Compositions - Set video thumbnail & poster

Vouch gives you the flexibility to set a custom thumbnail for your video and optionally use that same thumbnail as your video poster. The essential difference between a thumbnail and a poster image is outlined in the definitions below.

  • The video thumbnail is the promotional cover for your content. Within Vouch, this image is used to represent your video in the Vouch library, on embeds, and on shareable playlinks before the video starts playing and also in the OpenGraph image for your video. You can choose any frame from your video or upload a completely separate image to use as the thumbnail.
  • The video poster is the static placeholder image displayed within the video player itself. It is always the first frame of your video and is permanently included (burnt in) to the respective MP4 file when downloaded from Vouch.

The following guide outlines the steps to set a custom thumbnail and how to subsequently apply that thumbnail as your video poster.

Set your Composition thumbnail

Vouch automatically sets the 1-second mark (Frame 30) as the initial thumbnail. To override this default and choose a different video frame, or to upload a custom image for your Composition: access the Composition Details page, locate the overflow menu in the top right hand corner, and select Update Thumbnail.

This loads the Thumbnail Selector modal, which presents two options for setting your thumbnail:

  • Select a Frame: To pick a different frame from your video, scroll left or right on the timeline at the base of the modal. When you find the desired frame, press Save Thumbnail.
  • Upload a File: If you prefer to use an external image, press the "Use File Uploader" button instead.

If you press use file uploader, you will be given the option to upload an image from your computer to replace the current thumbnail.  

Selecting Use File Uploader option updates the modal, allowing you to upload a custom thumbnail. Click Upload an Image to choose a JPEG, GIF, or PNG file from your computer.

Once you have uploaded your image, you can press save thumbnail for the effects to take place.

Use thumbnail as video poster

If you want to use the video thumbnail as the burnt-in starting frame (video poster) of your downloaded video, you'll need to access the download options:

Navigate to Share Composition, and then select the Download Settings cog located next to the main Download button.

This modal allows you to download the video with the custom poster image included.

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