YouThumb Prompts — Thumbnail Prompt Generator

Step 1 — Person

Who will be on the thumbnail? Give me the name exactly as registered in YouThumb.ai.

Go to YouThumb.ai → Persons → Create. Upload 3-5 clear face photos (different angles, good lighting). Name it exactly as you want to reference it.

Step 2 — Assets

What visual elements should appear on the thumbnail? List each with:

• Name — what it is (logo, screenshot, icon...)
• Description — what it looks like or represents

Examples:

• "Claude Code logo — purple/orange terminal icon"
• "Screenshot of my app — dark theme with charts"

@image1

@image2

@image3

@image1 → Claude Code logo (purple/orange terminal icon)
@image2 → VS Code logo (blue code editor icon)

@imageN (description)

Step 3 — Video Description

Describe your video:

• What's the topic?
• What's the angle/hook? (comparison, tutorial, news, opinion, reveal...)
• What emotion should the thumbnail convey?
• Any style preference? (dark, colorful, minimal, dramatic...)

Step 4 — Generate 5 Prompts

Prompt Structure (all 7 blocks required in each prompt)

1. Subject — Person name, position (left/center/right), pose, body framing
2. Expression — Face expression with micro-details (eyes, mouth, eyebrows)
3. Assets — Every

   @imageN (description)

   with placement, size, and visual treatment
4. Background — Color scheme, gradient, glow, particles, depth
5. Lighting — Light source direction, intensity, color temperature, shadows
6. Materials & Effects — Textures, reflections, distortions, glitch, glass, chrome, particles
7. Composition — Layout, depth of field, camera angle, visual hierarchy

The 5 Variations

Reference Libraries

Expressions

confident smirk, knowing look, slight head tilt, one eyebrow slightly raised

impressed but composed, raised eyebrow, subtle smirk, hint of admiration

focused expression, intense gaze, determined look, sharp eyes

finger on lips, knowing smirk, secretive look

pointing at [element], confident expression, direct eye contact

arms crossed, confident stance, authoritative look, slight smirk

subtly surprised, eyebrows slightly raised, mouth slightly open

Backgrounds

clean dark background, subtle orange glow, soft ambient light

dark cinematic background, deep purple gradient, electric blue rim light

pure black background, single [color] light source, ultra minimal

warm dark background, golden ambient light, subtle bokeh

cold steel blue background, desaturated tones, sharp shadows

vibrant [color] to [color] gradient, dynamic energy, subtle particles

Materials & Effects

frosted glass overlay, glass morphism, transparent panels

chrome reflections, metallic surface, brushed steel

neon glow effect, light trails, luminous edges

holographic display, iridescent shimmer, prismatic light

floating particles, dust motes in light, subtle sparkles

subtle glitch effect, digital distortion, scan lines

wisps of smoke, atmospheric fog, volumetric haze

floating embers, fire particles, warm sparks

bokeh light orbs, out-of-focus lights, dreamy depth

volumetric light rays, god rays, dramatic light beams

Text & Typography

bold white text "[TEXT]" in large sans-serif font, high contrast

glowing [color] text "[TEXT]", neon style lettering

3D extruded text "[TEXT]", metallic finish, dramatic shadow

no text, no typography, clean visual only

floating code snippet, monospace font, syntax highlighted

Composition & Camera

medium shot, person on left third, element on right, shallow depth of field

centered subject, symmetrical composition, straight-on camera angle

slight low angle, dynamic perspective, subject looking down at camera

split frame, person on one side, visual element on other, strong contrast

close-up portrait, tight crop, intense eye contact, blurred background

Output Format

━━━ PROMPT 1 — Clean & Professional ━━━

[Full prompt text ready to paste into YouThumb.ai]

Expression: confident | Background: dark + teal glow | Assets: @image1 center, @image2 floating

━━━ PROMPT 2 — Dramatic & Cinematic ━━━

[Full prompt text...]

Expression: serious | Background: purple + blue rim | Assets: @image1 large left

...etc for all 5

Prompt Writing Rules

✅ Always

• Reference EVERY asset with

  @imageN (description)

  — or it won't appear
• Specify person position (left/center/right) and framing (medium/close-up)
• Include lighting direction and color
• Describe the scene as a whole, not a list of disconnected elements
• Use cinematic/photographic language
• Keep each prompt between 100-300 words

❌ Never

• Don't write "generate a thumbnail of..." — describe the scene directly
• Don't leave assets unplaced — every

  @imageN

  needs position + visual treatment
• Don't use more than 2 accent colors per prompt
• Don't describe cluttered backgrounds (lines, geometric patterns, fractals)
• Don't default to "mouth wide open surprised" expression
• Don't forget lighting — it makes or breaks the mood

YouThumb.ai Advanced Options Reference

Detailed Examples

Example Walkthrough

• @image1 → React logo (blue atom icon)
• @image2 → Claude Code logo (purple/orange terminal icon)

Alex Dev on the left third of frame, medium shot from waist up, confident smirk with one eyebrow slightly raised, arms crossed. @image1 (React blue atom logo) floating at mid-right, softly glowing with a blue aura. @image2 (Claude Code purple terminal icon) hovering below and behind, emitting subtle orange light trails. Clean dark background with a deep navy-to-black gradient, single teal light source from upper left casting soft directional shadows. Subtle floating particles catching the light. Chrome-like reflective floor adding depth. Shallow depth of field with background elements slightly soft. No text.

Expression: confident | Background: dark navy + teal | Assets: @image1 mid-right glowing, @image2 behind lower