Poster previews
A static image shown before a video plays or when it is paused.
A poster preview is like a thumbnail for a video. It's a single picture that shows up before you hit play, or when the video is paused. This gives you an idea of what the video is about without having to start it.
For example, when you see a list of videos on a website, each one might have a poster preview. It helps you decide which video to watch next.
In video playback, a poster image is a static image displayed before the video starts playing or when it is paused. It serves as a visual placeholder and can convey information about the video's content. This is often implemented using the 'poster' attribute in HTML5 video elements.
Google Gemini's API Cookbook is adding poster previews for video outputs. This feature helps developers showcase video results more effectively in platforms like GitHub. It improves the user experience by providing a visual cue before playback.
- Google Gemini
- Google Gemini's API Cookbook is implementing poster previews for video outputs to enhance developer showcases on platforms like GitHub.
- Thumbnail
- A thumbnail is a smaller version of an image, often used to represent
- Splash screen
- A splash screen is an introductory screen displayed while an appl
- Cover art
- Cover art is typically associated with music albums or books, not vid
The concept of a poster image for video playback originates from the standards for web video, notably HTML5. Source ↗
You can see poster previews in action by browsing video platforms like YouTube. Look at the still images displayed for each video before you click play. These images are the poster previews designed to attract your attention.
The Playbook: reusable how-tos, prompts, configs and tips pulled out of the news.
- PromptRole-play a student struggling with math for AI tutor simulationSimulate a student's math struggles and uncertainty for AI tutor evaluation. · 5 min
- TemplateReusable workflow templates for healthcare teamsTeams can create and share templates for common workflows like documentation or prior authorizations. · 15 min
- TemplateTemplate for building an AI tool tailored to your workA structured approach to defining and building a custom AI tool for specific business needs. · 15 min
- TemplateEvals CSV prompt list for agent skillsA CSV file template for listing prompts used in evaluating agent skills. · 20 min
- HeuristicDouble coding agent task completion with docs linksProviding coding agents with a documentation link significantly increases their task completion rate. · 2 min
Questions people ask
- What is the purpose of a poster preview?
- A poster preview's main purpose is to give viewers a visual cue about the video's content before they start watching, helping them decide if they want to play it.
- Can AI generate poster previews?
- While AI models can generate video content, the poster preview itself is typically a static image selected or generated separately to represent that video.
First seen on Subvolts Sep 9, 2026. Updated Sep 16, 2026. Written by an AI model from the items above and reviewed against them weekly; report an error.

