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{{Artwork_Contents}}{{mininav|[[General topics]]}}
{{Artwork_Contents}}
{{mininav|[[Music_library|Music Library]] {{l2|[[Video_library|Video Library]]}} }}


<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" />


<section begin="intro" />The use of artwork takes pride of place in Kodi. The 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" />
'''{{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.}}'''


As the topic covering artwork is comprehensive, it has been broken down into smaller and more manageable pages for ease of reading. Choose the subject that interests you to obtain further information. Information common to all categories is located on this page. Specific category details are located on linked pages.
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.'''
'''Be aware that artwork is skin dependent. Not all artwork types are used in all skins.'''




= Obtaining Artwork =
= Obtaining Artwork =
[[File:Artwork-PosterView01.jpg|500px|right]]
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'').
[[File:Artwork-FanartView01.jpg|500px|right]]
Movie, TV Show and Music artwork can be obtained using a variety of methods. The most common method is via the Kodi scraper.




== Scrapers ==
== Scrapers ==
A scraper is a Kodi core function which, in combination with the relevant metadata API add-on, will preform an automatic online search for movie, tv show and music information and then retrieve all relevant metadata and artwork and import the data into the Kodi Library and the artwork into the [[Artwork#Cache|cache]]. The default sources for information are:  
The defautl sources for information and artwork that are used by the default scrapers are:  
 
Movies- [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
TV Shows- [http://thetvdb.com/ The TVDB]<br />
Music- [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]<br />
<br />
There are many other scraper informationsources, but most are specialist listings for foreign language movies or Disney movies, for example.
 
The Video scraping process is reliant on your local directory and file names being named in accordance with the title listed at the scraper site. To ensure correct naming, simply visit the website, search for your title, and copy the title from the site and paste into your directory/filename.
 
The Music scraping process is reliant on correct file naming and music tags.


Kodi will then match the video or music and download all relevant metadata and artwork. It is important to note that if you already have correctly named artwork in the video and music folder, then Kodi will scrape the local artwork and ignore the online source. Metadata will still be downloaded though.
Movies- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv] and [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
TV Shows- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv] and [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
Music- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv] and [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]<br />


If you subsequently locate artwork that is preferable, it is possible to replace the Kodi selected artwork. Refer to [[Artwork#Kodi-_Choose_Art|paragraph 2.1]] below.
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.
; {{see also|How_To_use_Scrapers}}
; {{see also|Naming_video_files}}
; {{see also|Add-on:The_MovieDB}}
; {{see also|Add-on:The_TVDB}}
; {{see also|Add-on:Universal_Album_Scraper}}
; {{see also|Add-on:Universal_Artist_Scraper}}






== Media Managers ==
== 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 a '''[[nfo]]''' file. 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.
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.
 
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.
; {{see also|nfo}}


{{#lst:NFO_files|MediaManagers}}
; {{see also|NFO_files}}




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




== Create Your Own ==
== Create Your Own ==
{{main|Artwork types}}
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.  
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.  


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:;''see : [https://fanart.tv/movie-fanart/<nowiki>Fanart.tv- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
:;''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.
*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/documentation/editing/images<nowiki>themoviedb- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
:; ''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.
*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>]''
:; ''see : [http://www.thetvdb.com/wiki/index.php/Category:Images<nowiki>theTVDB- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
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:; ''see : [http://theaudiodb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1<nowiki>TheAudioDB- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''
:; ''see : [http://theaudiodb.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1<nowiki>TheAudioDB- Image Creation Guide</nowiki>]''


= 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.'''


= Importing/Scraping Artwork =
'''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.'''
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 or Scrape, Kodi will always use Local Artwork first if it exists. If there is no local artwork, Kodi will obtain the artwork from online 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...
 
'''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
#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 [[Sources]] to Kodi and allow to update. Artwork will be cached
#*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
#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
#*An Update Library will scrape and cache the artwork, or
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#I added new artwork for Movie/TV Show/Album/Artist already in the 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 videos follow instructions for ''Kodi- Choose Art'' below
#*For music follow instructions in [[Music_artwork]]
#*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
#I added new artwork for a lot of Movies/TV Shows/Music already in the library
#*Update each Movie/TV Show manually using instructions ''Kodi- Choose Art'' below, or
#*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
#*Remove the Source and clean library. Re-add the source and allow the Update Library
#*For music follow instructions in [[Music_artwork]]
:'''''See also: [[Updating_or_removing_videos|Update Video Library]]'''''
:'''''See also: [[Update_Music_Library#Scan_Library|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.




=== Kodi- Choose Art ===
 
= Choosing Art You Want =
From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the artwork at any time by following these directions.  
From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the artwork at any time by following these directions.  
To change music artwork- ''see [[Music_artwork]]''


#Highlight the Movie, TV Show, Season or Episode whose artwork you want to change.  
'''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
#Call up the ''Information'' page, (Image 1)
 
#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)
#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)
#From within this page, you will be given the option to select which type of artwork you would like to change. (Image 2)
#Once selected, you will then be provided with a list of available artworks at the scraper site, or you can navigate to a local or network location. (Image 3)
#* 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>
<gallery widths=350px heights=200px>
File:Artwork-ChooseArt03.jpg|Image 1- Choose Art on the Information Page
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-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-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
File:Artwork-ChooseArt04.jpg|Image 4- Using the Refresh Method
</gallery>
</gallery>
An alternative method:
An alternative method for Music and Video library:
#Choose ''Refresh'' as seen in Image 1.
#Choose ''Refresh'' as seen in Image 1.
#You will then be asked ''Locally stored information found. Ignore and refresh from Internet?'' (Image 4)
#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 local metadata - Select '''No'''  
#*To scrape online artwork and metadata - Select '''Yes'''
#**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}}




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== Cache ==
== Cache ==
Kodi maintains a local '''texture''' cache for all artwork that is scraped either from online or local sources. During this caching process, artwork size is '''modified''' to default sizes. This allows faster access and loading times of the artwork which is especially noticeable on low powered equipment. These default sizes can be modified in the ''advancedsettings.xml''- Refer [[Artwork#Advanced_Settings|paragraph 3.3]]
{{#lst:Artwork/Cache|intro}}
 
When Kodi performs an online scrape to download the metadata of your videos or music, it also downloads the associated artwork. The URL link to the original online artwork location is stored in the video or music databases. The downloaded artwork is then saved in the Cache located in ''\userdata\thumbnails '' directory. An entry in the ''texturesxx.db'' is recorded that connects each image to the appropriate video or music library entry.
 
If you have stored local artwork with your video or music file, Kodi will scrape these as described above. Once scraped, these original local images are no longer accessed by Kodi. Note that Extrafanart and Extrathumbs are a skin function, and these are not cached, but accessed directly by the skin.
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}


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== Recovering Disk Space ==
== 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.  
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.  
There are two methods available to maintain a healthy cache and database:
; {{see also|HOW-TO:Reduce disk space usage}}
; {{see also|HOW-TO:Reduce_disk_space_usage}}
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}
 


=== Texture Cache Maintenance ===
=== Texture Cache Maintenance ===
{{#lst:Texture_Cache_Maintenance_utility|intro}}
{{#lst:Texture_Cache_Maintenance_utility|intro}}
; {{see also|Texture_Cache_Maintenance_utility}}
; {{see also|Texture Cache Maintenance utility}}
 
=== Delete textures13.db ===
One sure way to repair any caching problem is to delete the ''textures13.db'' database. This procedure does not affect the entries in the Video and Music libraries. It affects the artwork database only.
 
Be aware that this should be a last resort procedure. Deleting this database file will remove all cache entries and links, requiring your artwork be re-scraped.
 
You will need to perform the following for a clean start with respect to Artwork.
*Exit Kodi
*Delete ''texturesxx.db'' located in the ''\userdata\database\'' folder.
*Delete the ''Thumbnails'' directory located at ''\userdata\'' which stores all the cached images,
Once the above steps are performed
*Restart Kodi
*Kodi will automatically  rebuild the Textures database from Local Artwork saved alongside your media file. If there is no local artwork, Kodi will download from the scraper sites for Movies, TV Shows and Music.
 
 
 
== Advanced Settings ==
There are a number of ''advancedsettings.xml'' tags which can be used to modify the caching of artwork. The following preset defaults are used unless modified
*Fanart will be cached to a maximum of 1920x1080. Larger fanart is reduced to this size.
*Smaller fanart and all other artwork types are cached to a maximum of (*)x720 height.
 
If you are experiencing slow loading images or lagging GUI navigation on low powered equipment and/or you have minimal storage available, these defaults can be modified to further reduce the size of artwork.
 
For higher powered equipment the settings can be increased to maintain the original artwork size. (eg 3840x2160 fanart)
 
An easily understandable explanation of the effects of some of these settings can be located in the [https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=315806&pid=2599318#pid2599318 forum here.]
 
; {{see also|Advancedsettings.xml#Library_artwork}}
 




== Import/Export ==
== Import/Export ==
{{#lst:import-export_library|intro}}
; {{see also|Import-Export_library}}


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}}


== Add-ons ==
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 the 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}}


= 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}}




[[File:Artwork-FanartView02.jpg|500px|right]]
[[File:Artwork-ListView01.jpg|500px|right]]


= Movie Artwork =
= See Also =
{{#lst:Movie_artwork|intro}}
*[[HOW-TO:Create Music Library]]<br>
{{see|Movie_artwork}}
*[[HOW-TO:Create Video Library]]<br><br>
*[[Add-on:The Movie Database]]<br>
*[[Add-on:Universal Album Scraper]]<br>
*[[Add-on:Universal Artist Scraper]]


= TV Show Artwork =
{{#lst:TV-Show_artwork|intro}}
{{see|TV-Show_artwork}}
= Music Artwork =
{{#lst:Music_artwork|intro}}
{{see|Music_artwork}}
= Music Videos Artwork =
This wiki covers the artwork found in the Music Videos section of Kodi
= TV Artwork =
There is no user definable artwork for the TV section of Kodi
= Pictures Artwork =
There is no user definable artwork for the Pictures section of Kodi




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{{Top}}
{{Top}}


 
{{updated|18}}
{{updated|17}}
[[Category:FAQ]]
[[Category:FAQ]]
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Guides]]
[[Category:Manual]]
[[Category:Manual]]
[[Category:Karellen]]
[[Category:Video library]]
[[Category:Video library]]
[[Category:Music library|*]]
[[Category:Music library]]
[[Category:Advanced topics]]
[[Category:Advanced topics]]
[[Category:First time user|*]]
[[Category:First time user]]
[[Category:Quick Start Guide]]
[[Category:Quick Start Guide]]

Revision as of 21:09, 21 May 2020

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.



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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