# Make a thumbnail with my face and the title Canonical URL: https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/make-a-thumbnail-with-my-face-and-title Last updated: 2026-10-08 > TL;DR: Type "Make a thumbnail with my face and the title" and Vidiyo reads what your video says, picks a frame of you as the identity reference, and generates a finished thumbnail with a short headline, in 16:9, 9:16 or square. It checks the result for likeness, text and logos, and saves it as a version you can refine. ## What to say > Make a thumbnail with my face and the title Category: Thumbnails ## What Vidiyo does 1. Reads the edited narration to ground the headline in what the video actually says. 2. Picks a raw frame of you from the footage as the identity reference, or uses the one you choose. 3. Plans the headline, layout and lighting, with any style reference or logo you attach. 4. Generates the image with your own OpenAI key, or Gemini as a fallback. 5. Checks it for likeness, lighting, spelling and logo accuracy, and saves it as a version. A thumbnail with your face and a few bold words is the default cover for most YouTube videos and many Reels. This prompt makes one from your own video, so the face is yours and the headline matches what you say. ## What does Vidiyo do when you say this? Vidiyo reads what your edited video says, picks a raw frame of you as the identity reference, and generates a finished thumbnail with a short headline drawn from your words. It then checks the image for likeness, lighting, spelling and logo accuracy, and saves it as a version in the thumbnail studio, where you can refine it or set it as the cover. The frame comes from your original footage, not a frame with captions burned over it, so the reference is clean. You can attach your logo or a product image to include, and pick a style reference from the studio's presets. Generation runs through your own OpenAI key, with Gemini as a fallback, and takes a moment per image. ## How do you phrase it? Say the size, the headline idea and the feel: - "Make a thumbnail with my face and the title" - "YouTube thumbnail, me looking surprised, headline '160 GB lost'" - "A 9:16 cover for the Reel with my face and the hook" - "Use the frame at 0:32 and add our logo" - "Bold studio style, big yellow word" Expressions like surprised, shocked, confused or excited are applied while keeping your likeness. If you don't give a headline, the assistant proposes one from the video. ## How would you do this by hand? By hand, you'd export a still, cut yourself out in an image editor, find or make a background, write and set the headline, add a logo, adjust lighting so it all matches, and export at the right size. For a vertical cover you'd redo the layout. Design skill makes the result, and the setup takes time either way. ## What should you check afterwards? Look at the thumbnail at the size people will see it, which is small. The headline should read in a second. Check your face looks like you and any logo is correct. To change one thing, refine rather than regenerate: "make the headline bigger" keeps everything else. When it's right, set it as the cover so exports and scheduling use it. ## Honest limits - Thumbnails need your own OpenAI or Gemini key, and each image is billed to it. - Thumbnails are flat images, so text changes go through a refinement, not a text box. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need an API key for thumbnails? Yes. Thumbnail generation uses your own OpenAI key, with Google's Gemini image model as a fallback if you add that key. Each image is billed to your key. ### Can I edit the text on the thumbnail afterwards? Thumbnails are finished images, not layered files. To change the text, ask for a refinement like "change the headline to 'Client hell'" and you get a new version with the rest kept. ### Will it invent a headline that isn't in my video? It shouldn't. Headlines are short and drawn from what the video says, and the assistant is told never to invent misleading claims. ### Which sizes can I make? 16:9 for YouTube, 9:16 for Reels and Shorts covers, and 1:1 square. ## Related - [An AI thumbnail maker inside your video editor](https://getvidiyo.app/features/ai-thumbnails) - [Thumbnail CTR](https://getvidiyo.app/glossary/thumbnail-ctr) - [YouTube thumbnail tips that hold up at small sizes](https://getvidiyo.app/blog/youtube-thumbnail-tips) - [Make the cover pop](https://getvidiyo.app/prompts/make-the-cover-pop) Download Vidiyo for Mac (free during the beta): https://getvidiyo.app/download