I built a simple tool to extract original YouTube thumbnails (HD & MaxRes)

Hey Indie Hackers 👋

I recently launched Picknar, a small web tool that lets you extract the original uploaded YouTube thumbnail directly from YouTube’s image servers using just a video or Shorts URL.

I built this because I kept running into the same problem as a creator:
Most tools either:

• returned low-quality previews

• required extensions or logins

• or didn’t work well with Shorts

So I made something very simple:

• Paste a YouTube video or Shorts link

• Instantly see all available thumbnail resolutions

• Download the highest quality available (including MaxRes when present)

It works entirely in the browser, doesn’t store URLs, and doesn’t use the YouTube API.

I’m currently treating this as a side project and focusing on:

• Reliability across old vs new videos

• Better handling of Shorts thumbnails

• Keeping the UI fast and minimal

I’d really appreciate feedback on:

• Edge cases you’ve seen with thumbnails

• Features you’d expect from a tool like this

• Whether this is something you’d personally use in your workflow

Link: https://picknar.com/

Thanks — and happy building 🚀