diff --git a/public/language/en_GB/topic.json b/public/language/en_GB/topic.json
index 85a923afbb..fedb625fd3 100644
--- a/public/language/en_GB/topic.json
+++ b/public/language/en_GB/topic.json
@@ -72,5 +72,12 @@
 	"composer.discard": "Discard",
 	"composer.submit": "Submit",
 	"composer.replying_to": "Replying to",
-	"composer.new_topic": "New Topic"
+	"composer.new_topic": "New Topic",
+
+	"composer.uploading": "uploading...",
+	"composer.thumb_url_label": "Paste a topic thumbnail URL",
+	"composer.thumb_title": "Add a thumbnail to this topic",
+	"composer.thumb_url_placeholder": "http://example.com/thumb.png",
+	"composer.thumb_file_label": "Or upload a file",
+	"composer.thumb_remove": "Clear fields"
 }
diff --git a/public/src/modules/composer.js b/public/src/modules/composer.js
index 866f8ecdf6..7d5c98548e 100644
--- a/public/src/modules/composer.js
+++ b/public/src/modules/composer.js
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 		posts: {}
 	};
 
+	function resetInputFile($el) {
+		$el.wrap('<form />').closest('form').get(0).reset();
+		$el.unwrap();
+	}
+
 	function allowed() {
 		if(!(parseInt(app.uid, 10) > 0 || config.allowGuestPosting)) {
 			app.alert({
@@ -21,16 +26,263 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	function push(post) {
+		var uuid = utils.generateUUID();
+
+		translator.translate('[[topic:composer.new_topic]]', function(newTopicStr) {
+			taskbar.push('composer', uuid, {
+				title: post.title ? post.title : newTopicStr,
+				icon: post.picture
+			});
+		});
+
+		composer.posts[uuid] = post;
+		composer.posts[uuid].uploadsInProgress = [];
+
+		composer.load(uuid);
+	}
+
+	//http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14441456/how-to-detect-which-device-view-youre-on-using-twitter-bootstrap-api
+	function findBootstrapEnvironment() {
+		var envs = ['xs', 'sm', 'md', 'lg'];
+
+		$el = $('<div>');
+		$el.appendTo($('body'));
+
+		for (var i = envs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
+			var env = envs[i];
+
+			$el.addClass('hidden-'+env);
+			if ($el.is(':hidden')) {
+				$el.remove();
+				return env;
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	function composerAlert(title, message) {
+		$('.action-bar button').removeAttr('disabled');
+		app.alert({
+			type: 'danger',
+			timeout: 2000,
+			title: title,
+			message: message,
+			alert_id: 'post_error'
+		});
+	}
+
+	function initializeDragAndDrop(post_uuid) {
+
+		if(jQuery.event.props.indexOf('dataTransfer') === -1) {
+			jQuery.event.props.push('dataTransfer');
+		}
+
+		var draggingDocument = false;
+
+		var postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
+			fileForm = postContainer.find('#fileForm'),
+			drop = postContainer.find('.imagedrop'),
+			tabContent = postContainer.find('.tab-content'),
+			textarea = postContainer.find('textarea');
+
+		$(document).off('dragstart').on('dragstart', function(e) {
+			draggingDocument = true;
+		}).off('dragend').on('dragend', function(e) {
+				draggingDocument = false;
+		});
+
+		textarea.on('dragenter', function(e) {
+			if(draggingDocument) {
+				return;
+			}
+			drop.css('top', tabContent.position().top + 'px');
+			drop.css('height', textarea.height());
+			drop.css('line-height', textarea.height() + 'px');
+			drop.show();
+
+			drop.on('dragleave', function(ev) {
+				drop.hide();
+				drop.off('dragleave');
+			});
+		});
+
+		function cancel(e) {
+			e.preventDefault();
+			return false;
+		}
+
+		drop.on('dragover', cancel);
+		drop.on('dragenter', cancel);
+
+		drop.on('drop', function(e) {
+			e.preventDefault();
+			var dt = e.dataTransfer,
+				files = dt.files;
+
+			if(files.length) {
+				var fd = new FormData();
+				for (var i = 0, file; file = dt.files[i]; i++) {
+					fd.append('files[]', file, file.name);
+				}
+
+				fileForm[0].reset();
+				uploadContentFiles({files: files, post_uuid: post_uuid, route: '/api/post/upload', formData: fd});
+			}
+
+			drop.hide();
+			return false;
+		});
+
+		$(window).off('paste').on('paste', function(event) {
+
+			var items = (event.clipboardData || event.originalEvent.clipboardData).items;
+
+			if(items && items.length) {
+
+				var blob = items[0].getAsFile();
+				if(blob) {
+					blob.name = 'upload-'+ utils.generateUUID();
+
+					var fd = new FormData();
+					fd.append('files[]', blob, blob.name);
+
+					fileForm[0].reset();
+					uploadContentFiles({files: [blob], post_uuid: post_uuid, route: '/api/post/upload', formData: fd});
+				}
+			}
+		});
+	}
+
+	function uploadContentFiles(params) {
+		var files = params.files,
+			post_uuid = params.post_uuid,
+			route = params.route,
+			formData = params.formData,
+			callback = params.callback,
+			postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
+			textarea = postContainer.find('textarea'),
+			text = textarea.val(),
+			uploadForm = postContainer.find('#fileForm');
+
+		uploadForm.attr('action', route);
+
+		for(var i = 0; i < files.length; ++i) {
+			var isImage = files[i].type.match('image.*');
+			text += (isImage ? '!' : '') + '[' + files[i].name + '](uploading...) ';
+
+			if(files[i].size > parseInt(config.maximumFileSize, 10) * 1024) {
+				uploadForm[0].reset();
+				return composerAlert('File too big', 'Maximum allowed file size is ' + config.maximumFileSize + 'kbs');
+			}
+		}
+
+		textarea.val(text);
+
+		uploadForm.off('submit').submit(function() {
+
+			$(this).find('#postUploadCsrf').val($('#csrf_token').val());
+			if(formData) {
+				formData.append('_csrf', $('#csrf_token').val());
+			}
+
+			composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.push(1);
+
+			$(this).ajaxSubmit({
+				resetForm: true,
+				clearForm: true,
+				formData: formData,
+				error: function(xhr) {
+					app.alertError('Error uploading file! ' + xhr.status);
+					composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.pop();
+					if (typeof callback == 'function')
+						callback(xhr);
+				},
+				uploadProgress: function(event, position, total, percent) {
+					var current = textarea.val();
+					for(var i=0; i<files.length; ++i) {
+						var re = new RegExp(files[i].name + "]\\([^)]+\\)", 'g');
+						textarea.val(current.replace(re, files[i].name+'](uploading ' + percent + '%)'));
+					}
+				},
+				success: function(uploads) {
+
+					if(uploads && uploads.length) {
+						for(var i=0; i<uploads.length; ++i) {
+							var current = textarea.val();
+							var re = new RegExp(uploads[i].name + "]\\([^)]+\\)", 'g');
+							textarea.val(current.replace(re, uploads[i].name + '](' + uploads[i].url + ')'));
+						}
+					}
+
+					composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.pop();
+					textarea.focus();
+					if (typeof callback == 'function')
+						callback(null, uploads);
+				}
+			});
+
+			return false;
+		});
+
+		uploadForm.submit();
+	}
+
+	function uploadTopicThumb(params) {
+		var post_uuid = params.post_uuid,
+			route = params.route,
+			formData = params.formData,
+			callback = params.callback,
+			postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
+			spinner = postContainer.find('.topic-thumb-spinner'),
+			thumbForm = postContainer.find('#thumbForm');
+
+		thumbForm.attr('action', route);
+
+		thumbForm.off('submit').submit(function() {
+			var csrf = $('#csrf_token').val();
+			$(this).find('#thumbUploadCsrf').val(csrf);
+
+			if(formData) {
+				formData.append('_csrf', csrf);
+			}
+
+			spinner.removeClass('hide');
+			composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.push(1);
+
+			$(this).ajaxSubmit({
+				formData: formData,
+				error: function(xhr) {
+					app.alertError('Error uploading file! ' + xhr.status);
+					composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.pop();
+					if (typeof callback == 'function')
+						callback(xhr);
+				},
+				success: function(uploads) {
+					composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.pop();
+					postContainer.find('#topic-thumb-url').val((uploads[0] || {}).url || '').trigger('change');
+					if (typeof callback == 'function')
+						callback(null, uploads);
+				},
+				complete: function(){
+					spinner.addClass('hide');
+				}
+			});
+			return false;
+		});
+		thumbForm.submit();
+	}
+
 	composer.newTopic = function(cid) {
 		if(allowed()) {
 			push({
 				cid: cid,
 				title: '',
 				body: '',
-				modified: false
+				modified: false,
+				isMain: true
 			});
 		}
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.addQuote = function(tid, pid, title, username, text){
 		if (allowed()) {
@@ -58,10 +310,11 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 				tid: tid,
 				title: title,
 				body: text,
-				modified: false
+				modified: false,
+				isMain: false
 			});
 		}
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.editPost = function(pid) {
 		if(allowed()) {
@@ -73,27 +326,13 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 					pid: pid,
 					title: threadData.title,
 					body: threadData.body,
-					modified: false
+					modified: false,
+					isMain: !threadData.index,
+					topic_thumb: threadData.topic_thumb
 				});
 			});
 		}
-	}
-
-	function push(post) {
-		var uuid = utils.generateUUID();
-
-		translator.translate('[[topic:composer.new_topic]]', function(newTopicStr) {
-			taskbar.push('composer', uuid, {
-				title: post.title ? post.title : newTopicStr,
-				icon: post.picture
-			});
-		});
-
-		composer.posts[uuid] = post;
-		composer.posts[uuid].uploadsInProgress = [];
-
-		composer.load(uuid);
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.load = function(post_uuid) {
 		if($('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid).length) {
@@ -101,12 +340,15 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 		} else {
 			composer.createNewComposer(post_uuid);
 		}
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.createNewComposer = function(post_uuid) {
 
 		templates.preload_template('composer', function() {
-			var composerTemplate = templates['composer'].parse({});
+			var composerTemplate = templates['composer'].parse({
+				allowTopicsThumbnail: config.allowTopicsThumbnail && composer.posts[post_uuid].isMain && config.hasImageUploadPlugin
+			});
+
 			translator.translate(composerTemplate, function(composerTemplate) {
 				composerTemplate = $(composerTemplate);
 
@@ -124,7 +366,19 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 
 				var postData = composer.posts[post_uuid],
 					titleEl = postContainer.find('.title'),
-					bodyEl = postContainer.find('textarea');
+					bodyEl = postContainer.find('textarea'),
+					thumbToggleBtnEl = postContainer.find('.topic-thumb-toggle-btn'),
+
+					toggleThumbEls = function(){
+						if (config.allowTopicsThumbnail && composer.posts[post_uuid].isMain) {
+							var url = composer.posts[post_uuid].topic_thumb || '';
+							postContainer.find('input#topic-thumb-url').val(url);
+							postContainer.find('img.topic-thumb-preview').attr('src', url);
+							if (url)
+								postContainer.find('.topic-thumb-clear-btn').removeClass('hide');
+							thumbToggleBtnEl.removeClass('hide');
+						}
+					};
 
 				if (parseInt(postData.tid) > 0) {
 					translator.translate('[[topic:composer.replying_to]]: ' + postData.title, function(newTitle) {
@@ -139,13 +393,44 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 							titleEl.prop('disabled', false);
 						}
 					});
+					toggleThumbEls();
 				} else {
 					titleEl.val(postData.title);
 					titleEl.prop('disabled', false);
+					toggleThumbEls();
 				}
 
 				bodyEl.val(postData.body);
 
+				thumbToggleBtnEl.on('click', function() {
+					var container = postContainer.find('.topic-thumb-container');
+					if (container.hasClass('hide')) {
+						container.removeClass('hide');
+					} else {
+						container.addClass('hide');
+					}
+				});
+
+				postContainer.on('click', '.topic-thumb-clear-btn', function(e) {
+					postContainer.find('input#topic-thumb-url').val('').trigger('change');
+					resetInputFile(postContainer.find('input#topic-thumb-file'));
+					$(this).addClass('hide');
+					e.preventDefault();
+				});
+
+				postContainer.on('paste change keypress', 'input#topic-thumb-url', function(e) {
+					var urlEl = $(this);
+					setTimeout(function(){
+						var url = urlEl.val();
+						if (url) {
+							postContainer.find('.topic-thumb-clear-btn').removeClass('hide');
+						} else {
+							resetInputFile(postContainer.find('input#topic-thumb-file'));
+							postContainer.find('.topic-thumb-clear-btn').addClass('hide');
+						}
+						postContainer.find('img.topic-thumb-preview').attr('src', url);
+					}, 100);
+				});
 
 				postContainer.on('change', 'input, textarea', function() {
 					composer.posts[post_uuid].modified = true;
@@ -236,7 +521,18 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 				$('#files').on('change', function(e) {
 					var files = e.target.files;
 					if(files) {
-						uploadSubmit(files, post_uuid, '/api/post/upload');
+						uploadContentFiles({files: files, post_uuid: post_uuid, route: '/api/post/upload'});
+					}
+				});
+
+				postContainer.find('#topic-thumb-file').on('change', function(e) {
+					var files = e.target.files;
+					if(files) {
+						var fd = new FormData();
+						for (var i = 0, file; file = files[i]; i++) {
+							fd.append('files[]', file, file.name);
+						}
+						uploadTopicThumb({files: files, post_uuid: post_uuid, route: '/api/topic/thumb/upload', formData: fd});
 					}
 				});
 
@@ -337,24 +633,6 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 		});
 	}
 
-	//http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14441456/how-to-detect-which-device-view-youre-on-using-twitter-bootstrap-api
-	function findBootstrapEnvironment() {
-		var envs = ['xs', 'sm', 'md', 'lg'];
-
-		$el = $('<div>');
-		$el.appendTo($('body'));
-
-		for (var i = envs.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-			var env = envs[i];
-
-			$el.addClass('hidden-'+env);
-			if ($el.is(':hidden')) {
-				$el.remove();
-				return env;
-			}
-		}
-	}
-
 	composer.activateReposition = function(post_uuid) {
 
 		if(composer.active && composer.active !== post_uuid) {
@@ -395,7 +673,7 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 		$('body').css({'margin-bottom': postContainer.css('height')});
 
 		composer.focusElements(post_uuid);
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.focusElements = function(post_uuid) {
 		var postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
@@ -410,15 +688,18 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 		} else if (parseInt(postData.cid) > 0) {
 			titleEl.focus();
 		}
-	}
+	};
+
 	composer.post = function(post_uuid) {
 		var postData = composer.posts[post_uuid],
 			postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
 			titleEl = postContainer.find('.title'),
-			bodyEl = postContainer.find('textarea');
+			bodyEl = postContainer.find('textarea'),
+			thumbEl = postContainer.find('input#topic-thumb-url');
 
 		titleEl.val(titleEl.val().trim());
 		bodyEl.val(bodyEl.val().trim());
+		thumbEl.val(thumbEl.val().trim());
 
 		var checkTitle = parseInt(postData.cid, 10) || parseInt(postData.pid, 10);
 
@@ -434,20 +715,22 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 
 		if (parseInt(postData.cid, 10) > 0) {
 			socket.emit('topics.post', {
-				'title' : titleEl.val(),
-				'content' : bodyEl.val(),
-				'category_id' : postData.cid
+				title: titleEl.val(),
+				content: bodyEl.val(),
+				topic_thumb: thumbEl.val(),
+				category_id: postData.cid
 			}, done);
 		} else if (parseInt(postData.tid, 10) > 0) {
 			socket.emit('posts.reply', {
-				'topic_id' : postData.tid,
-				'content' : bodyEl.val()
+				topic_id: postData.tid,
+				content: bodyEl.val()
 			}, done);
 		} else if (parseInt(postData.pid, 10) > 0) {
 			socket.emit('posts.edit', {
 				pid: postData.pid,
 				content: bodyEl.val(),
-				title: titleEl.val()
+				title: titleEl.val(),
+				topic_thumb: thumbEl.val()
 			}, done);
 		}
 
@@ -457,18 +740,7 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 				composer.discard(post_uuid);
 			}
 		}
-	}
-
-	function composerAlert(title, message) {
-		$('.action-bar button').removeAttr('disabled');
-		app.alert({
-			type: 'danger',
-			timeout: 2000,
-			title: title,
-			message: message,
-			alert_id: 'post_error'
-		});
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.discard = function(post_uuid) {
 		if (composer.posts[post_uuid]) {
@@ -479,164 +751,14 @@ define(['taskbar'], function(taskbar) {
 			$('body').css({'margin-bottom': 0});
 			$('.action-bar button').removeAttr('disabled');
 		}
-	}
+	};
 
 	composer.minimize = function(post_uuid) {
 		var postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid);
 		postContainer.css('visibility', 'hidden');
 		composer.active = undefined;
 		taskbar.minimize('composer', post_uuid);
-	}
-
-	function initializeDragAndDrop(post_uuid) {
-
-		if(jQuery.event.props.indexOf('dataTransfer') === -1) {
-			jQuery.event.props.push('dataTransfer');
-		}
-
-		var draggingDocument = false;
-
-		var postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
-			fileForm = postContainer.find('#fileForm');
-			drop = postContainer.find('.imagedrop'),
-			tabContent = postContainer.find('.tab-content'),
-			textarea = postContainer.find('textarea');
-
-		$(document).off('dragstart').on('dragstart', function(e) {
-			draggingDocument = true;
-		}).off('dragend').on('dragend', function(e) {
-			draggingDocument = false;
-		});
-
-		textarea.on('dragenter', function(e) {
-			if(draggingDocument) {
-				return;
-			}
-			drop.css('top', tabContent.position().top + 'px');
-			drop.css('height', textarea.height());
-			drop.css('line-height', textarea.height() + 'px');
-			drop.show();
-
-			drop.on('dragleave', function(ev) {
-				drop.hide();
-				drop.off('dragleave');
-			});
-		});
-
-		function cancel(e) {
-			e.preventDefault();
-			return false;
-		}
-
-		drop.on('dragover', cancel);
-		drop.on('dragenter', cancel);
-
-		drop.on('drop', function(e) {
-			e.preventDefault();
-			var dt = e.dataTransfer,
-				files = dt.files;
-
-			if(files.length) {
-				var fd = new FormData();
-				for (var i = 0, file; file = dt.files[i]; i++) {
-					fd.append('files[]', file, file.name);
-				}
-
-				fileForm[0].reset();
-				uploadSubmit(files, post_uuid, '/api/post/upload', fd);
-			}
-
-			drop.hide();
-			return false;
-		});
-
-		$(window).off('paste').on('paste', function(event) {
-
-			var items = (event.clipboardData || event.originalEvent.clipboardData).items;
-
-			if(items && items.length) {
-
-				var blob = items[0].getAsFile();
-				if(blob) {
-					blob.name = 'upload-'+ utils.generateUUID();
-
-					var fd = new FormData();
-					fd.append('files[]', blob, blob.name);
-
-					fileForm[0].reset();
-					uploadSubmit([blob], post_uuid, '/api/post/upload', fd);
-				}
-			}
-		});
-	}
-
-	function uploadSubmit(files, post_uuid, route, formData, callback) {
-		var postContainer = $('#cmp-uuid-' + post_uuid),
-			textarea = postContainer.find('textarea'),
-			text = textarea.val(),
-			uploadForm = postContainer.find('#fileForm');
-
-		uploadForm.attr('action', route);
-
-		for(var i=0; i<files.length; ++i) {
-			var isImage = files[i].type.match('image.*');
-			text += (isImage ? '!' : '') + '[' + files[i].name + '](uploading...) ';
-
-			if(files[i].size > parseInt(config.maximumFileSize, 10) * 1024) {
-				uploadForm[0].reset();
-				return composerAlert('File too big', 'Maximum allowed file size is ' + config.maximumFileSize + 'kbs');
-			}
-		}
-
-		textarea.val(text);
-
-		uploadForm.off('submit').submit(function() {
-
-			$(this).find('#postUploadCsrf').val($('#csrf_token').val());
-			if(formData) {
-				formData.append('_csrf', $('#csrf_token').val());
-			}
-
-			composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.push(1);
-
-			$(this).ajaxSubmit({
-				resetForm: true,
-				clearForm: true,
-				formData: formData,
-				error: function(xhr) {
-					app.alertError('Error uploading file! ' + xhr.status);
-					composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.pop();
-				},
-
-				uploadProgress: function(event, position, total, percent) {
-					var current = textarea.val();
-					for(var i=0; i<files.length; ++i) {
-						var re = new RegExp(files[i].name + "]\\([^)]+\\)", 'g');
-						textarea.val(current.replace(re, files[i].name+'](uploading ' + percent + '%)'));
-					}
-				},
-
-				success: function(uploads) {
-
-					if(uploads && uploads.length) {
-						for(var i=0; i<uploads.length; ++i) {
-							var current = textarea.val();
-							var re = new RegExp(uploads[i].name + "]\\([^)]+\\)", 'g');
-							textarea.val(current.replace(re, uploads[i].name + '](' + uploads[i].url + ')'));
-						}
-					}
-
-					composer.posts[post_uuid].uploadsInProgress.pop();
-					textarea.focus();
-				}
-			});
-
-			return false;
-		});
-
-		uploadForm.submit();
-	}
-
+	};
 
 	return {
 		newTopic: composer.newTopic,
diff --git a/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl b/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl
index 7ce4b4dd7f..2fbbd4e635 100644
--- a/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl
+++ b/public/templates/admin/settings.tpl
@@ -35,6 +35,11 @@
 						<input type="checkbox" data-field="allowGuestSearching"> <strong>Allow guests to search without logging in</strong>
 					</label>
 				</div>
+				<div class="checkbox">
+					<label>
+						<input type="checkbox" data-field="allowTopicsThumbnail"> <strong>Allow users to upload topic thumbnails</strong>
+					</label>
+				</div>
 				<div class="checkbox">
 					<label>
 						<input type="checkbox" data-field="useOutgoingLinksPage"> <strong>Use Outgoing Links Warning Page</strong>
diff --git a/public/templates/category.tpl b/public/templates/category.tpl
index 440cf48a09..7b7b6d8a0b 100644
--- a/public/templates/category.tpl
+++ b/public/templates/category.tpl
@@ -36,8 +36,14 @@
 			<li class="category-item {topics.deleted-class} {topics.unread-class}" itemprop="itemListElement">
 
 				<div class="col-md-12 col-xs-12 panel panel-default topic-row">
+
+					<!--
+						todo: tidy this up, not sure what to do with the topic thumbs
+						todo: fix this nesting if issue#1065 is a win
+						todo: add a check for config.allowTopicsThumbnail if issue#1066 is a win
+					-->
 					<a href="../../user/{topics.userslug}" class="pull-left">
-						<img class="img-rounded user-img" src="{topics.picture}" title="{topics.username}" />
+						<img src="<!-- IF topics.thumb -->{topics.thumb}<!-- ELSE -->{topics.picture}<!-- ENDIF topics.thumb -->" class="img-rounded user-img" title="{topics.username}"/>
 					</a>
 
 					<h3>
diff --git a/public/templates/composer.tpl b/public/templates/composer.tpl
index cf4c4bd83f..f717ec65d0 100644
--- a/public/templates/composer.tpl
+++ b/public/templates/composer.tpl
@@ -1,6 +1,40 @@
 <div class="composer">
+
+	<style>
+			/* todo: move this to base theme */
+			.topic-thumb-container { width: 95%; margin-top: 5px; background: rgb(255, 255, 255); background: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.6); padding: 10px; }
+			.topic-thumb-btn { cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; }
+			.topic-thumb-toggle-btn { margin: -25px 3% 0 0; }
+			.topic-thumb-preview { width: auto; height: auto; max-width: 100px; max-height: 100px }
+			.topic-thumb-ctrl.form-group { display: inline-block; vertical-align: -50% !important; }
+	</style>
+
 	<div class="composer-container">
 		<input class="title form-control" type="text" tabIndex="1" placeholder="[[topic:composer.title_placeholder]]" />
+
+		<!-- IF allowTopicsThumbnail -->
+		<i class="fa fa-picture-o pull-right topic-thumb-btn topic-thumb-toggle-btn hide" title="[[topic:composer.thumb_title]]"></i>
+		<div class="topic-thumb-container center-block hide">
+			<form id="thumbForm" method="post" class="topic-thumb-form form-inline" enctype="multipart/form-data">
+				<img class="topic-thumb-preview"></img>
+				<div class="form-group">
+					<label for="topic-thumb-url">[[topic:composer.thumb_url_label]]</label>
+					<input type="text" id="topic-thumb-url" class="form-control" placeholder="[[topic:composer.thumb_url_placeholder]]" />
+				</div>
+				<div class="form-group">
+					<!-- todo: drag and drop? -->
+					<label for="topic-thumb-file">[[topic:composer.thumb_file_label]]</label>
+					<input type="file" id="topic-thumb-file" class="form-control" />
+				</div>
+				<div class="form-group topic-thumb-ctrl">
+					<i class="fa fa-spinner fa-spin hide topic-thumb-spinner" title="[[topic:composer.uploading]]"></i>
+					<i class="fa fa-times topic-thumb-btn hide topic-thumb-clear-btn" title="[[topic:composer.thumb_remove]]"></i>
+					<input id="thumbUploadCsrf" type="hidden" name="_csrf">
+				</div>
+			</form>
+		</div>
+        <!--  ENDIF allowTopicsThumbnail -->
+
 		<div class="btn-toolbar formatting-bar">
 			<div class="btn-group">
 				<span class="btn btn-link" tabindex="-1"><i class="fa fa-bold"></i></span>
@@ -44,7 +78,7 @@
 		<div class="text-center">
 			<span>
 				<small>Content is parsed with <a href="http://daringfireball.net/projects/markdown/syntax">Markdown</a>. </small>
-				<span class="upload-instructions hide"><small>Upload images by dragging & dropping them.</small></span>
+				<span class="upload-instructions hide"><small>Upload content images by dragging & dropping them.</small></span>
 			</span>
 
 		</div>
diff --git a/src/install.js b/src/install.js
index 14d368c422..889d5e2639 100644
--- a/src/install.js
+++ b/src/install.js
@@ -217,6 +217,9 @@ var async = require('async'),
 						}, {
 							field: 'allowGuestSearching',
 							value: 0
+						}, {
+							field: 'allowTopicsThumbnail',
+							value: 0
 						}, {
 							field: 'allowRegistration',
 							value: 1
diff --git a/src/postTools.js b/src/postTools.js
index 37c888fa54..99c869e09c 100644
--- a/src/postTools.js
+++ b/src/postTools.js
@@ -64,7 +64,9 @@ var winston = require('winston'),
 	}
 
 
-	PostTools.edit = function(uid, pid, title, content) {
+	PostTools.edit = function(uid, pid, title, content, options) {
+		options || (options = {});
+
 		var	websockets = require('./socket.io'),
 			success = function() {
 				posts.setPostFields(pid, {
@@ -89,6 +91,7 @@ var winston = require('winston'),
 
 									topics.setTopicField(tid, 'title', title);
 									topics.setTopicField(tid, 'slug', slug);
+									topics.setTopicField(tid, 'thumb', options.topic_thumb);
 
 									db.searchRemove('topic', tid, function() {
 										db.searchIndex('topic', title, tid);
diff --git a/src/posts.js b/src/posts.js
index 95f0da116b..55808165d9 100644
--- a/src/posts.js
+++ b/src/posts.js
@@ -2,9 +2,7 @@ var db = require('./database'),
 	utils = require('./../public/src/utils'),
 	user = require('./user'),
 	topics = require('./topics'),
-	categories = require('./categories'),
 	favourites = require('./favourites'),
-	threadTools = require('./threadTools'),
 	postTools = require('./postTools'),
 	categories = require('./categories'),
 	plugins = require('./plugins'),
diff --git a/src/routes/api.js b/src/routes/api.js
index 2693b46597..6827caa368 100644
--- a/src/routes/api.js
+++ b/src/routes/api.js
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ var path = require('path'),
 				config.useOutgoingLinksPage = parseInt(meta.config.useOutgoingLinksPage, 10) === 1;
 				config.allowGuestPosting = parseInt(meta.config.allowGuestPosting, 10) === 1;
 				config.allowFileUploads = parseInt(meta.config.allowFileUploads, 10) === 1;
+				config.allowTopicsThumbnail = parseInt(meta.config.allowTopicsThumbnail, 10) === 1;
 				config.usePagination = parseInt(meta.config.usePagination, 10) === 1;
 				config.topicsPerPage = meta.config.topicsPerPage || 20;
 				config.postsPerPage = meta.config.postsPerPage || 20;
@@ -448,7 +449,7 @@ var path = require('path'),
 				}
 			});
 
-			app.post('/post/upload', function(req, res, next) {
+			function upload(req, res, filesIterator, next) {
 				if(!req.user) {
 					return res.json(403, {message:'not allowed'});
 				}
@@ -469,21 +470,33 @@ var path = require('path'),
 					}
 				}
 
-				async.map(files, function(file, next) {
+				async.map(files, filesIterator, function(err, images) {
+					deleteTempFiles();
+					if(err) {
+						return res.json(500, {message: err.message});
+					}
+					res.json(200, images);
+				});
+			}
+
+			app.post('/post/upload', function(req, res, next) {
+				upload(req, res, function(file, next) {
 					if(file.type.match('image.*')) {
 						posts.uploadPostImage(file, next);
 					} else {
 						posts.uploadPostFile(file, next);
 					}
-				}, function(err, images) {
-					deleteTempFiles();
+				}, next)
+			});
 
-					if(err) {
-						return res.json(500, {message: err.message});
+			app.post('/topic/thumb/upload', function(req, res, next) {
+				upload(req, res, function(file, next) {
+					if(file.type.match('image.*')) {
+						topics.uploadTopicThumb(file, next);
+					} else {
+		            	res.json(500, {message: 'Invalid File'});
 					}
-
-					res.json(200, images);
-				});
+				}, next)
 			});
 
 			app.get('/reset', function (req, res) {
diff --git a/src/socket.io/modules.js b/src/socket.io/modules.js
index a222f51d93..c5e23dc92b 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/modules.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/modules.js
@@ -29,19 +29,21 @@ SocketModules.composer.push = function(socket, pid, callback) {
 					posts.getPostFields(pid, ['content'], next);
 				},
 				function(next) {
-					topics.getTitleByPid(pid, function(title) {
-						next(null, title);
-					});
+					topics.getTopicDataByPid(pid, next);
+				},
+				function(next) {
+					posts.getPidIndex(pid, next);
 				}
 			], function(err, results) {
 				if(err) {
 					return callback(err);
 				}
-
 				callback(null, {
-					title: results[1],
 					pid: pid,
-					body: results[0].content
+					body: results[0].content,
+					title: results[1].title,
+					topic_thumb: results[1].thumb,
+					index: results[2]
 				});
 			});
 		}
diff --git a/src/socket.io/posts.js b/src/socket.io/posts.js
index b0685b371d..2d10ec91b1 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/posts.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/posts.js
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ SocketPosts.edit = function(socket, data, callback) {
 		return callback(new Error('content-too-short'));
 	}
 
-	postTools.edit(socket.uid, data.pid, data.title, data.content);
+	postTools.edit(socket.uid, data.pid, data.title, data.content, {topic_thumb: data.topic_thumb});
 	callback();
 };
 
diff --git a/src/socket.io/topics.js b/src/socket.io/topics.js
index c73ea3de37..6db3cbafa1 100644
--- a/src/socket.io/topics.js
+++ b/src/socket.io/topics.js
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ SocketTopics.post = function(socket, data, callback) {
 		return callback(new Error('not-logged-in'));
 	}
 
-	topics.post(socket.uid, data.title, data.content, data.category_id, function(err, result) {
+	topics.post({uid: socket.uid, title: data.title, content: data.content, cid: data.category_id, thumb: data.topic_thumb}, function(err, result) {
 		if(err) {
 		 	if (err.message === 'title-too-short') {
 				module.parent.exports.emitAlert(socket, 'Title too short', 'Please enter a longer title. At least ' + meta.config.minimumTitleLength + ' characters.');
diff --git a/src/topics.js b/src/topics.js
index 012a3208aa..7c289e452f 100644
--- a/src/topics.js
+++ b/src/topics.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 var async = require('async'),
 	gravatar = require('gravatar'),
+	path = require('path'),
 	nconf = require('nconf'),
 	validator = require('validator'),
 	S = require('string'),
@@ -8,6 +9,7 @@ var async = require('async'),
 	db = require('./database'),
 	posts = require('./posts'),
 	utils = require('./../public/src/utils'),
+	plugins = require('./plugins'),
 	user = require('./user'),
 	categories = require('./categories'),
 	categoryTools = require('./categoryTools'),
@@ -20,7 +22,12 @@ var async = require('async'),
 
 (function(Topics) {
 
-	Topics.create = function(uid, title, cid, callback) {
+	Topics.create = function(data, callback) {
+		var uid = data.uid,
+			title = data.title,
+			cid = data.cid,
+			thumb = data.thumb;
+
 		db.incrObjectField('global', 'nextTid', function(err, tid) {
 			if(err) {
 				return callback(err);
@@ -41,7 +48,8 @@ var async = require('async'),
 				'viewcount': 0,
 				'locked': 0,
 				'deleted': 0,
-				'pinned': 0
+				'pinned': 0,
+				'thumb': thumb || ''
 			}, function(err) {
 				if(err) {
 					return callback(err);
@@ -61,7 +69,13 @@ var async = require('async'),
 		});
 	};
 
-	Topics.post = function(uid, title, content, cid, callback) {
+	Topics.post = function(data, callback) {
+		var uid = data.uid,
+			title = data.title,
+			content = data.content,
+			cid = data.cid,
+			thumb = data.thumb;
+
 		if (title) {
 			title = title.trim();
 		}
@@ -98,7 +112,7 @@ var async = require('async'),
 				user.isReadyToPost(uid, next);
 			},
 			function(next) {
-				Topics.create(uid, title, cid, next);
+				Topics.create({uid: uid, title: title, cid: cid}, next);
 			},
 			function(tid, next) {
 				Topics.reply(tid, uid, content, next);
@@ -210,7 +224,7 @@ var async = require('async'),
 				posts.getCidByPid(mainPid, callback);
 			}
 		}, function(err, results) {
-			Topics.create(results.postData.uid, title, results.cid, function(err, tid) {
+			Topics.create({uid: results.postData.uid, title: title, cid: results.cid}, function(err, tid) {
 				if(err) {
 					return callback(err);
 				}
@@ -847,6 +861,7 @@ var async = require('async'),
 					'pinned': topicData.pinned,
 					'timestamp': topicData.timestamp,
 					'slug': topicData.slug,
+					'thumb': topicData.thumb,
 					'postcount': topicData.postcount,
 					'viewcount': topicData.viewcount,
 					'pageCount': pageCount,
@@ -936,13 +951,43 @@ var async = require('async'),
 	};
 
 	Topics.getTitleByPid = function(pid, callback) {
+		Topics.getTopicFieldByPid('title', pid, callback);
+	};
+
+	Topics.getTopicFieldByPid = function(field, pid, callback) {
 		posts.getPostField(pid, 'tid', function(err, tid) {
-			Topics.getTopicField(tid, 'title', function(err, title) {
-				callback(title);
-			});
+			Topics.getTopicField(tid, field, callback);
 		});
 	};
 
+	Topics.getTopicDataByPid = function(pid, callback) {
+		posts.getPostField(pid, 'tid', function(err, tid) {
+			Topics.getTopicData(tid, callback);
+		});
+	};
+
+	Topics.uploadTopicThumb = function(image, callback) {
+
+		if(plugins.hasListeners('filter:uploadImage')) {
+			plugins.fireHook('filter:uploadImage', image, callback);
+		} else {
+			if (meta.config.allowTopicsThumbnail) {
+				var filename = 'upload-' + utils.generateUUID() + path.extname(image.name);
+				require('./file').saveFileToLocal(filename, image.path, function(err, upload) {
+					if(err) {
+						return callback(err);
+					}
+					callback(null, {
+						url: upload.url,
+						name: image.name
+					});
+				});
+			} else {
+				callback(new Error('Topic Thumbnails are disabled!'));
+			}
+		}
+	};
+
 	Topics.markAsUnreadForAll = function(tid, callback) {
 		db.delete('tid:' + tid + ':read_by_uid', function(err) {
 			if(err) {
@@ -1011,10 +1056,9 @@ var async = require('async'),
 
 		db.isSetMember('tid:' + tid + ':read_by_uid', uid, function(err, hasRead) {
 
-			if (err === null) {
+			if (!err) {
 				callback(hasRead);
 			} else {
-				console.log(err);
 				callback(false);
 			}
 		});
diff --git a/src/webserver.js b/src/webserver.js
index 6d69600733..0a7508bfef 100644
--- a/src/webserver.js
+++ b/src/webserver.js
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ module.exports.server = server;
 							topics: topicData
 						});
 					});
-				},
+				}
 			], function (err, data) {
 				if (err) {
 					if (err.message === 'not-enough-privileges') {
@@ -865,7 +865,7 @@ module.exports.server = server;
 			return custom_routes.templates.map(function(tpl) {
 				return tpl.template.split('.tpl')[0];
 			});
-		}
+		};
 
 		plugins.ready(function() {
 			plugins.fireHook('filter:server.create_routes', custom_routes, function(err, custom_routes) {
diff --git a/tests/topics.js b/tests/topics.js
index 9d27db8cf7..92404ee393 100644
--- a/tests/topics.js
+++ b/tests/topics.js
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ describe('Topic\'s', function() {
 	describe('.post', function() {
 
 		it('should create a new topic with proper parameters', function(done) {
-			Topics.post(topic.userId, topic.title, topic.content, topic.categoryId, function(err, result) {
+			Topics.post({uid: topic.userId, title: topic.title, content: topic.content, cid: topic.categoryId}, function(err, result) {
 				assert.equal(err, null, 'was created with error');
 				assert.ok(result);
 
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ describe('Topic\'s', function() {
 		it('should fail to create new topic with wrong parameters', function(done) {
 			topic.userId = null;
 
-			Topics.post(topic.userId, topic.title, topic.content, topic.categoryId, function(err, result) {
+			Topics.post({uid: topic.userId, title: topic.title, content: topic.content, cid: topic.categoryId}, function(err, result) {
 				assert.equal(err.message, 'invalid-user');
 				done();
 			});
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ describe('Topic\'s', function() {
 		var newPost;
 
 		beforeEach(function(done){
-			Topics.post(topic.userId, topic.title, topic.content, topic.categoryId, function(err, result) {
+			Topics.post({uid: topic.userId, title: topic.title, content: topic.content, cid: topic.categoryId}, function(err, result) {
 				newTopic = result.topicData;
 				newPost = result.postData;
 				done();