Twitch Banner Size: Video & Profile Banner Best Practices (Guide)

One of the most distinguishing designs on your Twitch profile is your banner. Here's everything you need to know about the best Twitch banner size and best practices.

Table of Contents:

• The Different Types of Twitch Banners
• What’s the best Twitch banner size?
• Examples of the best Twitch banners
• Best (free and paid) tools to create Twitch profile banners
  
• 5 Twitch Banner Best Practices

[#toc1]The Different Types of Twitch Banners[#toc1]

First things, first. Let’s talk about the two main types of Twitch banners: the profile banner and the video player banner. Here’s a quick overview.

We’re starting off with the most crucial element of your profile, at least before 2020— your Twitch profile banner. Previously referred to as Cover Images, you can also put important details here for your community.

But after a Twitch UI update, profile banners have been demoted to a background wallpaper. It’s a pretty big deal because you can only work with patterns and background colors at best. 

On the contrary, your Twitch video player banner moved up higher in terms of importance in your profile. This is the offline banner, where you incorporate your personal branding. You can also embed additional information that you’d want to share with your community. 

[#toc2]What’s the best Twitch banner size?[#toc2]

Profile banners and video player banners should be as eye-catching as they can without being too loud or all over the place. This is where the best Twitch banner size plays a vital role. If you wish to uphold your standard of quality in streaming, then what better way to start than by making sure that your banner specifications are on point.

Aside from just Twitch banner sizes, here are other recommended Twitch element dimensions you could find useful.

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Now that we’ve given you the ideal dimensions, let’s dive deeper into Twitch banners.

Profile Banners

Profile player banner is the proper Twitch term for what we usually know as “profile picture” in other social media networking sites. Since Twitch is the hotspot for gamers, the profile player banner is a very fitting label.

As a label, this is synonymous with your brand design or personal aesthetic. It stays on your channel whether you are online or offline, so you should utilize this Twitch feature to the fullest. Most streamers include important details about their channel on their Twitch profile banners such as logos, social media handles, stream schedules, and announcements to name a few. But these were all before 2020.

For profile banners, the best measurements would be 1200 pixels (px) wide by 480 pixels (px) high. Don’t forget to keep your file size below 10MB and save it as either a JPEG or a PNG. Otherwise, the resulting image may have a lower quality than you’re expecting.

Video Player Banners

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Twitch offline banners are also called video player banners, and it’s your best friend for marketing yourself.

Think of it this way. You know how people on vacation can send out “away messages” as an automatic response? That’s how video player banners are on Twitch, except they’re much more visually appealing. 

Do you recall the other elements that you can no longer add to your profile banner? Don’t dispose of them just yet. Everything you weren’t able to include in the profile banners (i.e. social media handles, logos, etc.), you can put in the video player banners. Don’t let that good stuff go to waste.

So, a 16:9 aspect ratio, which translates to around 1920 px to 1080 px (width:height) is the ideal resolution to make your video player banner look stunning. If you want to make a video banner for your Twitch  you can actually make your Twitch video banner on VEED’s online video editor.

You’ll be able to do things like:

• Add text
• Add music and sound effects
• Add images (social media icons, logos, etc)
• Trim, split, and resize video
• And more!
  

Remember to keep your profile banner file size less than 10MB and save it on either JPEG or PNG formats (for regular profile banners). 

[#toc3]Examples of the best Twitch banners[#toc3]

For further inspiration, here are some of the most popular twitch banners.

GenshimImpactOfficial on Twitch

GenshinImpactOfficial is one the most popular Twitch channels thanks to its large global audience. See how their offline banner includes an announcement, as we have described previously.

Category: Gaming (Action, RPG, Open World)

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AmandaRachLee on Twitch.

AmandaRachLee is an artist and Youtuber. Although her main category is art, she also streams Animal Crossing and other popular games on her Twitch channel from time to time. Her offline banner shows off three of her social media platforms and 

Category: Art

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[#toc4]Best (free and paid) tools to create Twitch profile banners[#toc4]

Capitalizing on the elements of your social media site can be tricky, especially if you don’t have any photo editing skills. But don’t fret because that’s what tools are for! 

Twitch banner templates and other tools for creators are your bestest friends when it comes to customizing and creating your personal brand and aesthetic. For starters, here are two of the most sought after design applications that you can go to for help.

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Design Beginners: Canva (Free and Paid)

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Canva is a graphic design platform that caters to both beginners and professionals alike. What makes Canva even more appealing is in its ease of use.

You can use Canva for free and all its basic features, but premium designs are going to need more than that. There are paid templates and features that you can unlock if you subscribe to Canva Pro. You can also make basic video banners on Canva although we would use Canva more for its graphics which is what it specializes in.

Here are some eye-catching Twitch banner templates you can start with.

Yellow Now Streaming Twitch Banner
This template is perfect for futuristic shooter games and if the vibe of your stream is modern and hip. It’s a banner that has a hardcore gamer vibe and the long-exposure star design really sells the Apex Legends or Deep Rock Galactic mood.

Simple Twitch Banner
The design on this Twitch banner is much more light-hearted. It’s suitable for streamers who broadcast casual content, like simple games, board games, or if you’re just chatting.

Blue Fun Retro General Twitch Banner
Retro is always fun, but it’s also a great way to show your age. This Twitch banner is much chiller and the controller shows the interest in console games. If you’re streaming PlayStation or Xbox content, this is a Twitch banner that would look great on your channel.

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Advanced Designers: Adobe Photoshop (Paid)

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If your creative prowess is on another level and you are up for a new imaginative challenge, you might be interested in trying out Adobe Photoshop. But unlike Canva, this is only available as a paid app. Here, you get to use awesome raster graphics editing tools and pretty much everything you need to make a custom, professional Twitch banner.

For those of you who can afford Photoshop though, your options are limitless when it comes to designing your own banner. Just keep in mind that there is a learning curve when trying out Photoshop, and you might not get the result you’re looking for by yourself. 

The pro of using and learning Photoshop is that you can continually make your own designs as your Twitch channel progresses. You can stick to your theme, make your own tweaks, and have a completely unique Twitch profile. If you have the time and patience to learn proper photo editing, Photoshop is the way to go.

Best for Video Player Banners: VEED (free and paid)

The simplest way to make a video player banner is with VEED’s online video editor.

Not only are you able to upload your footage and add elements like text, music, sound effects, and images over your video but you can upload from YouTube!

For example, if you want to pull footage from your gameplay for your banner that you’ve uploaded to YouTube you can download the video from the URL!

Here’s how:

1. Go to VEED
2. Copy the URL of the YouTube video with game footage you want to use
3. Paste the URL on the video uploader
4. Trim the clip to your liking
5. Resize the canvas with a click of a button to 16:9 ratio
6. Customize your banner with music, text, images and anything else you’d like
7. Export and load on your Twitch!

[#toc5]5 Twitch Banner Best Practices[#toc5]

Adjusting the dimensions of your Twitch banner is pretty easy on your editing tool. But coming up with those dimensions took lots of trial and error before it came to fruition. Whether you choose to adjust them or not, here are five of the best Twitch profile practices that you can fall back on.

Use colors that make sense for your brand 

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How you manipulate visual elements, especially color, for your personal brand is vital in achieving a good first impression of your channel. Here are a few tips.

Do research about your target audience and try to put in tints or speckles of color that are popular or usually related to them. Doing so will make your Twitch profile or video banners more attractive and memorable. 

For example, if you are streaming Animal Crossing, then refrain from using bleak colors. That game has a lot of lively colors, so dead colors like grey and black aren’t going to match well. As much as possible, use icons and other elements that vibe with your chosen niche too! So that it’s easier to put two and two together. Go ham but don’t forget to make your banners look professional because it adds points to your credibility as a streamer.

If you are not so much of a creative person, you can always take advantage of banner templates from Canva.

How much text to add

While the readability of your texts or logos is necessary for a good Twitch banner, the placement of these textual elements should also be taken into consideration. 

You wouldn’t want to have too many words spread all over your banner. We know minimalism isn't for everyone, but if you're designing your Twitch banner, try to cut down on the extra design elements and focus on the essentials.

Balance the space and the other elements on your banner by applying the rule of thirds. If your creative tool permits, use grids to divide the horizontal and vertical planes into three so you can strike the perfect balance between a too-empty and too-crowded space.

Most of the most memorable Twitch banners usually only include streaming schedules, user handles on other social media sites, and announcements, if any. So this style might work with yours too.

Consistency in visuals across your channel and overall brand presence

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Personal branding and aesthetic come hand in hand in your Twitch profile. Although you can put in as many visual elements as you want, make sure they are consistent across your channel. 

Say for example, your Twitch profile and offline banners. You can be consistent with your aesthetic without completely copying the design of one to the other. Pick an element like color or font and use them on both of the banners. That element acts as a visual link between the two so you can still exercise your creative freedom for both without losing the similarities.

Keep key elements away from edges to avoid awkward crop marks on different devices

Apply the trusty rule of thirds again but this time, make sure that the essential information or icons are not laid out on the edges of your banner. Since screen sizes are different for you and your community, some of the images may be cropped awkwardly. 

If cropping some elements would change the whole vibe of your banner, you can scooch them a little bit closer to the center at best.
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Less is more

Any creative person will tell you that the key to a visually appealing masterpiece lies in the choice of elements and the amount of space you’ve taken up on your canvas. Unless your piece is actually intended to be loud, the mantra to keep telling yourself while creating your Twitch banner is less is more. 
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Having a Theme

Since Twitch is a hub for gaming streamers, it’s not surprising to find more content about games than other categories. But regardless of which category your streams fall into, it goes without saying that a central idea or theme is vital in properly packaging your content.

Let’s take the gaming community on Twitch for example. Aside from their dominant proportion, gaming streamers also have an advantage in terms of crafting their banners because they have their games as the central idea to work with. 

From the macro elements like the Twitch profile and video player banners, down to the notifications when someone subscribes to the channel. Even when somebody pings a message, it’s easy to assign an icon or animation relevant to the vibes of the game. You can even seamlessly integrate the sound effects of the game to your subscription, donation, and follower notifications. So aside from having the correct banner sizes, having a theme is crucial as well. 

Now, if your streams are about a different category, there’s more creative freedom to exercise. However, you should be more wary of the things that you incorporate in your channel. Put in as many as you think you need, but weed them out when they are no longer serving their purpose.