel Name, etc.

Arranging like this allows viewers to first focus on the visual at the upper left, then read the catchphrase in the center to understand the streaming content, and finally check supplementary information in the lower right, taking in information in this flow.

Additionally, eyes tend to move from the upper left to the lower right or in a Z-shape. By placing essential information in these positions, while being mindful of this gaze flow, you can convey information more effectively.

Moreover, viewers are also drawn to the directions characters are facing, pointing, or the shapes of arrows. By effectively using these elements, you can naturally guide viewers’ eyes towards the information you want to emphasize.

For example, if using a streamer’s photo, by directing the gaze towards the stream title or the information you want to highlight, viewers’ attention will naturally follow the same direction. Similarly, when using arrows, placing the tip towards the information you want to highlight makes it visually stand out.

Crafting thumbnails while mindful of guiding gaze is an important factor in attracting viewers’ interest and boosting click-through rates.

Introducing Recommended Tools for Creating Thumbnails

Using dedicated tools is recommended for creating attractive thumbnails. Here, we introduce two types: one that’s easy for beginners to use and another equipped with advanced editing features.

Tool Name	Features	Cost	Difficulty
Canva	・Abundant templates ・Easy drag & drop operations ・Rich in Japanese fonts	Free version available	Easy
Photoshop	・Advanced image editing available ・Ideal for creating high-quality professional thumbnails	Paid	Difficult
V Samune	・Many templates available ・Easy drag & drop operations ・No registration required	Free	Easy

Canva offers abundant templates and intuitive operation. Even without design knowledge, you can create professional-quality thumbnails easily. While the free version provides sufficient functionality, upgrading to the paid version unlocks even more templates and resources.

Photoshop is a comprehensive image editing software loved by professional designers. With advanced editing features, it’s recommended for those who want to create high-quality thumbnails. However, using it requires some skill.

V Samune is a free tool that allows anyone to create attractive thumbnails for VTubers easily. It’s recommended for those who aren’t confident in their design skills or want a simple solution, or who want to create an original thumbnail based on a template.

Each tool has its own advantages and disadvantages. Choose the best tool to use based on your skills and budget.

For how to use V Samune, please check the article below.
Create Thumbnails Easily with V-SAMUNE: A Complete Guide

3 Tips for Creating Attractive Thumbnails

Here, we introduce three tips for creating attractive thumbnails. By being mindful of these tips, you can create thumbnails that will likely attract more viewers to click.

Be Aware of Your Target Audience

Who are you streaming for? The compositional elements of your thumbnail will change based on this. For example, a 10-year-old’s preference of colors and design will be different from a 40-year-old’s.

Demographic	Assumed Elements
Teens	Bright colors, trendy fonts, character features
40s	Calm tones, simple design, trustworthiness

Additionally, it is important to design according to the target audience aligned with your streaming genre.

For example, streaming game commentary should include game characters or logos, and a cooking stream should feature delicious food images. By incorporating elements related to the streaming content, it becomes easier to capture viewers’ interest.

Moreover, choosing the color and font that matches the atmosphere of the stream can result in a more unified thumbnail.

Refer to Thumbnails of Other Streamers (Avoid Plagiarism)

Researching thumbnails of streamers who already attract many viewers is effective. Analyze which designs, colors, fonts are popular and try incorporating these elements.

However, direct imitation is not okay. Remember to only “refer” to them and strive to create unique thumbnails.

Conduct AB Test to Verify Effectiveness

It is also important to verify whether the created thumbnail is truly effective. By conducting AB testing and analyzing thumbnails with high click-through rates, you can create more effective thumbnails.

For example, create two types of thumbnails and alternate in streaming. Some streaming tools have analytical features like click-through rate.

For more information on the chat streaming meta, refer to the following article.

Top Chat Topics for Live Streaming: Essential List for Beginners!

Summary

In this article, we explained how to create effective thumbnails to gather more viewers in chat streaming. Below is a simple summary of the key points for creation.

Item	Description
Catchphrase	Express streaming content in a single phrase
Background Image	Select an image that matches the atmosphere of the stream
Add Text	Focus on font, size, color
Face Photo/Illustration	Promote the streamer themselves
Guiding Eyes	Highlight what you want to emphasize by layout
Tools	Such as Canva
Target Audience	Be conscious of who you want to see it

An attractive thumbnail is an essential element for arousing interest in the content of the stream and improving click-through rates. With these tips in mind, craft a thumbnail that resonates with viewers’ hearts and leads to streaming success.

Once You’ve Created a Thumbnail for Chat Streaming, What’s Next?

Once you’ve completed a thumbnail that grabs the viewer’s attention, how about focusing on producing the streaming screen next? With the streaming screen design service “Alive Studio“, you can quickly complete a streaming screen that reflects your personality through intuitive operations.

• Unlimited use of over 1,400 background and accessory materials provided by the VTuber material production team “Usaneko Memory”!
• Unlimited use of over 100 background music tracks provided by the music material site “Maou Soul”!
• Equipped with subject roulette and counter functions!
• Use all features for just 980 yen per month (tax included)!

If you’re someone who wants “to arrange the streaming screen in my own way,” or “to easily add performance using templates,” definitely give “Alive Studio” a try.

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