How to make a YouTube banner without Photoshop for free. Even if you already have YouTube channel art, I'm going to show you some things you can add to optimize your YouTube channel art for more subscribers, more views and you can even grow your email list and your social media following using just your YouTube channel banner.
YouTube Channel Art First Impressions
Your YouTube channel banner is one of the first things that potential subscribers are going to see when they come to your channel. This is where new visitors get their first impression of you. It's a quick way to tell people who you are, what to expect from your channel and you can also establish some authority as well.
Youtube Banner Tools
Now if you're going to create your YouTube channel art yourself, and you're going go the free route, there are two tools that I love. One of them is free, and that's the one we're going to use today. This one's called Canva. You can go to Canva and create a free account or a pro account for around $12.99 per month. With the pro version, you'll get a lot of other features and a lot more access to premium templates and photos.
The other tool I like to use is Photoshop. Photoshop allows you to do a lot more, but it requires a pretty substantial investment. Now in this YouTube channel art tutorial, I'm going show you how to make your YouTube banner without using Photoshop, and we're just going use Canva. So let's go ahead and dive in.
The best way to find the correct Youtube channel art size is to do a quick Google search. There you'll find a lot of different templates. One thing worth noting is that you can't edit your channel icon or art on your cell phone anymore. So you have to use a computer. They also provide a downloadable YouTube banner template that you can use to set up your channel art with the correct dimensions.
Now when looking at the size, it's really important to know what the mobile size is. This is where you'll wanna put most of the important elements of your YouTube banner because most people are using their cell phones these days.
How To Use Canva To Design Youtube Channel Art
In canva you can choose a YouTube channel pre-designed template or start with a blank template. For this tutorial, I'm going to start with a blank template. Take a look at my YouTube video for step by step directions.
5 Important Elements Of A Great YouTube Channel Banner
1. Create a clean design.
Make sure that it can be seen on all devices, television, desktop, and mobile.
2. Use your brand name, logo, or channel name.
3. Use a clear up-close photo.
4. Add a tagline.
Let people know who you are, what they can expect from your channel.
5. Add a call to action.
A clear call to action is great for attracting new subscribers and social media followers on other social networks. You can also increase website traffic and use it to grow your email list.
Bonus Tips!
Don't just set it and forget it with your YouTube channel art.
Get in the habit of updating this banner at least on a quarterly basis. There's nothing that says that you have to stick with this design forever. You can change it. I also recommend that you even do this on other social media networks as well.
Get YouTube Channel Art Inspiration From Other Channels
Take a look at what some other people are doing in the industry for inspiration. Don't copy, just be inspired. And don't be afraid to test out new things like new colors, a new call to action, new fonts, and etc.
Once you upload your new channel artwork, this is the time to add or edit your channel links. Here you can add links to a freebie, a YouTube subscribe link and links to your website and or other social media networks.
There you have it. This is how to make a YouTube bannerwithout using Photoshop and it's free! When this is set up properly, it's going to help build your email list, grow subscribers, and also it can even help grow your other social media platforms as well. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more online strategies for business. Let me know if you like the new banner or the old banner better. Comment below.
