Music artwork: Difference between revisions

From Official Kodi Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(Add cover.jpg note)
No edit summary
Line 3: Line 3:




<section begin="intro" />Music artwork are images directly related to an Artist or an Album, that are either scraped into the Music library from extenal sources or, in the case of Album art, scanned from the appropriate tags embedded in the music files. The images are, preferably, of high quality, that are displayed when viewing the Album or Artist entry in the library. They may also be used as visualisations while playing music. The Music section in Kodi is able to display up to six types of artwork. This page will describe the different types of artwork available in the Music category of Kodi.<section end="intro" />
<section begin="intro" />Music artwork are images directly related to an artist or an album, preferably of high quality, that are displayed when viewing the album or artist entry in the library. They may also be used as visualizations while playing music. The artwork support in {{Kodi}}'s music library is very flexible and able to display many types of artwork, but this page will describe the types of artwork readily available for the Music library of Kodi.<section end="intro" />


{{red|'''It is important to note the following:'''}}
{{red|'''It is important to note the following:'''}}
*Artwork is skin dependent. This means that some skins display a small number of artwork types, while other skins will display most or all of the available artwork types.
* Artwork is skin dependent. This means that some skins display a small number of artwork types, while other skins will display many different artwork types.
*In previous versions of Kodi and in older wiki pages, the term Thumbnails was used to describe Artwork. Kodi has now moved away from referring to thumbnails due to the amount of confusion and concern it caused users.
* The default skin, Estuary, displays only a limited selection of artwork. Another skin must be used to see other artwork.
*The base line for all artwork is the default skin Estuary. By default, Estuary displays the Basic artwork. Estuary cannot display the Extended artwork. Another skin must be used.
*To ensure '''local artwork''' is added when scanning new media items, the music files must be arranged in a certain folder hierarchy. See [[Music tagging#Folder_and_File_Structure| Music folder and file structure]] for a basic option and the [[Artist information folder]] for a separate directory option just for artist artwork and NFO files.
*While high resolution images do look impressive on HDTV's it is important to be aware that the increased artwork size can negatively affect low powered hardware.
* Each artwork type must be '''[[Advancedsettings.xml#Music library extra artwork| whitelisted in advancedsettings.xml]]''' to be added to the library automatically during scanning and scraping.
* Kodi 18 is required for expanded artwork type support in the music library.
; {{see also|Music_library}}
; {{see also|Music_library}}


= Artist artwork =


<gallery mode="packed" widths="350px" heights="200px">
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>
== Artist "fanart" ==
Fanart is also known as wallpapers, backdrops, or backgrounds.
;{{See also|wikipedia:Fanart|l1=Fanart on Wikipedia}}


= Caching =
For Kodi they are used as full screen displays to enhance the user experience. The fanart displays the artist or band.
All music artwork is cached. If artwork is cached from local files Kodi will not access the local files again. The only exception to this is Extra Fanart which is not cached, and the skin accesses the image files directly.


Also be aware of image adjustments made by Kodi during the caching process. '''''See [[Artwork#Cache|Cache]]'''''
Fanart have a '''recommended resolution of 1920x1080''' the display, with a specific '''aspect ratio of 16:9''' to match the ratio of current generation televisions and monitors, which allows the screen to be completely filled by the image. Fanart also does not have transparency and preferably does not have a logo or title on the image.


Music artwork for the library is cached in the following order:
== Artist "thumb" ==
*'''Artist'''
Artist thumbnails display the artist or band members, and are often paired with an artist logo or title of the band.
*#Local artwork correctly named and placed as detailed below. If this does not exist, then
*#Online artwork from the scraper site


*'''Album'''
Artist thumbnails have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x1000''', with a '''square (1:1) to somewhat portrait aspect ratio'''. They do not have transparency and preferably do not have a logo or artist name on the image.
*#Local Artwork will over-ride Embedded Artwork
*#Online Artwork is only downloaded when Embedded or Local artwork is not available


== Artist "banner" ==
Artist banners display the artist or band members and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the band.


Artist banners have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x185''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:0.185'''. They do not have transparency.


= Basic Music Artwork =
== Artist "clearlogo" ==
The artwork in the Basic section is the only artwork displayed by the default skin Estuary with a standard install.
Artist logos typically use the distinctive font associated with the musicians and is uncluttered by other images.


{{red|'''Note the following:'''}}
Artist logos have a '''recommended resolution of 800x310''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:0.388'''. The transparent background allows it to be overlaid on other images or video with minimal impact.
*The following naming schemes apply '''only''' to the artwork you have manually sourced and saved. It does not apply to artwork downloaded by the Kodi scraper or any add-on processes.
*To ensure auto-scraping of '''local artwork''', the music files must be arranged in a certain folder heirarchy. There must be a unique Artist folder which then contains Album folders for '''all''' albums by that artist. These album folders contain the individual songs for that album.
*This folder structure is only important if you want to use local artwork or NFO files for providing additional data, it does not contribute to the library contents.
*Using advancedsettings.xml entries, it is possible to modify the file name Kodi scans for when searching for ''folder.jpg'' artwork. See [[Music_artwork#Advancedsettings.xml Settings|Section 6]]


:'''''See also: [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]'''''
== Artist "clearart" ==
Artist clearart have a transparent background with an image of the artist or band along with their logo or name.


Artist clearart have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x562''' with an '''aspect ratio of 16:9'''. The transparent background allows it to be overlaid on other images or video with minimal impact.


== Fanart- Artist ==
== Artist "landscape" ==
[[File:Artwork-MusicFanart01.jpg|400px|right]]
Landscape images are specially made 16x9 images that contain an image of the artist or band and a logo. They are used in certain page layouts for browsing. Skins can make passable replacements for media items without one with fanart and the clearlogo.
Fanart, also known as Wallpapers, Backdrops or Backgrounds, are images that have, in most cases, been created by fans.
;{{See also|wikipedia:Fanart|l1=Fanart on Wikipedia}}


For Kodi, it means digital images, of high quality, that are used as full screen displays to enhance the user experience. The fanart displays the artist or band.  
Artist landscape have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x562''' with an '''aspect ratio of 16:9'''. They have no transparency.


== Local artist artwork ==


The image to the right is a typical example of music fanart. It is specifically designed to match the 16:9 ratio of current generation televisions and monitors. This allows the screen to be completely filled by the image.  
Local artist artwork can be saved in the '''[[Artist information folder]]''' or a '''[[Music tagging#Folder and File Structure| common artist folder among your music files]]''' if Kodi can find one. The general rule for artist artwork file names is "<arttype>.<ext>" with some arttype examples listed below and extension matching the file type. Artist artwork can also be added from online services with an '''[[Scraping Music| "information provider" scraper add-on]]'''. * "folder.jpg" to "thumb" is a special case for the music library.


<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved artist artwork:'''''
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
{|
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| '''''File Type'''''
| width=300px |'''''Artwork type'''''
| '''''Aspect Ratio'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| '''''Resolution- <small>recommended</small>'''''
| width=400px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=300px |'''''Recommended resolution'''''
| width=500px |'''''Aspect ratio'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |fanart
| width=250px |fanart.jpg
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart.jpg<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart.jpg
| width=300px |1920x1080
| width=500px |16:9
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |banner
| width=250px |banner.jpg
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\banner.jpg<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\banner.jpg
| width=300px |1000x185
| width=500px |1:0.185
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |landscape
| width=250px |landscape.jpg
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\landscape.jpg<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\landscape.jpg
| width=300px |1000x562
| width=500px |16:9
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.jpg or png}}
| width=300px |clearlogo
| width=200px | {{nowrap|16:9}}
| width=250px |clearlogo.png
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1920x1080}}
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\clearlogo.png<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\clearlogo.png
|}
| width=300px |800x310
</div><br />
| width=500px  |1:0.388
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Music saved as'''''
| width=300px |clearart
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=250px |clearart.png
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\clearart.png<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\clearart.png
| width=300px |1000x562
| width=500px |16:9
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=300px |thumb
| width=250px |fanart.jpg (or *.png)
| width=250px |folder.jpg *
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart.jpg (or *.png)
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\folder.jpg *<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\folder.jpg *
| width=300px |1000x1000
| width=500px |approximately 1:1
|}
|}
</div>
</div>


= Album artwork =


<gallery mode="packed" widths="350px" heights="200px">
File:Artwork-MusicAlbum01.jpg|Grid of album "thumb"
File:Artwork-MusicBanner01.jpg|"discart" in bottom left and bottom right
</gallery>


== Artist Image ==
== Album "thumb" ==
[[File:Artwork-MusicArtist01.jpg|400px|right]]
Album thumbnails 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.
The Artist Image is also known as Poster, Artist Thumb or just Thumb within Kodi, and is saved as ''folder.jpg'' within the artist folder. They are high quality images of the artist or band members. The image to the right is displaying the Artist Image using the Infowall view in Estuary.


<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
Album thumbnails have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x1000''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:1 (square)'''. Depending on design they can be somewhat wider or somewhat taller, and many skins are designed to accommodate that. They do not have transparency.
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
{|
|- valign="top"
| '''''File Type'''''
| '''''Aspect Ratio'''''
| '''''Resolution- <small>recommended</small>'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.jpg or *.png}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:1}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1000x1000}}
|}
</div><br />


<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
== Album "discart" ==
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
Album discart replicates the picture on the physical CD 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.
{|
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Music saved as'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=250px |folder.jpg (or *.png)
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\folder.jpg (or *.png)
|}
</div>


Album discart have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x1000''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:1 (square)'''. They have a transparent background.


== Album "back" ==
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.


=== Manually Adding Artist Artwork ===
Album backs have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x1000''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:1 (square)'''. Depending on design they can be somewhat wider or somewhat taller to match the album cover. They do not have transparency.
From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the '''Artist Fanart''' and the '''Artist Image''' at any time as follows:


#Select the Artist whose artwork you would like to add or change.
== Album "spine" ==
#Call up the Artist Information page. (Image 1)
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.
#There are two options titled ''Get Thumb'' and ''Get Fanart''. (Image 1)
#Selecting '''''Get Thumb'''''  will present you the options as seen in Image 2
#Selecting '''''Get Fanart'''''  will present you the options as seen in Image 3
#These options are a list of available artworks at the scraper site, or you can navigate to a local or network location as shown in the images.
#Select the desired artwork. Once selected, simply back out of the screen. There is no option to press ''ok'' or ''confirm''
<gallery widths=450px heights=250px>
File:Artwork-MusicAdd01.jpg|Image 1- Choose either Get thumb or Get fanart on the Artist Information Page
File:Artwork-MusicAdd02.jpg|Image 2- The browse screen for Get Thumb (Artist Image). Select from Current, Local or Remote (online) sources
File:Artwork-MusicAdd03.jpg|Image 3- The browse screen for Get Fanart. Select from Current, Local or Remote (online) sources
</gallery>


Album spines have a '''recommended resolution of 50x1000''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:20'''. They do not have transparency.


== Local album artwork ==


== Album Image ==
Local album artwork can be saved in the '''[[Music tagging#Folder and File Structure| album folder]]'''. The general rule for album artwork file names is "<arttype>.<ext>" with some arttype examples listed below and extension matching the file type. Album artwork can also be added from online services with an '''[[Scraping Music| "information provider" scraper add-on]]'''. *"folder.jpg" to "thumb" is a special case for the music library.
[[File:Artwork-MusicAlbum01.jpg|400px|right]]
The album image is also known as the Album Thumb, Album Cover or as Thumb within Kodi. They are high quality images of the Album cover and each album folder would have its own album Folder image. They are saved as ''folder.jpg'' or ''cover.jpg'' inside the album folder. The image to the right is displaying the album images using the Infowall view in Estuary.


<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved album artwork:'''''
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
{|
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| '''''File Type'''''
| width=300px |'''''Artwork type'''''
| '''''Aspect Ratio'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| '''''Resolution- <small>recommended</small>'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=250px |'''''Recommended resolution'''''
| width=600px |'''''Aspect ratio'''''
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.jpg or *.png}}
| width=300px |thumb
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:1}}
| width=250px |folder.jpg *
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1000x1000}}
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\folder.jpg *
|}
| width=250px |1000x1000
</div><br />
| width=600px |approximately 1:1
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Music saved as'''''
| width=300px |discart
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=250px |discart.png
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\discart.png
| width=250px |1000x1000
| width=600px |1:1
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=300px |back
| width=250px |folder.jpg (or *.png)
| width=250px |back.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\folder.jpg (or *.png)
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\back.jpg
| width=250px |1000x1000
| width=600px |approximately 1:1
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |also {{small|see note below}}
| width=300px |spine
| width=250px |cover.jpg (or *.png)
| width=250px |spine.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\cover.jpg (or *.png)
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\spine.jpg
| width=250px |50x1000
| width=600px |1:20
|}
|}
</div>
</div>
{{red|'''Note:''' When performing an Export of the library using Separate Files method, the artwork will be exported as '''folder.jpg''', not cover.jpg. If you use the cover.jpg nomenclature, then you will have duplicated artwork.}}


 
= Source Folder Artwork =
=== Manually Adding Album Artwork ===
From within Kodi, you have the ability to manually change the Album artwork at any time.
 
#Select the Album whose artwork you would like to add or change.
#Call up the Album Information page.
#Select ''Get Thumb'' as seen in Image 1 below.
#You will be presented a list of available artworks at the scraper site, or you can navigate to a local or network location as shown in Image 2
#Select the desired artwork. Once selected, simply back out of the screen. There is no option to press ''ok'' or ''confirm''
<gallery widths=450px heights=250px>
File:Artwork-MusicAdd04.jpg|Image 1- Choose Get thumb on the Album Information Page
File:Artwork-MusicAdd05.jpg|Image 2- The browse screen for Get Thumb (Album Image). Select from Current, Local or Remote (online) sources
</gallery>
 
 
 
== Source Folder Artwork ==
[[File:Artwork-VideoFolder01.jpg|400px|right]]
[[File:Artwork-VideoFolder01.jpg|400px|right]]


Line 207: Line 192:
</nowiki></pre>
</nowiki></pre>


<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
Line 230: Line 215:
</div><br />
</div><br />


<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''''Naming conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
'''''Naming conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
{|
{|
Line 244: Line 229:
| width=200px |Alternative name:
| width=200px |Alternative name:
| width=250px |<foldername>.jpg
| width=250px |<foldername>.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Musc\Music.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Music.jpg
|}
|}
</div>
</div>


= Experimental music artwork =


== Artist "extrafanart" folder ==
{{anchor|Extra Fanart}}


= Extended Music 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.
To display the Extended Music Artwork, a skin supporting this function must be installed. Each skin varies in its ability to display the different types of artwork but most will display all the extended artwork. To ease the workload in updating your library with the new artwork, most skins will install the '''cdART Manager''' add-on as part of the skin installation process. You can also install via the Kodi official repository. cdART Manager is exclusive to the Music Library.
; {{see also|Add-on:CdART_Manager}}
 
Artwork Beef has been expanded to include scraping of music artwork. This is available in Kodi v18 only. Artwork Beef is not in the Official Kodi Repository, but can be downloaded via links in the forum.<br>
'''See also: [https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=258886 Artwork Beef]'''
 
The job of both cdART Manager and Artwork Beef is to identify artists and albums in the user's library and then download all available Artwork, copy it to the right paths and register it with Kodi so it can be cached and displayed. Neither add-on is needed to display any artwork, it only automates the download and caching process.
 
 
{{green|'''v18 Note''': The music section of Kodi is undergoing major overhaul for v18. As of early May 2018, Kodi is able to scan local extended artwork into the library. If you have local artwork, there will no longer be a need to use either of the above add-ons. The above add-ons will only be needed if you need to locate the artwork online.}}
 
 
{{red|'''Note the following:'''}}
*The following naming schemes apply '''only''' to the artwork you have manually sourced and saved. It does not apply to artwork downloaded by the Kodi scraper or any add-on processes.
*To ensure auto-scraping of '''local artwork''', the music files must be arranged in a certain folder heirarchy. There must be a unique Artist folder which then contains Album folders for '''all''' albums by that artist. These album folders contain the individual songs for that album.
*This folder structure is only important if you want to use local artwork or NFO files for providing additional data, it does not contribute to the library contents.
 
 
*If using the cdART Manager add-on, it is important to note the following
**The add-on has the option to use local artwork (if correctly named and saved) or online artwork. When viewing the Album and Artist information page for the first time, the cdART Manager will automatically scrape local artwork. If no local artwork is available, it will scrape online sources.
**Using the Kodi scraper will not download extended artwork. The cdART Manager add-on is required to be run after the Kodi scrape process. i.e. you are performing two or three scrapes depending upon settings.
 
:'''''See also: [http://www.theaudiodb.com/ The AudioDB]'''''
 
 
 
== Banner ==
[[File:Artwork-MusicBanner01.jpg|400px|right]]
 
Also known as Wide Banner Icons and Artist Banner. The image to the right shows the Banner view at the top right position. They are images that contain the artist or band. The banner image normally displays the artist or band logo which is of a size that is clearly legible. The view is from the Aeon MQ7- Krypton Mod skin


Extra Fanart is stored in a separate Folder named "extrafanart". Create a Folder named '''extrafanart''' in the folder of the Artist, and place each extra fanart image in it. This artwork is not added to the Kodi library, instead skins list the folder directly; this can wake hard drives while browsing the library. The filename is mostly not important.


<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#72d2f7, #f5e3ff}}">
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved extrafanart::'''''
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
{|
|- valign="top"
| '''''File Type'''''
| '''''Aspect Ratio'''''
| '''''Resolution- <small>recommended</small>'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.jpg or *.png}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:0.185}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1000x185}}
|}
</div><br />
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
{|
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
Line 307: Line 251:
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=250px |banner.jpg or (*.png)
| width=250px |fanart0.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\banner.jpg (or *.png)
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart0.jpg
|}
</div>
 
== Logo ==
[[File:Artwork-MusicBanner01.jpg|400px|right]]
 
Also known as Clear Logo. This is the logo or name of the artist or band on a transparent background. The logo uses the distinctive font associated with the musicians and is uncluttered by other images. The transparent background allows it to be overlayed on other images or video with minimal impact. The image to the right shows the logo at the far right of the image, roughly in the centre and looks like a signature. The view is from the Aeon MQ7- Krypton Mod skin
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| '''''File Type'''''
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| '''''Aspect Ratio'''''
| width=250px |fanart1.jpg
| '''''Resolution- <small>recommended</small>'''''
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart1.jpg
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.png}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:0.388}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|800x310}}
|}
</div><br />
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Music saved as'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=250px |logo.png
| width=250px |fanart2.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\logo.png
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart2.jpg
|}
|}
</div>
</div>


== Multiple fanart ==


Multiple fanart is an alternative to "extrafanart" that 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.


== CD Art ==
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. This currently requires more work from skins to display than "extrafanart" and can be awkward to configure because each numbered fanart needs to be added to the artwork whitelist, but the improved performance and behavior that matches other artwork is worth it.
[[File:Artwork-MusicBanner01.jpg|400px|right]]
CD Art, also known as Disc Art, is the image that is visible on the physical CD. It uses a transparent background.
 
The image to the right displays the CD Art in two locations- bottom left and bottom right corners of the image.
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
'''Required file properties:'''<br />
<small>Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained</small>
{|
|- valign="top"
| '''''File Type'''''
| '''''Aspect Ratio'''''
| '''''Resolution- <small>recommended</small>'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.png}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:1}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1000x1000}}
|}
</div><br />


<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5d3ff, #12b2e7}}">
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#72d2f7, #f5e3ff}}">
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved multiple fanart:'''''
{|
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Music saved as'''''
| width=300px |'''''Artwork type'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=300px |fanart (standard fanart)
| width=250px |cdart.png
| width=250px |fanart.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\cdart.png
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart.jpg
|- valign="top"
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart.jpg
| width=300px |or
| width=250px |disc.png
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\disc.png
|}
</div>
 
 
 
== Extra Fanart ==
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. These images are not cached, and are directly accessed by the skin.
 
Extra Fanart is stored in a separate Folder named "extrafanart". Create a Folder named '''extrafanart''' in the folder of the Artist.  Each Extra Fanart must be named ''fanartX.jpg'' where ''X'' is a sequential number starting with 0 ''(fanart0.jpg, fanart1.jpg, fanart2.jpg, etc)''. There is a limit of 10 fanart images allowable. Be aware that some skins utilise less than 10 of the images. The location of the extrafanart Folder is as follows.
 
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#12b2e7, #f5d3ff}}">
'''''Naming and Saving conventions for your own manually sourced Extra Fanart:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Music saved as'''''
| width=300px |fanart1
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=250px |fanart1.jpg
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart1.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart1.jpg
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |Artist\Album\Songs
| width=300px |fanart2
| width=250px |fanart0.jpg
| width=250px |fanart2.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart0.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart2.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart2.jpg
|}
|}
</div>
</div>


= Embedded Artwork =
= Embedded Artwork =
<section begin="EmbeddedArtwork" />As of v17, Kodi supports embedded album art in mp3 files with ID3v2 tags, WMA/WMV files with ASF tags, FLAC files with Vorbis comments/Xiph tags, and mp4 files with itunes tags. It does not currently support embedded album art in APEv2 tags or Ogg files.<section end="EmbeddedArtwork" />
<section begin="EmbeddedArtwork" />As of v17, Kodi supports embedded album art in mp3 files with ID3v2 tags, WMA/WMV files with ASF tags, FLAC files with Vorbis comments/Xiph tags, and mp4 files with itunes tags. It does not currently support embedded album art in APEv2 tags or Ogg files.<section end="EmbeddedArtwork" />
To understand the priority of Embedded Images in Library Mode, '''''see [[Music_artwork#Caching|Caching]]''''' above.<br />
To understand the priority of Embedded Images in File Mode, '''''see [[Music_artwork#File_Mode|File Mode]]''''' below.


Kodi cannot recognise multiple embedded images in a song file. It can only extract the "Front Cover" image assuming they have been tagged correctly within the file. All other images are ignored.
Kodi cannot recognise multiple embedded images in a song file. It can only extract the "Front Cover" image assuming they have been tagged correctly within the file. All other images are ignored.
Line 423: Line 303:
; '''''see also: [[Music_tagging#Tags_Kodi_reads|Tags Kodi Reads]]
; '''''see also: [[Music_tagging#Tags_Kodi_reads|Tags Kodi Reads]]


= Library artwork source priority =


# Local artwork files
#* Local artwork files next to your media items or in the "[[Artist information folder]]". These are expected to be mid-high quality level for display in an interface like Kodi.
#* all types of artwork can be saved to local artwork files
# Artwork embedded in tracks
#* Artwork embedded in individual tracks of an album. These are expected to be lower quality to reduce the size of the image duplicated to many song files.
#* Only supports the album front cover
# Online source from "information provider"/scraper
#* only if the option in Kodi settings -> Media -> Music -> "Fetch additional information during updates" is enabled
#* will only be set if there is no local or embedded artwork unless the option in Kodi settings -> Media -> Music -> "Prefer online information" is enabled
#* all types of artwork can be added from information providers


= File Mode =
= File Mode =
File Mode is similar to using the file manager provided by your operating system- eg Explorer in Windows systems. It is simply a file browser that allows you to view and play your media even though it has not been scanned and/or scraped into the Library. This mode does not provide the added benefits of Extended Artwork and Album/Artist metadata that the properly scanned and scraped library provides. As a result, Music Artwork is handled differently using this mode as follows:
File Mode is similar to using the file manager provided by your operating system- eg Explorer in Windows systems. It is simply a file browser that allows you to view and play your media even though it has not been scanned and/or scraped into the Library. This mode does not provide the added benefits of Extended Artwork and Album/Artist metadata that the properly scanned and scraped library provides. As a result, Music Artwork is handled differently using this mode as follows:


*The only artwork displayed in File Mode is Artist Image and Album Image.  
*The only artwork displayed in File Mode is artist thumb and album thumb.  
*You must have local artwork named and saved as detailed in paragraph 2 above.  
*You must have local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above.
*These images are not loaded automatically. The Artist or Album must be viewed once to allow Kodi to locate and cache the image.  
*These images are not loaded automatically. The Artist or Album must be viewed once to allow Kodi to locate and cache the image.
*When '''Enable tag reading''' is '''''Enabled''''' the song must be viewed to allow Kodi to scan for embedded images if no local image is available.
*When '''Enable tag reading''' is '''''Enabled''''' the song must be viewed to allow Kodi to scan for embedded images if no local image is available.


Kodi looks for and caches artwork in the following order:
Kodi looks for and caches artwork in the following order:
*'''For Artist artwork:'''
*'''For Artist artwork:'''
*#Local artwork named and saved as detailed in paragraph 2 above. There is no fallback image
*#Local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above. There is no fallback image


*'''For Album artwork:'''
*'''For Album artwork:'''
*#Local artwork named and saved as detailed in paragraph 2 above. If there is no local artwork then
*#Local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above. If there is no local artwork then
*#If you have '''Enable tag reading''' set as '''''Disabled''''' in Settings>Media Settings>Music then there is no fallback image
*#If you have '''Enable tag reading''' set as '''''Disabled''''' in Settings>Media Settings>Music then there is no fallback image
*#If you have '''Enable tag reading''' set as '''''Enabled''''' in Settings>Media Settings>Music then Kodi will search for an embedded image to cache.
*#If you have '''Enable tag reading''' set as '''''Enabled''''' in Settings>Media Settings>Music then Kodi will search for an embedded image to cache.


Be aware that if you use File Mode, then upgrade to Library Mode at a later stage, your existing cached artwork may interfere with the correct scanning and scraping of new artwork. There is no simple fix for this. Your choices are
Be aware that if you use File Mode, then upgrade to Library Mode at a later stage, your existing cached artwork may interfere with the correct scanning and scraping of new artwork. There is no simple fix for this. Your choices are
#Manually amend the affected artwork as described in chapter 2 above
#Manually amend the affected artwork as described in chapter 2 above
#Perform the [[Artwork#Delete_textures13.db|delete textures13.db]] procedure. This will also affect your Video Library.
#Perform the [[Artwork/Cache#Advanced: delete textures13.db|delete textures13.db]] procedure. This will also affect your Video Library.
 
 
 
= Advancedsettings.xml Settings =
{{#lst:Advancedsettings.xml|musicthumbs}}
 
{{red|Be aware that this method is only applied when art is fetched during the initial scan into library. These settings do not function in the following circumstances:}}<br />
*{{red|When the ''[[Music_artwork#Manually_Adding_Artist_Artwork|Get Thumb]]'' button on the artist info dialog is pressed, and}}<br />
*{{red|When the ''[[Music_artwork#Manually_Adding_Album_Artwork|Get Thumb]]'' button on the album info dialog is pressed.}}<br />
{{red|These two functions look for "folder.jpg" locally which is then listed with any other possible remote thumbs returned by scraping online.}}<br />
 
 
 
= Best Practice for Local Artwork =
{{Note|The issues described below affect {{kodi}} v17.x and prior. From v18 onwards, the issues have been resolved}}<br />
How to organise your music to work around the current limitations Kodi has in identifying where local art (and NFO files) may be located, and what can go wrong.
 
For a great deal of music, where albums have one album artist, using a unique artist\album\song folder hierarchy is the obvious way to organise your music, and Kodi will have no problems finding correctly named image files located in that structure. It can often happen without any user intervention too, as much tagging software such as Musicbrainz Picard will create local album art files as part of the tagging process.
 
The algorthim used to determine the location of the artist and album folders has weaknesses. It can not handle collaborations (albums by more than one album artist e.g. orchestra and conductor), non-unique artist names, disc sets or singles. If local art is not being found then often it is because of the location of some of the song files connected to that artist or album.
 
 
 
==No Suitable Artist Folder==
However it is not always possible to create a unique artist folder, with ''all'' the albums by that artist, and only that artist, in folders beneath it.
 
*'''Collaborations'''
The obvious example is when an album has more than one album artist, this is very common with Classical music where the composer, orchestra and conductor are tagged as album artists, but also happens in popular music e.g. "Riding With The King" is a collaboration between BB King and Eric clapton, or "The Juliet Letters" by Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet.  There is no work around for providing local art for artists involved in collaborations like this. However the artist scraper will still be able to fetch online artwork for these artists.
 
*'''Song Artists without Albums'''
Some artists may appear only on songs from Various Artists compilation albums, or as featured artist on songs on an album by another artist, but do not have any albums in your collection. These artists also do not have a unique folder containing all the songs they perform on, and so again there is no place to store local art.
 
*'''Other Artists: Composers, Producers, Mixers, Musicians etc.'''
From v17 Kodi processes the tags that descibe the other people involved and musicians etc. in a song. These may be artists with songs and albums in their own right, but often will include people that are do not appear in your music collection in any other role. Again no unique folder containing all the songs they perform on, and no place to store local art.
 
 
 
==Compilations==
Compliation albums also have a reputation for causing difficulties with scraping local artist art. This is mostly because of the unwanted consequences of immediately scraping each album and artist as each is added. (This is solved in v18).
 
One way to minimise this problem is to leave ''Fetch additional info on update'' ''disabled'', and initiate scraping of album and artist information and artwork using "Query Information for All" from the context menu ''after'' scanning a new source has completed.
 
Another is to group all compilation albums under a separate folder, named so that, alphabetically, it is the last folder in the list to be processed. So for example if your normal album artists have folders Musicpath\artistname\ then use Musicpath\zzzCompilations\
 
It can also be useful to put the compliations folder on a completely separate path to where the normal album artist folders are located, and add it as a separate music source. So for example if your normal album artists have folders Musicpath1\artistname\ then use Musicpath2\zzzCompilations\
 
 
 
== Workarounds ==
In addition to the workarounds mentioned in Compilations above, the following may further reduce issues with scraping local artwork:
*'''The cdART Manager addon''' does support a way to provide local art for song artists that do not have albums of their own. It involves creating empty (no music files) Artist folders for those artists. These Artist folders '''must''' match the artist name exactly. cdART Manager will create these empty folders for every song artist in your collection, that can be a lot of folders!
*It is useful to have separate/multiple music sources that separates standard artists and albums, that can easily be organised in a artist\album\song folder heirarchy, from those such as classical music, soundtracks, and compilations which can not.
 
 


= {{Kodi}} version updates =


* {{Kodi}} 17 and before did not have the "Artist information folder" option, so could have trouble identifying a local folder for artist artwork in some cases.
* {{Kodi}} 17 and before was '''limited to just "fanart" and "thumb" for artist images''' and '''"thumb" for album images''', it did not have the flexibility to add a wide variety of artwork. Expanded artwork is new and still being explored from multiple angles, so not all skins or scrapers or tools will support a full selection.
** Skins for versions of Kodi prior to v18 could use Skin Helper Service for some support of expanded artwork, but that has been superseded with this Kodi built-in functionality.
* {{Kodi}} 18 adds a flexible collection of artwork for music items, but each artwork type must be '''[[Advancedsettings.xml#Music library extra artwork| whitelisted in advancedsettings.xml]]''' so that {{Kodi}} will add the specified artwork from scrapers and the file system automatically.


{{Top}}
{{Top}}


 
{{updated|18}}
{{updated|17}}
[[Category:FAQ]]
[[Category:FAQ]]
[[Category:Index]]
[[Category:Index]]

Revision as of 13:53, 2 February 2019

Steps to create your Music Library
Nuvola apps kscd.png
1. Guide Main Page
2. Music Settings
3. Music File Tagging
4. Scanning Music Into Library
5. Artist information folder
6. Scraping Additional Music data

7. Update Music Library
8. NFO Files
8.1 Music NFO Files
9. Artwork
9.1 Music Artwork


10. Import-export library
10.1 Music Import-Export
11. Backup & Recover
Zappy.png
Home icon grey.png   ▶ Music Library Index ▶ Artwork ▶ Music artwork


Music artwork are images directly related to an artist or an album, preferably of high quality, that are displayed when viewing the album or artist entry in the library. They may also be used as visualizations while playing music. The artwork support in Kodi's music library is very flexible and able to display many types of artwork, but this page will describe the types of artwork readily available for the Music library of Kodi.

It is important to note the following:

  • Artwork is skin dependent. This means that some skins display a small number of artwork types, while other skins will display many different artwork types.
  • The default skin, Estuary, displays only a limited selection of artwork. Another skin must be used to see other artwork.
  • To ensure local artwork is added when scanning new media items, the music files must be arranged in a certain folder hierarchy. See Music folder and file structure for a basic option and the Artist information folder for a separate directory option just for artist artwork and NFO files.
  • Each artwork type must be whitelisted in advancedsettings.xml to be added to the library automatically during scanning and scraping.
  • Kodi 18 is required for expanded artwork type support in the music library.

Artist artwork

Artist "fanart"

Fanart is also known as wallpapers, backdrops, or backgrounds.

For Kodi they are used as full screen displays to enhance the user experience. The fanart displays the artist or band.

Fanart have a recommended resolution of 1920x1080 the display, with a specific aspect ratio of 16:9 to match the ratio of current generation televisions and monitors, which allows the screen to be completely filled by the image. Fanart also does not have transparency and preferably does not have a logo or title on the image.

Artist "thumb"

Artist thumbnails display the artist or band members, and are often paired with an artist logo or title of the band.

Artist thumbnails have a recommended resolution of 1000x1000, with a square (1:1) to somewhat portrait aspect ratio. They do not have transparency and preferably do not have a logo or artist name on the image.

Artist "banner"

Artist banners display the artist or band members and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the band.

Artist banners have a recommended resolution of 1000x185 with an aspect ratio of 1:0.185. They do not have transparency.

Artist "clearlogo"

Artist logos typically use the distinctive font associated with the musicians and is uncluttered by other images.

Artist logos have a recommended resolution of 800x310 with an aspect ratio of 1:0.388. The transparent background allows it to be overlaid on other images or video with minimal impact.

Artist "clearart"

Artist clearart have a transparent background with an image of the artist or band along with their logo or name.

Artist clearart have a recommended resolution of 1000x562 with an aspect ratio of 16:9. The transparent background allows it to be overlaid on other images or video with minimal impact.

Artist "landscape"

Landscape images are specially made 16x9 images that contain an image of the artist or band and a logo. They are used in certain page layouts for browsing. Skins can make passable replacements for media items without one with fanart and the clearlogo.

Artist landscape have a recommended resolution of 1000x562 with an aspect ratio of 16:9. They have no transparency.

Local artist artwork

Local artist artwork can be saved in the Artist information folder or a common artist folder among your music files if Kodi can find one. The general rule for artist artwork file names is "<arttype>.<ext>" with some arttype examples listed below and extension matching the file type. Artist artwork can also be added from online services with an "information provider" scraper add-on. * "folder.jpg" to "thumb" is a special case for the music library.

Example naming convention for locally saved artist artwork:

Artwork type File Name Save name & location example Recommended resolution Aspect ratio
fanart fanart.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\fanart.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart.jpg
1920x1080 16:9
banner banner.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\banner.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\banner.jpg
1000x185 1:0.185
landscape landscape.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\landscape.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\landscape.jpg
1000x562 16:9
clearlogo clearlogo.png f:\Music\Madonna\clearlogo.png
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\clearlogo.png
800x310 1:0.388
clearart clearart.png f:\Music\Madonna\clearart.png
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\clearart.png
1000x562 16:9
thumb folder.jpg * f:\Music\Madonna\folder.jpg *
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\folder.jpg *
1000x1000 approximately 1:1

Album artwork

Album "thumb"

Album thumbnails 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.

Album thumbnails have a recommended resolution of 1000x1000 with an aspect ratio of 1:1 (square). Depending on design they can be somewhat wider or somewhat taller, and many skins are designed to accommodate that. They do not have transparency.

Album "discart"

Album discart replicates the picture on the physical CD 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.

Album discart have a recommended resolution of 1000x1000 with an aspect ratio of 1:1 (square). They have a transparent background.

Album "back"

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.

Album backs have a recommended resolution of 1000x1000 with an aspect ratio of 1:1 (square). Depending on design they can be somewhat wider or somewhat taller to match the album cover. They do not have transparency.

Album "spine"

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.

Album spines have a recommended resolution of 50x1000 with an aspect ratio of 1:20. They do not have transparency.

Local album artwork

Local album artwork can be saved in the album folder. The general rule for album artwork file names is "<arttype>.<ext>" with some arttype examples listed below and extension matching the file type. Album artwork can also be added from online services with an "information provider" scraper add-on. *"folder.jpg" to "thumb" is a special case for the music library.

Example naming convention for locally saved album artwork:

Artwork type File Name Save name & location example Recommended resolution Aspect ratio
thumb folder.jpg * f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\folder.jpg * 1000x1000 approximately 1:1
discart discart.png f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\discart.png 1000x1000 1:1
back back.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\back.jpg 1000x1000 approximately 1:1
spine spine.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\spine.jpg 50x1000 1:20

Source Folder Artwork

Artwork-VideoFolder01.jpg

The Folder Artwork, also known as Source Folder thumb, can be landscape, portrait or square images that are used to replace the standard folder icons when browsing your music sources in the files section. You will not see this artwork in the Music menu. This image file is saved directly within the Source directory.

To enable the image, navigate to Music>Files in the menu system. Highlight a source and call up the Context Menu. Select Choose Thumbnail. If you have saved 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 as it will not be cached. Deleting the image will remove it from view in the folder icon.

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

<source>
   <name>music</name>
   <path>xbms://192.168.1.100:1400/Music/</path>
   <thumbnail>F:\Apps\XBMC\thumbs\shares\thumb.png</thumbnail>
</source>

Required file properties:
Note: The resolution may be increased but ensure the aspect ratio is maintained

File Type Aspect Ratio Resolution- recommended
*.jpg 16:9 640x360
*.jpg 1:1.5 400x600
*.jpg 1:1 500x500


Naming conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:

Source File Name Save name & location example
Folder Artwork: folder.jpg f:\Music\folder.jpg
Alternative name: <foldername>.jpg f:\Music\Music.jpg

Experimental music artwork

Artist "extrafanart" folder

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.

Extra Fanart is stored in a separate Folder named "extrafanart". Create a Folder named extrafanart in the folder of the Artist, and place each extra fanart image in it. This artwork is not added to the Kodi library, instead skins list the folder directly; this can wake hard drives while browsing the library. The filename is mostly not important.

Example naming convention for locally saved extrafanart::

Music saved as File Name Save name & location example
Artist\Album\Songs fanart0.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart0.jpg
Artist\Album\Songs fanart1.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart1.jpg
Artist\Album\Songs fanart2.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\extrafanart\fanart2.jpg

Multiple fanart

Multiple fanart is an alternative to "extrafanart" that 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.

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. This currently requires more work from skins to display than "extrafanart" and can be awkward to configure because each numbered fanart needs to be added to the artwork whitelist, but the improved performance and behavior that matches other artwork is worth it.

Example naming convention for locally saved multiple fanart:

Artwork type File Name Save name & location example
fanart (standard fanart) fanart.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\fanart.jpg

h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart.jpg

fanart1 fanart1.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\fanart1.jpg

h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart1.jpg

fanart2 fanart2.jpg f:\Music\Madonna\fanart2.jpg

h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart2.jpg

Embedded Artwork

As of v17, Kodi supports embedded album art in mp3 files with ID3v2 tags, WMA/WMV files with ASF tags, FLAC files with Vorbis comments/Xiph tags, and mp4 files with itunes tags. It does not currently support embedded album art in APEv2 tags or Ogg files.

Kodi cannot recognise multiple embedded images in a song file. It can only extract the "Front Cover" image assuming they have been tagged correctly within the file. All other images are ignored.

A list of embedded tags recognised by Kodi is available

see also: Tags Kodi Reads

Library artwork source priority

  1. Local artwork files
    • Local artwork files next to your media items or in the "Artist information folder". These are expected to be mid-high quality level for display in an interface like Kodi.
    • all types of artwork can be saved to local artwork files
  2. Artwork embedded in tracks
    • Artwork embedded in individual tracks of an album. These are expected to be lower quality to reduce the size of the image duplicated to many song files.
    • Only supports the album front cover
  3. Online source from "information provider"/scraper
    • only if the option in Kodi settings -> Media -> Music -> "Fetch additional information during updates" is enabled
    • will only be set if there is no local or embedded artwork unless the option in Kodi settings -> Media -> Music -> "Prefer online information" is enabled
    • all types of artwork can be added from information providers

File Mode

File Mode is similar to using the file manager provided by your operating system- eg Explorer in Windows systems. It is simply a file browser that allows you to view and play your media even though it has not been scanned and/or scraped into the Library. This mode does not provide the added benefits of Extended Artwork and Album/Artist metadata that the properly scanned and scraped library provides. As a result, Music Artwork is handled differently using this mode as follows:

  • The only artwork displayed in File Mode is artist thumb and album thumb.
  • You must have local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above.
  • These images are not loaded automatically. The Artist or Album must be viewed once to allow Kodi to locate and cache the image.
  • When Enable tag reading is Enabled the song must be viewed to allow Kodi to scan for embedded images if no local image is available.

Kodi looks for and caches artwork in the following order:

  • For Artist artwork:
    1. Local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above. There is no fallback image
  • For Album artwork:
    1. Local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above. If there is no local artwork then
    2. If you have Enable tag reading set as Disabled in Settings>Media Settings>Music then there is no fallback image
    3. If you have Enable tag reading set as Enabled in Settings>Media Settings>Music then Kodi will search for an embedded image to cache.

Be aware that if you use File Mode, then upgrade to Library Mode at a later stage, your existing cached artwork may interfere with the correct scanning and scraping of new artwork. There is no simple fix for this. Your choices are

  1. Manually amend the affected artwork as described in chapter 2 above
  2. Perform the delete textures13.db procedure. This will also affect your Video Library.

Kodi version updates

  • Kodi 17 and before did not have the "Artist information folder" option, so could have trouble identifying a local folder for artist artwork in some cases.
  • Kodi 17 and before was limited to just "fanart" and "thumb" for artist images and "thumb" for album images, it did not have the flexibility to add a wide variety of artwork. Expanded artwork is new and still being explored from multiple angles, so not all skins or scrapers or tools will support a full selection.
    • Skins for versions of Kodi prior to v18 could use Skin Helper Service for some support of expanded artwork, but that has been superseded with this Kodi built-in functionality.
  • Kodi 18 adds a flexible collection of artwork for music items, but each artwork type must be whitelisted in advancedsettings.xml so that Kodi will add the specified artwork from scrapers and the file system automatically.
Return to top