If you're starting a YouTube channel, adding a banner is an important part of setting it up. After all, it's the first image that people will see when they view your channel. And when done well, it can help you gain subscribers and succeed on the platform.

Here's what you should know about the recommended YouTube banner size, how to best position text on the image, and how to upload an image to your channel.

Your banner needs to be specific pixel dimensions to format correctly on YouTube:

Quick tip: If your banner doesn't conform to these requirements, you can resize it. But the process will vary depending on the device you're using - like Mac, Windows, or iPhone - or if desired, you can use Photoshop.

The dimensions listed above are a measure of the width and height of the image, in pixels. These are meant to give your channel page the best look, whether the viewer is on desktop, mobile, or TV.

You should also know about the text and logo "safe area," which measures 1,546 x 423 pixels. The safe area is what people will see on all devices, so that's where you want to confine your text and logos to on the image. For the best result, that information should be centered on your image, both vertically and horizontally.

1. Go to the YouTube website and sign in to your account, if needed.

2. Click on your profile thumbnail in the top-right corner of the screen, then select Your channel.

3. If you don't have a banner already, select Customize Channel. Or if you have a current banner, click into it and upload a new image, then skip to step six.

4. After the Customize Channel option, select Branding.

5. Under Banner Image, click Upload.

6. Select your image from the pop-up and hit Open.

7. Adjust the image as necessary, using the guides, and when ready click Done.

You may want to make a YouTube banner from a template, where you can choose a graphic and customize it yourself.

Sites like Canva and Adobe offer a wide range of YouTube banner templates that you can download, re-size, and design to make your own.

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