creator-thumbnail

Creator Thumbnail

Step 1 — Concept (before generating anything)

From the title/topic, write one concept in three lines and confirm only if the user seems to care about direction; otherwise proceed:

• Promise — the single idea the viewer must get in 1 second (truthful to the video).
• Focal subject — one face/object, big, high contrast. Faces: strong, honest emotion.
• Headline — 0–4 words that add to the title, never repeat it. Optional.

Rules in references/thumbnail-rules.md (composition, contrast, text, honesty).

Step 2 — Generate the art (no text)

• Ratio 16:9 (YouTube) or 9:16 (vertical cover). Size 2k if a provider allows it.
• Reserve space for the headline: generous empty space on the left third for a headline.
• User's face/logo/product → pass photos with --ref and say what each is for.
• Ask for no text in the image; the headline goes on in Step 3.

python3 scripts/creator.py image --prompt "<art prompt>" --ratio 16:9 --size 2k --out ./out/thumb-a.png [--ref face.jpg]

Make 2–3 variants that differ in one big way (emotion, color, or composition), not tiny tweaks. Pin the provider after the first success.

Step 3 — Headline

python3 scripts/media.py text --image ./out/thumb-a.png --out ./out/thumb-a-final.png --text "TWO\nLINES" --pos center --align left --size 0.16 [--box "[email protected]"] [--font <brand heading font>]

Put the text in the space reserved in Step 2 (--align left for left-third space) and never over the face/subject. Use the brand font/colors from config brand if present. Max ~4 words; break into two short lines with \n when it's wide.

Step 4 — Check

1. Downscale preview: ffmpeg -y -i final.png -vf scale=320:-1 small.png, then look at it — subject and words must read at that size.
2. Check the bottom-right corner (YouTube's timestamp covers it) is free of key content.
3. Present variants side by side with one line each on what differs; recommend one.

Rules

• Truthful: no fake quotes, fake screenshots, or implied events that aren't in the video.
• Don't put real people who aren't the user into the thumbnail without their consent.
• 1280×720 minimum for YouTube; under 2 MB (ffmpeg -i in.png -q:v 3 out.jpg if needed).

References

• references/thumbnail-rules.md — composition, text, color, examples
• references/image-prompting.md, references/media-ops.md, references/providers.md