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 · Usage · Operations · Credentials · Example workflow · Compatibility · Resources

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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.

Usage

1. Add the node

Click + on the canvas and search for thumbapi.

2. Configure and run it

Set Resource to Thumbnail, Operation to Generate, type a Title, and pick a Format. Everything else has a sensible default.

To try it without an account, switch on Use Public Test Key at the top of the panel — the node then calls the API with the public thumbapi_test key, which returns a static placeholder image and consumes no credits.

Click Execute step. In under two seconds the output panel shows the result — switch to the Binary tab to preview or download the image.

3. Pipe it downstream

With Put Output In Binary enabled (the default), the image is attached to the output item as binary data under the data property. Any node that accepts a file just works:

ThumbAPI: Generate  →  Google Drive: Upload
                    →  AWS S3: Upload
                    →  HTTP Request: PUT (multipart)
                    →  Send Email: Attachment
                    →  YouTube: Update thumbnail

Output shape

Every output item carries this JSON alongside the binary:

Field	Always	Notes
format	yes	The platform the image was rendered for.
outputFormat	yes	webp or png.
generationId	yes †	ID of the generation in your dashboard library.
imageUrl	no †	Public CDN URL of the finished image — embed or download it without touching base64.
image	only with binary output off	The base64 data URI.

† Both are returned for real API keys. imageUrl appears once the generation has been archived to the CDN. The public test key returns a static image and neither field.

To work with the raw base64 data URI instead of binary, turn Put Output In Binary off — the item then carries image in place of the attachment.

4. Make it dynamic

The Title field accepts n8n expressions, so it can come from any upstream node:

{{ $json.title }}

That is all a production pipeline needs — an RSS, Airtable, Sheets, or Webhook trigger feeding titles in, and a storage or publishing node taking images out.

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 → API Setup. Keys start with yt_ followed by 32 hex characters.
3. In n8n, create a new ThumbAPI API credential and paste the key

The credential has a built-in connection test — click Save and n8n verifies the key against the live API before you run anything.

Testing without a real key

Use the public test key thumbapi_test to verify the integration, either by pasting it into the credential or by enabling the Use Public Test Key toggle on the node. 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. Accepts expressions.
Format	Yes †	youtube, instagram, x, blogpost, linkedin.
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.

† Format is required in the normal case, but it is ignored when Custom Assets ID is set — the reference dataset then determines the dimensions.

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 complete, importable workflow that watches a YouTube channel for its newest upload, generates a thumbnail from the video title, and pushes the image back onto the video through the YouTube Data API:

📄 examples/youtube-auto-thumbnail.json — download and import into n8n

How to import it

1. Download examples/youtube-auto-thumbnail.json
2. In n8n: top-right menu → Import from File → select the JSON
3. Replace YOUR_CHANNEL_ID in the Input values node with your own YouTube channel ID (YouTube Studio → Settings → Channel → Advanced)
4. Attach your ThumbAPI API credential to the Generate a thumbnail node, and a Google OAuth2 credential to the two YouTube HTTP nodes
5. Click Execute workflow

The full walkthrough — Google Cloud project, OAuth consent screen, and credential wiring, with screenshots for every step — is at thumbapi.dev/blog/n8n-youtube-auto-thumbnails.

Simpler shapes

The node is a single step, so it drops into any pipeline:

RSS / Airtable / Sheets / Webhook trigger
   ↓
ThumbAPI: Generate  (title = {{ $json.title }}, format = youtube)
   ↓
Google Drive: Upload  →  Slack: Notify

More importable examples, including a no-community-node HTTP Request variant, live in dinalllll/thumbapi-examples.

Compatibility

n8n Nodes API	v1 (n8nNodesApiVersion: 1)
Verified on	n8n 2.37.10, Node.js 24 (September 2026)
Node.js	20 or newer, per n8n's own requirement
Runtime dependencies	none — n8n-workflow is a peer dependency
n8n Cloud	requires community nodes to be enabled on your instance

The node uses n8n's declarative routing style and has no native modules, so it installs cleanly on Docker, npm, and desktop installs alike.

Tips

• Start with format: youtube and the Use Public Test Key toggle to wire your workflow without burning credits.
• Save your Personal Photo and Logo once in the ThumbAPI dashboard so you can toggle usePhoto / useLogo from the node without sending base64 every time.
• For brand-consistent series, build a Reference Dataset in the dashboard and pass its ID via Custom Assets ID — the AI will mirror your visual style at 80–100% fidelity.
• The 2K (hd) render is gated to Pro and Business plans; on lower plans the API returns 403 UPGRADE_REQUIRED.
• The test key always returns a PNG placeholder, whatever Output Format you pick. Real keys honour the setting.

Version history

Version	Notes
0.1.3	imageUrl and generationId passed through to the output; documentation with screenshots and an importable example workflow; corrected API key prefix
0.1.2	Publish config — public access and npm provenance
0.1.1	First public release on npm
0.1.0	Initial build — Thumbnail → Generate, API key credential, binary output

Full detail in CHANGELOG.md.

Resources

• ThumbAPI documentation
• POST /v1/generate reference
• Custom assets guide
• n8n integration guide on thumbapi.dev
• n8n community nodes documentation
• More ThumbAPI examples
• Issues & feedback

License

MIT