Channel Banner Safe-Area Checker

Knowledge Base

Why Channel Art Cropping Is So Confusing

YouTube asks you to upload one 2560×1440px image, but no single device shows all of it: TV shows the full canvas, desktop shows a wide letterboxed strip, tablet shows a narrower strip, and mobile shows the narrowest strip of all. Any text or logo placed outside the mobile safe area risks being cropped off for a huge share of your viewers.

How to Use This Tool

Upload your banner and toggle each device region on and off, anything essential (channel name, face, logo) should sit inside the mobile safe area box, since that's the region guaranteed visible on every device. Use the wider TV and desktop regions for background art and atmosphere that can safely extend further out.

What the Regions Actually Are

This tool overlays the widely-used channel art crop regions: the full 2560×1440 canvas (TV), a 2560×423 centred strip (desktop), a 1855×423 centred strip (tablet), and a 1546×423 centred strip (mobile), all centred on the same canvas, which is why the safe area shrinks toward the middle as the regions get narrower.

FAQ

Q: My banner isn't exactly 2560×1440, will this still work?
A: Yes, the crop regions scale proportionally to whatever size you upload, but for pixel-perfect accuracy (and to match YouTube's own recommended minimum quality), upload at the exact recommended 2560×1440px if you can.

Q: What if my image isn't 16:9-ish?
A: You'll see a warning. A very different aspect ratio means YouTube will crop or letterbox your upload in ways this tool's regions won't accurately represent, so matching the standard canvas proportions first is worth doing.