A thumbnail is a still image of your island that leaves a viewer wanting to find out more. It can be a screen capture or an illustration that includes elements from your game.
A video can be a promotional trailer, a flythrough that shows the island terrain or theme, or a round or two of play that demonstrates a game's mechanics.
For you, the developer, these are powerful ways for you to promote your game, either on your social media channels, or on Discover.
Each type of media has its own specific requirements (covered later in this document), but they all share certain elements.
When you're ready to start creating images for your island, take a look at How to Use the Replays Feature to see how it can support your video and image-capture efforts.
Whether you're making videos or still shots, here are a few points to keep in mind.
Assets and Resources
There are a number of Fortnite-branded assets and other resources available for your use when promoting your island, along with guidelines on how to use them.
If you plan to post your videos on social media, get familiar with this info!
Created in Fortnite
Instead of referencing Fortnite directly, or using the Fortnite logo, follow the guidelines in this blog.
Music
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You can download royalty-free tracks for a Fortnite Creative project. Outside of the tracks available through this link, Epic is not responsible for sourcing and clearing any music you use.
Content
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Creating a Thumbnail
Your island thumbnail is your most important visual for promoting your island on Discover.
In the Discover UI, whether your island surfaces through algorithms or it's featured, three things are going to catch a player's attention: the Discover category, the game title, and your thumbnail.
Thumbnails are also useful for promoting on social media.
A few points to keep in mind when creating your thumbnails if you're submitting to Epic for publishing or a feature request on Discover:
The image should represent your game.
It should be engaging.
The image size must be exactly 1920x1080.
For information on thumbnail policy and best practices, see Thumbnail Image Policies.
Thumbnail Types
You need the following thumbnail images to submit your island for review:
These thumbnail types become mandatory as of October 22, 2026.
| With Art & Logo | Art-Only | Thumbnail Type & Size | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  | Landscape thumbnail 1920 x 1080 | Displays in places like your Creator page and Discover. Under Landscape thumbnails, there are two upload slots:
Select the empty field to add your images (PNG or JPG). |
 |  | Portrait thumbnail 1440 x 1920 | Used in feature spots and on mobile. Under Portrait thumbnails, there are two upload slots:
Select the empty field to add your images (PNG or JPG). |
 | Island Name Logo 1440 x 608 | This is your island’s logo and a key part of your art. The island name logo is used as a transparent PNG. Under Logo, select the field to add your logo image. |
Thumbnail Safe Areas
When creating thumbnails, plan for additional space to accommodate the in-game UI. Such as tags, CCU, and more. We suggest you avoid the top and bottom areas where the UI is present in-game. A good rule of thumb is to leave 200px, or around 15%, of the top and bottom of the thumbnail unobstructed when designing at full dimension.
In addition, when creating your art-only variants, be mindful that your logo will be dynamically positioned and trimmed on top of your art-only thumbnail. Make sure the combination of your art and logo work well together, providing enough visual contrast for players to see your logo.
Making a Video
Sharing videos that showcase interesting or unique aspects of your island is a great way to stand out on social media.
When you publish your island through the Creator Portal, you'll get an island code that you can use to promote your island on social media once the island is published. You can even use these videos as part of your promotional assets when you publish.
There are two types of videos you can upload for publishing:
Trailer - In order for your island to be eligible for placement in the Hero carousel or Epic's Picks, you must provide a trailer video that is appropriate for a General Audience (GA). If your Trailer video is not eligible for promotional placements, it will still display on your island's detail page.
Gameplay - Your gameplay video plays on your island's detail page. Show real unedited gameplay from your island (no cuts), including in-game UI. The content in this video can match your island's content rating.
Specifications for Trailers and Gameplay Videos
These are the recommended specifications for submitting a trailer or gameplay video for your island when publishing. They also work well for social media, so it's good to get used to working within these parameters.
Requirements include:
Length: 15-30 seconds
File Type: MOV
Codec: ProRes
Frame rate: Native Source (don't change the frame rate)
Aspect ratio: 16:9
Audio Bitrate: Uncompressed, Stereo
Making Trailer Videos for a General Audience
Trailer videos must be appropriate for a General Audience (GA) in order to be eligible for placement in the Hero carousel and Epic's Picks. You can show gameplay as long as it doesn't feature any of the following:
Any sexualized depictions of characters.
Sequences that elicit a strong sense of threat, dread, or terror (for example, jump scares or grotesque creatures).
Characters reacting realistically to being hurt, such as crying out in pain, recoiling, or collapsing.
Characters visibly hit, hurt, or killed by gunfire or explosions.
Blood of any kind, realistic or unrealistic.
Using Video Production Best Practices
To create a video for your island, you need to think like a filmmaker. Think about the scene, the shot, and the take.
A scene is what happens in a single location and time. A scene can be made up of multiple shots.
A shot is a continuous view through a single camera, without interruption.
A take is a single version of a shot, and is usually numbered sequentially. Takes from different cameras, or angles of the same shot, can be marked then compared to see which one works best.
Composition
Composition is important for both still shots and videos. When composing a scene:
Showcase the experience, not just advertise it. Give players an immediate sense of the world, gameplay, characters, action, or fantasy they’re being invited into. The strongest videos create curiosity and a reason to play.
Design specifically for the trailer. Compose your shot specifically for the placement and account for UI overlays, cropping, localization, and different screen sizes.
Be intentional with composition. Treat the trailer like a hero image—not a screenshot. Consider camera angle, framing, lighting, depth, environment, character placement, and movement. Every element should contribute to the story you’re trying to tell.
Draw your viewer's eye with movement, using the camera settings and angles to push emphasis to that movement.
Keep the most relevant characters at the front of the scene. Let them fill the frame.
Think about the environment your characters are in. What's behind them, and how important is it to the story you're telling? Should that background be sharp? Or should it be blurred to keep the attention on the characters and their actions?
Use foreground elements to create a natural frame. This also gives a sense of size.
Choose a lighter background so your character stands out more.
Incorporate the landscape for screenshots with depth and layers.
In this shot, you can quickly and clearly see two teams in a firefight.
Lighting
Lighting can totally change the tone of your video or image. Keeping a few lighting points in mind when setting up your shots can make a big difference.
Stay away from dark areas in enclosed spaces.
Place the sun or moon to create shadows and bring out shafts of light to build realism and depth.
Account for time of day in your shot. If possible, shoot when the sun is at an angle and not directly overhead.
In Replays, under camera settings, you can toggle Storm Effects off to keep the storm out of view under the camera icon options. You can also select Time of Day to control the lighting under the clock icon. See How to Use the Replays Feature for more info.
Positioning and Choreography
Create one clear focal point. Players should immediately know where to look. Use a strong hero character, moment, environment, or action as the focus. Avoid cluttered compositions, collages, or too many competing elements.
Stay away from focal lengths where both background and foreground are in focus unless you want a wide shot of points of interest or landscapes.
Always be aware of what is around and behind the main character in a shot.
Create dynamic moments that help push the story you want to tell.
Making a Trailer for Discover
You can feature up to five trailer videos in a Hero carousel in Discover. These are an edge-to-edge, video-fed spotlight at the top of Discover that rotates your videos. When creating a trailer for the Hero carousel:
Deliver a premium, polished asset. Creative should be sharp, clean, well-lit, and professionally finished. Avoid pixelation, visible compression, awkward character cutouts, unfinished environments, poor lighting, or other elements that make the asset feel unpolished.
Keep it fresh and relevant. Feature timely, meaningful content and use your strongest current creative. Avoid stale imagery, unnecessary repetition, or assets that make the Hero carousel feel static.
When making a video trailer, keep these points in mind:
Keep it short. Ideally, your video should be 15–30 seconds long.
What's important to highlight? When setting up your scene, what are the important elements to showcase? An island feature you're especially proud of? Some aspect of your game that's particularly fun?
What's the best camera position to show this? If you use Replays, for example, you can move your camera to show characters from any angle. Take advantage of this to set up shots that catch the viewer's attention.
Tell a story. When appropriate, awaken your inner cinematographer and tell a story with your video. What will your characters be doing, and where are they going to do it?
Your goal is to catch the viewer's attention and make them interested in checking out your island. And remember to add your island code so they can find it easily!
Common Trailer Mistakes
The trailer may require additional refinement if it:
Looks like an unedited gameplay screenshot.
Has no obvious focal point.
Contains too many characters, messages, logos, or competing visual elements.
Uses low-resolution, compressed, pixelated, or poorly rendered imagery.
Has flat, overly dark, or inconsistent lighting.
Relies heavily on text to explain the experience.
Has awkward cropping or composition.
Misrepresents the actual player experience.
Feels unfinished or noticeably less polished than the surrounding trailer content.
Capturing the Video
There are a number of free and paid apps available that you can use to capture your video. For example, Windows Game Bar comes with Windows, and QuickTime is a part of the Mac OS. Other apps, like Snagit, will also do the job.
Some of these apps will also give you tools to edit the video, to add music, and to add title cards at the beginning or credits at the end.
You can also use your video capture software to organize your takes into the story you want to tell, and to add audio, such as a voiceover and soundtrack.
If your video software supports it, add a Created by [your name] title card or watermark in your intro or outro to start building your brand!
Only include images that use Fortnite original assets, or assets you own or have permission to use.
The format should be JPG.
Demonstrating Gameplay in a Video
A gameplay video should not feature the following:
Text overlays
Edits
Licensed music
To add music to your gameplay video, use music from Licensed Music Box only.
Your gameplay video is not the same as your trailer video used to promote your island on social channels. While you can also submit your island trailer, it is not a substitute for a video that shows your gameplay.
Your video should follow the specifications provided above.
When creating a video to submit when requesting to be featured on Discover, keep in mind:
Don't use inappropriate names or inappropriate imagery.
Follow the Fortnite Developer Rules.
Don't include any exploits or unofficial content.
Only use approved music found on Licensed Music Box.
Don't use any other voice or audio, or sound effects not provided by Epic.
No title or end slates, or text overlays in the video.
Only include Fortnite original assets or assets you own or have permission to use.
Your footage must be actual gameplay, without edits.
Your gameplay video should show what players can expect. Make sure your video represents your island. Keep things simple and clear. Reviewers are going to want to know:
What does the player see when they first enter the game? Show the pregame lobby. Include all billboards and text.
How does the game start, and what is the player's initial experience?
How does the map flow from one area to the next?
What are the most impressive or unique parts of your island, and why are these parts special?
Tailor the video to your game type. For example:
If it's a PvP game, show the sight lines in different areas, and show how a player can navigate through the island.
If it's objective-based, show the routes to the objectives, or areas between enemy bases. Simulate a player’s experience when navigating the island for the first time.
If it's a solo or adventure island, give a sense of the island’s atmosphere. Run through the starting area, then show specific sections you think are important to the experience.
If you have a skillrun or parkour experience, show how to get past the initial level, then any other specific levels or areas you think are cool, fun, or important.
Demonstrate the difficulty curve.
Show how to get past any parts that might look really impossible to a player.
Include multiplayer footage if it helps, but make sure it is from the player's perspective unless you really need a different view to convey what's happening.
Adding a flythrough will also provide more info on your island.
Making a Flythrough
A short flythrough video should show your overall island design and layout.
There are a couple of ways to set up a flythrough shot.
On your island, while in Create mode, double-click the spacebar to fly, then start your screen-recording software. The camera will follow your movement.
From Replays, use the Drone Free camera, then use the Drone Free camera and controls to move the camera up and down, left and right, and forward and backward. When you've worked out the movement you want to capture, start your screen-recording software.
Submitting Your Island to Discover
There are two instances where you will submit images and videos of your island to Epic:
When you submit your island for publishing, and
When you request a feature on Discover.
Publishing Your Island
When you publish your island through the Creator Portal, you'll be asked to submit a Landscape thumbnail, Portrait thumbnail, and a logo. You can also submit a trailer and use it for social media use as well. For more information, see Promotional Media Screen.
Request a Feature on the Discover UI
Visit the Developer Submission Form to submit your island for featuring.
Recently got rejected? Read our Common Mistakes blog to make sure you're giving your island its best shot at a feature!