# YouTube Banner Generator > A YouTube banner generator makes the wide header image at the top of your channel. YouTube asks for a 16:9 image of at least 2048 × 1152 px (most creators use 2560 × 1440), under 6 MB, and only the centre 1235 × 338 px is sure to show on every device. On Kenerate AI you describe the banner in Image Studio, pick Widescreen 16:9, and GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst draws it with your channel name spelled out; upscale it if it comes back smaller than 2560 px. URL: https://kenerateai.com/youtube-banner-generator Publisher: Kenerate AI (https://kenerateai.com) Last updated: 20 October 2026 ## Key facts - Shape: 16:9 (Widescreen in Image Studio) - YouTube minimum: 2048 × 1152 px, 6 MB or smaller - Common upload size: 2560 × 1440 px - Always visible: Centre 1235 × 338 px (at 2048 × 1152) - Best for the channel name: GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst · GPT Image 2 · Recraft V4.1 - Bigger file: Image Upscaler to 4K - Free-plan model: Qwen Image 3.0 (has 16:9) - Watermark: None ## Steps 1. Open Image Studio — Press “Make my banner”. Image Studio opens on GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. Pick Widescreen 16:9 (or the Wallpaper preset, 16:9 · 2K). Sign in free for starter credits. 2. Describe the banner — Channel name in quotes, one short line, your colours and a background theme, plus “all text in the centre”. 3. Pick the best one — Regenerate until the name is spelled right and sits in the middle. Use your logo or an old banner as a reference to keep your brand look. 4. Upscale and upload — If it's under 2560 × 1440, run the Image Upscaler at 4K, save under 6 MB, then upload in YouTube Studio > Customization > Branding. ## In depth ### What size is a YouTube banner, and what shows on each screen? One image is used everywhere; each device crops it differently. Numbers from YouTube Help, checked 20 Oct 2026. - Upload minimum: 2048 × 1152 px, 16:9. Anything smaller is rejected. Generate at 16:9 and upscale if needed. - Common upload size: 2560 × 1440 px, 16:9. The same shape at 1.25×; extra pixels keep it sharp on TVs. - Safe area (always visible): 1235 × 338 px at the minimum size — about 1544 × 423 px at 2560 × 1440. Put the channel name, tagline and logo here, centred. - TV: The full 16:9 image. The whole picture shows, so the background has to look good edge to edge. - Computer and phone: A wide strip across the middle. Top and bottom are cropped; keep nothing important there. - File size: 6 MB or smaller. Save as JPG if a 4K PNG is too heavy. - Profile picture (separate): Shown at 98 × 98 px, up to 15 MB. Make it with the AI profile picture generator; no animated GIFs. ### YouTube banner prompts to copy Pick Widescreen 16:9 in Image Studio first, then swap in your own channel name. - Gaming channel: YouTube channel banner, 16:9. The channel name "PIXEL RAIDERS" in bold glowing letters in the exact centre, with the line "New streams every Friday" underneath. Neon purple and teal synthwave grid landscape on both sides, dark sky, all text inside the middle third, no other words. - Cooking channel: YouTube channel banner, 16:9. Warm overhead photo of a rustic wooden kitchen table with fresh herbs, bread and a cast-iron pan spread along the left and right edges. In the centre on clean cream space, the name "Sunday Pan" in an elegant serif and the line "Simple food, slow weekends". No other text. - Tech reviews: YouTube channel banner, 16:9. Minimal dark graphite background with soft blue light streaks. Centred white sans-serif title "BYTE BENCH" and a small line "Honest gadget reviews". A floating phone, headphones and a keyboard drawn subtly at the far left and right edges. Nothing important near the top or bottom. - Travel vlog: YouTube channel banner, 16:9. A wide sunrise panorama over misty mountains and a lake. In the centre, the name "Lena Wanders" in a hand-written white script with a thin line "Slow travel, real places" below. Keep the text small enough to sit in the middle strip. No other words. - Study / education: YouTube channel banner, 16:9, flat illustration. A tidy desk scene with books, a lamp and a plant on the left, a chalkboard with simple maths doodles on the right. In the centre on a soft yellow panel, "Ms. Rivera Explains" in a friendly rounded font. No other text. - Music channel: YouTube channel banner, 16:9. Abstract sound waves in coral, orange and deep blue flowing across the full width. In the centre, the artist name "NOVA LOOM" in wide spaced capitals and "Lo-fi beats to focus" in small letters. No logos, no other words. - Background only: Background art for a YouTube channel banner, 16:9: a soft gradient from deep navy to violet with faint stars and gentle light rays, calm and clean, a plain empty band across the centre for text to be added later. No text at all. ### How should you lay out a YouTube banner? Think of the banner as three zones and tell the model what goes in each: - Centre strip (the safe area): channel name, one short line, maybe a small logo. This is all most viewers see on phones. - Wide band around it: the rest of the theme — scenery, props, pattern — visible on computers and tablets. - Outer edges and corners: background only. They show on TVs and get cut everywhere else. ### Which model should you use for a YouTube banner? Pick by what the banner has to carry. When the channel name has to be spelled exactly, start with GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst or GPT Image 2; for a clean, typographic layout, Recraft V4.1. When your logo or a recurring character must look the same as before, upload it as a reference to Nano Banana 2.1 or GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst. For a rich painted or photo background with no text, Seedream 5.0 Pro or the free Qwen Image 3.0 are enough — add the name later. ### Text in the image or text added later? Both work. Letting the model render the name gives lettering that blends with the art. Making a text-free background and typing the name in Edit Studio's Text tool gives you exact fonts and spelling every time. If your name is long or unusual, the second route is safer. ## FAQ Q: What size is a YouTube banner? A: YouTube's help page asks for a 16:9 image of at least 2048 × 1152 px and 6 MB or smaller. Most creators upload 2560 × 1440 px, the same shape at a larger size, so it stays sharp on TVs. Only the centre 1235 × 338 px (at the minimum size) is guaranteed to show on every device. Q: What is the YouTube banner safe area? A: It's the centre strip that shows on every device: 1235 × 338 px on a 2048 × 1152 banner, or roughly 1544 × 423 px if you upload 2560 × 1440. TVs show the whole image, while phones and computers crop the top, bottom and sides, so put your channel name, tagline and logo inside that strip. Q: Can AI write my channel name on the banner correctly? A: Usually, if you pick a model built for text. GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, GPT Image 2 and Recraft V4.1 handle short names well. Put the exact words in quotes, keep it to the name plus one short line, and check the spelling before you upload. If one letter is off, regenerate rather than settle. Q: Is the YouTube banner generator free? A: Free to start. A new Kenerate account gets 25 free credits, and Qwen Image 3.0 is a free-plan model that offers 16:9. GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, GPT Image 2, Recraft V4.1 and Nano Banana 2.1 use credits from one-time packs, with no subscription required. Downloads have no watermark. Q: How do I make my banner 2560 × 1440? A: Generate at Widescreen 16:9 at the largest resolution the model offers, then check the pixel size of the download. If it's smaller than 2560 px wide, open the Image Upscaler, pick 4K and upscale it; the shape stays 16:9. Save as JPG if the file is over YouTube's 6 MB limit. Q: Can I turn existing art into a banner? A: Yes. If your artwork is square or portrait, open Expand Image, pick 16:9 and the AI paints new background on both sides. You can also upload it as a reference in Image Studio and ask for a 16:9 banner in the same style with your channel name in the centre. Q: Why does my banner look cropped on my phone? A: Because phones show only a wide strip across the middle of the 16:9 image. Anything near the top or bottom edge disappears. Ask for “all text in the centre” and leave the outer areas as background so nothing important is lost. Q: Is Edit Studio's Channel banner template the right size? A: Not for YouTube. That template is 1500 × 500 px, a 3:1 header size. For YouTube channel art, make the image at 16:9 in Image Studio instead; you can still add or fix text afterwards in Edit Studio with the Text tool. Q: Can I use the banner commercially on my channel? A: Yes. You can download and use what you make; Kenerate adds no watermark. Keep it original: use your own channel name and logo, and don't ask the model to copy another creator's banner, a game's logo or a brand's artwork. ## Related pages - AI intro maker: https://kenerateai.com/ai-intro-maker - AI thumbnail generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-thumbnail-generator - AI banner generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-banner-generator - AI logo generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-logo-generator - AI profile picture generator: https://kenerateai.com/ai-profile-picture-generator - Expand image AI: https://kenerateai.com/expand-image-ai - Upscale image: https://kenerateai.com/upscale-image ## Sources - YouTube Help — Manage your channel branding: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/10456525 - Kenerate Image Studio: https://kenerateai.com/app/image - Kenerate Image Upscaler: https://kenerateai.com/app/tool/image-upscale