How to make a YouTube intro video

Want to make your YouTube videos easy to recognize while staying on-brand? Create a great first impression while expressing your channel’s personality with an exciting YouTube intro video.

From lifestyle and beauty to sports and comedy, YouTube intro videos can be a valuable tool for any creator and genre. Learn how to make the perfect video with our free intro maker using amazing intro templates, and explore intro video tips and best practices. 

Elements of a great YouTube intro video 

We recommend including the following elements in your new YouTube intro video.   

• Use original photos or video content, or choose royalty-free intro video backgrounds.

• Create movement using animated text to share your channel's name and greetings.

• Add your brand logo to increase your channel's name recall.

• Add royalty free background music and sound effects to captivate users.

• Add like and subscribe stickers and bell icons to create engagement.   

• Use emojis, arrows, GIFs, and more to add personality. 

Remember to edit your intro video in the same style or aesthetic as you usually create videos, so it fits in seamlessly at the start of all your content.

If you're looking for intro videos that look professional and eye-catching, consider using a free intro video template in Clipchamp. Our designer templates are made to match YouTube's requirements and make your channel look polished! Explore the range of intro and outro videos.

Avoid these mistakes in your YouTube intro video

Now that you know what to include in your YouTube intro video, let’s look at what to avoid.  

• Don’t use copyrighted music. YouTube can mute, remove, demonetize, and even terminate your YouTube channel if videos have copyrighted music.  

• Don’t add copyrighted video footage to your intro for similar reasons. 

• Don’t make your YouTube intro video too long. Viewers are likely to click away from your video if the intro takes up too much of their time without delivering value.  

• Don’t overcrowd your video with too much text as it can be hard to follow in a short time span. 

When to play your intro video

We recommend placing the YouTube intro video within the first 30 seconds of the video as placing your intro video too late can disrupt the flow of your video. If you’re a creator and make videos with talking to the camera, consider placing it after the video hook that introduces the topic to keep your viewer’s attention. Corporate YouTube channels often place their intro video at the start of their content for branding purposes. This is usually a short logo animation video.

The best intro video length and size

There are no official rules when it comes to YouTube intro video length, but we recommend keeping your intro short, between 3 seconds to 10 seconds. Create your intro video in widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio and 1080p video resolution to match your YouTube content.

How to make your intro stand out

Here are easy ways you can level up your YouTube video intros to set your videos apart from other creators. 

• Create a unique catchphrase that suits your content, your channel’s values, humor, genre, or niche.  

• Make sure to mention the niche you create videos for, i.e., gaming highlights, lifestyle, daily vlogs, travel videos, among others.  

• Edit your intro snippet onto your YouTube video with an exciting transition to move from the hook to the intro.  

• Add informative text to remind viewers what days you plan to post videos or your schedule. For example, “New videos every Monday and Thursday!”.  

• Add your face or a friendly wave to create a personal connection with the viewer.

Improve your YouTube brand with intro videos

When creating your YouTube intro video, consider adding the same video to all your content so it's easy to recognize your channel. Treat it as an ad for your channel and use dynamic graphics, transitions and animations to make your video more engaging from the start. A good YouTube intro makes your content look polished. Make sure your intro video matches your overall YouTube channel aesthetic such as the color grading of your videos and video editing style.

Types of YouTube intro videos with examples

From simple logo animations and theme song jingles to montage videos and animated text, the options are endless when creating the perfect YouTube intro video to suit your channel’s style. Explore the four most popular YouTube video intros.

1. Fast montage intro video

When we think about the original YouTube videos, they all included an intro consisting of a montage of clips followed by a logo. This classic style of intro video is still popular to date, with creators making montage video intros from old video clips, new unseen footage, abstract videos, and logo effects.  

2. Animated logo with music

If you don’t want to use real video footage in your intro video, create an animated logo video with background music instead. Most YouTube creators have made a personal logo and it’s easy to turn a plain logo into an animation, add royalty-free music, and link to social media handles that you want to spotlight for viewers. 

3. Motion titles and music

Animated motion title intro videos are the quickest and easiest to make. If you’re pressed for time, just add a background color to the timeline, add a title, royalty-free music, then export in 1080p using our free intro maker.

4. YouTube channel theme song video

Feeling creative? Support an artist or small business by ordering a hand-illustrated drawing of yourself and turning it into a unique animation intro video. Place a catchy theme song to your animation background, include your YouTube channel name with motion text, and even add sound effects.  

How to make a YouTube intro video with Clipchamp

Step 1. Select a YouTube intro video template

Click on the templates tab on the toolbar, then click on the intros & outros template collection. Choose from a range of free and premium video intro templates in Clipchamp.

Scroll through the intro templates and select your favorite YouTube intro template. Click on the + button to select the video template. The YouTube intro video template will be added to your timeline.

Step 2. Customize text

To edit the text, click on the text box on the timeline. Inside the text tab on the property panel, edit the text and change the font style. Type in your channel name, a greeting or any channel catch phrase you want to share. Edit the font by clicking on the font options below the text.

Step 3. Add background video effects and filters

If you would like to add effects or filters to the aesthetic YouTube intro background in the template, click on the media in the timeline. To change the color of the background stock video, simply select a filter from the filters tab on the property panel. Some filters will be able to edit the color of the background video.

Next, click on the effects tab on the property panel. Scroll through the effects options and click on your preferred effect to apply it to your video. You can also adjust the speed and intensity of the effect to suit your video needs. Choose from a range of effects like glitch, spin and VHS effect.

Step 4. Add your logo

Either add your logo via the brand kit, or upload your logo PNG file your media tab. If your logo does not have a transparent background, you can use image background removal. Drag and drop your logo onto the timeline. Edit the look, position and size of your logo using the floating toolbar or drag the corners in and out to make the logo bigger and smaller. Freely move the logo around the video preview.

Step 5. Save your YouTube intro video

To save your YouTube intro video, click on the export button and select a video resolution. We recommend exporting in 1080p video quality for the best resolution. Once your video is saved to your computer, you can add the intro to any future YouTube video.  

Now that you have YouTube intro videos under control, learn how to make gaming intro videos and YouTube outro videos and end cards. When you’re ready to create, start with our free intro maker with professionally designed YouTube video templates.

Get started with Clipchamp or download the Microsoft Clipchamp Windows app.