Prepare a video

Add a video to your post, trim or edit it, and choose the thumbnail people see before they press play.

Before you start

• Use an .mp4 or .mov file.
• Use a computer with a browser window at least 1024 pixels wide. The video editor doesn't open on smaller screens.
• Select your social accounts first. Edit thumbnail only appears for networks that support custom thumbnails.

Open the feature

Choose Publish in the left sidebar to open the Publish Content composer. Choose Image or video, then add your video from Upload Media, Media Library or another tab. When the upload finishes, click Edit Media under the video thumbnail.

Steps

1. Wait for the progress circle on the video thumbnail to reach 100% and disappear.
2. For an Instagram post, check Post Type in Instagram Options. When a single video is added to a post set to Post, the composer selects Reel automatically. If you add an image as well, it remains a Post. Choose Post, Reel or Story. To also show a Reel on your feed, select Reel, then turn on Show Reel on Feed. To show a Reel to people who don't follow you first, select Reel, then turn on Trial reel (Post as trial reel for accounts that have reel tests turned on). Trial reel and Show Reel on Feed can't both be on: while one is on, the other is greyed out and its info icon explains why.
3. Click Edit Media under the thumbnail and choose Edit video. The video editor opens.
4. Make your changes in the editor, then export the video. You'll see Uploading exported video… while it saves. The editor then closes.
5. To set a thumbnail, click Edit Media and choose Edit thumbnail.
6. Under Select a thumbnail, drag the slider to the frame you want, or click Upload a custom thumbnail. Click Apply.
7. If you're posting to YouTube, fill in YouTube Options, including the video title.
8. Check the preview for each network, then choose when to post.

Expected result

The edited video replaces the original in your post, and the thumbnail shows the frame or image you picked. Nothing is published until you schedule or post it.

Example

To post a 30-second product clip to your Facebook Page and YouTube channel, select both accounts and add the video. Click Edit Media, choose Edit thumbnail, drag the slider to a frame showing the product and click Apply. Under YouTube Options, type a video title. Choose Schedule, pick a time and click Schedule.

Limits and permissions

Custom video thumbnails are not supported for Instagram posts. For YouTube, verify your phone number in YouTube Studio before uploading a custom thumbnail; follow Action Required if shown.

• The video editor accepts videos up to 60 minutes long.
• Edit thumbnail is greyed out when your post has more than one media file: Thumbnail is not supported in carousel post.
• You can't set a custom thumbnail when YouTube Shorts is the only destination.
• Instagram Professional Post can combine images and video. Reel and other networks allow one video per post; Story can contain several videos. When changing a manually selected type or replacing media, check that the remaining media fits its limits before scheduling.
• Adding an image to an Instagram video changes the automatically selected Reel back to Post. If you chose the type yourself, check that the selected media meets its limits before scheduling.
• A Post as trial reel is shown to people who don't follow you first. It won't appear on your profile or to your followers until you share it. For accounts that have reel tests turned on, under When should your followers see it?, choose I'll decide (the default) to share it yourself in Instagram, or Let Instagram decide to let Instagram share it with your followers automatically if it performs well. You can't share it with your followers from Social Champ, and Social Champ can't show whether it was shared.
• Instagram only allows trial reels on a public professional (Creator or Business) account with at least 1,000 followers. Otherwise the post fails with The Instagram account does not meet the trial reel follower requirement to create trial reels. Trial reel is only available on the Reel type, and not with Publish via Mobile Notification. On Post and Story the Post as trial reel switch shows greyed out with the hint Trial reels work with a single video posted as a reel. If Instagram refuses a single trial reel because the account has no trial reels, the failed post says Trial reels aren't available on this account yet and offers Post as regular reel, which posts the same reel without the trial.
• To compare two or three versions of a reel as trial reels, see Test reel versions. It is only available to accounts that have reel tests turned on.
• Edit in Canva only appears for videos that came from a Canva design.

Troubleshooting

• Edit Media doesn't appear: wait for the upload to finish. If the thumbnail shows a warning or error, remove the video and add it again.
• The editor says Video editor not available: make your browser window wider, or switch to a computer.
• The editor says the video is too long: trim it under 60 minutes before you upload it.
• The thumbnail loader keeps spinning (Please wait while we process the media): close the dialog, wait a moment and open Edit thumbnail again.
• A network shows an error below the text box: fix what it names, such as a missing title, in that network's options. See Customize content for each network.
• A video warning appears when you try to continue: review the selected accounts and reduce the attached videos to meet their limits before trying again.
• An Instagram trial reel failed with Instagram didn't accept this trial reel: this account doesn't have trial reels yet, or it has reached Instagram's limit for them. Reschedule the post with Trial reel turned off to publish it as a regular Reel. See Resolve a failed or incomplete post.