Description
n8n-nodes-thumbapi
n8n community node for ThumbAPI — generate platform-ready thumbnails for YouTube, Instagram, X / Twitter, blog posts, and LinkedIn from a title in a single API call.
Installation · Operations · Credentials · Example workflow · Resources
—
What it does
Send a title, get back a finished thumbnail. No template design, no SDK lock-in, no manual editing. The node:
- Outputs to YouTube (1280×720), Instagram (1024×1024), X (1200×675), blog post (1200×630), LinkedIn (1200×627)
- Supports personal photo overlay (face in the scene) and logo overlay (brand in the corner) — saved once in the dashboard, used by reference
- Supports custom reference datasets for brand-consistent style across content
- Returns the image either as a base64 data URI in JSON or as n8n binary data ready to be saved, uploaded, or piped into the next node
Installation
From the n8n UI
1. Open n8n → Settings → Community Nodes
2. Click Install
3. Enter n8n-nodes-thumbapi
4. Accept the risks notice → Install
The ThumbAPI node will appear in the nodes panel.
From npm (self-hosted)
npm install n8n-nodes-thumbapi
Then restart n8n.
Quick test — no signup, no credit card
The fastest way to verify the node works in your workflow:
1. Drop the ThumbAPI node onto a canvas
2. Enable the Use Public Test Key toggle at the top
3. Set a Title (anything), pick a Format
4. Click Execute step
You’ll get a placeholder thumbnail back in under 2 seconds. No credential, no signup, no credit consumption. Use this to wire your workflow end-to-end, then plug in a real key when you’re ready to generate real thumbnails.
Credentials
You need a ThumbAPI account and an API key.
1. Sign up at thumbapi.dev — the free tier gives you 50 credits per month, no credit card required
2. Copy your key from the dashboard (looks like tbliveabc123...)
3. In n8n, create a new ThumbAPI API credential and paste the key
Testing without a real key
Use the public test key thumbapi_test to verify the integration. It returns a static placeholder image and does not consume credits.
Operations
Thumbnail → Generate
Calls POST https://api.thumbapi.dev/v1/generate.
| Field | Required | Notes |
|—|—|—|
| Title | Yes | The text on the thumbnail. Max 200 chars. |
| Format | Yes (*) | youtube, instagram, x, blogpost, linkedin. Ignored when Custom Assets ID is set. |
| Category | No | Niche bias (tech-saas, business-finance, education-tutorial, etc.). Default auto. |
| Model (Quality) | No | sd = 1K (10 credits, default), hd = 2K (20 credits, Pro+ plans). |
| Output Format | No | webp (default) or png. |
| Use Saved Photo | No | Include your saved Personal Photo as main subject. +2 credits. |
| Use Saved Logo | No | Overlay your saved Logo in the corner. +2 credits. |
| Custom Assets ID | No | ID of a saved reference dataset. Style is cloned at 80–100% fidelity. +2 credits. |
| Inline Photo / Logo | No | Override saved assets with a per-request base64 image. |
| Put Output In Binary | No | When on (default), the returned image is decoded and attached as binary data on the output item under the configured property name. |
Credit cost
| Operation | Credits |
|—|—|
| Base 1K render (sd) | 10 |
| Base 2K render (hd, Pro+) | 20 |
| usePhoto add-on | +2 |
| useLogo add-on | +2 |
| customAssetsId add-on | +2 |
Full reference: ThumbAPI docs — Generate endpoint.
Example workflow
A typical content automation pipeline:
Trigger (RSS / Airtable / Webhook)
↓
ThumbAPI: Generate (title = "{{ $json.title }}", format = "youtube")
↓
Google Drive: Upload binary data
↓
YouTube: Update video thumbnail (or Slack notify, etc.)
The node emits binary.data by default, so any downstream node that accepts binary (Drive, S3, HTTP upload, Email attachment, YouTube thumbnail update) just works.
Tips
format: youtube and the thumbapi_test key to wire your workflow without burning credits.usePhoto / useLogo from the node without sending base64 every time.hd) render is gated to Pro and Business plans; on lower plans the API returns 403 UPGRADE_REQUIRED.
