Make Click-Worthy YouTube Thumbnails With Pikzels: A Process Built on 64M Views
Thumbnails decide whether a video gets clicked at all.
From @Marcus-Jones on YouTube (Marcus Jones) · Oct 2026 · Share
The Short Version
How Marcus Jones (YouTube) reached 16.3K views on YouTube with Pikzels, according to YouTube (Marcus Jones).
- What: Marcus Jones, a thumbnail designer with 2,000+ designs behind him, rebuilt his thumbnail process around Pikzels: he starts from the idea and the click reason, generates options with AI and then refines the winners instead of designing every version by hand.
- Result: The process comes from 2,000+ designs and 64 million views, per the video description. 16,298 views on YouTube.
- Made with: Pikzels
| Who | Marcus Jones (YouTube) |
|---|---|
| Tool | Pikzels |
| Revenue | Monetization status unknown |
| Source | YouTube (Marcus Jones) |
Try It Yourself
(Our template, not the creator's prompt.) My video is about [topic] for [audience]. Give me 6 thumbnail concepts. For each: the one emotion it triggers, the main subject, background, up to 3 words of text and why someone would click it over a competitor.
Starter tools
Your first step
Open Pikzels, paste the prompt above and swap the [brackets] for your own niche.
Affiliate links above; see Disclosure.
Go deeper
The workflow
Made With
Some links are affiliate links: Starbelo may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Disclosure.
Where & With What
What They Did
- 1The moveMarcus Jones, a thumbnail designer with 2,000+ designs behind him, rebuilt his thumbnail process around Pikzels: he starts from the idea and the click reason, generates options with AI and then refines the winners instead of designing every version by hand.
- 2The setupWrite the click reason in one sentence
- 3The makingGenerate thumbnail options in Pikzels
- 4ResultThe process comes from 2,000+ designs and 64 million views, per the video description. 16,298 views on YouTube.
How it works and what you need
How it works
- Write the click reason in one sentence
- Generate thumbnail options in Pikzels
- Pick 2 and refine faces and text
- A/B test them on YouTube
What you need
- Pikzels: AI YouTube thumbnail maker: prompt, recreate, score and fix thumbnails
- An account on YouTube & Shorts
Quick Answers
What tools do you need?
Pikzels (ai youtube thumbnail maker: prompt, recreate, score and fix thumbnails).
How much does it cost?
Pikzels is paid or trial-based. Check each tool's site for current prices.
Is it allowed?
Yes, if it is original. YouTube does not monetize mass-produced or repetitive content. Source.
Watch out: AI options still need a human pass: check faces, text size on mobile and that the thumbnail matches the video.
Full write-up & sources
Worth knowing: Faster options mean more tests per video.
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