DeArrow is a browser extension for crowdsourcing better titles and thumbnails on YouTube.
The goal of DeArrow is to make titles accurate and reduce sensationalism.
Titles can be any arbitrary text. Thumbnails are screenshots from specific timestamps in the video. These are user submitted and voted on.
By default, if there are no submissions, it will format the original title to the user-specified format, and set a screenshot from a random timestamp as the thumbnail. This can be configured in the options to disable formatting, or show the original thumbnail by default.
If the original thumbnail is actually good, you can still vote for it in the submission menu, and then it will act like a submission.
No more dealing with clickbait, arrows, or annoying faces.
Users can submit better titles and thumbnails for each video and vote on them.
How does DeArrow differ from Clickbait Remover for YouTube?
- Unlike Clickbait Remover, DeArrow's main purpose is for crowdsourcing better titles and thumbnails
- When a crowdsourced title is not available, DeArrow will auto-format it according to your setting, but does it in a more sophisticated way than Clickbait Remover. Instead of only setting all words to lower case, or capitalizing every word, DeArrow supports casing systems such as "Title Case" and "Sentence case". These will still allow acronyms and proper names to remain capitalized.
- When a crowdsourced thumbnail is not available, DeArrow by default shows a screenshot at a random timestamp in the video. Clickbait Remover's thumbnails use YouTube auto-generated thumbnails, and while they are seemingly random, they are chosen by a machine learning algorithm to favor faces with expressions, and other overstimulating features. DeArrow uses truly random timestamps generated by its own server. DeArrow will also check the SponsorBlock database to ensure the randomized thumbnail is not inside of a sponsor segment.
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Source code: https://github.com/ajayyy/DeArrow
Permissions:
Access your data for youtube.com, www.youtube-nocookie.com:
- Used to modify the YouTube webpage
This add-on may also **ask*" to access data for any website:
- You can add your own instances of 3rd party YouTube front-ends, and it will ask for permission to modify each site you add
- It will never ask for permission for all sites, only the sites you request
- Invidious support is not finished at the moment
I bought this in a bundle with sponsorblock and originally thought it was just a neat gimmic, like the mrbeatify thing going around. I was showing this off to a friend when a video form my watch later was edited to show that it was edited by a viewer. I clicked to see the original and it turns out it was a sponsored product video instead of the documentary I thought I was getting.Came here iinstantly to rate it 5 stars, thank you DeArrow for saving me 15 minutes of time and screw you Jazza
Developer Response
:)
Great Extension!
A random person who is bob
This app, created by the same developer behind Sponsor Block (which I highly recommend), complements it perfectly, forming a suite of apps aimed at transforming us from passive consumers into empowered participants. While the app is relatively new and lacks an extensive collection of thumbnails and titles (although it does offer an option to randomly select a screen cap to replace the thumbnail), it holds immense promise. Much like Sponsor Block, which boasts a vast database and a dedicated community, this app seems poised for a similar future. With a one-time payment of $2 and the substantial number of videos it de-clickbates, I believe this app offers significant value. Additionally, if the developer reads this review, I think it could be smart to implement some sort of AI language processing feature to read video transcripts and auto generate titles
Not perfect, but pretty good!
Adam926
Great, but not perfect for all videos. I.e., "Why I no longer [x]" titles typically stay the same, but are still clickbaity. Would be nice to integrate some basic AI rewriting to make all titles third person (as opposed to first/second) and just summarize the core argument of the video, perhaps based on transcripts. Would happily pay more for that!
Developer Response
We actually are trying to make titles in first person, or passive voice. Trying to stay with the YouTube format
When it works, it works but not lately
Hazeldn11
So this app has been getting worse and worse lately over the past few months, even after updating my app, it is becoming increasingly harder to use with my personal settings of having a button to toggle the updated video titles over the clickbait ones.I will press multiple times, and the text will not show. It just opens up the description for the video instead and doesn’t allow me to see the non clickbait title.
Another YouTube change... It seems they decided to change one class at a time when switching formats, but I think this is the last one they can change for this update...
Also fixes replacements on the mobile site
Version 2.3.5
The developer, Ajay Ramachandran, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
User Content
Identifiers
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
