How to make a thumbnail like MrBeast

Put the channel’s 12 most-viewed thumbnails side by side and the same formula shows up again and again. It is simple — which is exactly why it works on a tiny phone screen.

The channel’s most recognizable format: 5 of the 12 most-viewed videos compare a cheap and an expensive version of the same thing — a car, a plane ticket, a hotel room, a yacht.

• The frame is split in half: the cheap version on the left (dull colors, rust, mess), the expensive one on the right (gold, shine, sunshine).
• The person stands in the middle, on the border between the two worlds, looking into the camera.
• Prices sit in the top corners: short numbers like “$1” and “$1M” in big white type with a dark outline.
• The contrast does all the work: viewers get the stakes in a split second, before they read the title.

The format is not only for expensive purchases: “beginner vs pro”, “free vs paid” or “day 1 vs day 100” read just as fast.

Almost every popular MrBeast thumbnail shows his face — big and with a clear emotion. Faces catch the eye first, and an exaggerated expression still reads on a small card in the feed.

• Look straight into the lens so the thumbnail “looks” at the viewer.
• Match the emotion to the story: joy for a win, strain for a challenge, shock for a twist.
• Keep the face well lit and separated from the background — rim light or a light backdrop.
• Use your own face, not someone else’s: a thumbnail in the MrBeast style, not with MrBeast.

How to get a strong shot from your own photo: see thumbnail from a photo.

Most popular MrBeast thumbnails have no text at all, or a single short element: a price, an amount or a day counter (“DAY 6”, “DAY #150”). The title tells the story; the thumbnail shows the emotion and the stakes.

• One number or one or two words — no more.
• A top corner of the frame, away from the face and from the bottom-right corner where YouTube shows the duration.
• White letters with a dark outline, or black on a white plate, so they read on any background.
• Don’t repeat the title: thumbnail text should add information, not duplicate it.

MrBeast thumbnails are bright and sunny: daylight, a saturated blue sky or turquoise water, gold, red and yellow. Dark, muddy images are rare — and only when the darkness is part of the story.

• High brightness and contrast: the thumbnail must stand out in both the light and dark YouTube themes.
• One or two saturated accents instead of a rainbow.
• A clean, uncluttered background: details that don’t show on a phone only get in the way.

General principles are in our thumbnail design guide.

1. Pick a reference thumbnail above and click “Generate in this style” — it opens in the generator.
2. Upload 1–3 photos of yourself in the Face block — the model keeps your likeness.
3. Describe your video idea: what happens, what the stakes are, what the emotion is.
4. Add thumbnail text — one number or one or two words. Or leave it empty.
5. Generate 2–4 variants, compare them at a small size and polish the best one in the editor.

• Too much text. A long phrase doesn’t read on a phone — keep a single number.
• Tiny details. If an object isn’t recognizable at about 160 pixels wide, it isn’t there.
• A dark, muddy image. The MrBeast style is all about brightness and contrast.
• Someone else’s face and brand. Don’t copy another creator’s face, logos or branding — borrow the techniques, not the look of the person.
• A promise the video doesn’t keep. A thumbnail that doesn’t match the content gets clicks but hurts retention.