Picture! Picture!

Similar to food photos of dining establishments, images are used to entice viewers to watch your YouTube  videos.   These images or photos which correspond to videos are known as thumbnails.  You click the thumbnail to watch a video.

When I started uploading YouTube videos, I did not have the option to customize my video thumbnail.  To have a clear picture, I followed this video making procedure then.

1. I record my videos via N70 mobile phone camera and use the phone's video editor to sanitize and combine the recorded video clips.  
2. From the phone, I take out the memory card which stored the resulting edited video.  Then, I insert the memory card into a card reader. 
3. After the card reader is plugged into a laptop's USB port, I copy the video file(s) from the memory card to laptop.  
4. Next, the edited video file is uploaded from laptop to YouTube which automatically generates three images. 
5. I then have to select one from the YouTube-provided images.  The selected image becomes the video's designated thumbnail.  (One can still change the designated thumbnail after the selection since the uploader can rotate the video's designated thumbnail from the three generated images.  YouTube can also provide a Customize thumbnails feature.)

During that time, I recorded my videos under the name "Jazz Lanuza" and referred to my first YouTube channel as JakeSLanza.  I was not really hiding from the people who knew me.  Though with good intentions, these people would have been supportive and biased about my work. Thus, I was just avoiding patronizing remarks and feedback that could deter development of my creative endeavor.  Video making was a new activity for me and I wanted to do it independently (bravely and squarely).

Although I was aware of the importance of thumbnails before I made the video "No Branding, No Barriers (Divisions)" , I did not focus enough on how to obtain a good quality thumbnail since YouTube automatically generates these images.  After YouTube has processed the said video, I clearly witnessed that the generated thumbnail images were the actual photos used in the video.  For your info, the above video is just a series of photos depicting human labels.  If you imagine that every video shot is a photo, then you can already foresee or anticipate the video thumbnail and thumbnail quality 

The above video was personal to me because I hated the subsequent effects after labeling people.  Most of us ,in our lifetimes, have been branded in one way or another due to physical features, economic status, gender orientations, religion, etc.  There are positive, negative and neutral labels. Except for the negative labels, the act of labeling a person ,on its own, is not bad.  The biases and insinuation attached to the label makes the act malicious and disrespectful.   Since it is near to impossible to get people who would agree to be recorded and labeled as rich, poor, etc., I used objects to illustrate the labels. 

It was night time when I saw this trash on the street and took the shot. Then, I used my phone editor to add the description in the photo.   

This edited photo became the thumbnail of the video.

The opposite label which was easily thought of was very convenient to find.    In fact, there are plenty of things which I could have shot and labeled as BEAUTIFUL like a tree, sky, landscape or the bay side. Since a bouquet of roses is usually given to an admired and valued person, the concept of beauty is usually associated with the giving of flowers.

This photo was then edited to include the adjective.  Until this video, I did not have a YouTube and Yahoo user profile photo as well. Aside from being used in the video, the edited photo became my Yahoo  and Google user profile image.  Also, this photo became my first YouTube channel's cover photo. 

Eventually, I will use the same image for my Facebook account since there are a number of users with the same name.   I was not trying to be different but I saw a namesake who used the photo of a popular actor.   Being in a field related to and hugely dependent on the Entertainment and Music Industry,  I do not see it proper to ride on the good graces (and faces) of other people.  Yes, almost all my musical videos ride on the popularity of the subjects but these videos, with utmost objectivity and humility, have merits on their own. To be distinct and to distance myself from a namesake,  I used an object and the image below.  

I still use this edited photo except that I already replaced my first YouTube channel's cover photo. If my memory serves me right, I briefly used this photo as thumbnail of the video.  There was a time when I entertained the idea that viewers would not watch the video because of the UGLY label in the thumbnail.  To fight off superstitious tendency, I settled for the "UGLY" label photo.

When I made videos for Paco Park Presents, I learned how to use a laptop video editor.  The editor enabled me to conveniently derive snapshots from my raw video footage. The mobile phone editor can also provide video snapshots.  However due to the phone's screen size, I did not use the phone editor's corresponding feature.

Even when I was recording with my mobile phone, the laptop editor has lessened my dependence on mobile phone photo shots.  It has allowed snapshots derived from the video footage to become the uploaded videos' thumbnails when I was able to customize thumbnails later.  Of course, I still took pictures for back-up when video shots are not sufficient to provide a good thumbnail.

Below are current video thumbnails which were based on mobile phone photo shots. These are photos of musical artists who performed in the videos.

Paco Park Presents "Aces of August"
 (Adamson University Chorale)

Noel Cabangon (Byaheng Universal 
Records - Robinsons Place Manila)

The CompanY @ The Glorietta Mall
Makati 2013 "Beat Box" (LightHearted)

When YouTube allowed my channel to customize thumbnails, creative possibilities seemed to be endless in coming up with a video thumbnail.  Well, NOT QUITE.  An uploader must be responsible to follow certain guidelines and MUST NOT abuse this feature.  One thing, the thumbnail must be faithful with the video content.   That is why I currently use the snapshots provided by the laptop editor from the video footage.

Rico Blanco "Himala + Balisong"
@ Glorietta Mall Makati 2014

Style Origin 2013 "Gala" @ The Glorietta
Mall Makati (Final Walk Medley)

In certain cases, I highlight the event with the performer. The thumbnail would contain portion of the event photo and the performer.

Marian Rivera @Araw ng Makati 2014
(Festival of Music)

PI Jazz Fest 2013 (The Jerome Rico
 Set) @ Greenbelt Makati

There are exceptions though in customizing a thumbnail aside from being faithful to the video content and selecting the best quality snapshot.  Sarah Geronimo's Heart Songs concert at the Glorietta Mall Makati 2013 had one memorable moment which was her rendition of the Captain and Toni Tennille song's Love Will Keep Us Together.  She invited a child from the audience area and I wanted that moment to stick with the viewer.  When I recently changed the video thumbnail, I made a snapshot which avoids needless exposure of a sensitive subject.  It might not be the best and clear snapshot but it serves the purpose.

Sarah Geronimo in Heart Songs @ The Glorietta Mall Makati 2013

As YouTube emphasizes that the video thumbnail be faithful to the video content, I provide thumbnails which are consistent with the video intent. To illustrate this consistency, I recorded Asia's Diva Ms. Dulce's rendition of What I Did For Love during the Festival of Music event of Makati City Day 2014.

For the Festival of Music 2014, my original objective was to upload a Rico J. Puno video and the full-length event video which contains portions of the segments of all concert performers. At that time, there was no plan for me to upload a separate video of Ms. Dulce since I just recently covered her concert in Robinsons Place Manila.

When I recorded her segment, her initial song was quite a deviation from her Manila mall repertoire.  Although I am aware that Ms. Dulce has a powerful voice, this was the first time I heard her perform a song from a Broadway musical.  Aside from the genre, I got the impression of voice control or "unbelting".  Significantly, Ms. Dulce's interpretation was very appropriate for the occasion and the audience.  It was far off from a Broadway-like rendition.  An Idina Menzel or even a Shirley Bassey-like interpretation at that moment may not be appreciated by the crowd who are not accustomed to Broadway musicals and/or stage plays.

The audience are not expecting a musical stage play during the event. Intense head, facial or eye movements and expressions to signify passion may not work for an audience who just want to be entertained.  One questionable impression is that the Filipino audience is hard to please - a  "typecast" in my opinion.  They just require the performer to give them what they expect.  They differentiate artful presentation from entertainment.   Ms. Dulce's rendition was toned down and liked by the audience.  

Anyway, the performance impressed on me subtle passion and sensuality. Thus, I have to provide a snapshot which must conform with the video's intent to show Dulce  as a "sultry" (in a subtle manner) singer and not the "belter".   For Singles and Covers channel, there are two videos which illustrate Dulce's different persona.

Ako Ang Nagwagi (Inspirational Version)

What I Did For Love

Although I was satisfied with the thumbnail, there was a portion in the video which I regret to include. This was the moving heart with the song title What I Did for Love.  As a video creator, I learned how to cover up footage anomalies that will render the entire video recording useless.  In this case, the moving heart just covered a person running across the performer.  For several seconds, the video seemed like an anime video.

Aside from being faithful to the video content and video intent, the thumbnail must be consistent with the channel requirement.  A YouTube channel might require uniformity and certain characteristic in its video thumbnails.  An example is deliberately putting an icon or symbol ,not necessarily as watermark, in the video footage.  The generated thumbnail images would include such figure.  For a musical channel, the uploader can indicate the video artists and show titles in its custom thumbnails like the ones below.

PASINAYA 2013 - Bayanihan Philippine
National Folk Dance Company
"People Under the Sun"

PASINAYA 2014 - Bayanihan Philippine
National Folk Dance Company
"Fiesta Folkloriada"

PASINAYA 2014 - Ramon Obusan
Folkloric Group "Solotan
(Maranao Suite)"

As for my channels, I do not have such requirements.  Instead, I just recently replaced a thumbnail for a video in line with my channel's bias toward something new, different and experimental.  Well, I might have prematurely sounded off the direction I want my first channel to take.

Enter the Dragon-Ball 2012

For the video Enter the Dragon-Ball 2012, I imagined the dragon boat paddlers outpacing the dragon since we survive beyond the year which is represented by the Chinese Zodiac sign.  Since I have limited sketching and drawing skills, I was short of realizing an oil painting-like image.  This image ,however, is not an exact scene in the video rather an assembly of elements and figures associated with the event covered by the video.  (This image would have included the Chinese delicacies, fireworks and dragon fruit if such items were possible to connect with the dragon and the paddlers at bay.)

Ka Freddie Aguilar @ Robinsons Place Manila "Anak"

As mentioned earlier, I still took photos as back-up option for video thumbnails when snapshots of raw footage recorded by my mobile phone camera were not satisfactory. If not for this instance, I would not request these artists for a photo op.  Thus, the purpose and intent of my photos(and thumbnails) is to represent the video showing the artist(s)' creative work.

For personal use, I would not mind the sharing of my images.  Otherwise, I would require notification for my approval.  In case the use is urgent, I expect at the very least an acknowledgement from the user (say Photo Courtesy of  "yours truly").

With or without notification, this is my STAND on the use of my images. I would not hinder use for the purpose of highlighting an artist' creative work or tribute provided acknowledgment is made. Why not, coconut?

If the commercial use is to include the photo in an article, post, video which deals with the artist's personal family issue(s) or related scandal, then I firmly suggest that the user look for another source perhaps a paparazzi.

As an uploader, one must remember that internet users will also be able to download and share his/her images aside from the videos.  Specifically for YouTube uploader with the custom thumbnail privilege, the use and distribution of images which we provide are partly our responsibility.  Do you think our photo and/or video subjects would allow themselves to be shot at if their image/video will be used in a future feed(article, post, news, etc.) dealing with their personal lives (scandals and issues included)?

Again, the above situation would make us think about the security of our images.  Watermarks and copyright have to be thought of and acted upon.   It is not only our job(or hobby) to point and click our recording devices but ,when feasible, to ensure our output be put to proper use.  It is near to impossible for us to monitor the publishing (digital and non-digital) world for the use of our work.  However, we can take appropriate steps to protect our domain and counteract if needed.

Being aware of the possibility of infringement should not lead us to either desperation or indifference.  I hate disputes but I have to stand by my ground.  Offenders often intimidate us by claiming that rules are meant to be broken and seeking justice would be difficult if not impossible.  Well, if they think that their body is more than matter then they will straighten up their acts.   Otherwise, we know that we are just dealing with objects.

Believer's Choice

Finally, when we 'uploaders' are provided the channel feature to customize thumbnails, we should maximize the use of this feature.  If you don't have time right after the video upload,  utilize this feature even at a later period. After an upload, take time to review your video and you might get an insight.  Upon review, you might need to improve the video thumbnail.  After all, the right viewer might only be waiting for the right thumbnail.

Note:  This post is NOT a reaction to an unauthorized use of a video thumbnail photo of mine.