As we know youtube has no feature to download video thumbnails directly through any button, such as like or share. While youtube generates unique URLs for the images uploaded for every video. Here, the step-by-step method is described as under.
How to get a youtube video thumbnail URL and download it?
METHOD 1
The process of downloading a high-definition YouTube thumbnail using a link is straightforward and often asked about on Google.
Here's an example of what a typical YouTube video link looks like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT8Y8_uwk0k
The unique identifier of the video is located after "v=" in the above URL.
yT8Y8_uwk0k
Accessing the video's thumbnail requires using the unique ID given above.
Replace the ID with the specific video's unique ID in the following link.
https://img.youtube.com/vi/ID/maxresdefault.jpg
Launch the link below in a new browser tab.
https://img.youtube.com/vi/yT8Y8_uwk0k/maxresdefault.jpg
To access the video thumbnail, open the link with the unique ID in a new browser tab. The image of the video thumbnail will appear, to save it to your device, right-click and select "Save Image As". The screenshot is given below
.png "save image as screenshot for youtube video thumbnails")
METHOD 2
- Copy the Youtube Video URL
- Input URL in Thumbnail Downloader Tool
- Save the Image Directly on Your Device
In conclusion: downloading a YouTube video thumbnail in HD using a link is a simple process that requires using a unique ID found in the video's URL. Replace the ID in the designated link, open it in a browser, and then right-click on the displayed large image to save it to your device. With these steps, you can easily access and save the thumbnail image of any YouTube video.