YouTube show artwork size: 16:9 banner and backdrop

Show artwork on YouTube is 16:9, JPG or PNG, and at most 10 MB. You upload two kinds: a banner that carries the show's title or logo, and a backdrop that does not. YouTube recommends at least 1080p and encourages 4K.

The numbers are from YouTube Help, Create shows from your videos, read 2026-09-29. The Sume part is from the Image generation docs.

What are the two artwork types?

Both are 16:9 and both list the same resolution line on YouTube's page. They differ in what the picture contains and where YouTube uses it.

Why does the page list 1080x1920 for a 16:9 image?

That is how the page prints it, for both types: 3840x2160 pixels, or a minimum of 1080x1920 pixels. A 1080x1920 image is portrait, so it does not read as 16:9. The page's own recommendation is plainer: at least 1080p, and 4K if you can. Aim for 3840x2160, the one size on the page that is 16:9, and check the upload screen in YouTube Studio.

Where do I add a show and its artwork?

In YouTube Studio you can turn an existing playlist into a show or create a new one. For a playlist, go to Content in the left menu, click Playlists, hover over the playlist, click Options, then Add show features. For a new show, click Create New show in the top-right corner, set the show's details and click Done. The artwork rules in this post are YouTube's page for the two artwork uploads.

How do I generate 16:9 show artwork with Sume?

Sume's Image generation route takes aspect_ratio: "16:9" and a normalized resolution tier (512, 1K, 2K or 4K), and each model accepts only the values its catalog descriptors list, so read supported_parameters first. The docs say explicit pixel sizes are not served, so do not count on getting exactly 3840x2160; check the delivered file's size before you upload.

Ask for the backdrop and the banner as two separate prompts: one image with no lettering, and one with the show's title. Image results are signed Sume-hosted URLs, so copy the files you keep.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/images \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "sume/auto",
    "prompt": "Backdrop for a cooking show: a warm kitchen at night, no text, no logo",
    "aspect_ratio": "16:9",
    "resolution": "4K"
  }'

What about Shorts series artwork?

YouTube's page adds that a Shorts series can also have a unique custom thumbnail for each individual Short. Those are thumbnails, not show artwork. For vertical thumbnail sizes, see YouTube vertical thumbnail size.