[DaveBlake]

Extended music artwork support Phase #2
- the facility to pick up additional types of art automatically from local files or scraper results (if the scraper returns that art).

I was so near to implementing this that I decided to continue working on art and add this much requested feature. Unfortunately bits of ideas and discussion are spread across multiple threads, so here is a thread of its own that I hope can be used for providing some initial guide notes, and for test feedback. It started as small bug fix, and some tidy-up and here we are a whole new generic art feature [@docwra  you can get very excited now].

PR riased PR13848 test build for win64:
20180503-8da3b6c7-LocalArtistArtFix (OSX build also on mirrors, please ask for any others). This is based on my repo as master is currently broken.

20180503-7cceae43-PR13848 - master is currently broken, will put up build when that is fixxed.

It makes fetching additional art, from local files or scraper results, configurable rather than hard coded. This means showing additional art, such as "clearlogo" or "discart" or anything else people may dream up in the future, will just be a matter of either putting the correctly named image file in an appropriate place, and/or the scraper returning a URL for it , and then editing the skin.

Broadly this is based around adding whitelists of art type names to be fetched automatically (in addition to thumb and fanart) to the advancedsettings.xml. During initial music file scanning and any subsequent scraping for additional artist or album information, images for these art types will be fetched from local files and failing that from scraper results to fill any gaps. Also during manual art selection from the album/artist information dialog, when browsing for images for an art type the user will be offered related local images and scraper results for that type.

For simplicity the local image files must be named the same as the art type, for example type "clearlogo" will pick up from files clearlogo.jpg, clearlogo.png etc.

[DaveBlake]

Power user introduction
How to use/test this nice new feature:

1. Configure the additional types of art you want to automatically pick up by adding to advancedsettings.xml
For example

Code:

<musiclibrary>
...
    <artistextraart>
        <arttype>clearlogo</arttype>
    </artistextraart>
    <albumextraart>
        <arttype>discart</arttype>
        <arttype>backcover</arttype>
    </albumextraart>
...
</musiclibrary>

 
2). Local files
Have images like clearlogo.png located in the artist folder (either a subfolder in the new Artist Information Folder, or the old location above the music files). Or backcover.jpg and discart.png located in the album folder (not "disc" or "cdart", unless that is what you have set as the art type)

3. Scraper results
Scraping with Universal Artist Scarper v3.7.3 returns "clearlogo" from fanart.tv if the artist has one. album scarper can be extended likewise I hope if popular demand. Kodi will pick these up.

4. To see art on screen
Use a skin that uses Listitem.art(clearlogo) for artists or Listitem.art(artist.clearlogo) and Listitem.art(discart) for albums, Listitem.art(artist.clearlogo)  and Listitem.art(album.discart) and likewise player.art() for songs. No other addon is needed. Otherwise the loaded art can also be seen from clicking "choose art" button on the artist/album info dialog

5. Manual art management
Use "choose art" button on the artist/album info dialog. Also Refresh will fetch local art, or first scraped result to fill any gaps.

Test without addons like Artwork Beef or Skin Helper Service running, to see what Kodi now does for itself.

Disc sets, with subfolders below the album folder, are also covered - unique art of all types for each part of the set.


All this to be documented for users of course, giving clear advice on where to put any art files

[scott967]

Master is indeed broken.  CTD when attempting to open file manager, or add a music source.

scott s.
.

[tkgafs]

just out of interest what is a clearlogo ?

[Karellen]

Hi @tkgafs

Logo = Clearlogo = HDClearlogo. Used in Video and Music Libraries

Have a read of Sect 3.2 here... https://kodi.wiki/view/Music_artwork

If you want to see some up close download one of these... https://fanart.tv/movie/335984/blade-runner-2049/

You won't see the transparency until you overlay it over other images. Which I am sure you have seen at some stage.

[docwra]

just out of interest what is a clearlogo ?

 Something like this (a clear PNG with the artists logo in it)

[DaveBlake]

A working test build for win64 here 20180503-8da3b6c7-LocalArtistArtFix (OSX build also on mirrors, please ask for any others).
This is based on my repo (6 days older than master)  as master is currently broken.

[Karellen]

Sorting out Artwork names is probably the next big hurdle.

I have artwork named cdart for the round image. This came from using CDArt Manager.

I have artwork named logo, also from CDArt Manager.

Should I now bulk rename this artwork from cdart to disc or discart and logo to clearlogo?

I know this is pretty much out of daveblakes hands, what do others suggest?

[scott967]

Sorting out Artwork names is probably the next big hurdle.

I have artwork named cdart for the round image. This came from using CDArt Manager.

I have artwork named logo, also from CDArt Manager.

Should I now bulk rename this artwork from cdart to disc or discart and logo to clearlogo?

I know this is pretty much out of daveblakes hands, what do others suggest?

 Maybe needs to go to skinners dev form, as using the art is up to the skin.

scott s.
.

[Karellen]

Sounds good. I'll see what DaveBlake has to say, then I'll open a thread there (or you can if I don't get around to it quickly enough)

---Edit---
There is another thread discussing this exact question which I missed. I will continue questions there... https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=331274&page=2

[scott967]

Did some quick test on a "GO" path.  This is using an artist info folder that contains per artist
folder.jpg
fanart.jpg
clearlogo.png
/extrafanart

and in my source library folders per album
folder.jpg
fanart.jpg
discart.png

Everything was found during scan  (additional info not selected so it's found in the scan without scraping)
Browsing in the file browser worked both for the artist info and library "*.item".

I have one album with 3 discs and I got thumb1 thumb2 and thumb3 from the 3 disc subfolders.

For this test all songs have ID3 cover art embedded that are identical to folder.jpg.

So PASS for this case.

scott s.
.

[DaveBlake]

Thanks @Karellen and @scott967 for initial testing and positive feedback, always much appreciated work from the antipodean shift.

Sorting out Artwork names is probably the next big hurdle.

 Maybe needs to go to skinners dev form, as using the art is up to the skin.

I do want to offer a clear guide for skinners on what Kodi can now do on it's own with art, and reach a consensus on using it so that in turn we can advise users too. A thread in the skinners dev forum is a good idea, but I wanted some basic testing done first and to hear from those of you that hang out here in music support first.

There is another thread discussing this exact question which I missed. I will continue questions there... https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=331274&page=2

Yes afraid I hi-jacked that thread a little from its original user question "where do I put my art files?" Not sure if it is good ending up with information and discussion split between there, here and skinner dev forum, but merging thread isn't right either (the chronological order will be confusing). I might copy essential bit's here (in a summary) and then lock that to point any more discussion here too (mod powers going to my head!). Then again maybe not.

[scott967]

Test update.  Did a test with a music source folder containing files with same album artist but different albums.  All albums were scanned.  Thumb for each was scanned from embedded art (cover).  discart.png in the folder was ignored.  PASS  Did another test with files from same album artist and multiple albums with no embedded art in a folder, and folder.jpg was ignored.  PASS.

scott s.
.

[scott967]

Q on what is / was displayed in the filebrowser

I see changes in what the filebrowser shows when user does a "select artwork" to get a select dialog for arttype selection.

Previously, for example artist info you get
-artist thumb
current thumb
remote thumb
local thumb
browse

-artist fanart
current fanart
remote fanart
local fanart
browse

Same thing for album info

Now what you get for artist info
-artist thumbnail
current art
remote art
local art
no art
browse

-artist fanart
current art
remote fanart
local art
no art
browse

-artist other arttype
current art
remote art
local art
no art
browse

and album info
-album thumbnail
current art
remote art
local art
no art
browse

-album other arttype
current art
remote art
local art
no art
browse

Is it needed that we go from eg current thumb to current art?  Also now we have artist remote fanart but for everything else it is remote art?  and the "remote art" seems to always be the remote thumb, not relevant to other arttypes that I see.  And is album fanart arttype now deprecated?

scott s.
.

[DaveBlake]

Believe it or not Scott I was trying to be more consistent with the image browse titles :p I will take another look.

But I would like to replay to one point immediately because it is something that has come up elsewhere too.

And is album fanart arttype now deprecated?

To my knowledge there as never been album fanart before in Kodi core, and it is not scraped (although could it be?). Have I missed something? Have addons been providing this?

Anyway now it is possible to add "fanart" as an extra album art type, and get it picked up as album fanart from the album folder.