Question 1

What is the maximum thumbnail quality available?

Accepted Answer

The maximum quality is maxresdefault at 1280×720 pixels (720p HD). Not all videos have this size available - it depends on what the creator uploaded.

Question 2

Why is maxresdefault not available for some videos?

Accepted Answer

YouTube only generates the maxresdefault thumbnail if the uploader provided a custom thumbnail or if the video is high resolution. Older or lower-quality videos may only have smaller sizes.

Question 3

What's the difference between the thumbnail sizes?

Accepted Answer

maxresdefault: 1280×720 (HD), sddefault: 640×480 (SD), hqdefault: 480×360 (HQ), mqdefault: 320×180 (MQ), default: 120×90 (tiny). Use HD for professional use, smaller sizes for previews.

Question 4

Can I get 1080p or 4K thumbnails?

Accepted Answer

No, YouTube's maximum thumbnail resolution is 1280×720. Thumbnails are displayed at this size, so higher resolution isn't provided by YouTube.

Question 5

JPG vs WebP - which is better quality?

Accepted Answer

Quality is the same, but WebP has smaller file sizes. Use JPG for maximum compatibility, WebP for web use where file size matters.

Question 6

Why does my downloaded thumbnail look blurry?

Accepted Answer

You may have downloaded a smaller size. Try maxresdefault for the highest quality. If that's blurry, the original thumbnail was low resolution.

Question 7

How can I get better quality than what YouTube offers?

Accepted Answer

You can't get higher quality than what YouTube stores. For the source image, you'd need to contact the creator. AI upscaling tools can enhance small thumbnails, but quality won't match originals.

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