Hey you, nice to see you here! Today I want to show you in a few simple steps how you can create your own Twitch banner. Do not be afraid to create a twitch banner is not that hard.  Anyone who can move a mouse and has the following things available should be able to do this.

The right software

First, you need the right software. You have to know what type of program you need. For banners, whether for Twitch, YouTube or other social networks, you need an image editor. I can recommend you the following 4 programs:

Adobe Photoshop Affinity Photo Gimp Paint.net

Let’s start with the most important information about the programs in a nutshell. Adobe Photoshop is a rental software where you pay a monthly fee for use. So also the most expensive program. It is still widely used and can be used quickly, without much training.

For Affinity Photo, you only pay once and can use it without any restrictions. Currently it is the upcoming program, which many users have noticed, and it will Photoshop replace soon, as the most widespread image editor . This comes with an more entry-friendly interface that makes getting started even easier.

Gimp is a free image editor. For this, the learning curve is higher here to enter the program. Thanks to the revision in version 2.10, the learning curve has also fallen a bit and thanks to several tutorials on YouTube, the entry is easy to find.

As a second free image editor we have Paint.net. This too has a steep learning curve at the beginning. But this is similar to Gimp through tutorials fast to deal with. Gimp is a little easier to use with the last update.

What is the best image editing program for you, you can easily find out. Because for the two Payware programs there are also demos where you can try them out. Just test the programs and find exactly the right program for you.

The right sizes

Now we come to the point where many of you have been, but most of them have stopped to create their own twitch banner. Finding the right size is not really easy here, although in several tutorials there are a number of different sizes. Or just with the templates on the Internet, these too have all different sizes.

And that’s because Twitch hides the actual size information in an info box on its help page. Probably the most readable thing, is the indication of the banner size and the behavior with different monitor sizes.

The most important point we have, is that we have a minimum width and a fixed height.

And this height is 380px! The width is variable, these 1200px are only the minimum. And that’s the first reason why you can find so many different sizes on the net.

The second reason is a good intention, which unfortunately does not work for most people. So in some tutorials the dimensions are then simply doubled, e.g. Width 2400px x height 760px. This should serve to be able to work with more details and thus to get a better look banner.

The problem here is simple, who is not a highroller on platforms like Twitch, YouTube, etc., who gets worse codec, less memory space, etc. And since the banner is pressed / pulled to the height of 380px, the extra detail will look rather blurred ,

Let’s get to the dimensions I recommend, currently there are 2 variants:

  1. Width 1920px x height 380px
  2. Width 4096px x height 380px

So now briefly to the enlightenment, the first variation is expected for the next two years and there still beyond. So by 2020, this is because in the middle / end of the year you can count on the release of the next generation of consoles. And this will generally also drive the hardware market, so that is expected to 4K standard.

So deffinitively (as long as Twitch does not change the dimensions again) you will have a long time rest with 2nd variation.

A little bit creativity

This step is up to you!

Close your eyes … relax … and imagine your twitch banner.

Pssst! You can also order a banner from me 😉 or you can download one of my free templates.

Know how to do it

So everyone out there now had another picture in mind of his own banner. And everyone uses a different software out there … I can not write such a detailed tutorial here, such a one would be over a hundred pages long.

And that’s why I’ll show you what you have to pay attention to in a Twitch banner and what liberties you have.

  1. Make sure that you keep everything important (ie what you want the visitor to see) to the left. ( You have to pay attention to this because the banner is pinned on the left.)
  2. Links to social media are not among the important things on a banner! (Because you can not click there, for social media links use the panels)
  3. As text you only need your name and slogan … for everything else you have the panels.
  4. Make sure that the size fits in texts. So that it is still readable on small screens.
  5. Keep in mind that the banner represents you and your brand, so do not make a promotional banner for any games (except publishers who pay for it!)
  6. Take 4 Basics Colors, to define your brand!

Pay attention to these simple 6 points and with the help of suitable tutorials in the net for the desired effects, you will create an awesome twitch banner. So one thing more, i’ve got a lil template for you:

Twitch Banner template 2018

twitch banner template 2018 – simple download this picture here

So I thank you for your attention and look forward together with you on a wonderful Twitch banner! And there is only one thing left to write …

peaceover’n’out, your steve