YouThumb Prompts — Thumbnail Prompt Generator
Generate 5 optimized, ready-to-paste prompts for
YouThumb.ai thumbnails.
Follow the 4 steps in order. Do not skip ahead or generate prompts before collecting all info.
Step 1 — Person
Ask the user:
Who will be on the thumbnail?
Give me the name exactly as registered in YouThumb.ai.
Store the name. This is the subject referenced in every prompt.
If the user hasn't created a Person yet:
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
Ask the user:
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"
Map each asset to
,
,
etc. (max 5, in order given).
Display the mapping back:
@image1 → Claude Code logo (purple/orange terminal icon)
@image2 → VS Code logo (blue code editor icon)
⚠️
Every asset MUST be referenced as in the prompts. Without this, YouThumb will NOT include the image.
Step 3 — Video Description
Ask the user:
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
Using Steps 1-3, generate 5 distinct prompt variations, each 100-300 words.
Prompt Structure (all 7 blocks required in each prompt)
Every prompt must describe a complete scene including ALL of these elements:
- Subject — Person name, position (left/center/right), pose, body framing
- Expression — Face expression with micro-details (eyes, mouth, eyebrows)
- Assets — Every with placement, size, and visual treatment
- Background — Color scheme, gradient, glow, particles, depth
- Lighting — Light source direction, intensity, color temperature, shadows
- Materials & Effects — Textures, reflections, distortions, glitch, glass, chrome, particles
- Composition — Layout, depth of field, camera angle, visual hierarchy
The 5 Variations
Each prompt must have a distinct visual identity:
| # | Approach | Mood |
|---|
| 1 | Clean & Professional | Dark minimal, confident expression, subtle glow |
| 2 | Dramatic & Cinematic | Strong contrast, dramatic pose, particles/effects |
| 3 | Bold & Colorful | Vibrant accents, energetic composition, eye-catching |
| 4 | Mysterious / Insider | Dark mood, secretive expression, smoke/shadows |
| 5 | Pattern Break | Unusual angle, unexpected element, curiosity trigger |
Reference Libraries
Use these to build rich, specific prompts. Mix and match across prompts.
Expressions
| Expression | When to use | Prompt keywords |
|---|
| Confident smirk | Default for most | confident smirk, knowing look, slight head tilt, one eyebrow slightly raised
|
| Impressed | Discovery, review | impressed but composed, raised eyebrow, subtle smirk, hint of admiration
|
| Serious/focused | Deep tech, security | focused expression, intense gaze, determined look, sharp eyes
|
| Finger on lips | Secret, insider | finger on lips, knowing smirk, secretive look
|
| Pointing | Call to action | pointing at [element], confident expression, direct eye contact
|
| Arms crossed | Authority, opinion | arms crossed, confident stance, authoritative look, slight smirk
|
| Subtle surprise | Genuine wow (rare) | subtly surprised, eyebrows slightly raised, mouth slightly open
|
⚠️ Rule: max 1 out of 5 prompts can use "surprised". Default = confident/serious/impressed.
Backgrounds
| Mood | Colors | Keywords |
|---|
| Tech/dark | Black + orange/teal | clean dark background, subtle orange glow, soft ambient light
|
| Dramatic | Purple + electric blue | dark cinematic background, deep purple gradient, electric blue rim light
|
| Minimal | Pure black + one accent | pure black background, single [color] light source, ultra minimal
|
| Warm | Dark + amber/gold | warm dark background, golden ambient light, subtle bokeh
|
| Cold | Dark blue/steel | cold steel blue background, desaturated tones, sharp shadows
|
| Energetic | Vibrant gradient | vibrant [color] to [color] gradient, dynamic energy, subtle particles
|
⚠️ Never: busy patterns, geometric fractals, lines everywhere, more than 2 accent colors.
Materials & Effects
| Effect | Keywords | Best for |
|---|
| Glass | frosted glass overlay, glass morphism, transparent panels
| Modern tech |
| Chrome | chrome reflections, metallic surface, brushed steel
| Premium/authority |
| Neon | neon glow effect, light trails, luminous edges
| AI/futuristic |
| Holographic | holographic display, iridescent shimmer, prismatic light
| Innovation |
| Particles | floating particles, dust motes in light, subtle sparkles
| Cinematic |
| Glitch | subtle glitch effect, digital distortion, scan lines
| Security/hacking |
| Smoke | wisps of smoke, atmospheric fog, volumetric haze
| Mystery |
| Fire/embers | floating embers, fire particles, warm sparks
| Hot takes |
| Bokeh | bokeh light orbs, out-of-focus lights, dreamy depth
| Personal/vlog |
| Light rays | volumetric light rays, god rays, dramatic light beams
| Announcements |
Text & Typography
| Element | Keywords |
|---|
| Bold text | bold white text "[TEXT]" in large sans-serif font, high contrast
|
| Glowing text | glowing [color] text "[TEXT]", neon style lettering
|
| 3D text | 3D extruded text "[TEXT]", metallic finish, dramatic shadow
|
| No text | no text, no typography, clean visual only
|
| Code snippet | floating code snippet, monospace font, syntax highlighted
|
Composition & Camera
| Style | Keywords |
|---|
| Classic YouTube | medium shot, person on left third, element on right, shallow depth of field
|
| Centered power | centered subject, symmetrical composition, straight-on camera angle
|
| Dynamic angle | slight low angle, dynamic perspective, subject looking down at camera
|
| Split frame | split frame, person on one side, visual element on other, strong contrast
|
| Close-up | close-up portrait, tight crop, intense eye contact, blurred background
|
Output Format
Present each prompt like this:
━━━ 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
Add a one-line summary under each prompt (expression + background + asset placement).
Prompt Writing Rules
✅ Always
- Reference EVERY asset with — 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 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
When pasting prompts into YouThumb.ai, users can also set:
| Option | Values | Default |
|---|
| Face Expression | neutral, happy, surprised, excited, serious, confident, keep-original | confident |
| Text Position | top, center, bottom, none, keep-original | none |
| Variations | 1-4 | 1 (each costs credits) |
| Clothing Style | casual, professional, sporty, elegant, streetwear, keep-original | keep-original |
| Negative Prompt | Max 500 chars — exclude unwanted elements | — |
| Background Blur | 0-100 | 0 |
| Face Enhancement | subtle, normal, enhanced, keep-original | normal |
Detailed Examples
For full prompt examples across 6 video types (tutorial, comparison, news, opinion, product review, security), read references/prompt-examples.md.
Load it when you need inspiration for a specific video category.
Example Walkthrough
Step 1 — Person: "Alex Dev"
Step 2 — Assets:
- @image1 → React logo (blue atom icon)
- @image2 → Claude Code logo (purple/orange terminal icon)
Step 3 — Video: "Comparing React development with and without AI. Angle: productivity boost. Mood: impressive, tech-forward."
One of the 5 generated prompts:
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