# Choosing a video thumbnail

> Pick the image clients see on a gallery video before they press play: a frame from the film, a photo from the gallery, or an image from your device.

Source: https://help.corehue.co/docs/gallery-video/choosing-a-video-thumbnail/

The thumbnail is the still your client sees on the video card and in the player before they press play. CoreHue starts with the very first frame of the film, which is often black or mid-fade, so it's worth spending ten seconds picking a better one.

> **Available on Plus and Pro**
Gallery video is included on the Plus and Pro plans. See [CoreHue plans](/docs/plans-and-billing/corehue-plans).

You can change a thumbnail once the video has finished processing. Open the video card's **⋯** menu and choose **Edit thumbnail**, then pick one of three sources.

## Use a frame from the video

Best when the film has a great moment you want to lead with.

1. On the video card, open **⋯** → **Edit thumbnail** → **From video frame**.
2. In **Thumbnail from the video**, play the film and pause on the frame you want, or drag the slider.
3. Click **Use this thumbnail**.

The frame you see is exactly the frame your client will see.

## Use a photo from the gallery

Best when you want the film to match the photos, or you've got a still that sums the day up better than any frame.

1. On the video card, open **⋯** → **Edit thumbnail** → **From gallery**.
2. Pick a photo from any chapter in this gallery.
3. Click **Set thumbnail**.

If you later delete that photo from the chapter, the video keeps it as its thumbnail.

## Upload an image from your device

Best for a designed title card or a frame grab you've graded separately.

1. On the video card, open **⋯** → **Edit thumbnail** → **From device**.
2. Choose a JPEG or PNG up to 50 MB.

Uploaded thumbnails don't count toward your storage.

You'll see "Thumbnail updated" when any of the three is saved. To change thumbnails for a single selected video, you can also use the image button on the action bar at the bottom of the screen.

## What your client sees

The thumbnail appears on the video's card in the gallery and in the player until your client presses play. [How your clients watch videos](/docs/gallery-video/how-clients-watch-videos) shows the rest of the viewing experience. Hovering over the card on a computer swaps in a short silent preview of the film after a couple of seconds, then goes back to your thumbnail.

On the gallery page, every video card is a wide 16:9 frame and the thumbnail fills it, so anything outside that frame is trimmed. That matters most for [vertical videos](/docs/gallery-video/video-formats-and-export-settings) and for portrait photos used as thumbnails: keep the subject near the middle. Your dashboard shows the whole image, so check the result with **Preview** in the gallery header.

## Frequently asked questions

### Why is my video's thumbnail black?

A video thumbnail is black when the film opens on black, because CoreHue uses the first frame until you choose another one. Pick a frame, a gallery photo or an upload from **Edit thumbnail**.

### Why can't I see Edit thumbnail?

**Edit thumbnail** appears once the video has finished processing. While the card says **Processing**, the menu only offers **Rename**, **Delete** and, if the gallery has more than one chapter, **Move to chapter**.

### Can I use a photo from a different gallery?

Not directly. **From gallery** only shows photos in the same gallery, so choose **From device** and pick the photo from your own files instead.

### Does changing the thumbnail change the video?

No. A video thumbnail is only the still shown before playback. The film itself is untouched.