How do I install the Youtube Thumbnail Maker skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add dreydrey9000/youtube-thumbnail-maker in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

What does the Youtube Thumbnail Maker skill do?

YouTube Thumbnail Maker It is listed under Coding & Dev Tools on SkillMD.

Is Youtube Thumbnail Maker safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: executes scripts, makes network calls. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Youtube Thumbnail Maker?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Youtube Thumbnail Maker free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Youtube Thumbnail Maker?

Dreydrey9000 (@dreydrey9000) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Youtube Thumbnail Maker by dreydrey9000

Name: Youtube Thumbnail Maker
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: Dreydrey9000

File contents

YouTube Thumbnail Maker

Generate YouTube thumbnails from scratch using Gemini (BananaBananaPro). Supports reference photos for face consistency, style cloning from competitor thumbnails, and iterative editing.

When to Use

User says "make a thumbnail", "generate thumbnail", "thumbnail for this video"
User shares a video concept and needs a thumbnail
User wants to clone a competitor's thumbnail style with their own face/branding

Quick Start

# Generate from a text description
python3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \
  --prompt "Person looking at phone timer showing 17:43, videos uploading in background" \
  --title "How I Post Every Day in Under 20 Minutes" \
  --style "clean, high-contrast, bold text overlay"

# Generate with a reference photo of the creator
python3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \
  --prompt "Person looking shocked at their phone" \
  --title "This Changed Everything" \
  --reference path/to/creator_photo.jpg

# Clone style from a competitor thumbnail
python3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \
  --clone path/to/competitor_thumbnail.jpg \
  --prompt "Recreate this style but with different person and text" \
  --title "My Version of This Topic" \
  --reference path/to/my_photo.jpg

# Edit an existing thumbnail
python3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \
  --edit path/to/generated_thumb.jpg \
  --prompt "Make the text bigger, change background to dark blue"

# Generate from YouTube URL (downloads their thumbnail, clones the style)
python3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \
  --youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" \
  --prompt "Same style but about posting daily" \
  --title "How I Post Every Day"

Parameters

Flag	Description
`--prompt`, `-p`	Description of what the thumbnail should show
`--title`, `-t`	Text overlay for the thumbnail (the YouTube title shown ON the image)
`--subtitle`	Secondary text (smaller, below title)
`--reference`, `-r`	Reference photo(s) of the creator for face consistency
`--clone`, `-c`	Competitor thumbnail to clone the style of
`--youtube`, `-y`	YouTube URL to download thumbnail from and clone style
`--edit`, `-e`	Existing thumbnail to edit/refine
`--style`, `-s`	Style keywords (e.g. "clean, bold, dark background, neon accents")
`--variations`, `-n`	Number of variations to generate (default: 3)
`--resolution`	Output resolution: 1K, 2K, 4K (default: 2K)
`--output`, `-o`	Custom output path

Output

Thumbnails saved to .tmp/thumbnails/YYYYMMDD/ organized by date.

HHMMSS_v1.jpg, HHMMSS_v2.jpg, HHMMSS_v3.jpg for variations
HHMMSS_edited.jpg for edit passes

Thumbnail Best Practices (Built Into Prompts)

16:9 aspect ratio (1280x720 native YouTube)
High contrast - must read at small sizes (mobile)
Max 3-5 words of text on thumbnail
Face = clicks - close-up emotional faces outperform
Complementary to title - thumbnail shows, title tells
Bold colors - yellow, red, white on dark backgrounds
Rule of thirds - subject on left or right third, text on opposite

API

Model: gemini-3-pro-image-preview
API Key: GEMINI_API_KEY env var (from ~/.claude/.env)
Cost: ~$0.14-0.24 per generation
Format: 16:9, 2K default resolution

---name: youtube-thumbnail-makerdescription: YouTube Thumbnail Maker---# YouTube Thumbnail MakerGenerate YouTube thumbnails from scratch using Gemini (BananaBananaPro). Supports reference photos for face consistency, style cloning from competitor thumbnails, and iterative editing.## When to Use- User says "make a thumbnail", "generate thumbnail", "thumbnail for this video"- User shares a video concept and needs a thumbnail- User wants to clone a competitor's thumbnail style with their own face/branding## Quick Start```bash# Generate from a text descriptionpython3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \ --prompt "Person looking at phone timer showing 17:43, videos uploading in background" \ --title "How I Post Every Day in Under 20 Minutes" \ --style "clean, high-contrast, bold text overlay"# Generate with a reference photo of the creatorpython3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \ --prompt "Person looking shocked at their phone" \ --title "This Changed Everything" \ --reference path/to/creator_photo.jpg# Clone style from a competitor thumbnailpython3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \ --clone path/to/competitor_thumbnail.jpg \ --prompt "Recreate this style but with different person and text" \ --title "My Version of This Topic" \ --reference path/to/my_photo.jpg# Edit an existing thumbnailpython3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \ --edit path/to/generated_thumb.jpg \ --prompt "Make the text bigger, change background to dark blue"# Generate from YouTube URL (downloads their thumbnail, clones the style)python3 ~/.claude/skills/youtube-thumbnail-maker/generate_thumbnail.py \ --youtube "https://youtube.com/watch?v=VIDEO_ID" \ --prompt "Same style but about posting daily" \ --title "How I Post Every Day"```## Parameters| Flag | Description ||------|-------------|| `--prompt`, `-p` | Description of what the thumbnail should show || `--title`, `-t` | Text overlay for the thumbnail (the YouTube title shown ON the image) || `--subtitle` | Secondary text (smaller, below title) || `--reference`, `-r` | Reference photo(s) of the creator for face consistency || `--clone`, `-c` | Competitor thumbnail to clone the style of || `--youtube`, `-y` | YouTube URL to download thumbnail from and clone style || `--edit`, `-e` | Existing thumbnail to edit/refine || `--style`, `-s` | Style keywords (e.g. "clean, bold, dark background, neon accents") || `--variations`, `-n` | Number of variations to generate (default: 3) || `--resolution` | Output resolution: 1K, 2K, 4K (default: 2K) || `--output`, `-o` | Custom output path |## OutputThumbnails saved to `.tmp/thumbnails/YYYYMMDD/` organized by date.- `HHMMSS_v1.jpg`, `HHMMSS_v2.jpg`, `HHMMSS_v3.jpg` for variations- `HHMMSS_edited.jpg` for edit passes## Thumbnail Best Practices (Built Into Prompts)1. **16:9 aspect ratio** (1280x720 native YouTube)2. **High contrast** - must read at small sizes (mobile)3. **Max 3-5 words** of text on thumbnail4. **Face = clicks** - close-up emotional faces outperform5. **Complementary to title** - thumbnail shows, title tells6. **Bold colors** - yellow, red, white on dark backgrounds7. **Rule of thirds** - subject on left or right third, text on opposite## API- **Model:** `gemini-3-pro-image-preview`- **API Key:** `GEMINI_API_KEY` env var (from `~/.claude/.env`)- **Cost:** ~$0.14-0.24 per generation- **Format:** 16:9, 2K default resolution

Frequently asked questions

Youtube Thumbnail Maker