Rutube video cover: size, format and file weight

A Rutube video cover is an image of up to 1920 × 1080 pixels, in JPEG or PNG, weighing up to 10 MB. Below: how to get a file of exactly that size, what to do with vertical videos, and how to make the cover with AI so the caption on it has no typos.

What size does a Rutube cover need to be?

Rutube accepts a cover of up to 1920 × 1080 pixels — a 16:9 ratio, the same as a regular horizontal video. The format is JPEG, JPG or PNG, and the file must be no larger than 10 MB. A smaller image with the same ratio also works, but 1920 × 1080 is the maximum and the one to aim for: the cover stays sharp on large screens.

Requirements as stated in Rutube's help on 24 September 2026.

Why a 960 × 540 canvas, not 1920 × 1080

Covers here are exported at double pixel density: a 960 × 540 canvas gives a file of exactly 1920 × 1080 — the maximum Rutube accepts. Set a 1280 × 720 canvas, as for YouTube, and the file comes out 2560 × 1440, which is over Rutube's limit. So for Rutube, tell the designer "960 × 540" — or simply "a Rutube cover".

Weight is not an issue. Even fully uncompressed, a 1920 × 1080 image takes about 8 MB, so a PNG of that size is always under 10 MB. There is no need to re-save as JPG — and PNG keeps captions cleaner, with no smudging around the letters.

How to make a Rutube cover with AI

The weak spot of image models is letters: text written straight into a generated picture often comes out with mistakes. So the work is split in two. The network draws the background and the main image, and the caption goes on top as real text — no typos, and editable one word at a time.

1. The video's topic in one phrase — "budget smartphone review", "borscht in 30 minutes".
2. The caption — two to four words, not the whole video title: Rutube already shows the title under the cover.
3. The main subject — a face with a clear emotion, a product, a dish. If it's you, upload your own photo.
4. The platform — write "Rutube" and the canvas will be 960 × 540.

Before it is shown, the cover is rendered in a browser and checked: is the caption cut off, is there enough contrast. Edits after that are text: "bigger caption", "make it yellow", "change it to ‘PART 2’". The background is not redrawn, so the next episode of a series only needs a new caption. You can build and preview the cover on starter tokens; downloading the finished PNG opens after your first purchase.

A Rutube cover and other platforms

If the video goes out in several places, the sizes differ: YouTube accepts a larger file and has its own phone upload limit. Sizes for YouTube and vertical video, and tips on checking a thumbnail before publishing, are in the chapter "Video thumbnails and covers". The same 1920 × 1080 file also works on Dzen and Telegram — see the Dzen video cover and the Telegram video cover. The video itself can be made with AI too — for example, video from a text description.

In the Twelver chat a cover is built in layers: the image from the network, the caption as real text, a browser check before it is shown. Back to the guide to video with neural networks.