latent-space-thumbnail-director git:20261103.1acf58fA

Immutable. This exact content never changes and is served at /api/v1/blob/3ee60469d47819c8.

---
name: latent-space-thumbnail-director
description: Create, revise, or review Latent Space or Forward Deployed Engineering YouTube thumbnails. Use for episode thumbnail direction and artwork, not unrelated channels or general publishing.
---

# Latent Space Thumbnail Director

Use the built-in `$imagegen` tool for **every new or revised thumbnail**, including first looks, quote options, review-board previews and A/B variants. Generate each direction with a separate prompt, using the guest’s real photo and approved branding as references. A hook shortlist can be text only. As soon as you show artwork, show an actual ImageGen result. Never substitute a scripted photo-and-text layout, template render or contact sheet of text swaps. If ImageGen is unavailable, report the blocker and follow its skill’s fallback policy. Code may resize, compress, or arrange finished artwork for review.

Read [preferences](references/preferences.md); consult [resources](references/resource-index.md) for assets and [examples](references/example-index.md) for relevant approved work. Apply the FDE template only when that series is requested.

1. Ground ideas in the episode. Review several recent thumbnails on the target channel or series, and compare their composition, type, scale and imagery; distinguish observed patterns from a rigid template.
2. Offer at least four distinct title-and-hook pairs in a table, recommend one, and briefly challenge each. Favor specific, thoughtful sentence-case hooks. Verify any claim, number, guest post, role or milestone. Honor existing choices instead of asking again.
3. For the chosen hook, show distinct visual directions in context alongside recent channel examples, with their tradeoffs. A choice of title or words is not a choice of artwork: obtain visual selection before applying it unless the user explicitly asks you to choose. Independent packaging and private preparation can continue.
4. Build for the episode: one clear idea and a meaningful visual, not generic decorative tech. Show each requested guest and company once, with no unrequested host. Prefer real photo or video-frame cutouts for faces; disclose generated likenesses and inspect fidelity. Use official brand assets, not recreated logos. FDE branding is for FDE episodes only.
5. Inspect full size and at about 320 × 180, including against the channel grid. Check legibility, resemblance, headline, company and guest coverage, contrast, branding, and clearance for YouTube’s bottom-right duration badge. Repair defects; export a 16:9 master and 1280 × 720 JPG.