# Set the right frame or your own image as thumbnail

> Open the video in the Tella editor and ask the Tella Agent to pick a thumbnail, describing a good frame. The agent renders candidate frames, compares them, and sets the one you approve. You can also attach your own image to use instead.

Page: https://www.tella.com/agent/set-a-video-thumbnail · Part of Tella Agent (https://www.tella.com/agent)

## How can an AI assistant pick the best frame from my video as the thumbnail?

Open the video in the Tella editor and ask the [Tella Agent](https://www.tella.com/agent) to pick a thumbnail, describing a good frame. The agent renders candidate frames, compares them, and sets the one you approve. You can also attach your own image to use instead.

## Prompt to start from

```text
Look at frames across this video and pick the best thumbnail: my face in view, eyes open, product screen readable. Show me your top three with timestamps, then set the one I choose.
```

## More prompts

### Sales follow-up

```text
I'm sending this demo to a prospect. Find a frame where I'm smiling at the camera with the pricing page visible, not mid-word or looking away. Set it and tell me the time you picked.
```

### Course lesson with brand image

```text
Use the attached 1920×1080 PNG title card for Lesson 4: Building your first report as this video's thumbnail, so it matches the other lessons in the course playlist.
```

## How to do it in Tella

1. Open the video in the Tella editor and open the Tella Agent.
2. Describe the frame you want, like your face in view and a readable screen.
3. Pick from the candidate frames and timestamps the agent shows you.
4. To adjust it yourself, open Share, then [Viewer settings](https://www.tella.com/help/sharing/viewer-settings), then Thumbnail.

## Good to know

- Needs a paid plan or the 7-day trial. Messages use your workspace's credits.
- A thumbnail is either a frame or an uploaded image. Setting one clears the other.
- Uploaded images must be PNG, JPG or WebP, from 1080×1080 to 4032×4032 pixels.
- The frame time also sets where the hover preview starts. Tella warns you if it's too close to the end.

## Questions people ask

### Where does the thumbnail show up after I set it?

In Tella, a picked frame shows in your library, on the view page and in the embedded player. An uploaded image also shows in email shares and becomes the YouTube thumbnail when you publish from Tella.

### Can Claude or ChatGPT set my Tella video's thumbnail?

Yes. [Claude](https://claude.ai/directory/tella) or [ChatGPT](https://chatgpt.com/plugins/plugin_asdk_app_6a7026f78434819186579d93d20ab38b?open_in_app) connected to Tella's [MCP server](https://www.tella.com/mcp) can render frames with get_video_frame and set one with set_video_thumbnail. It can also set an uploaded image or reset to the default.

### How do I go back to the default thumbnail?

Ask the Tella Agent to remove the custom thumbnail. To remove an uploaded image yourself in Tella, open Share, then Viewer settings, then Thumbnail, and click Reset to default.

## Related

- [Show new customers their first steps in your app](https://www.tella.com/auto-capture/customer-onboarding-video.md): Film a new customer's first steps in your app.
- [YouTube titles written from what you actually say](https://www.tella.com/agent/write-youtube-title-and-description.md): A title and description from your transcript.
- [Post your finished video to LinkedIn and YouTube](https://www.tella.com/agent/post-video-to-linkedin-and-youtube.md): Claude or ChatGPT posts your finished Tella video.
- [Change your video's thumbnail](https://www.tella.com/help/video-metadata/change-thumbnail)
- [Edit with the Tella Agent](https://www.tella.com/help/editing/edit-with-the-tella-agent)
- [Tella MCP server](https://www.tella.com/help/integrations/mcp-server)
- [All of Tella's AI features](https://www.tella.com/ai.md)