Using A Different Image For The Thumbnail When Embedding a YouTube Video

Hi. I'm having an issue with an embedded YouTube video that I hope someone can help me with.

I uploaded a new video to YouTube this morning. The three thumbnail choices offered by YouTube are all quite rotten - to say the least. That's one problem that I hope to fix at some point, but for now, I have a more immediate issue (at least in my mind).

I have the video embedded on a WP site and it plays fine. But I'd definitely rather show a different image on the WP site for the "thumbnail". As I said, I hope to be able to fix the thumbnail issue on YouTube at some point, but my more immediate concern is the WP site.

I'm thinking I ought to be able to do something like:

1. Display the image I want by putting it in an html file and then using an iframe (same size as the YouTube video) to "call" that html file.
2. Set the image up in the html file so that when someone clicks on it, it loads another html file into the same iframe - with that second html file having the video embedded in it (and set to autoplay) using the old YouTube embed code

Hope that makes sense.

But is there an easier way to handle this? With a WP plugin perhaps?

I swear you used to be able to specify a different thumbnail when embedding a YouTube video (even if you couldn't choose a different thumbnail on YouTube itself), but I'm not seeing that option in any of my searches.

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can offer - I really appreciate it.

Frank