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An impressive feature of XBMC is its ability to display custom thumbnails (also known as an "icon") on most items displayed. You can assign thumbnails to folders, programs, music, videos, bookmarks, and of course pictures. You can choose to let XBMC automaticly download thumbnails for music-albums and video/movies from the internet or you can create your very own custom thumbnails, (or you can download custom thumbnails that others have created).
{{Artwork_Contents}}
{{mininav|[[Music_library|Music Library]] {{l2|[[Video_library|Video Library]]}} }}


==Custom Thumbnails==
<section begin="intro" />The use of artwork will transform your mundane media player into a showpiece to be proud of, especially when teamed up with your favourite skin. Kodi  will allow you to display Movie Posters, Fanart, Album Covers, Actor and Artist images to name a few. Install the Kodi slideshow add-on, and you will have a constant display of video or music fanart to brighten your entertainment room.<section end="intro" />
You can easily create your very own user-defined thumbnails on your computer with image tools like Adobe PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro (or even Paint in Windows). You can alternativly downloaded thumbnails that others have created from the internet (from places like [http://www.chokemaniac.net/download.php?cat=pm3 ChokeManiac.net], [http://www.xbox-skins.net xbox-skins.net], [http://mediaicons.org MediaIcons.org], and many XBMC fan forums). Then you simply have to rename those thumbnails and transfer/copy them to the right location and XBMC will display them. Use JPG or PNG (with transparancy) image-format, and size of the picture to anything from 128x128 to 256x256 in pixel size, (the larger the image is the better it will look on a good display but at the same time large thumbnails loads slower). On a non-HDTV displays a image that is approx 100x140 is recomended for video/movies thumbnails (which is the size that is most common on [[IMDB|IMDb]]), and approx 75x75 for music-albums (which is the default size on [http://www.allmusic.com allmusic.com]). For 720p/1080i HDTV displays a size of approx 182x256 for video/movies thumbnails, and approx 200x200 for music-albums (such music-albums can be found on [http://www.allmusic.com allmusic.com]).


==== Thumbnail cache ====
'''{{red|The {{kodi}} scrapers automatically download artwork with little input required by the user. These pages are for those users that want greater control over their artwork by saving artwork locally or creating their own.}}'''
XBMC will cache all generated thumbnails in the \UserData\thumbnails folder.
That is the first location XBMC will generally look for a thumbnail for a given item.
In order for your custom thumbnail to show, you may have to delete the cached thumbnail.


==Wide Icons==
As the topic covering artwork is comprehensive, it has been broken down into smaller and more manageable pages for ease of reading. Make use of the Table of Contents and the NavBox located at the top right of the page. Information common to all categories is located on this page and the Artwork Type page.  
{|
|
[[image:Wide1.jpg|360px]]
| valign="top" |
Some of the most visually appealing forms of thumbnails are Wide Icons. They were added in XBMC on the 1st. of January 2007 and are now an integral part of the application. With different adjustments to the skin xml files, you may disable title names, or stack one icon on top of another.<br>
To show big Icons, switch to one of the new [[General Navigation#View|views]], Big Wide or Wide Icons.<br>
'''Remember View''': XBMC Will now remember what view you have for each folder. (Thus you can keep your TV Shows in Wide, and your Movies in Icon)
|}


==Thumbnailing Individual Items in a Single Directory==
'''Be aware that artwork is skin dependent. Not all artwork types are used in all skins.'''
Name the icon file the same as the file you would like it to display for with a .tbn extension ie: ''Transformers.avi, Transformers.tbn''. This is particularly useful for using custom thumbnails for movies.


'''Example:'''
Movies\path\'''moviename.avi'''
Movies\path\'''moviename.tbn'''


==Folder Thumbnails==
[[image:myvideos.jpg|right|360px]]If you store each of your media files in separate subfolders to keep things organized, you can also make the folder have a custom thumbnail image. To do this you eiter need to save your JPG/PNG thumbnail as folder.jpg and place it inside your movie/album folder, or you can save it as <foldername>.tbn and place it at the same level as the folder in the directory tree.
* Remember, XBMC first checks for <foldername>.tbn before checking for folder.jpg.
* Note that folder.jpg '''MUST''' be named .jpg, even if it is a .png format image.
<br>
'''Examples:'''
Movies\path\'''foldername'''\
Movies\path\'''foldername.tbn'''
or
Movies\path\moviename\'''folder.jpg'''
Music\path\album\'''folder.jpg'''


Now your media folder will have a lovely custom thumbnail-image.<br>
= Obtaining Artwork =
Movie, TV Show and Music artwork can be obtained using a variety of methods. The most common method is via the Kodi scraper.


==Program Thumbnails==
In order to display the image displayed for a game, emulator or application, simply rename the desired image '''default.tbn''' and place it in  the folder where the corresponding default.XBE is located.


==Music Thumbnails==
== Scrapers ==
Music Thumbnails are assigned as part of a multitier process. First, the Tag Reader runs and caches any embedded art using the folder path and the album name. If the album name is unavailable, its cached using the fully qualified name. (This assumes, of course, that you have tag reading enabled).<br>
The default sources for information and artwork that are used by the scrapers are:  
You can also use "Get Thumb" to download the album thumbnail from [http://www.allmusic.com allmusic.com (AMG)] for a specific album/folder or do a scan of all your music files in all shares.<br>
Thumbnails also get downloaded when you rip AudioCD's to your XBox with XBMC (which is described in the [[Ripping CDs]] section).<br>
Recomended is that you store each of your music-albums or artists in a separate subfolder to keep things organized. You can also of course make the folder have a custom thumbnail image.<br>
<br>
[[image:mymusic.jpg|right|360px]]
:'''Notes:''' Running a scan automatically enables 'tag reading' so everything can be cached. Once a scan is run, all your files and their associated thumbnails are stored in the database. When you first enter a folder path, XBMC checks the database before all this occurs. If the items are found in the database, all of this is skipped because the information is already known.
:Using Album Information will allow you to choose between the cover art available for download from [http://www.allmusic.com allmusic.com] and any user-defined thumbnail you may have.<br>
:Press the "Get Thumb" button to bring up a choice of the local thumbnails you have, the currently assigned thumbnail and the [http://www.allmusic.com allmusic.com] thumbnail.<br><br>


<br><br>'''Then the code which assigns thumbnails to files runs and assigns thumbnails in the following order:'''
Movies- [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
TV Shows- [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
Music- [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]<br />
General- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv]<br />


;1) Cached Album Thumbnail
Artwork from these sites can be downloaded manually by visiting and searching the sites and saving the artwork locally as described on the linked pages.
:This is all the embedded album art read by the tag reader and cached using the folder path and album name.
;2) Cached filename.tbn
:This includes an embedded thumbnail cached with the fully qualified name.
;3) Remote filename.tbn
:This is a filename.tbn on a remote share/folder which is then cached.
;4) Cached folder.jpg
:This is a folder.jpg which is cached based off the folder path.
;5) Remote folder.jpg
:This is a folder.jpg on a remote share/folder which is then cached.
;6) Remote foldername.tbn
:This is a foldername.tbn on a remote share/folder which is then cached.<br>


<br><br>
'''Examples:'''


In this example audiofilename.mp3 will use audiofilename.tbn as thumbnail:
Music\path\'''audiofilename.mp3'''
Music\path\'''audiofilename.tbn'''
<br>


The same goes for playlists, cue-sheets, SHOUTcast, and [[HOW-TO:_Play_Internet_Streams|internet-stream files]], example:
== Media Managers ==
Music\path\'''audioplaylistname.m3u'''
There is a range of software that can create nfo files and download artwork and save them to the correct location and correct naming. They perform the same process and function as the Kodi Scraping operation does natively, but they do not add any entries into the Kodi library. Instead they create what is known as '''[[NFO_files|NFO files]]'''. This file holds all the metadata for that particular movie, tv show or music. The software will also download associated artwork from the scraper site. Kodi can then read this file and scrape it into the library along with the artwork.
Music\path\'''audioplaylistname.tbn'''
Music\path\'''cuelistname.cue'''
Music\path\'''cuelistname.mp3'''
Music\path\'''cuelistname.tbn'''
Music\path\'''shoutcastlinkname.pls'''
Music\path\'''shoutcastlinkname.tbn'''
Music\path\'''audiostreamname.strm'''
Music\path\'''audiostreamname.tbn'''


==Video Thumbnails==
Although these programs are quick and easy to use, they are more suited for use where a movie or tv show is not listed at the scraper site. You are then able to create the metadata from scratch. You would normally use this for, say, home movies, sporting events or other items that are not listed at the scraper site.  
[[image:files.myvideos.jpg||right|360px]]
You can either use your own custom thumbnails or you can let XBMC download video thumbnails from the internet via [[IMDB|IMDB (Internet Movie Database)]].<br>
In order to automatically get thumbnails from IMDB you can either select each file and press the black-button on the controller ("Info" on the DVD-Remote) or choose "Movie Information" from the context menu.<br>
Or you can select the share/folder that your videos are stored in and choose "Query Info for all Files" from the context menu. This will scan all movies in that share/folder and automatically download the movie-information and a tumbnail for each movie that is found on IMDB. <br><br>


<br><br>'''XBMC applies thumbnails to video files in the following order:'''
It is always best to use Kodi for the normal mainstream scrapes and the Media Managers for the non-listed movie, tv show and music scrapes.
; {{see also|NFO_files}}


;1) Cached Thumbnail
:Thumbnails are cached to UserData\Thumbnails\Video using the CRC of the path of the file or folder.


;2) User-Defined Thumbnail
== Web Search ==
:'''For files''', XBMC checks <filename>.tbn and uses that if it exists. The thumbnail is cached the first time it is read.<br>
Using an online search engine can help you discover individual artworks, or additional sites where artwork is hosted. When downloading, check that the resolution is of an acceptable standard. Also pay respect to any copyright notices that are attached to the artwork.
:'''For folders''', XBMC first checks for <foldername>.tbn in the same directory as the folder is in.<br>
:If no <foldername>.tbn exists XBMC then checks for folder.jpg inside the movie-folder. In either case the first found thumb of those is cached.


;3) IMDB Thumbnail
Once downloaded, they must be named and saved correctly for the artwork to be visible to Kodi.
:When you do a "Movie Information" lookup on a movie, XBMC will download the thumbnail from [[IMDB|IMDB (Internet Movie Database)]] automatically if the movie has no thumbnail at all.<br>
:The "Get Thumb" option from the movie information screen can then be used to switch between the IMDB thumbnail and any user-defined thumbnail you may have.<br>


<br>
'''Examples for User-Defined Thumbnails:'''
==== Single Movie File ====
The following example "moviename.avi" will now use the thumbnail "moviename.tbn".
Movies\path\'''moviename.tbn'''
Movies\path\'''moviename.avi'''


==== Stacked Movie File ====
== Create Your Own ==
In the following example, the stacked movie "moviename" will now use the thumbnail "moviename CD1.tbn"
{{main|Artwork/Types}}
Movies\path\'''moviename CD1.tbn'''
So you are not happy with the artwork the scraper downloaded? And you just can't find that perfect artwork by manually searching the internet. Then, you will just have to create your own. For those who are artistically minded and can easily navigate around image editing software, then you should be able to easily create your very own user-defined artwork on your computerOnly your imagination is the limit, but be mindful that the artwork needs to remain true to the movie or tv show it represents.  
Movies\path\'''moviename CD1.avi'''
  Movies\path\'''moviename CD2.avi'''
<br>


The same goes for playlists, and [[HOW-TO:_Play_Internet_Streams|internet-stream files]], example:
If you are unsure where to start, the following links may prove useful. Especially if you plan to share your masterpieces. If this is the case, it is best to stick to the posted guidelines.
Movies\path\'''videoplaylistname.pls'''
*Fanart.TV- The premier repository for all things artwork. They have an in-depth guide for artwork requirements
Movies\path\'''videoplaylistname.tbn'''
:;''see : [https://fanart.tv/movie-fanart/<nowiki>Fanart.tv- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
Movies\path\'''videostreamname.strm'''
*The MovieDB- The go to movie scraper site for Kodi. In addition to metadata, they also hold a large repository of artwork that are created and uploaded to the site by people just like you. Read their easy to understand artwork creation guide.
Movies\path\'''videostreamname.tbn'''
:; ''see : [https://www.themoviedb.org/bible/image/59f7583e9251416e7100006e#59f758409251416e7100006f themoviedb- Image Creation Guide]''
*The TVDB- The go to TV Show scraper site for Kodi. In addition to metadata, they also hold a large repository of artwork devoted to TV Shows. Read their easy to understand artwork creation guide.
:; ''see : [http://www.thetvdb.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Images<nowiki>theTVDB- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
*IMDB- A comprehensive listing of ensuring artwork is appropriate and suitable.
:; ''see : [https://contribute.imdb.com/updates/guide/images<nowiki>IMDB- Image Submission Guide</nowiki>]''
*TheAudioDB- The go to scraper site for all things music. They hold metadata on Artists, Albums and Songs with a large collection of music artwork.
:; ''see : [http://theaudiodb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1<nowiki>TheAudioDB- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''


==Picture Thumbnails==
'''XBMC applies thumbnails to picture files in the following order:'''


;1) Cached Thumbnail
:Thumbnails are cached to UserData\Thumbnails\Pictures using the CRC of the path of the file or folder.


;2) Images
= Importing-Scanning Artwork =
:EXIF thumbnail in JPEG images are then read. If no EXIF thumbnail is available, XBMC will load the image and generate a thumbnail from the image. These are then cached.
{{anchor|Importing-Scraping Artwork}}


;3) Folders
'''This section does not apply to the Kodi scraper or any other add-on scraping process. It only applies to artwork you have manually sourced and saved.'''
:<MyHolidayPictures>\folder.jpg is checked first. If that file doesn't exist, XBMC will generate a thumbnail from up to 4 random images inside that folder.


==Bookmark Thumbnails==
'''When performing an Update Library {{kodi}} will always use local artwork first. If there is no local artwork, {{kodi}} will obtain the artwork from online sources.'''
You can change the thumbnail displayed for a bookmark by editing '''UserData\sources.xml'''.<br>
'''Note:''' Bookmark thumbnails have to be in a folder on the local XBox Harddrive!<br>


'''It is important to note that once a movie, tv show, artist or album has been scraped into the library, Kodi will ignore them on subsequent scans.''' If you have made changes to either artwork and/or metadata (in the form of a nfo file), you must instruct Kodi to update using one of the following methods...
#If the Library has not yet been created, or the source has not yet been added
#*Ensure your artwork is named and saved correctly. Add the [[Media sources]] to Kodi and allow to update. Artwork will be cached
#This Movie/TV Show/Album/Artist is new and has not been added to the library yet
#*An Update Library will scrape and cache the artwork, or
#*For Videos, navigate Videos>Files, navigate to the item and call up the Information page. This will start an automatic scrape for that single item
#*For Music, navigate Music>Files, locate and highlight the new artist or album. From the context menu select ''Scan item to library''
#I added new artwork for Movie/TV Show/Album/Artist already in the library
#*For videos follow instructions for ''Kodi- Choose Art'' below
#*For music follow instructions in ''Kodi- Choose Art'' below
#I added new artwork for a lot of Movies/TV Shows/Music already in the library
#*Update each Movie/TV Show/Music manually using instructions in the previous option, or
#*Remove the Source and clean library. Re-add the source and allow the Update Library
:'''''See also: [[Updating_or_removing_videos|Update Video Library]]'''''
:'''''See also: [[Update_Music_Library#Scan_Library|Update Music Library]]'''''


Simply modify your bookmark as shown:
<xml>
<bookmark>
  <name>Music</name>
  <path>xbms://192.168.1.100:1400/Music/</path>
  <thumbnail>F:\Apps\XBMC\thumbs\shares\thumb.png</thumbnail>
</bookmark>
</xml>


==Autoswitch to Thumbnail mode==
== "Available" artwork ==
When enabled, XBMC autoswitches to thumbnail-mode in the entered share/folder/subfolder if:
Scrapers and NFO files can include multiple images for a single type of artwork. The first image will be assigned to the media item for skins and other interfaces to access for display, and the full list will be saved for the "Choose art" dialog, where you can select a new image for any art type.


===My Programs===
Autoswitches to Thumb view when 50% of all the items (files and folder) have thumbs.


===My Music===
== Kodi- Choose Art ==
Autoswitches to Thumb view when the list contains atleast 75% folders and atleast 50% of them have thumbs. (Remember that playlist files like m3u, pls, etc, are treated as folders by default!)
From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the artwork at any time by following these directions.  


===My Videos===
'''Note: '''The following is based on the Video Library. Music Library follows the same process, but the screenshots will be slightly different for Choose Art- Artists and Choose Art- Albums
Autoswitches to Thumb view when 50% of all the items (files and folder) have thumbs.


=== My Pictures===
#Highlight the media item whose artwork you want to change.
Autoswitches to Thumbs view when the list contains more than 25% files. (In the case of Pictures, all items have thumbs as they are generated upon entering the folder.)
#Call up the ''Information'' page, (Image 1)
#* For seasons and movie sets the "Choose Art" option is in the [[Context menu]].
#Select ''Choose Art''. (Image 1)
#From within this page, you will be given the option to select which type of artwork you would like to change. (Image 2)
#* If the type of artwork you would like to change is not listed, use the '''Add art type''' button to add it. An onscreen keyboard will be displayed. Enter the new type of artwork and select '''Ok'''.
#* Examples of artwork type are those listed in the following pages- eg clearlogo, clearart, banner etc...
#Once selected, you will then be provided with a list of available artwork at the scraper site, or you can navigate to a local or network location. (Image 3)
#Once you select the desired image, it will replace the existing image. You will be returned to the screen displayed in Image 2
#If you do not intend to change any other artwork types, simply Esc or Back out of the screen


[[category:Usage]]
<gallery widths=350px heights=200px>
[[category:Customization]]
File:Artwork-ChooseArt03.jpg|Image 1- Choose Art on the Information Page
File:Artwork-ChooseArt01.jpg|Image 2- Select which type of artwork to change
File:Artwork-ChooseArt02.jpg|Image 3- List of available remote artworks from the scraper site, as well as the ability to ''Browse'' local and network sources
File:Artwork-ChooseArt04.jpg|Image 4- Using the Refresh Method
</gallery>
An alternative method for Music and Video library:
#Choose ''Refresh'' as seen in Image 1.
#You will then be asked ''Locally stored information found. Ignore and refresh from Internet?'' (Image 4)
#*To scrape local artwork and metadata - Select '''No''' note- If you have no local nfo file, Kodi will scrape metadata from the online scraper site
#*To scrape online artwork and metadata - Select '''Yes'''
 
 
 
= Add-ons to display artwork =
The following add-ons allow you to display your movie, TV show and music artwork.
 
 
== Screensavers ==
Want to do more with all that wonderful fanart? Install this Kodi screensaver. Just like a screensaver on computers from yesteryear, the Kodi screensaver will produce a slideshow of your Movie and TV Show fanart, or set it to display your Music Fanart. Don't like either of those? Then setup a directory with your own pictures and it can produce a screensaver from your selection of photos.
; {{see also|Add-on:Picture Slideshow Screensaver}}
 
 
 
= Managing Artwork =
There are a number of ways to maintain and improve Kodi's handling of the artwork.
 
 
== Cache ==
{{#lst:Artwork/Cache|intro}}
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}
 
 
== Recovering Disk Space ==
After years of use, it is expected that your system will gather some clutter- that being either orphaned artwork files or corrupted artwork which will not display.
; {{see also|HOW-TO:Reduce disk space usage}}
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}
 
 
=== Texture Cache Maintenance ===
{{#lst:Texture_Cache_Maintenance_utility|intro}}
; {{see also|Texture Cache Maintenance utility}}
 
 
== Import/Export ==
{{#lst:import-export_library|intro}}
; {{see also|Import-export library}}
 
 
 
= Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC =
{{#lst:Artwork/Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC|intro}}
; {{see also|Artwork/Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC}}
 
 
 
= Troubleshooting =
There are certain scenarios where attempting to replace existing artwork with new artwork, '''you may experience {{kodi}} refusing to load the new artwork'''. This occurs when replacing one artwork with another artwork having the same name. eg replacing ''poster.jpg'' with a new ''poster.jpg''.
 
Rest assured that the new image has been accepted, but due to the same filename, {{kodi}} may take upto 24 hrs to check the image hash, realise the image is different and clear out the cached image and replace it with the new one. This is intended behaviour. Further reading available in the following link
 
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}
 
 
 
= See Also =
*[[HOW-TO:Create Music Library]]<br>
*[[HOW-TO:Create Video Library]]<br><br>
*[[Add-on:The Movie Database]]<br>
*[[Add-on:Universal Album Scraper]]<br>
*[[Add-on:Universal Artist Scraper]]
 
 
 
 
{{Top}}
 
{{updated|18}}
[[Category:FAQ]]
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Manual]]
[[Category:Karellen]]
[[Category:Video library]]
[[Category:Music library]]
[[Category:Advanced topics]]
[[Category:First time user]]
[[Category:Quick Start Guide]]

Revision as of 03:11, 18 May 2019

Artwork contents

Artwork Main Page



See also:


Return to:

Home icon grey.png   ▶ Music Library
▶ Video Library
▶ Artwork

The use of artwork will transform your mundane media player into a showpiece to be proud of, especially when teamed up with your favourite skin. Kodi will allow you to display Movie Posters, Fanart, Album Covers, Actor and Artist images to name a few. Install the Kodi slideshow add-on, and you will have a constant display of video or music fanart to brighten your entertainment room.

The Kodi scrapers automatically download artwork with little input required by the user. These pages are for those users that want greater control over their artwork by saving artwork locally or creating their own.

As the topic covering artwork is comprehensive, it has been broken down into smaller and more manageable pages for ease of reading. Make use of the Table of Contents and the NavBox located at the top right of the page. Information common to all categories is located on this page and the Artwork Type page.

Be aware that artwork is skin dependent. Not all artwork types are used in all skins.


Obtaining Artwork

Movie, TV Show and Music artwork can be obtained using a variety of methods. The most common method is via the Kodi scraper.


Scrapers

The default sources for information and artwork that are used by the scrapers are:

Movies- The MovieDB
TV Shows- The MovieDB
Music- The AudioDB
General- Fanart.tv

Artwork from these sites can be downloaded manually by visiting and searching the sites and saving the artwork locally as described on the linked pages.


Media Managers

There is a range of software that can create nfo files and download artwork and save them to the correct location and correct naming. They perform the same process and function as the Kodi Scraping operation does natively, but they do not add any entries into the Kodi library. Instead they create what is known as NFO files. This file holds all the metadata for that particular movie, tv show or music. The software will also download associated artwork from the scraper site. Kodi can then read this file and scrape it into the library along with the artwork.

Although these programs are quick and easy to use, they are more suited for use where a movie or tv show is not listed at the scraper site. You are then able to create the metadata from scratch. You would normally use this for, say, home movies, sporting events or other items that are not listed at the scraper site.

It is always best to use Kodi for the normal mainstream scrapes and the Media Managers for the non-listed movie, tv show and music scrapes.


Web Search

Using an online search engine can help you discover individual artworks, or additional sites where artwork is hosted. When downloading, check that the resolution is of an acceptable standard. Also pay respect to any copyright notices that are attached to the artwork.

Once downloaded, they must be named and saved correctly for the artwork to be visible to Kodi.


Create Your Own

So you are not happy with the artwork the scraper downloaded? And you just can't find that perfect artwork by manually searching the internet. Then, you will just have to create your own. For those who are artistically minded and can easily navigate around image editing software, then you should be able to easily create your very own user-defined artwork on your computer. Only your imagination is the limit, but be mindful that the artwork needs to remain true to the movie or tv show it represents.

If you are unsure where to start, the following links may prove useful. Especially if you plan to share your masterpieces. If this is the case, it is best to stick to the posted guidelines.

  • Fanart.TV- The premier repository for all things artwork. They have an in-depth guide for artwork requirements
see : Fanart.tv- Image Creation Guide
  • The MovieDB- The go to movie scraper site for Kodi. In addition to metadata, they also hold a large repository of artwork that are created and uploaded to the site by people just like you. Read their easy to understand artwork creation guide.
see : themoviedb- Image Creation Guide
  • The TVDB- The go to TV Show scraper site for Kodi. In addition to metadata, they also hold a large repository of artwork devoted to TV Shows. Read their easy to understand artwork creation guide.
see : theTVDB- Image Creation Guide
  • IMDB- A comprehensive listing of ensuring artwork is appropriate and suitable.
see : IMDB- Image Submission Guide
  • TheAudioDB- The go to scraper site for all things music. They hold metadata on Artists, Albums and Songs with a large collection of music artwork.
see : TheAudioDB- Image Creation Guide


Importing-Scanning Artwork

This section does not apply to the Kodi scraper or any other add-on scraping process. It only applies to artwork you have manually sourced and saved.

When performing an Update Library Kodi will always use local artwork first. If there is no local artwork, Kodi will obtain the artwork from online sources.

It is important to note that once a movie, tv show, artist or album has been scraped into the library, Kodi will ignore them on subsequent scans. If you have made changes to either artwork and/or metadata (in the form of a nfo file), you must instruct Kodi to update using one of the following methods...

  1. If the Library has not yet been created, or the source has not yet been added
    • Ensure your artwork is named and saved correctly. Add the Media sources to Kodi and allow to update. Artwork will be cached
  2. This Movie/TV Show/Album/Artist is new and has not been added to the library yet
    • An Update Library will scrape and cache the artwork, or
    • For Videos, navigate Videos>Files, navigate to the item and call up the Information page. This will start an automatic scrape for that single item
    • For Music, navigate Music>Files, locate and highlight the new artist or album. From the context menu select Scan item to library
  3. I added new artwork for Movie/TV Show/Album/Artist already in the library
    • For videos follow instructions for Kodi- Choose Art below
    • For music follow instructions in Kodi- Choose Art below
  4. I added new artwork for a lot of Movies/TV Shows/Music already in the library
    • Update each Movie/TV Show/Music manually using instructions in the previous option, or
    • Remove the Source and clean library. Re-add the source and allow the Update Library
See also: Update Video Library
See also: Update Music Library


"Available" artwork

Scrapers and NFO files can include multiple images for a single type of artwork. The first image will be assigned to the media item for skins and other interfaces to access for display, and the full list will be saved for the "Choose art" dialog, where you can select a new image for any art type.


Kodi- Choose Art

From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the artwork at any time by following these directions.

Note: The following is based on the Video Library. Music Library follows the same process, but the screenshots will be slightly different for Choose Art- Artists and Choose Art- Albums

  1. Highlight the media item whose artwork you want to change.
  2. Call up the Information page, (Image 1)
    • For seasons and movie sets the "Choose Art" option is in the Context menu.
  3. Select Choose Art. (Image 1)
  4. From within this page, you will be given the option to select which type of artwork you would like to change. (Image 2)
    • If the type of artwork you would like to change is not listed, use the Add art type button to add it. An onscreen keyboard will be displayed. Enter the new type of artwork and select Ok.
    • Examples of artwork type are those listed in the following pages- eg clearlogo, clearart, banner etc...
  5. Once selected, you will then be provided with a list of available artwork at the scraper site, or you can navigate to a local or network location. (Image 3)
  6. Once you select the desired image, it will replace the existing image. You will be returned to the screen displayed in Image 2
  7. If you do not intend to change any other artwork types, simply Esc or Back out of the screen

An alternative method for Music and Video library:

  1. Choose Refresh as seen in Image 1.
  2. You will then be asked Locally stored information found. Ignore and refresh from Internet? (Image 4)
    • To scrape local artwork and metadata - Select No note- If you have no local nfo file, Kodi will scrape metadata from the online scraper site
    • To scrape online artwork and metadata - Select Yes


Add-ons to display artwork

The following add-ons allow you to display your movie, TV show and music artwork.


Screensavers

Want to do more with all that wonderful fanart? Install this Kodi screensaver. Just like a screensaver on computers from yesteryear, the Kodi screensaver will produce a slideshow of your Movie and TV Show fanart, or set it to display your Music Fanart. Don't like either of those? Then setup a directory with your own pictures and it can produce a screensaver from your selection of photos.


Managing Artwork

There are a number of ways to maintain and improve Kodi's handling of the artwork.


Cache

Kodi maintains a texture cache on local device storage for all artwork displayed in the GUI, whether from an online source or the local file system. These textures are optimized and stored locally for faster loading.

When media is added to the library, Kodi initially only has a URL or path to the artwork. The artwork itself is downloaded (if from an online source) and then cached.


Recovering Disk Space

After years of use, it is expected that your system will gather some clutter- that being either orphaned artwork files or corrupted artwork which will not display.


Texture Cache Maintenance

Texture Cache Maintenance utility is a python script created by MillhouseVH, that can do a number of artwork related maintenance on the Kodi library. The script can be used to pre-generate thumbnails, clean up old thumbnail files, find corrupted files, and much more. The script can work on any OS that can run Python 2.6 or higher.


Import/Export

Kodi has the option to Export and Import the library databases. These options may be used for a number of reasons including the following more popular ones:

  • Perform database backup and recovery
  • Reorganization of data or eliminate database fragmentation (export, clean/remove database, re-import)
  • Move data between Kodi databases on different platforms (eg Widows to Linux)


Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC

The primary usage of artwork is to be displayed, and to that end, they can be accessed by name in skins and over JSON-RPC.


Troubleshooting

There are certain scenarios where attempting to replace existing artwork with new artwork, you may experience Kodi refusing to load the new artwork. This occurs when replacing one artwork with another artwork having the same name. eg replacing poster.jpg with a new poster.jpg.

Rest assured that the new image has been accepted, but due to the same filename, Kodi may take upto 24 hrs to check the image hash, realise the image is different and clear out the cached image and replace it with the new one. This is intended behaviour. Further reading available in the following link


See Also



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