Music artwork: Difference between revisions

From Official Kodi Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(→‎Experimental music artwork: "extrafanart" folder hack doesn't work in the music library)
(Overhaul)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{MusicLibraryCreate}}
{{Artwork_Contents}}
{{mininav|[[:Category:Music_library|Music Library Index]] |[[Artwork]]}}
{{mininav|[[:Category:Music_library|Music Library Index]] |[[Artwork]]}}




<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" />
<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, depending on the skin in use.<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 many different artwork types.
* To ensure '''local artwork''' is added when scanning new media items, the image files must be arranged in a certain folder hierarchy.  
* The default skin, Estuary, displays only a limited selection of artwork. Another skin must be used to see other artwork.
** For Albums see '''''[[Music tagging#Folder_and_File_Structure| Music folder and file structure]]''''' for a basic option  
*To ensure '''local artwork''' is added when scanning new media items, the image 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.
** For Artists see '''''[[Artist information folder]]''''' which is new for v18 and separates Artists from music files and overcomes the inherent limitations of that previous method.
* 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.
* 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.
* Kodi 18 is required for expanded artwork type support in the 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" ==
= Artist Information Folder =
Fanart is also known as wallpapers, backdrops, or backgrounds.
:{{main|Artist information folder}}
;{{See also|wikipedia:Fanart|l1=Fanart on Wikipedia}}
{{#lst:Artist_information_folder|intro}}


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" ==
= Fetching Additional Artwork =
Artist thumbnails display the artist or band members, and are often paired with an artist logo or title of the band.
v18 introduces an '''experimental''' feature that will auto-load extended artwork without the use of additional add-ons. It is considered an advanced feature. Usage and practicality of this feature are being monitored and may change in later releases.


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.
In the Music library, artwork is described as follows:


== Artist "banner" ==
{| class="prettytable"
Artist banners are wide and short images that contain the artist or band members and typically includes a clearly visible logo or the name of the band.
! colspan="8" style="text-align:left; background-color:#72d2f7;" | Artist Artwork
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | Basic Artwork
! colspan="1" style="text-align:left;" |
! colspan="5" style="text-align:left;" | Extended Artwork
|-
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|fanart
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|folder
! colspan="1" style="text-align:left;" |
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|banner
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|clearart
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|clearlogo
|style="width:100px; text-align:left;"|fanart''xx'' (extrafanart)
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|landscape
|-
! colspan="12" style="text-align:left; background-color:#72d2f7;" | Album Artwork
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:left;" | Basic Artwork
! colspan="1" style="text-align:left;" |
! colspan="8" style="text-align:left;" | Extended Artwork
|-
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|folder
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|
! colspan="1" style="text-align:left;" |
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|back
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|discart
|style="width:80px; text-align:left;"|spine
|-
|}


Artist banners have a '''recommended resolution of 1000x185''' with an '''aspect ratio of 1:0.185'''. They do not have transparency.
'''Basic''' artwork requires no special setup as it has always been natively fetched by {{kodi}}


== Artist "clearlogo" ==
'''Extended''' artwork required the use of additional add-ons in previous versions. cdART (now defunct) was used. More recently '''''[https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=258886 Artwork Beef]''''' is used.
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.
Users now have the '''option''' of allowing {{kodi}} to load all artwork without add-ons. To use this feature...


== Artist "clearart" ==
:'''1.''' Add the below code to the '''[[Advancedsettings.xml| advancedsettings.xml]]''' file, ensuring you do not duplicate any tags if they already exist... eg ''<advancedsettings></advancedsettings>, <musiclibrary></musiclibrary>''
Artist clearart have a transparent background with an image of the artist or band along with their logo or name.
:'''2.''' Install the '''[[Add-on:Universal_Artist_Scraper|Universal Artist Scraper]]''' and '''[[Add-on:Universal_Album_Scraper|Universal Album Scraper]]''' and ensure the settings to download extra art are enabled.
:'''3.''' Scan as normal


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.
:'''Note:''' The code box adds common extended artwork that most skins will utilise. It is your choice which extended artwork you add. If you add additional to that shown, ensure the skin has support to display it.
<syntaxhighlight lang="xml" line='line'>
<advancedsettings>
<musiclibrary>
<artistextraart>
<arttype>banner</arttype>
<arttype>clearart</arttype>
<arttype>clearlogo</arttype>
        <arttype>fanart1</arttype> <!-- Multiple fanart -->
        <arttype>fanart2</arttype> <!-- Add as many as required. -->
        <arttype>fanart3</arttype> <!-- See 9.1 Multiple Fanart section below -->
<arttype>landscape</arttype>
</artistextraart>
<albumextraart>
<arttype>back</arttype>
<arttype>discart</arttype>
<arttype>spine</arttype>
</albumextraart>
</musiclibrary>
</advancedsettings>
</syntaxhighlight>


== Artist "landscape" ==
<gallery mode="packed-overlay" widths="500px" heights="283px">
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.
File:UniversalArtistScraper03.jpg|Artist Scraper- Enable Extra Artwork
File:UniversalAlbumScraper02.jpg|Album Scraper- Enable Extra Artwork
</gallery>


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 '''[[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.
= Local Artwork =
Local artist artwork can be saved in the '''[[Artist information folder]]''' (shown in image) or a '''[[Music tagging#Folder and File Structure| common artist folder among your music files]]''' if Kodi can find one.  


<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
Local album artwork can be saved in the '''[[Music tagging#Folder and File Structure| album folder]]''' (shown in image).  
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved artist artwork:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Artwork type'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| 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"
| width=300px |clearlogo
| width=250px |clearlogo.png
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\clearlogo.png<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\clearlogo.png
| width=300px |800x310
| width=500px  |1:0.388
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |clearart
| width=250px |clearart.png
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\clearart.png<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\clearart.png
| width=300px |1000x562
| width=500px |16:9
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |thumb
| width=250px |folder.jpg *
| width=400px |f:\Music\Madonna\folder.jpg *<br>h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\folder.jpg *
| width=300px |1000x1000
| width=500px |approximately 1:1
|}
</div>


= Album artwork =
The general rule for artist and album artwork file naming is '''''<arttype>.<ext>'''''.


<gallery mode="packed" widths="350px" heights="200px">
<gallery mode="packed" widths="1000px" heights="562px">
File:Artwork-MusicAlbum01.jpg|Grid of album "thumb"
File:LocalMusicArtwork01.jpg
File:Artwork-MusicBanner01.jpg|"discart" in bottom left and bottom right
</gallery>
</gallery>


== 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 '''[[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.
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved album artwork:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Artwork type'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
| width=250px |'''''Recommended resolution'''''
| width=600px |'''''Aspect ratio'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |thumb
| width=250px |folder.jpg *
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\folder.jpg *
| width=250px |1000x1000
| width=600px |approximately 1:1
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |discart
| width=250px |discart.png
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\discart.png
| width=250px |1000x1000
| width=600px |1:1
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |back
| width=250px |back.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\back.jpg
| width=250px |1000x1000
| width=600px |approximately 1:1
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |spine
| width=250px |spine.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\Like A Prayer\spine.jpg
| width=250px |50x1000
| width=600px |1:20
|}
</div>
= Source Folder Artwork =
[[File:Artwork-VideoFolder01.jpg|400px|right]]


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
<pre><nowiki>
<source>
  <name>music</name>
  <path>xbms://192.168.1.100:1400/Music/</path>
  <thumbnail>F:\Apps\XBMC\thumbs\shares\thumb.png</thumbnail>
</source>
</nowiki></pre>
<div style="{{linear-gradient|bottom|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''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}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|16:9}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|640x360}}
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.jpg}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:1.5}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|400x600}}
|- valign="top"
| width=150px | {{nowrap|*.jpg}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|1:1}}
| width=200px | {{nowrap|500x500}}
|}
</div><br />
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#f5e3ff, #72d2f7}}">
'''''Naming conventions for your own manually sourced artwork:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
| width=200px |'''''Source'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=200px |Folder Artwork:
| width=250px |folder.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\folder.jpg
|- valign="top"
| width=200px |Alternative name:
| width=250px |<foldername>.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Music.jpg
|}
</div>
= Experimental music artwork =
== Multiple fanart ==
It is possible to download and save additional high quality fanart which the skin can display, usually in a slideshow. Multiple fanart is reliant on a supporting skin and the images have exactly the same properties as the standard fanart described above.
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. Each individual fanart# must be '''[[Advancedsettings.xml#Extra artwork| whitelisted in advancedsettings.xml]]''' to be added to the library automatically during scanning and scraping.
<div style="{{linear-gradient|top|#72d2f7, #f5e3ff}}">
'''''Example naming convention for locally saved multiple fanart:'''''
{|
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |'''''Artwork type'''''
| width=250px |'''''File Name'''''
| width=600px |'''''Save name & location example'''''
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |fanart (standard fanart)
| width=250px |fanart.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart.jpg
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |fanart1
| width=250px |fanart1.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart1.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart1.jpg
|- valign="top"
| width=300px |fanart2
| width=250px |fanart2.jpg
| width=600px |f:\Music\Madonna\fanart2.jpg
h:\centralinfo\artists\Madonna\fanart2.jpg
|}
</div>


= Embedded Artwork =
= Embedded Artwork =
Line 271: Line 115:


A list of embedded tags recognised by Kodi is available
A list of embedded tags recognised by Kodi is available
; '''''see also: [[Music_tagging#Tags_Kodi_reads|Tags Kodi Reads]]
; '''''see also: [[Music_tagging#Tags_Kodi_reads|Tags Kodi Reads]]'''''
 
 


= Library artwork source priority =
= Library artwork source priority =
# Local artwork files
# 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.
#* 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.
Line 282: Line 127:
#* Only supports the album front cover
#* Only supports the album front cover
# Online source from "information provider"/scraper
# Online source from "information provider"/scraper
#* only if the option in Kodi settings -> Media -> Music -> "Fetch additional information during updates" is enabled
#* 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
#* 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
#* 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 thumb and album thumb.  
*The only artwork displayed in File Mode is artist folder/thumb and album folder/thumb.  
*You must have local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections 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 the sections above. There is no fallback image
*#Local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections above. There is no fallback image
Line 300: Line 148:
*'''For Album artwork:'''
*'''For Album artwork:'''
*#Local artwork named and saved as detailed in the sections 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
'''Note:''' 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 using the '''''[[Artwork#Kodi-_Choose_Art|Chooe Art]]''''' method.
#Perform the [[Artwork/Cache#Advanced: 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.


= {{Kodi}} version updates =
= {{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 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.
* {{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.
** 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.
* {{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}}
Line 322: Line 175:
[[Category:Manual]]
[[Category:Manual]]
[[Category:Karellen]]
[[Category:Karellen]]
[[Category:Music library]]
[[Category:First time user]]
[[Category:First time user]]
[[Category:Music library]]
[[Category:Advanced topics]]
[[Category:Advanced topics]]
[[Category:Quick Start Guide]]
[[Category:Quick Start Guide]]

Revision as of 03:14, 18 May 2019

Artwork contents

Artwork Main Page



See also:


Return to:

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, depending on the skin in use.

It is important to note the following:

  • To ensure local artwork is added when scanning new media items, the image files must be arranged in a certain folder hierarchy.
  • 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 Information Folder

In v18 the concept of the Artist Information Folder is introduced as a new way to handle providing local artist artwork and information via nfo files. The Artist Information Folder is a user nominated folder that Kodi will look in first for artwork or NFO files for any artist.

This topic is of interest to those users that want to provide local artwork for artists, or capture their current artist art and additional data for transfer to another installation of Kodi


Fetching Additional Artwork

v18 introduces an experimental feature that will auto-load extended artwork without the use of additional add-ons. It is considered an advanced feature. Usage and practicality of this feature are being monitored and may change in later releases.

In the Music library, artwork is described as follows:

Artist Artwork
Basic Artwork Extended Artwork
fanart folder banner clearart clearlogo fanartxx (extrafanart) landscape
Album Artwork
Basic Artwork Extended Artwork
folder back discart spine

Basic artwork requires no special setup as it has always been natively fetched by Kodi

Extended artwork required the use of additional add-ons in previous versions. cdART (now defunct) was used. More recently Artwork Beef is used.

Users now have the option of allowing Kodi to load all artwork without add-ons. To use this feature...

1. Add the below code to the advancedsettings.xml file, ensuring you do not duplicate any tags if they already exist... eg <advancedsettings></advancedsettings>, <musiclibrary></musiclibrary>
2. Install the Universal Artist Scraper and Universal Album Scraper and ensure the settings to download extra art are enabled.
3. Scan as normal
Note: The code box adds common extended artwork that most skins will utilise. It is your choice which extended artwork you add. If you add additional to that shown, ensure the skin has support to display it.
<advancedsettings>
	<musiclibrary>
		<artistextraart>
			<arttype>banner</arttype>
			<arttype>clearart</arttype>
			<arttype>clearlogo</arttype>
         <arttype>fanart1</arttype> <!-- Multiple fanart -->
         <arttype>fanart2</arttype> <!-- Add as many as required. -->
         <arttype>fanart3</arttype> <!-- See 9.1 Multiple Fanart section below -->
			<arttype>landscape</arttype>
		</artistextraart>
		<albumextraart>
			<arttype>back</arttype>
			<arttype>discart</arttype>
			<arttype>spine</arttype>
		</albumextraart>
	</musiclibrary>
</advancedsettings>


Local Artwork

Local artist artwork can be saved in the Artist information folder (shown in image) or a common artist folder among your music files if Kodi can find one.

Local album artwork can be saved in the album folder (shown in image).

The general rule for artist and album artwork file naming is <arttype>.<ext>.



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 folder/thumb and album folder/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.

Note: 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 using the Chooe Art method.
  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