Artwork types: Difference between revisions

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{{Artwork_Contents}}
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{{mininav|[[Music_library|Music Library]] {{l2|[[Video_library|Video Library]]}} }}
{{mininav|[[Video library]] {{l2| [[Music library]] }}| [[Artwork]] }}


<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" />


'''{{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. 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.'''
= Official Types =
<section begin="intro" />This page describes the common types of artwork used by {{kodi}}, where they are used and their specifications. See the linked pages for information on how to use them in {{kodi}}.


With the release of v18, the lines between basic and extended artwork have been blurred. All artwork is an artwork '''type''' and is treated the same as the traditional ''poster'' and ''fanart''. If a skin has been coded to recognise an artwork type, and the artwork is scanned into {{kodi}}, then it will be displayed.<section end="intro" />




= Obtaining Artwork =
'''Note: '''All resolutions are minimum suggestions. Resolutions can be increased, but the aspect ratio must be maintained otherwise the image may undergo stretching, squashing or cropping when viewed in {{kodi}}. If you intend to share your artwork, check the scraper sites to ensure your artworks are within their minimum and maximum limits.
Movie, TV Show and Music artwork can be obtained using a variety of methods. The most common method is via the Kodi scraper.




== Scrapers ==
== actor ==
The default sources for information and artwork that are used by the scrapers are:
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}


Movies- [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
The Actor artwork is a portrait of an actor for display in the cast information pages.  
TV Shows- [https://www.themoviedb.org/ The MovieDB]<br />
Music- [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]<br />
General- [https://fanart.tv/ Fanart.tv]<br />


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.
The files are named as  '''''<FirstName>_<LastName>.jpg''''' and are saved in the dedicated '''.actors''' folder in the movie folder and tv show folder.


{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|<FirstName>_<LastName>.jpg
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 1500h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 2:3
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}




== 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|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.
== back ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Albums artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}


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.
This is the album back cover, which often includes a track listing, though the design varies. They are often used in detail views focused on a single album.
; {{see also|NFO_files}}


{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|back
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 1000h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 1:1
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}


== 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.
== banner ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Artists artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}


In the video library, banners are wide and short images that contain recognizable characters or props from the video and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the movie, movie set or tv show.


== Create Your Own ==
In the music library it contains the artist or band members and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the artist/band
{{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.


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.
{| class="prettytable"
*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>]''
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
*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]''
|Name
*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.
|banner
:; ''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.
|style="width:190px;"| Type
:; ''see : [https://contribute.imdb.com/updates/guide/images<nowiki>IMDB- Image Submission Guide</nowiki>]''
|style="width:220px;"| jpg or png
*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>]''
| Resolution
| 1000w x 185h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 200:37
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}




== clearart ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Artists artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}


= Importing-Scanning Artwork =
Clearart have a transparent background with recognizable characters or props from the video along with a logo or name and its transparent background allows it to be overlaid images or video with minimal impact.
{{anchor|Importing-Scraping 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.'''
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|clearart
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| png
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 562h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 16:9
|-
| Transparent background
| Yes
|}


'''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...
== clearlogo ==
#If the Library has not yet been created, or the source has not yet been added
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
#*Ensure your artwork is named and saved correctly. Add the [[Media sources]] to Kodi and allow to update. Artwork will be cached
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
#This Movie/TV Show/Album/Artist is new and has not been added to the library yet
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Artists artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
#*An Update Library will scrape and cache the artwork, or
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
#*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
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
#*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]]'''''


Logos typically use the distinctive font associated with the video and is uncluttered by other images. The transparent background allows it to be overlaid images or video with minimal impact.


== "Available" artwork ==
{| class="prettytable"
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.
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|clearlogo
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| png
|-
| Resolution
| 800w x 310h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 80:31
|-
| Transparent background
| Yes
|}




== Kodi- Choose Art ==
== discart ==
From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the artwork at any time by following these directions.
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Albums artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}


'''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
Discart replicates the picture on the physical Blu-ray or other disc. Although the disc artwork is round, the image itself is square and the disc image is placed in the center on a transparent background.


#Highlight the media item whose artwork you want to change.
{| class="prettytable"
#Call up the ''Information'' page, (Image 1)
|-
#* For seasons and movie sets the "Choose Art" option is in the [[Context menu]].
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
#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)
|Name
#* 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'''.
|discart
#* 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)
|style="width:190px;"| Type
#Once you select the desired image, it will replace the existing image. You will be returned to the screen displayed in Image 2
|style="width:220px;"| png
#If you do not intend to change any other artwork types, simply Esc or Back out of the screen
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 1000h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 1:1
|-
| Transparent background
| Yes
|}


<gallery widths=350px heights=200px>
 
File:Artwork-ChooseArt03.jpg|Image 1- Choose Art on the Information Page
== fanart ==
File:Artwork-ChooseArt01.jpg|Image 2- Select which type of artwork to change
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
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
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
File:Artwork-ChooseArt04.jpg|Image 4- Using the Refresh Method
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Albums artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
</gallery>
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
An alternative method for Music and Video library:
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
#Choose ''Refresh'' as seen in Image 1.
 
#You will then be asked ''Locally stored information found. Ignore and refresh from Internet?'' (Image 4)
They are used as full screen displays.
#*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'''
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|fanart
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg or png
|-
| Resolution
| 1920w x 1080h<br>
3840w x 2160h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 16:9
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
== fanart# ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Albums artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
 
This is Multiple fanart. It has the same specifications as fanart in the previous section.
 
Multiple fanart is an alternative to the "extrafanart" folders. Multiple fanart adds all of the fanart images to the Kodi library, and they are treated just like any other artwork type. This is newer and not supported in as many skins as extrafanart, but can be overcome with the use of '''''[https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=258886 Artwork Beef]'''''.
 
Multiple additional fanart is named "fanart1", "fanart2", and so on with the number increasing for each artwork. The number can increase to 10 and beyond, but numbers cannot be zero-padded and each number needs a corresponding whitelist entry in the advancedsettings.xml file. The advantage is improved performance and behavior.
 
 
== folder ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Artists artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Albums artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|Source Folder Icons|color=#b1d9b6}}
 
Album '''folder''' (the name of the artwork, not the directory) is also known as '''thumb'''. {{kodi}} will recognise both filenames but defaults to '''folder'''. The export function will export as ''folder'' which may mean duplicated artwork if you used the ''thumb'' filename and export artwork.
 
Album folders are high quality images of the album front cover. The design varies widely and may or may not include the name of the album and or artist.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|folder
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 1000h<br>
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 1:1<br>
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
== keyart ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
 
Keyart is a poster without text or a logo. This is useful as a separate item in a skinner's toolbox as it can be paired with a clearlogo or large text title elsewhere on the window, and without text it is less distracting in the background or half-obscured, similar to fanart.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|keyart
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 1500h<br>
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 2:3
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
== landscape ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Artists artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
 
Landscape images are specially made 16x9 images that contain recognizable characters or props from the movie and a logo. They are used in certain page layouts for browsing. If the Landscape image is not available, skins can make passable replacements by using fanart and overlaying the clearlogo.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|landscape
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 562h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 16:9
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
== poster ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Artists artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
 
Posters replicates the movie posters often seen in cinema complexes, or the front cover of home video releases, and contain a clearly visible logo or name of the video.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|poster
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg or png
|-
| Resolution
| 1000w x 1500h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 2:3
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
== spine ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Music_artwork|Music- Albums artwork]]|color=#72d2f7}}
 
Album spines replicate the album spine found on standard CD cases. They typically have the name of the album and artist, but are too thin to have much of a design beyond continuing the front or back image. They are often used as thin identifiers for unfocused items in a list of albums.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|spine
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg or png
|-
| Resolution
| 50w x 1000h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 1:20
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
== thumb ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
 
Thumbnails are still images from the movie itself, and can be generated from the video file in your library. They are also used as images for episodes in TV Shows.
 
{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|thumb
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 960w x 540h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 16:9
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}
 
 
 
= Other Types =
This section lists other artwork types that
# May be used by certain skins or
# Are still in the experimental stage.
 
 
== extrafanart Folder ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}
 
<section begin="ExtrafanartFolder" />It is possible to download and save additional high quality fanart which the skin can display, usually in a slideshow. Extra fanart is reliant on a supporting skin and the images have exactly the same properties as the standard fanart described above. This is older and more widely supported in skins.
 
In v17 and prior, Extra Fanart is stored in a separate folder named '''''extrafanart'''''. Create a folder named '''''extrafanart''''' in the folder of the movie or the TV Show, and place each extra fanart image in it. This artwork is not added to the Kodi library, instead skins access the folder directly. A downside to this method is that it can wake hard drives while browsing the library and cause freezing of the GUI while the drives wake up. The filename is mostly not important.




== extrathumbs folder ==
{{anchor|Extra Thumbs}}
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}


= Add-ons to display artwork =
It is possible to download and save additional thumbnails which the skin can display. Extra thumbs are reliant on a supporting skin and the images have exactly the same properties as the standard thumb described above.
The following add-ons allow you to display your movie, TV show and music artwork.


Extra Thumbs are stored in a separate Folder named "extrathumbs". Create a Folder named '''extrathumbs''' in the folder of the Movie.  Each Extra Thumb must be named ''thumbX.jpg'' where ''X'' is a sequential number starting with 0 ''(thumb0.jpg, thumb1.jpg, thumb2.jpg, etc)''. There is a limit of 10 thumb images allowable. Be aware that some skins utilise less than 10 of the images. The location of the extrathumbs Folder is as follows.


== 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}}


== Animated artwork ==
'''Used in:''' {{highlight|[[Movie artwork]]|color=#ddddff}}
{{highlight|[[Movie sets artwork]]|color=#ddffdd}}
{{highlight|[[Music Video artwork]]|color=#ffc7ff}}
{{highlight|[[TV-Show artwork]]|color=#f5f5a1}}


Still experimental, but {{kodi}} has basic support for displaying animated artwork, and two artwork types have a decent collection of animated options: posters and fanart for movies. The most comprehensive support for animated artwork is Skin Helper Service, which has taken to naming these as "animatedposter" and "animatedfanart".


= Managing Artwork =
New animated movie posters (and textless posters / keyart which could be named "animatedkeyart") are often posted to [https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=215727 this forum thread].
There are a number of ways to maintain and improve Kodi's handling of the artwork.  




== Cache ==
=== Limitations of animated artwork ===
{{#lst:Artwork/Cache|intro}}
Kodi's support for displaying animated artwork is basic, and does have some limitations.
; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}


Number one is a hard limit on the number of pixels in a single animated artwork. The size of animated artwork is limited to roughly 12 frames of 1920x1080. This limit is defined as fully decoded pixels. The trend for animated posters is for smaller images with more frames (a recent "animatedposter" is 500x713 with 60 frames). Kodi will discard any remaining frames after it has reached this limit, which will probably hitch unpleasantly, so obeying this limit is important.
* Technically this limit is 11 frames but Kodi will decode full frames until it has decoded MORE than this, so the calculation is
** 1920 × 1080 = 2,073,600 * 11 =
*** 22,809,600 pixels '''plus''' one more frame


== Recovering Disk Space ==
Number two is that Kodi doesn't save animated artwork to the texture cache and will not play them (only displaying the first frame) unless they are stored on a client-local file system.
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 ===
== Source Folder Icon ==
{{#lst:Texture_Cache_Maintenance_utility|intro}}
<section begin="SourceFolderArtwork" />The Source Folder icon is a landscape image that can be used to replace the standard folder icons when browsing your '''sources''' in the video menu. This image file is saved directly within the Source directory.
; {{see also|Texture Cache Maintenance utility}}


To enable the image...
#Navigate to Videos>Files in the menu system
#Highlight a source and call up the '''''[[Basic_controls#Context_Menu|context menu]]'''''
#Select ''Choose Thumbnail''.
If you have saved in the image in the correct location, it will be available to select immediately. If not, you will need to navigate to locate and select it. The image must remain in its original location once selected. Deleting the image will remove it from view in the folder icon.


== Import/Export ==
You are able to apply the folder thumb by modifying the '''\userdata\sources.xml''' as follows
{{#lst:import-export_library|intro}}
; {{see also|Import-export library}}


<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" line='line'>
        <source>
            <name>Movies</name>
            <path pathversion="1">F:\Movies\</path>
            <allowsharing>true</allowsharing>
            <thumbnail>F:\Movies\folder.jpg</thumbnail>
        </source>
</syntaxhighlight>


{| class="prettytable"
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" | Image specifications
|-
|Name
|folder
|-
|style="width:190px;"| Type
|style="width:220px;"| jpg
|-
| Resolution
| 640w x 360h
|-
| Aspect Ratio
| 16:9
|-
| Transparent background
| No
|}


= Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC =
{{#lst:Artwork/Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC|intro}}
; {{see also|Artwork/Accessing with skins and JSON-RPC}}


= Sample Images =
Screenshots of various artworks displays.


== Movies ==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="500px" heights="282px">
File:Artwork-FanartView02.jpg|Movie fanart
File:Artwork-PosterView01.jpg|Movie poster
File:Artwork-Banner02.jpg|Movie banner
File:Artwork-ClearArt01.jpg|Movie clearart
File:Artwork-ClearLogo.jpg|Movie clearlogo
File:Artwork-DiscArt01.jpg|Movie discart
File:Artwork-Thumbs01.jpg|Movie landscape
</gallery>


= 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
== TV Shows ==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="500px" heights="282px">
File:Artwork-PosterView02.jpg|TV show poster
File:Artwork-FanartView03.jpg|TV show fanart
File:Artwork-Banner01.jpg|TV show banner
File:Artwork-ClearArt02.jpg|TV show clearart
File:Artwork-ClearLogo02.jpg|TV show  clearlogo
File:Artwork-Landscape01.jpg|TV show landscape
File:Artwork-CharacterArt01.jpg|TV show characterart
File:Artwork-EpisodeThumb01.jpg|Episode thumb
File:Artwork-EpisodeFanart01.jpg|Episode fanart
</gallery>


; {{see also|Artwork/Cache}}


== Music ==
<gallery mode="packed" widths="500px" heights="282px">
File:Artwork-MusicFanart01.jpg|Artist fanart
File:Artwork-MusicArtist01.jpg|Grid of artist thumb
File:Artwork-MusicBanner01.jpg|Artist banner and clearlogo
File:Artwork-TS-clearart-AeonNox5modmaybe.jpg|Artist clearart in center right
File:Artwork-musiclandscape-EstuaryATF.jpg|Grid of artist landscape
</gallery>




= 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]]




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Revision as of 04:16, 18 May 2019

Artwork contents

Artwork Main Page

See also:

Return to:

Home icon grey.png   ▶ Video library
▶ Music library		 ▶ Artwork ▶ Artwork types



Official Types

This page describes the common types of artwork used by Kodi, where they are used and their specifications. See the linked pages for information on how to use them in Kodi.

With the release of v18, the lines between basic and extended artwork have been blurred. All artwork is an artwork type and is treated the same as the traditional poster and fanart. If a skin has been coded to recognise an artwork type, and the artwork is scanned into Kodi, then it will be displayed.


Note: All resolutions are minimum suggestions. Resolutions can be increased, but the aspect ratio must be maintained otherwise the image may undergo stretching, squashing or cropping when viewed in Kodi. If you intend to share your artwork, check the scraper sites to ensure your artworks are within their minimum and maximum limits.


actor

Used in: Movie artwork TV-Show artwork

The Actor artwork is a portrait of an actor for display in the cast information pages.

The files are named as <FirstName>_<LastName>.jpg and are saved in the dedicated .actors folder in the movie folder and tv show folder.

Image specifications
Name <FirstName>_<LastName>.jpg
Type jpg
Resolution 1000w x 1500h
Aspect Ratio 2:3
Transparent background No


back

Used in: Music- Albums artwork

This is the album back cover, which often includes a track listing, though the design varies. They are often used in detail views focused on a single album.

Image specifications
Name back
Type jpg
Resolution 1000w x 1000h
Aspect Ratio 1:1
Transparent background No


Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Artists artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

In the video library, banners are wide and short images that contain recognizable characters or props from the video and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the movie, movie set or tv show.

In the music library it contains the artist or band members and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the artist/band

Image specifications
Name banner
Type jpg or png
Resolution 1000w x 185h
Aspect Ratio 200:37
Transparent background No


clearart

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Artists artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Clearart have a transparent background with recognizable characters or props from the video along with a logo or name and its transparent background allows it to be overlaid images or video with minimal impact.

Image specifications
Name clearart
Type png
Resolution 1000w x 562h
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Transparent background Yes


Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Artists artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Logos typically use the distinctive font associated with the video and is uncluttered by other images. The transparent background allows it to be overlaid images or video with minimal impact.

Image specifications
Name clearlogo
Type png
Resolution 800w x 310h
Aspect Ratio 80:31
Transparent background Yes


discart

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Albums artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Discart replicates the picture on the physical Blu-ray or other disc. Although the disc artwork is round, the image itself is square and the disc image is placed in the center on a transparent background.

Image specifications
Name discart
Type png
Resolution 1000w x 1000h
Aspect Ratio 1:1
Transparent background Yes


fanart

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Albums artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

They are used as full screen displays.

Image specifications
Name fanart
Type jpg or png
Resolution 1920w x 1080h

3840w x 2160h

Aspect Ratio 16:9
Transparent background No


fanart#

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Albums artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

This is Multiple fanart. It has the same specifications as fanart in the previous section.

Multiple fanart is an alternative to the "extrafanart" folders. Multiple fanart adds all of the fanart images to the Kodi library, and they are treated just like any other artwork type. This is newer and not supported in as many skins as extrafanart, but can be overcome with the use of Artwork Beef.

Multiple additional fanart is named "fanart1", "fanart2", and so on with the number increasing for each artwork. The number can increase to 10 and beyond, but numbers cannot be zero-padded and each number needs a corresponding whitelist entry in the advancedsettings.xml file. The advantage is improved performance and behavior.


folder

Used in: Music- Artists artwork Music- Albums artwork Source Folder Icons

Album folder (the name of the artwork, not the directory) is also known as thumb. Kodi will recognise both filenames but defaults to folder. The export function will export as folder which may mean duplicated artwork if you used the thumb filename and export artwork.

Album folders are high quality images of the album front cover. The design varies widely and may or may not include the name of the album and or artist.

Image specifications
Name folder
Type jpg
Resolution 1000w x 1000h
Aspect Ratio 1:1
Transparent background No


keyart

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Keyart is a poster without text or a logo. This is useful as a separate item in a skinner's toolbox as it can be paired with a clearlogo or large text title elsewhere on the window, and without text it is less distracting in the background or half-obscured, similar to fanart.

Image specifications
Name keyart
Type jpg
Resolution 1000w x 1500h
Aspect Ratio 2:3
Transparent background No


landscape

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Artists artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Landscape images are specially made 16x9 images that contain recognizable characters or props from the movie and a logo. They are used in certain page layouts for browsing. If the Landscape image is not available, skins can make passable replacements by using fanart and overlaying the clearlogo.

Image specifications
Name landscape
Type jpg
Resolution 1000w x 562h
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Transparent background No


poster

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music- Artists artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Posters replicates the movie posters often seen in cinema complexes, or the front cover of home video releases, and contain a clearly visible logo or name of the video.

Image specifications
Name poster
Type jpg or png
Resolution 1000w x 1500h
Aspect Ratio 2:3
Transparent background No


spine

Used in: Music- Albums artwork

Album spines replicate the album spine found on standard CD cases. They typically have the name of the album and artist, but are too thin to have much of a design beyond continuing the front or back image. They are often used as thin identifiers for unfocused items in a list of albums.

Image specifications
Name spine
Type jpg or png
Resolution 50w x 1000h
Aspect Ratio 1:20
Transparent background No


thumb

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Thumbnails are still images from the movie itself, and can be generated from the video file in your library. They are also used as images for episodes in TV Shows.

Image specifications
Name thumb
Type jpg
Resolution 960w x 540h
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Transparent background No


Other Types

This section lists other artwork types that

  1. May be used by certain skins or
  2. Are still in the experimental stage.


extrafanart Folder

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

It is possible to download and save additional high quality fanart which the skin can display, usually in a slideshow. Extra fanart is reliant on a supporting skin and the images have exactly the same properties as the standard fanart described above. This is older and more widely supported in skins.

In v17 and prior, Extra Fanart is stored in a separate folder named extrafanart. Create a folder named extrafanart in the folder of the movie or the TV Show, and place each extra fanart image in it. This artwork is not added to the Kodi library, instead skins access the folder directly. A downside to this method is that it can wake hard drives while browsing the library and cause freezing of the GUI while the drives wake up. The filename is mostly not important.


extrathumbs folder

Used in: Movie artwork

It is possible to download and save additional thumbnails which the skin can display. Extra thumbs are reliant on a supporting skin and the images have exactly the same properties as the standard thumb described above.

Extra Thumbs are stored in a separate Folder named "extrathumbs". Create a Folder named extrathumbs in the folder of the Movie. Each Extra Thumb must be named thumbX.jpg where X is a sequential number starting with 0 (thumb0.jpg, thumb1.jpg, thumb2.jpg, etc). There is a limit of 10 thumb images allowable. Be aware that some skins utilise less than 10 of the images. The location of the extrathumbs Folder is as follows.


Animated artwork

Used in: Movie artwork Movie sets artwork Music Video artwork TV-Show artwork

Still experimental, but Kodi has basic support for displaying animated artwork, and two artwork types have a decent collection of animated options: posters and fanart for movies. The most comprehensive support for animated artwork is Skin Helper Service, which has taken to naming these as "animatedposter" and "animatedfanart".

New animated movie posters (and textless posters / keyart which could be named "animatedkeyart") are often posted to this forum thread.


Limitations of animated artwork

Kodi's support for displaying animated artwork is basic, and does have some limitations.

Number one is a hard limit on the number of pixels in a single animated artwork. The size of animated artwork is limited to roughly 12 frames of 1920x1080. This limit is defined as fully decoded pixels. The trend for animated posters is for smaller images with more frames (a recent "animatedposter" is 500x713 with 60 frames). Kodi will discard any remaining frames after it has reached this limit, which will probably hitch unpleasantly, so obeying this limit is important.

  • Technically this limit is 11 frames but Kodi will decode full frames until it has decoded MORE than this, so the calculation is
    • 1920 × 1080 = 2,073,600 * 11 =
      • 22,809,600 pixels plus one more frame

Number two is that Kodi doesn't save animated artwork to the texture cache and will not play them (only displaying the first frame) unless they are stored on a client-local file system.


Source Folder Icon

The Source Folder icon is a landscape image that can be used to replace the standard folder icons when browsing your sources in the video menu. This image file is saved directly within the Source directory.

To enable the image...

  1. Navigate to Videos>Files in the menu system
  2. Highlight a source and call up the context menu
  3. Select Choose Thumbnail.

If you have saved in the image in the correct location, it will be available to select immediately. If not, you will need to navigate to locate and select it. The image must remain in its original location once selected. Deleting the image will remove it from view in the folder icon.

You are able to apply the folder thumb by modifying the \userdata\sources.xml as follows 

        <source>
            <name>Movies</name>
            <path pathversion="1">F:\Movies\</path>
            <allowsharing>true</allowsharing>
            <thumbnail>F:\Movies\folder.jpg</thumbnail>
        </source>
Image specifications
Name folder
Type jpg
Resolution 640w x 360h
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Transparent background No


Sample Images

Screenshots of various artworks displays.

Movies

  • Movie fanart

    Movie fanart

  • Movie poster

    Movie poster

  • Movie banner

    Movie banner

  • Movie clearart

    Movie clearart

  • Movie clearlogo

    Movie clearlogo

  • Movie discart

    Movie discart

  • Movie landscape

    Movie landscape


TV Shows

  • TV show poster

    TV show poster

  • TV show fanart

    TV show fanart

  • TV show banner

    TV show banner

  • TV show clearart

    TV show clearart

  • TV show clearlogo

    TV show clearlogo

  • TV show landscape

    TV show landscape

  • TV show characterart

    TV show characterart

  • Episode thumb

    Episode thumb

  • Episode fanart

    Episode fanart


Music

  • Artist fanart

    Artist fanart

  • Grid of artist thumb

    Grid of artist thumb

  • Artist banner and clearlogo

    Artist banner and clearlogo

  • Artist clearart in center right

    Artist clearart in center right

  • Grid of artist landscape

    Grid of artist landscape




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