Thumbnail artist

Larger channels separate this job from editing because it needs different skills: composition, typography, face and hand compositing, and enough judgement to argue with a title that fights the image. The work starts from a brief carrying the promise of the video. It often runs through several rounds before publish.

Rates run from a flat fee per thumbnail up to a monthly retainer. The good ones charge for the thinking as much as the Photoshop. Hiring an artist and then handing over no brief is the standard way to waste the money, because a designer with no angle can only make the picture look nice.