How do I get a YouTube video thumbnail from the YouTube API?

Each YouTube video has four generated images. They are predictably formatted as follows:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/0.jpg
https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/1.jpg
https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/2.jpg
https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/3.jpg

The first one in the list is a full size image and others are thumbnail images. The default thumbnail image (i.e., one of 1.jpg, 2.jpg, 3.jpg) is:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/default.jpg

For the high quality version of the thumbnail use a URL similar to this:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/hqdefault.jpg

There is also a medium quality version of the thumbnail, using a URL similar to the HQ:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/mqdefault.jpg

For the standard definition version of the thumbnail, use a URL similar to this:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/sddefault.jpg

For the maximum resolution version of the thumbnail use a URL similar to this:

https://img.youtube.com/vi/<insert-youtube-video-id-here>/maxresdefault.jpg

All of the above URLs are available over HTTP too. Additionally, the slightly shorter hostname i3.ytimg.com works in place of img.youtube.com in the example URLs above.

Alternatively, you can use the YouTube Data API (v3) to get thumbnail images.

Related Posts:

  1. How do I get a YouTube video thumbnail from the YouTube API?
  2. What’s the net::ERR_HTTP2_PROTOCOL_ERROR about?
  3. YouTube maxresdefault thumbnails
  4. PHP + curl, HTTP POST sample code?
  5. Can curl make a connection to any TCP ports, not just HTTP/HTTPS?
  6. Call to undefined function curl_init().?
  7. CURL ERROR: Recv failure: Connection reset by peer – PHP Curl
  8. cURL error 60: SSL certificate: unable to get local issuer certificate
  9. curl POST format for CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS
  10. HTTP Error 411, The request must be chunked or have a content length
  11. PHP cURL custom headers
  12. PHP cURL HTTP PUT
  13. file_get_contents( ) not working
  14. Error:error:14077410:SSL routines:SSL23_GET_SERVER_HELLO:sslv3 alert handshake failure
  15. How to POST JSON Data With PHP cURL?
  16. cURL request in Laravel
  17. How to set 777 permission on a particular folder? [closed]
  18. Visual list of all installed fonts with respective pangram phrase?
  19. How to log in to phpMyAdmin with WAMP, what is the username and password?
  20. Array to String PHP?
  21. count() parameter must be an array or an object that implements countable in laravel
  22. Fatal error: Call to undefined function mysql_connect()
  23. Mysql query- How to use contains?
  24. what does PHP die() return
  25. Invalid column count in CSV input on line 1 Error
  26. how to replace quotation marks with \”
  27. mcrypt is deprecated, what is the alternative?
  28. Convert a PHP object to an associative array
  29. How to echo or print an array in PHP?
  30. Resize image in PHP
  31. How to replace “if” statement with a ternary operator ( ? : )?
  32. why use 0xffff over 65535
  33. .rar, .zip files MIME Type
  34. PDO bindParam() with prepared statement isn’t working
  35. HTML Element Array, name=”something[]” or name=”something”?
  36. Why use $_SERVER[‘PHP_SELF’] instead of “”
  37. Setting up a PHP interpreter in PhpStorm
  38. Illegal string offset Warning PHP
  39. PHP: $_SERVER variables: $_SERVER[‘HTTP_HOST’] vs $_SERVER[‘SERVER_NAME’]
  40. Illegal string offset Warning PHP
  41. Fatal error: Call to undefined function mysqli_connect()
  42. Could not open input file: artisan
  43. Why php tag is not working in html file?
  44. What’s the use of ob_start() in php?
  45. PHP: variables in strings without concatenation
  46. What is Options +FollowSymLinks?
  47. PHP mail not working for some reason
  48. Call to undefined method mysqli_stmt::get_result
  49. Get Root Directory Path of a PHP project
  50. Returning JSON from PHP to JavaScript?
  51. How to create cron job using PHP?
  52. Imploding an associative array in PHP
  53. Can’t use method return value in write context
  54. PHP get domain name
  55. How to solve “Fatal error: Class ‘MySQLi’ not found”?
  56. Running a Python script from PHP
  57. Object of class DateTime could not be converted to string
  58. Prioritize Visible Content WordPress
  59. mysqli::query(): Couldn’t fetch mysqli
  60. Unexpected Exception: SQLSTATE[HY000] [1045] Access denied for user ****@’localhost’ (using password: YES)
  61. Fatal error: Call to undefined function sqlsrv_connect()
  62. NotFoundHttpException in RouteCollection.php line 161: in laravel 5
  63. Easy way to password-protect php page
  64. Html encode in PHP
  65. file_put_contents: Failed to open stream, no such file or directory
  66. PHP $_POST not working?
  67. Convert timestamp to readable date/time PHP
  68. PHP sessions that have already been started
  69. Contact Form 7 – Custom Validation
  70. How to output JavaScript with PHP
  71. WRONGTYPE Operation against a key holding the wrong kind of value php
  72. What is the advantage of using try {} catch {} versus if {} else {}
  73. Check if URL has certain string with PHP
  74. Subtracting days, months or years from date using php
  75. Laravel – Model Class not found
  76. How to embed a youtube playlist with a sidebar
  77. Fatal error: Call to a member function fetch_assoc() on a non-object
  78. Strict Standards: Only variables should be assigned by reference PHP 5.4
  79. mysqlworkbench giving version error on exporting database
  80. Steam Market API?
  81. How to make DROP INDEX IF EXISTS for mysql?
  82. get type in php returns “object” and not the object type
  83. How to find out if you’re using HTTPS without $_SERVER[‘HTTPS’]
  84. PHP array delete by value (not key)
  85. PHP mail: Multiple recipients?
  86. Having a problem getting mysqli_query to execute
  87. PHP Multiple Checkbox Array
  88. Session variables not working php
  89. Get JSON object from URL
  90. How to push both value and key into PHP array
  91. Find the last element of an array while using a foreach loop in PHP
  92. What does “zend_mm_heap corrupted” mean
  93. Popup window in PHP?
  94. How can you use php in a javascript function
  95. How to bypass (deprecated) reCAPTCHA V1?
  96. Start and stop a timer PHP
  97. PHP variables don’t evaluate in the query [duplicate]
  98. You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ””)’ at line 2
  99. Where Does WordPress Make cURL Requests? How To Add cURL Option
  100. REST API works in browser and via AJAX but fails via cURL

Leave a Comment

tech