What you need
- Claude Code in a terminal, pointed at a folder with your footage.
- ffmpeg and ffprobe on your PATH.
- A local Whisper model for word-level transcripts.
- Python with numpy, soundfile and OpenCV for the checks.
From frame to four thumbnails
Pick the frame, write the title from the hook, render all four sizes from one layout, and regenerate them whenever the hook changes.
Pick the frame
The speaker's face at the moment the hook lands, eyes open, mouth not mid-word. Claude pulls a handful of candidates around that timestamp.
Write the title
The hook itself: 8 words or fewer, first person, with the number. "How one ad mistake cost us $12K."
Render four shapes
1280 x 720, 1080 x 1920, 1080 x 1080 and 1080 x 1350, from one layout. Title in the middle band.
Look at them small
Render a contact sheet at feed size. If the title does not read at 200 px wide, it does not read.
ffmpeg -ss 12.4 -i out/clip.mp4 -frames:v 1 -q:v 2 thumbs/frame_12.4.jpgEvery Claude video editing guide
Frequently asked questions
Can Claude make YouTube thumbnails?
Yes. Claude Code pulls a frame with ffmpeg and renders the title over it with Python in every size you need. It does not draw new art; it composes from your footage.
What size is a YouTube thumbnail?
1280 x 720, 16:9.
Why does LinkedIn cut off my thumbnail title?
LinkedIn shows video covers at 1:1 or 4:5 and crops the sides of a 16:9 image. Put the title in the middle band, or render a square and a 4:5 version.
Want finished ads, not editing sessions?
Director by Sprites is a full creative team for your startup. Every Monday you get finished, on-brand video ads, reviewed by a human. Strategy, hooks, scripts, shooting and editing, end to end. You never write a prompt. You pick the winners. Sprites ships the campaigns. In private beta.