How to download your video's thumbnail
Every video in Vidyard has a unique URL that links directly to its thumbnail image in either .jpg or .gif format.
You can download the thumbnail image from its URL. This is useful if you want to edit the thumbnail in a different program, or add a link to the image in an email marketing campaign or template.
Download your thumbnail image
- Sign in to your Vidyard account, then select Library from the main menu
- Select a video from your library, then copy the video's UUID (its 22-character identifier)
- Go to
https://play.vidyard.com/[UUID].jpgin a new browser tab - Replace the [UUID] placeholder in the URL with the value you copied from Vidyard
- The end result should look like this:
https://play.vidyard.com/JyLgiYuZ928Q6wxkadgNpa.jpg
- The end result should look like this:
- Right click on the image, then select Save Image As... to download to your computer
The image that you download will either be a .jpg or .gif, depending on the type of thumbnail currently selected for your video.
Add a play button to your thumbnail image
If you want the thumbnail image that you download to include a play button, you can modify the base URL by adding a query parameter at the end. For example:
-
Base thumbnail URL —
play.vidyard.com/[UUID].jpg -
Query parameter for play button —
?play_button=1 -
New thumbnail URL (w/ play button) —
play.vidyard.com/[UUID].jpg?play_button=1
See the table below for a list of query parameters you can add to the thumbnail URL:
| Query parameter | Description |
| ?play_button=1 | Download your thumbnail image with a play button |
| ?email=1 | Download a smaller thumbnail image (ideal for adding to the body of an email). Also includes a play button. |
Thumbnails with the time duration stamp
Some thumbnails have a stamp in the bottom corner of the image that indicates the duration of the video.
By indicating the duration, the thumbnail helps give viewers an expectation of the time commitment to watch your video.
See the table below to understand whether your thumbnail will include a time duration stamp:
| Has time duration? | Description |
| ✅ Includes time duration |
|
| ❌ Does not include time duration |
The video uses a custom thumbnail that you choose, by:
|
Add a hyperlink to your thumbnail image
You may want to use your thumbnail to link viewers directly to the video, especially if you share the image in a document, email, or on another webpage.
Here are 2 easy ways to get a linked thumbnail image:
- Copy your video's link & thumbnail directly from Vidyard
- Copy and paste your video's Email Campaign Embed Code into an HTML editor (applicable to Vidyard Business plans)
If you are comfortable coding in HTML, you can create your own linked image. Reference the thumbnail URL in an <img> tag, then wrap the <img> tag in an <a href> that links to your video sharing page. For example:
<a href="https://video.vidyard.com/watch/JyLgiYuZ928Q6wxkadgNpa?" target="_blank" title="Help Center Video">
<img src="https://cdn.vidyard.com/thumbnails/PPhyS5FIIfge29-sTKY3Zg/1d7bc8be500a3d96a84b6e_play_button_small.jpg" alt="Help Center Video" /> </a>