How can I add a custom thumbnail over the Vimeo player in Webflow, similar to how it is done on Squarespace?

To add a custom thumbnail over a Vimeo player in Webflow, you need to hide the Vimeo player initially and use a clickable image as a custom play trigger.

1. Add the Custom Thumbnail Image

• Drag an Image element into your Webflow canvas where you want the video.
• Upload the custom thumbnail that you want to display before playback.
• Style the image as needed (e.g., add a play button on top using a positioned icon if desired).

2. Embed the Vimeo Video (Hidden Initially)

• Use the Embed element from Webflow's Add menu.
• Paste your Vimeo embed code, but add these important modifications:
• Add ?autoplay=1 to the URL so playback starts on click.
• Set the embed div's display to None initially using Webflow's Style panel or by adding a custom class like video-hidden.

Example Vimeo URL modification:
https://player.vimeo.com/video/123456789?autoplay=1&muted=0

3. Use Webflow Interactions to Trigger Playback

• Select the thumbnail image, then go to Interactions > Element Trigger > Mouse Click (Tap).
• Create a new interaction:
• Hide the thumbnail image (e.g., opacity to 0 or display none).
• Show the embedded Vimeo video (e.g., change display from None to Block or Flex).

This simulates clicking a play button and immediately loading the video.

4. Optional: Optimize for Performance

• Add loading="lazy" to the iframe tag to defer loading until needed.
• Keep the embed iframe placed under the image in Webflow to ensure the thumbnail is clickable.

Summary

To show a custom thumbnail over a Vimeo video in Webflow, use an image as the visual placeholder and hide the Vimeo player until a user clicks. Then, show the autoplay-embedded video through a Webflow interaction, replicating the behavior seen in Squarespace.