• What's up with your $h!tty Thumbnails??? (Linus Tech Tips)
    31 replies, posted
[video=youtube;DzRGBAUz5mA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzRGBAUz5mA[/video]
Does anyone really give a fuck about thumbnails? They were never the most trustworthy or giving people information, they were always either wacky or a boring standard.
[QUOTE=Zadrave;52127773]Does anyone really give a fuck about thumbnails? They were never the most trustworthy or giving people information, they were always either wacky or a boring standard.[/QUOTE] They weren't clickbaiting and I respected that they never stooped to that level until they did.
[QUOTE=FlandersNed;52127890]They weren't clickbaiting and I respected that they never stooped to that level until they did.[/QUOTE] clickbaiting in the form that they're doing it isn't "stooping to another level." clickbaiting is really only bad when they lie. which is why linus dedicated a significant portion of the video explaining that when they actually lied for the first time in awhile, they fucked up.
[QUOTE=Berman Slick;52127997]When I see Unbox Therapy thumbnails I cringe the fuck out, the guy's face is always so doofy and "woah what is this magical device my mind is blown" like a kid would make if they were trying to look amazed [img]https://i.gyazo.com/f912a17d5df6d207f46842df375998db.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/aa26abbe41c1b8436515113701763281.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/16570f02fa5c17b47a6e7dc17408a99e.png[/img] [img]https://i.gyazo.com/33dfd9ba528f3ef45a41450cf5a79f92.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/898cb3cd289816591294a35bf68db4e7.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/8d91d7f17e7b642157cce44e2ec31e85.png[/img] [img]https://i.gyazo.com/e59c01ac11571079e42d3e7640094336.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/88e802d1f9da559e8c91080b427c8801.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/d88ae892802ca134ea74518b12dbb007.png[/img] As I was searching through thumbnails for juicy examples, it seems he only started doing it 9 months or so ago. The other ones are much more chill/sane. Now he just looks like a bumbling idiot[/QUOTE] I'm not a big fan of Unbox Therapy because he treats all of his reviewed content as some of the most amazing stuff on the planet, even if they are mediocre, and this is usually regardless of the insane cost of 99% of the stuff. That said, I think by now he's so insanely recognizable, like LTT, that to grow his already huge population, the "clickbaity" kind of thumbnails are sort of the logical next step to increase viewer base by appealing to younger/casual audiences since your base demographic is likely already comprised of the "hardcore" audience, especially in LTT's case. I can obviously understand why they do it, and Unbox Therapy is less of the content review style that LTT is, and more of a "hey look at this insanely weird/cool/niche tech that most people don't want or need and couldn't afford, enjoy the experience through me" so the thumbails are pretty in line with the content and his demographic has always been pretty casual. LTT's thumbnails just come across as more silly or as if they're having fun, which I don't have a problem with either.
Speaking of which, what's a good alternative to LTT ? I need something that isn't trying to be hip with the kids and stuff, I just want good tech reviews. Linus himself is OK, but I don't like the others. The only other guy besides him I like is the guy doing bicycle reviews.
I like Casey Neistat's first impressions. The title can be very vague, sometimes puts me off, and the thumbnail is, 99% of time time a direct screencap of something throughout the video. And yet this also presents a viable method of user impression and attraction to content. There's always this weird meta about how these shit works. I don't think what Sebation says is 100% accurate in that it's what attracts users to a video, as much as youtube themselves actually promote, endorse, and teach people to create things similar to this, as I've heard from Adam Kovic (of Funhaus), who does some of them for their channels. He also says that if he could, he would just have a white image with a red number on it, increasing with each new video.
Honestly I can't really empathize with his arguments for "bigger reach" when he's hiring so many people for what really feels like lower quality product. Sure as hell won't be using any offer codes from them or any amazon links.
[QUOTE=AntonioR;52128077]Speaking of which, what's a good alternative to LTT ? I need something that isn't trying to be hip with the kids and stuff, I just want good tech reviews. Linus himself is OK, but I don't like the others. The only other guy besides him I like is the guy doing bicycle reviews.[/QUOTE] I'd reccomend [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfCqe7b9YiDk2ZiAG8UIGA]Flossy Carter[/url]. He mostly sticks to reviewing speakers, mobile phones and premium protective cases but his reviews for the major flagship phones are probably where he shines the most. Instead of reading off the specs from a sheet and calling it a day, he talks about how the phone can be a positive or a negative in your everyday usage and whether it's worth the money.
[QUOTE=Berman Slick;52127997]When I see Unbox Therapy thumbnails I cringe the fuck out, the guy's face is always so doofy and "woah what is this magical device my mind is blown" like a kid would make As I was searching through thumbnails for juicy examples, it seems he only started doing it 9 months or so ago. The other ones are much more chill/sane. Now he just looks like a bumbling idiot[/QUOTE] He looks more like he forgot he was posing for a picture after coming to some kind of horrible realization.
I've not watched him for a while, but MKBHD was also pretty decent
[QUOTE=Zadrave;52127773]Does anyone really give a fuck about thumbnails? They were never the most trustworthy or giving people information, they were always either wacky or a boring standard.[/QUOTE] Honestly, while it's also because video quality has gone down imo (not that it necessarily was all that high), I don't want to support stupid shit. Clickbait needs to stop.
[QUOTE=Sonic Fan;52128117]I'd reccomend [url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFfCqe7b9YiDk2ZiAG8UIGA]Flossy Carter[/url]. He mostly sticks to reviewing speakers, mobile phones and premium protective cases but his reviews for the major flagship phones are probably where he shines the most. Instead of reading off the specs from a sheet and calling it a day, he talks about how the phone can be a positive or a negative in your everyday usage and whether it's worth the money.[/QUOTE] Thanks, but I meant more PC related stuff (GPUs, CPUs, monitors...) and occasional random electronic gadget. I'm not interested in solely smartphones. What I'm looking for is a channel that has the content scope of LTT, but the seriousness of Digital Foundry.
[QUOTE=AntonioR;52128587]Thanks, but I meant more PC related stuff (GPUs, CPUs, monitors...) and occasional random electronic gadget. I'm not interested in solely smartphones. What I'm looking for is a channel that has the content scope of LTT, but the seriousness of Digital Foundry.[/QUOTE] Don't think there's many others, Gamer's Nexus is definitely worth checking out, but I'm not sure they're what you're looking for. Recently I've watched a few videos from Hardware Unboxed as well.
[QUOTE=One Ear Ninja;52128165]I've not watched him for a while, but MKBHD was also pretty decent[/QUOTE] Still is in my eyes. His reviews are fantastic and very detailed tho sometimes he shows obvious bias but he answers the questions viewers wanna know
[QUOTE=AntonioR;52128077]Speaking of which, what's a good alternative to LTT ? I need something that isn't trying to be hip with the kids and stuff, I just want good tech reviews. Linus himself is OK, but I don't like the others. The only other guy besides him I like is the guy doing bicycle reviews.[/QUOTE] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTzLRZUgelatKZ4nyIKcAbg"]HardwareCanucks[/URL] is a channel that comes to my mind. I dont actively follow them, but the vids that I've seen from them are usually informative and in-depth enough to answer the majority of questions someone might have about a product.
[QUOTE=Pingu1;52128961]If anyone has awful thumbnails, thats gotta be this guy. UGHHH.[/QUOTE] Not as bad, but if you look at all these in a grid, it gets overwhelming, as with your image [url]https://www.youtube.com/user/MatthewPatrick13/videos[/url]
A while ago, I changed all the thumbnails in my videos so that they'd be less overwhelming to look at. [t]http://i.imgur.com/npArifn.jpg[/t] I'm pretty sure they don't really have a good clickthrough rate because of it but I prefer something more consistent and easier on the eye because I'm so tired of extremely awful looking thumbnails.
[QUOTE=Pingu1;52128961]If anyone has awful thumbnails, thats gotta be this guy. UGHHH.[/QUOTE] This guy is even worse though: [url]https://www.youtube.com/user/MatthewSantoro/videos[/url]
[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;52129229]This guy is even worse though: [url]https://www.youtube.com/user/MatthewSantoro/videos[/url][/QUOTE] Oh god that meme video thumbnail.
[QUOTE=AntonioR;52128587]Thanks, but I meant more PC related stuff (GPUs, CPUs, monitors...) and occasional random electronic gadget. I'm not interested in solely smartphones. What I'm looking for is a channel that has the content scope of LTT, but the seriousness of Digital Foundry.[/QUOTE] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/user/teksyndicate"]L1Ts[/URL] is a personal favorite of mine for that kind of thing.
A face in the thumbnail, especially a highly expressive one, garners more views. I don't blame anyone for taking advantage of that.
[t]http://i.imgur.com/7FnsF7Z.jpg[/t] This is how you do thumbnails
I guess I am the minority of the minority that gets actively put off by shitty thumbnails but doesn't go write youtube comments about it either [editline]22nd April 2017[/editline] I think you can do very recognizable, well representative thumbnails without making it obscene and idiotic. Cases in point: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ZkP5MMY.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/5FFA19Z.png[/IMG] [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/9FNBIg6.png[/IMG] I mean check jeorg's channel. He makes a video of whacking jelly with a sharpened piece of wood while laughing maniacally, probably did that thumbnail in MSPaint, and still got two million views in a couple months. Like, I get that once one has a team of editors and writers and whatnot that all kind of want to make a living, you gonna squeeze for every penny; I just think that you can be both appealing and catchy while still tasteful. [editline]22nd April 2017[/editline] Okay, best example; this guy [img]http://i.imgur.com/tV0YhCG.png[/img] Tell me these don't catch attention and don't represent well, while still being perfectly reasonable.
[QUOTE=StrawberryClock;52128998]A while ago, I changed all the thumbnails in my videos so that they'd be less overwhelming to look at. [t]http://i.imgur.com/npArifn.jpg[/t] I'm pretty sure they don't really have a good clickthrough rate because of it but I prefer something more consistent and easier on the eye because I'm so tired of extremely awful looking thumbnails.[/QUOTE] Your thumbnails don't say anything about the video. You sort of went the other way, same for your titles kind of.
[QUOTE=Berman Slick;52127997]When I see Unbox Therapy thumbnails I cringe the fuck out, the guy's face is always so doofy and "woah what is this magical device my mind is blown" like a kid would make if they were trying to look amazed [img]https://i.gyazo.com/f912a17d5df6d207f46842df375998db.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/aa26abbe41c1b8436515113701763281.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/16570f02fa5c17b47a6e7dc17408a99e.png[/img] [img]https://i.gyazo.com/33dfd9ba528f3ef45a41450cf5a79f92.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/898cb3cd289816591294a35bf68db4e7.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/8d91d7f17e7b642157cce44e2ec31e85.png[/img] [img]https://i.gyazo.com/e59c01ac11571079e42d3e7640094336.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/88e802d1f9da559e8c91080b427c8801.png[/img][img]https://i.gyazo.com/d88ae892802ca134ea74518b12dbb007.png[/img] As I was searching through thumbnails for juicy examples, it seems he only started doing it 9 months or so ago. The other ones are much more chill/sane. Now he just looks like a bumbling idiot[/QUOTE] What's the first thing you're told in any class covering the entertainment field? You have to have an introduction that grabs people's attention. Exaggerated facial expressions are one the great ways to catch someone's eye. If you were creating content you'd want to use eye-catching tactics. As we can see he has millions of views, and you've watched at least 1 out of 9 of his videos, so it's safe to say that his titles and thumbnails work pretty well. (Not saying that the actual content isn't the main contributing factor, but still) [editline]22nd April 2017[/editline] [QUOTE=StrawberryClock;52128998]A while ago, I changed all the thumbnails in my videos so that they'd be less overwhelming to look at. [t]http://i.imgur.com/npArifn.jpg[/t] I'm pretty sure they don't really have a good clickthrough rate because of it but I prefer something more consistent and easier on the eye because I'm so tired of extremely awful looking thumbnails.[/QUOTE] I'm sorry, but these aren't exactly easy on the eye [I]or[/I] eye-catching. Not enough contrast between the text and backgrounds either. Also you highlight just the first word when you should be highlighting the most important word of the title. But anyway that's just criticism do what you want
[QUOTE=Brt5470;52135631]Your thumbnails don't say anything about the video. You sort of went the other way, same for your titles kind of.[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=Lobstuzz;52135673]I'm sorry, but these aren't exactly easy on the eye [I]or[/I] eye-catching. Not enough contrast between the text and backgrounds either. Also you highlight just the first word when you should be highlighting the most important word of the title. But anyway that's just criticism do what you want[/QUOTE] Yeah, I haven't really been super satisfied with this version either but it's better than what it was before. I mostly just wanted something that was consistent when you looked at the uploaded videos page. Ideally I'd be going in-game to take custom high-rez hud-less screenshots and do something interesting with them to make a clean-but-informative thumbnail but unfortunately I don't have that kind of time on my hands for silly vidya geams footage. I've sort of always considered my channel to be something I'd keep as a secondary thing and I've really been thinking about making a new channel with bigger production values that I'd pour all of my efforts in but I'm still thinking of a niche that I'd be good at to distinguish myself from others. I fully recognize that my current thumbnails aren't good at attracting outsiders but I'm mostly doing it for FP which will already knows about the subject matter anyway.
[QUOTE=AntonioR;52128077]Speaking of which, what's a good alternative to LTT ? I need something that isn't trying to be hip with the kids and stuff, I just want good tech reviews. Linus himself is OK, but I don't like the others. The only other guy besides him I like is the guy doing bicycle reviews.[/QUOTE] [URL="https://www.youtube.com/user/NCIXcom"]NCIX Tech Tips[/URL] is pretty good and it were made by Linus before he decided to start his own company. You can even find Linus videos from 2008 over there :v: [video=youtube;OhA0X6_z3lY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhA0X6_z3lY[/video]
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