Coming Soon to YouTube: Custom Thumbs for Shorts & SuperChat Goals!

New Tools for YouTube Creators: Custom Shorts Thumbnails and Super Chat Goals

YouTube continues to iterate on its feature set, introducing several updates designed to give Creators more control over their content presentation and better tools for engaging with their community during live broadcasts. From visual customizations for Shorts to new monetization milestones in live chat, these updates aim to streamline the workflow for Creators across both mobile and desktop platforms.

Enhanced Control Over Shorts Thumbnails

One of the most anticipated updates involves how Shorts are presented to viewers. YouTube is introducing a more robust system for selecting and customizing thumbnails—the preview images that viewers see before clicking on a Short.

Frame Selection After Upload

Previously, thumbnail selection for Shorts had various limitations depending on the device or upload method. The upcoming update introduces a frame selection tool that allows Creators to choose a specific still image from their video to serve as the thumbnail after the Short has already been uploaded.

Crucially, this functionality is being implemented for both desktop and mobile devices, ensuring a consistent experience regardless of where you manage your channel. This change removes the pressure to capture the perfect frame during the initial upload process, allowing for more thoughtful curation of how the video appears in the Shorts feed.

Text and Filter Integration

Beyond simple frame selection, YouTube is adding a text and filter system to the thumbnail customization process. This means Creators will have the option to apply visual filters or add text overlays directly within the platform. By integrating these tools, YouTube is reducing the need for external editing software for basic preview adjustments, allowing you to make quick changes to ensure your Short stands out and accurately represents the content.

This feature set is expected to launch within the next two weeks.

Boosting Live Engagement with Super Chat Goals

Live streaming remains a cornerstone of community building on YouTube, and the platform is continuing to expand the functionality of Super Chats. Following the recent rollout of “Replies” (last week) and “Likes” (over the past few months), YouTube is now testing Super Chat Goals.

How Super Chat Goals Work

The Super Chat Goal feature allows a Creator to set a specific financial or engagement target during a live stream. This goal is visible to the audience, creating a collective objective for the community to work toward together.

The highlight of this feature is the reward for reaching the milestone: once the goal is met, YouTube will trigger a small animation within the chat. These visual cues serve as a celebration of the community’s support and provide an immediate, rewarding feedback loop for those contributing via Super Chat.

Current Availability

It is important to note that this feature is currently in a very small test phase. While it promises to be a highly useful tool for driving engagement and supporting Creators, a wide-scale launch date has not yet been confirmed. Once the testing phase is complete, the feature will be rolled out to more users.

Additional Platform Updates: Ads and QR Codes

Alongside the major updates to Shorts and Super Chats, YouTube has implemented two other notable changes that affect how Creators operate and how their content is monetized.

Side-by-Side Ads

YouTube has officially launched “Side-by-Side Ads.” While this primarily affects the viewing experience and monetization structure, it represents the platform’s ongoing effort to optimize ad placements without significantly disrupting the user journey.

Creator QR Codes

For Creators looking to grow their audience offline or across other platforms, YouTube is making Creator QR Codes available to all users over the next week. These codes provide a seamless way for viewers to find and subscribe to a channel simply by scanning a code with their mobile device, bridging the gap between physical marketing (such as at events or on merchandise) and digital growth.

Summary of Upcoming Changes

The current trajectory of these updates shows a clear focus on three areas: visual optimization for short-form content, gamified engagement for live streams, and easier channel discoverability. Whether you are focusing on the rapid growth potential of Shorts or the deep community ties of YouTube Live, these tools provide more flexibility in how you present your brand and interact with your fans.

Original transcript

Transcript

There’s more YouTube news! We’re starting with so-called Shorts thumbnails, the previews for Shorts. There’s now a frame selection, a still image selection, after the Short has already been uploaded - both for desktop and mobile devices. This is set to launch in the next two weeks. In addition to selecting the frame you want, there will also be a text and filter system added. This means that if you want to make any changes, you’ll have the option to do so.

Next up are Super Chats. These have of course gained new functionality with Replies, which rolled out last week, and Likes, which have been rolling out over the past few months: the so-called Super Chat Goal. This is currently being tested in a very small test phase. You can set a goal for where you want to go, and once it’s reached, YouTube will play a small animation in the chat. I think this is a really useful feature. After this short test phase, it will be launched accordingly, but I can’t give you an exact date just yet.

Side-by-Side Ads have also been launched, as we’ve already discussed. And Creator QR Codes will be available to all Creators over the next week. All in all, I think we’re in a very good position here.

So, thank you very much for tuning in. If you have any more questions about YouTube, feel free to leave them in the comments. Otherwise, see you next Saturday for more YouTube news. Until then, take care and keep going!

Confused about these new YouTube features? From custom Shorts thumbnails to SuperChat Goals, we've got you covered. Check out our Creator Services for more insights and expert advice on navigating these changes.