If you aren’t sure where to begin, don’t worry. In this article, I’ll show you how you can create an amazing YouTube banner in Photoshop to add personality and style to your channel. So, without much further ado, let’s jump right into it.
Download the YouTube Channel Art Template
Now to create a great YouTube banner, you’ll need to know its exact dimensions and how it will appear on different devices. While you can easily search for the dimensions online, aligning everything so that the banner looks good across devices might be a bit problematic. That’s why I’ve created a simple template that you can use to create your channel without worrying about the alignment at all. Download the template (shown above) from the link below and open it in Photoshop to follow my lead. Download YouTube Banner Template
Customize the YouTube Channel Art Template
Now that you’ve downloaded and opened the template in Photoshop, just follow these simple steps to make a simple, yet amazing, banner for your YouTube account. Step 1: Create a new layer using the Ctrl+Shift+N shortcut. Step 2: Fill the layer with a background color of your choice using the Shift+F5 shortcut and selecting a color from the color picker. I’m going to go with Guiding Tech’s brand colors, and you can choose whichever color you like. I would personally avoid the YouTube colors though. You want your banner to pop out, not blend in with YouTube UI, right? Since the solid background looks a bit boring, I’ll add a gradient to the background using the gradient tool. Step 3: Select the gradient tool and then choose your foreground and background colors, by clicking on the small colored squares towards the bottom of the left toolbar. Step 4: Now left-click on one edge of the canvas, hold the click and drag your mouse all the way to the other edge and release. That will add a gradient in the colors of your choice going from one point to the other. Once again, I’ve given preference to our brand colors, but you can choose whatever you like. You can even play around with the direction of the gradient. Next, we’ll add the channel name and logo (if applicable). Make sure to add all the important information within the innermost rectangle marked by the guides. That will ensure that none of it is cropped out when someone opens the YouTube channel on a device with a smaller display. Step 5: You can add the channel logo by dragging and dropping the file onto the background and use the Horizontal Type tool to add any other text that you want to add to your banner. Here, I’ve used the GT logo and added our channel description using the type tool. You can adjust the font and size of the text by adjusting the Type Layer Properties in the panel to the right. Now that we have the logo and text in place, let’s add some cool graphics to the banner. If you don’t have access to any graphics, just search for free photoshop graphics pack on YouTube and download one them. Then open up the graphics pack in Photoshop and follow these steps to apply some cool elements to your banner. Step 6: Select the graphic you wish to install by clicking on the layer and then copy it using the Ctrl+C shortcut. Step 7: Head back to your banner and use the Ctrl+V shortcut to paste the graphic onto your banner. Step 8: Use the Transformation tool (Ctrl+T) to adjust the size and alignment of the graphic. Since the one I’m using is a bit sparse, I’m going to duplicate the layer to add more elements. Step 9: To duplicate a layer, right-click on the layer and select the Duplicate Layer option from the pop-up menu. Step 10: Now I’ll use the Transformation tool on the duplicate layer to move the elements around till the banner looks a bit more presentable. Once you’ve finalized a layout for your YouTube banner, you can save it as a .png file by using the Ctrl+Shift+S shortcut and select .png from the Save as type drop-down menu. Now that you’ve saved your banner as a .png image, it’s time to upload it to YouTube.
Upload Your New YouTube Banner on Your Channel
Follow these steps to upload your YouTube banner: Step 1: Log in to your YouTube account, head over to your channel and then click on the Customize Channel button. Step 2: In the following screen, click on the Add channel art button at the top. Step 3: Upload your YouTube banner in the next window by clicking on the Select a photo from your computer button and choosing the PNG file you just saved. Once the file is uploaded, YouTube will show you how your new banner will look on desktop, TV and mobile. Check if everything’s alright and use the Adjust the crop button if you want to make some minor changes. You can even check the Auto-enhance option if you want YouTube to make some subtle improvements to your banner. Once you’re satisfied with the outcome, just click on Select and you’re done.
Create Your Own YouTube Banner Right Away
Now that you know all the basics to create a YouTube banner, I’m sure you can make an amazing one for your channel. The one I’ve made for this guide is rather simple, but you can play around with some of the other tools in Photoshop to make yours stand out. Next up: If you don’t have access to Photoshop, you should check out our next article to find out how you can get a Photoshop-like experience right in your browser. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
