What are thumbs?

"Thumb" is short for "thumbnail" which is basically a miniature version of a deviation (merely a nickname used to describe a particular piece of art that has been submitted to deviantART¹) and on deviantART, a thumb is clickable and leads to the original piece of art. Thumbs can be used in various places throughout deviantART such as features and forums.

A thumb and its code

This is a thumb:

^{Go ahead, try it out and click on it. :D}

To display a thumb, you're going to need a thumb code. A thumb code looks like this:
:thumb243332259:
And they can be found on the right side of a deviation:

To display a thumb, simply copy and paste the deviation's thumb code where you'd like the thumb to be displayed.

Where can thumbs be displayed?

Thumbs will not work everywhere on deviantART. Thumbs can be displayed in various places on deviantART depending on whether or not you have a premium membership. If you're unsure about whether or not you're a premium member, just go to your profile page and look at the top. If it says "Need Premium Membership", you're not a premium member.

Chat networks

^{Available to all members.}

FAQ #511: How do I post thumbnails of my art on the Chat Network or Forums?

1. Find a chatroom in +chat where you'd like to participate.


2. Be sure to read the rules of the chatroom first before posting any thumbs!


3. If permitted, post your thumb.
   

Custom boxes

^{Available to premium members only.}

Custom boxes are boxes that can be placed on your profile. They're considered 'custom' because you can put practically anything you want in them, including thumbs!

1. Go to your profile and click on the "Edit Page" button which is located in the top right.
   


2. Find "Custom" under the list of widgets. Click on it.
   


3. Click the "Edit" button, which is located on the top right of the box.
   


4. Copy and paste the thumb codes of the deviations you want to feature.
   


5. Click on "Save and Preview".
   


6. Click on "Install Now".
   


7. Move the box to where you want it to be displayed on your page.
   


8. Click done.
   

Deviations

^{Available to premium members only.}

Thumbs can be displayed in the description of deviations, as seen in this deviation.

1. Copy and paste the thumb code into the description.
   


2. If you hit preview, you should see the thumb.
   


3. Fill out the rest of necessary information and submit the deviation.

Forums

^{Available to all members.}

If the creator of a forum thread has allowed replies to display avatars and thumbnails (and most of the time, they will), then everyone can use thumb codes in that forum thread.
Take this forum thread as an example. It's located in the Deviation Thumbshare forum.

1. Scroll down to the reply area.
   


2. Copy and paste the thumb code.
   


3. *Note: If you hit the "Preview" button, the thumb code won't be displayed as a thumbnail. However, once you click on "Add Comment", your thumbs will be displayed.
   

Journals

^{Available to premium members only.}

Thumbs can be displayed in journals, like this.

1. Go to your journal.
   


2. Click on "New Journal Entry".
   


3. Copy and paste the thumb codes.
   


4. Click on "Publish Entry".
   


5. Admire your work. :D
   

News Articles

^{Available to all members.}

:faq687:
:faq209:
:faq886:
:faq887:

1. Go to the news section located here and click on the "Submit News" button located in the top right.
   


2. Copy and paste the thumb codes.
   


3. Optional: Hit "Preview" just to make sure you copied and pasted the thumb codes correctly because once you hit submit, you can't go back and edit it. =]
   


4. Fill in the headline/ title, summary, and select a topic. Then hit "Submit News Story".
   

Notes

^{Available to all members.}

Thumbs work in notes to both members and groups.

1. Go to your notes and click on "Create a New Note"
   


2. Copy and paste the thumb codes.
   


3. If you hit "Preview", you should see the thumbnails.
   


4. Click on "Send".
   

Polls

^{Available to premium members only.}

Thumbs can be included in the answers of polls only.

1. Click the "New" button on your poll widget. (If you're a premium member and you haven't added the poll widget yet, refer back to the steps on using thumbs in a custom box on your page. Simply click "Edit Page" on the top right of your profile and search for the poll widget in the list of widgets.)
   


2. Fill in your question and answers. Thumbs will be displayed only in the answers of the poll, not in the poll question itself. Multiple thumb codes can be used in one poll answer.
   


3. Click on "Save".
   

Widgets

^{Available to premium members only.}

Thumbs can be used in the "Description" area of the following widgets:

• Collection
• Critiques
• deviantID
• Donate
• Favorites
• Featured Deviation
• Featured Print
• Gallery Folder
• My Prints
• Newest Deviations
• Screenshot
• Wishlist

Thumbs can also be used in the "Introduction" area of the Delicious Bookmarks widget.

1. Click on the "Edit" button in the top right of the widget.
   


2. Copy and paste the thumb codes into the "Description" area.
   


3. Click "Save".
   

Where won't thumbs work?

Thumbs won't work anywhere else but the places mentioned above. Unless commenting on a forum which allows replies to include thumbs, thumbs cannot be used in comments. That means thumbs won't be displayed in comments on the following:

• Critiques
• Deviations
• Deviation submission processes
• Favorites collections
• Galleries
• Journals/ blogs
• News articles
• Polls
• Shoutboxes
• User profiles

If it wasn't already mentioned, thumbs won't work anywhere else either.



Hopefully this article is useful. My sincere apologies if any information is missing or incorrect!



_{¹FAQ #15: What is a deviation?}