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{{wiki revamp|raw=This page is going though a major overhaul and some things might be missing. For a copy of the old version see '''[http://kodi.wiki/index.php?title=Artwork&diff=88944&oldid=82139 here]'''}}
{{Artwork_Contents}}
{{mininav|[[Music_library|Music Library]] {{l2|[[Video_library|Video Library]]}} }}


{{todo}}
<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" />


Kodi supports automatic downloading or extraction of several types of images for use as thumbnails, movie posters, and more. In addition to automatic downloading or extraction, users can also manually set several images in different parts of the interface.
'''{{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.}}'''


== Types of artwork that Kodi uses ==
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.


== Audomatic artwork loading ==
'''Be aware that artwork is skin dependent. Not all artwork types are used in all skins.'''
{{editor note|This area should explain how artwork is loaded from scrapers, as well as embedded art for music.}}


== Manual artwork loading ==
{{editor note|This area should explain both manually setting artwork from within the GUI, as well as using pre-existing files that "automatically" get picked up.}}


=== Naming conventions ===
{{note|Kodi v14 still supports the older ".tbn" file extension, but users are advised to rename those file extensions from .tbn back to .jpg, in order to help ensure future support.}}


= Obtaining Artwork =
Movie, TV Show and Music artwork can be obtained using a variety of methods. The most common method is via the various Kodi scrapers (also known as ''information providers'').


;For folders (e.g. tvshows, movies in folders, or just folders on the filesystem):
* poster.(png/jpg)
* banner.(png/jpg)
* fanart.(png/jpg)


{{note|Movies in folders can also use the options under files below.}}
== Scrapers ==
;Season images reside inside the tvshow folder:
The defautl sources for information and artwork that are used by the default scrapers are:  
* season[XX]-(poster/banner/fanart).(png/jpg)
* season-all-(poster/banner/fanart).(png/jpg}
* season-specials-(poster/banner/fanart).(png/jpg)


;For files (episodes, movies not in folders, video files):
Movies- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv] and [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
* [movie file name]-(poster/banner/fanart).(png/jpg)
TV Shows- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv] and [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
* [episode file name]-thumb.(png/jpg)
Music- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv] and [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]<br />
* [filename]-(poster/banner/fanart).(png/jpg)


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


{{note|For all use scenarios mentioned above (Folders, TV Shows, and Files), [[extra fanart]] and [[Thumbnails#Examples for User-Defined Video Thumbnails|Actor thumbs (click link then scroll down)]] can also be included using the locations defined in [[Thumbnails]].}}


=== Folder thumbnails ===
{|
| valign="top" |
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 either 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>deprecated and place it at the same level as the folder in the directory tree.
* Remember, XBMC first checks for <foldername>.jpg before checking for folder.jpg.
* Some documentation suggests that folder.jpg can be used. In general folder.jpg is superior as it is detected during a scan, i.e. XBMC will correctly use folder.jpg but not folder.jpg.
* Note that folder.jpg '''must''' be named .jpg, even if it is a .png format image.


<br />
== Media Managers ==
'''Examples:'''
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.
Movies\path\'''foldername'''\
Movies\path\'''foldername.jpg'''
or
Movies\path\moviename\'''folder.jpg'''
Music\path\album\'''folder.jpg'''


Now your media folder will have a lovely custom thumbnail-image.
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.  


You can via [[advancedsettings.xml]] change the default filename of the image that XBMC uses for music folders.  See the [[advancedsettings.xml#<musicthumbs>|<musicthumbs>]] tag. for more information.
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}}
[[File:Files.myvideos.jpg|right|500px]]
|}


=== Music thumbnails ===
Music Thumbnails are assigned as part of a multi-tier process. First, the Tag Reader runs and caches any embedded art using the album name and album artist (or song artist, if that is all that is available). If the album name or artist is unavailable, it is cached using the path name of the song. This assumes, of course, that you have tag reading enabled.<br />
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 XBMC device (which is described in the [[Ripping CDs]] section).<br />
Recommended 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 />
{|
|
[[File:mymusic.jpg|right|500px]]
| valign="top" |
:{{Note|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.}}
:The Album Information dialog (available from the context menu) 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.
: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 />
|}
'''The code which assigns thumbnails to files runs and assigns thumbnails in the following order:'''


;1) Cached Album Thumbnail
== Web Search ==
:This is all the embedded album art read by the tag reader and cached using the album name and album artist.
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.
;2) Cached filename.jpg
:This includes an embedded thumbnail cached with the fully qualified name.
;3) Remote filename.jpg
:This is a filename.jpg 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.jpg
:This is a foldername.jpg on a remote share/folder which is then cached.<br /><br />


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


In this example audiofilename.mp3 will use audiofilename.jpg as thumbnail:
Music\path\'''audiofilename.mp3'''
Music\path\'''audiofilename.jpg'''


The same goes for playlists, cue-sheets, SHOUTcast, and [[HOW-TO: Play Internet Streams|internet-stream files]], example:
== Create Your Own ==
Music\path\'''audioplaylistname.m3u'''
{{main|Artwork/Types}}
Music\path\'''audioplaylistname.jpg'''
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.  
Music\path\'''cuelistname.cue'''
  Music\path\'''cuelistname.mp3'''
Music\path\'''cuelistname.jpg'''
Music\path\'''shoutcastlinkname.pls'''
Music\path\'''shoutcastlinkname.jpg'''
Music\path\'''audiostreamname.strm'''
Music\path\'''audiostreamname.jpg'''


::Music fanart
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.
{{see also|FanArt#Music_FanArt_in_XBMC}}
*Fanart.TV- The premier repository for all things artwork. They have an in-depth guide for artwork requirements
:;''see : [https://fanart.tv/movie-fanart/<nowiki>Fanart.tv- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
*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 : [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 ===
= What Artwork is Used Automatically =
Kodi will generate thumbnails for pictures and folders in the '''[[pictures]]''' area using the following methods:


;Images
== Local Art Comes First ==
: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.
'''Local artwork takes priority, so on update of both music and video libraries {{kodi}} will always use local artwork when it can find some. Only when there is no local artwork found, does {{kodi}} use the artwork that the scrapers can fetch from online sources.'''


;Folders
'''It is important to note that once remote artwork for a movie, tv show, artist or album has been successfully scraped into the library (because there was no local art found when the scraper was run), Kodi will not look for local art to replace it on subsequent library updates.'''
:<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.


=== Thumbnails for file sources ===
If you have made changes to either local artwork and/or metadata (in the form of a nfo file), you must instruct Kodi to update using one of the following methods...
You can change the thumbnail displayed for a file source by bringing up the context menu ({{button|menu}} or {{keypress|C}}) and selecting '''"Choose thumbnail"'''.
#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]]'''''


=== Library nodes ===
{{main|Video nodes|Audio nodes}}


== Manually refreshing or regenerating thumbnails ==
== Available Artwork Found By Scrapers ==
{{editor note|This area is for advanced notes related to regenerating thumbnails. This can happen due to an accidental deletion, setting up MySQL, or wanting new thumbnails when changing their default size in [[advancedsettings.xml]].}}
Scraper results (and NFO files) can include multiple potential images for each single type of artwork. When a type of art has not been found locally then during scraping the first image will be automatically assigned to the media item so skins and other interfaces can access it for display. The full list from the scraper results will be saved for the "Choose art" dialog (even if using local artwork), where you can select a new image for any art type from those available online and of course local files.  


'''Note:''' If you use a Media Manager to download local artwork and create [[NFO files]], the full list may not be available to use in "Choose art" as most, if not all, Media Managers strip out the additional artwork links.


{{Gotham updated}}


[[Category:Thumbnails|*]]
 
= Choosing Art You Want =
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
 
#Highlight the media item whose artwork you want to change.
#Call up the ''Information'' dialog, (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
 
<gallery widths=350px heights=200px>
File:Artwork-ChooseArt03.jpg|Image 1- Choose Art on the Information dialog
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 scraped sites, 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 metadata - Select '''No'''
#**If no local nfo file is available, Kodi will scrape metadata from the online scraper site
#**Local artwork still has priority. If no local artwork is found, {{Kodi}} will search the NFO file for valid links to artwork and download artwork if links are valid
#*To scrape online metadata (and ignore nfo file, if any) - Select '''Yes'''
#**Local artwork still has priority. If no local artwork is found, the scraper results are used to fetch artwork
 
 
 
= 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 ==
 
Kodi has the facility to export and import the library databases and in particular the artwork. The resolution of the artwork when exported is that used internally by Kodi, and may be lower than the original artwork. Export is the way to capture art that has been downloaded from a remote site as a local file.
; {{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:Video library]]
[[Category:Music library]]
[[Category:Music library]]
[[Category:Manual]]
[[Category:Advanced topics]]
[[Category:First time user]]
[[Category:Quick Start Guide]]

Revision as of 07:39, 26 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 various Kodi scrapers (also known as information providers).


Scrapers

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

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

Artwork from these sites can also 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

What Artwork is Used Automatically

Local Art Comes First

Local artwork takes priority, so on update of both music and video libraries Kodi will always use local artwork when it can find some. Only when there is no local artwork found, does Kodi use the artwork that the scrapers can fetch from online sources.

It is important to note that once remote artwork for a movie, tv show, artist or album has been successfully scraped into the library (because there was no local art found when the scraper was run), Kodi will not look for local art to replace it on subsequent library updates.

If you have made changes to either local 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 Found By Scrapers

Scraper results (and NFO files) can include multiple potential images for each single type of artwork. When a type of art has not been found locally then during scraping the first image will be automatically assigned to the media item so skins and other interfaces can access it for display. The full list from the scraper results will be saved for the "Choose art" dialog (even if using local artwork), where you can select a new image for any art type from those available online and of course local files.

Note: If you use a Media Manager to download local artwork and create NFO files, the full list may not be available to use in "Choose art" as most, if not all, Media Managers strip out the additional artwork links.


Choosing Art You Want

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 dialog, (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 metadata - Select No
      • If no local nfo file is available, Kodi will scrape metadata from the online scraper site
      • Local artwork still has priority. If no local artwork is found, Kodi will search the NFO file for valid links to artwork and download artwork if links are valid
    • To scrape online metadata (and ignore nfo file, if any) - Select Yes
      • Local artwork still has priority. If no local artwork is found, the scraper results are used to fetch artwork


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 facility to export and import the library databases and in particular the artwork. The resolution of the artwork when exported is that used internally by Kodi, and may be lower than the original artwork. Export is the way to capture art that has been downloaded from a remote site as a local file.

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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