RE: Artwork Fixes (General Qs)

[Oggy]

Hi, Finding good quality suitable 1000x1000 artwork image files proves very tiring and time consuming! Cheers, Paul

Hi Paul,

I would say that apart from tagging classical CDs, I probably spend longer on album art, than any other part, of my preparation, pre-rip.

On some less common albums, there simply aren't any quality scans. You then have the option of, accepting a poor scan, scanning / photographing, your own sleeves. I certainly haven't got either the equipment, or dedication, to photograph, but scanning is quick and easy. There will come a time when you either use different cover art, or, need to scan your own, particularly, if you want the back cover. It is worth becoming familiar with your scanner, scanning app, and possibly some editing software.

If I have scanned a few sleeves, I tend to save them to file, and gently crop, if required, with Microsoft Office Picture Manager, load it from file, in CD Ripper, and use my settings, (1000x1000, 300x300kb), to compress to the size, I require.

Apart from scanning your own, the covers from PerfectTUNES, are improving all the time, as more people are creating, and making available, better cover art. If 1000x1000, or larger, are not available, some 800x800, and 600x600, covers, I have been perfectly happy to use. Some jobs, like replacing sub-optimal art, falls under the "rainy day", category, for me: who knows what PerfectTUNES, will find in six months time!

If I don't like the chosen, PerfectTUNES, art, searching using, Google, and adding, fanart, 1024, to the album cover name, or using a slightly different search criteria, has reaped rewards. For example, on Google, Images, try, Dark Magus 1024, and see what pops up. Adding fanart, sometimes pulls up some fantastic covers, and at other times a 280x280; but definitely worth a try, and may help save time.

Good luck!

Oggy

[monsterjazzlick]

I would say that apart from tagging classical CDs, I probably spend longer on album art, than any other part, of my preparation, pre-rip.

On some less common albums, there simply aren't any quality scans. You then have the option of, accepting a poor scan, scanning / photographing, your own sleeves. I certainly haven't got either the equipment, or dedication, to photograph, but scanning is quick and easy. There will come a time when you either use different cover art, or, need to scan your own, particularly, if you want the back cover. It is worth becoming familiar with your scanner, scanning app, and possibly some editing software.

If I have scanned a few sleeves, I tend to save them to file, and gently crop, if required, with Microsoft Office Picture Manager, load it from file, in CD Ripper, and use my settings, (1000x1000, 300x300kb), to compress to the size, I require.

Apart from scanning your own, the covers from PerfectTUNES, are improving all the time, as more people are creating, and making available, better cover art. If 1000x1000, or larger, are not available, some 800x800, and 600x600, covers, I have been perfectly happy to use. Some jobs, like replacing sub-optimal art, falls under the "rainy day", category, for me: who knows what PerfectTUNES, will find in six months time!

If I don't like the chosen, PerfectTUNES, art, searching using, Google, and adding, fanart, 1024, to the album cover name, or using a slightly different search criteria, has reaped rewards. For example, on Google, Images, try, Dark Magus 1024, and see what pops up. Adding fanart, sometimes pulls up some fantastic covers, and at other times a 280x280; but definitely worth a try, and may help save time.

Hi Oggy,

Yes, finding appropriate artwork does take time. Lots of searching! For the time it is taking perhaps I would be better using my scanner! Much of the artwork online is rather poor. I assumed - for some reason? - that Google Images would have much better stock that it does.

800x800 is OK, but I don't like going lower than this amount. I tend to go for what is closest to 1000x1000.

I had not searched including the term 'fanart' before.

Paul

[Oggy]

Hi Oggy,

Yes, finding appropriate artwork does take time. Lots of searching! For the time it is taking perhaps I would be better using my scanner! Much of the artwork online is rather poor. I assumed - for some reason? - that Google Images would have much better stock that it does.

800x800 is OK, but I don't like going lower than this amount. I tend to go for what is closest to 1000x1000.

I had not searched including the term 'fanart' before.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Searching for covers on Google, appears to be an art form, in its own right. Sometimes filtering by size, (large), adding CD cover, front cover, 1920, 1080, 1024, or anything else, helps, sometimes, it hinders.

Stating the obvious, some albums are simply more popular, and more covers are available. This is improving all the time, but occasionally I am surprised, at the lack of cover art, for what I would assume, is a popular album.

As I've said previously, PerfectTUNES, may offer improved cover art, in a few months time. Only you can decide, what lengths you want to go to, at the time of ripping.

Funnily enough, it was from finding a really high quality cover, from adding 'fanart', that I saw just how big, the file size could end up, if a limit wasn't set.

Oggy

[monsterjazzlick]

Searching for covers on Google, appears to be an art form, in its own right. Sometimes filtering by size, (large), adding CD cover, front cover, 1920, 1080, 1024, or anything else, helps, sometimes, it hinders.

Stating the obvious, some albums are simply more popular, and more covers are available. This is improving all the time, but occasionally I am surprised, at the lack of cover art, for what I would assume, is a popular album.

As I've said previously, PerfectTUNES, may offer improved cover art, in a few months time. Only you can decide, what lengths you want to go to, at the time of ripping.

Funnily enough, it was from finding a really high quality cover, from adding 'fanart', that I saw just how big, the file size could end up, if a limit wasn't set.

Oggy,

As we know, it's better to get it right first time round. But I have found TAG EDIT ID to be very useful for fixing afterwards.

I dare say artwork on POP music albums are available by the shed load.

PerfectTUNES is great for the quick sourcing of FRONT covers. But rear (etc) requires a bit more digging.

I have never heard the term FANART until joining here!

I must get around to testing out my Canon Prixma MX520 scanner. I have loaded the s/w CD onto my laptop now.

Paul

[Oggy]

Oggy,

As we know, it's better to get it right first time round. But I have found TAG EDIT ID to be very useful for fixing afterwards.

I dare say artwork on POP music albums are available by the shed load.

PerfectTUNES is great for the quick sourcing of FRONT covers. But rear (etc) requires a bit more digging.

I have never heard the term FANART until joining here!

I must get around to testing out my Canon Prixma MX520 scanner. I have loaded the s/w CD onto my laptop now.

Paul

Hi Paul,

Yes, I always, aim, to get it right, first time!

I only found fanart, by searching for better quality covers.

Yes, I should imagine that more mainstream, rock, has more covers available, but rear covers are still very much lacking. If I was intending to use rear cover art, together with the front, I would scan both, probably 20-30 at a time: ensuring I know what the scanned, file names refer to!

I usually forget to do this, so have to play, "hunt the cover", from loads of thumbnails.....

Oggy

[monsterjazzlick]

Hi Paul,

Yes, I always, aim, to get it right, first time!

I only found fanart, by searching for better quality covers.

Yes, I should imagine that more mainstream, rock, has more covers available, but rear covers are still very much lacking. If I was intending to use rear cover art, together with the front, I would scan both, probably 20-30 at a time: ensuring I know what the scanned, file names refer to!

I usually forget to do this, so have to play, "hunt the cover", from loads of thumbnails.....

Oggy

Hi Oggy,

Searching for a needle in a haystack springs to mind!

Luckily, I have no kids and so all my CD booklets are in pretty good shape.

What DIMENSIONS though are the average scanned CD cover? I mean, do they appear as 300x300 (or whatever), please?

Cheers,

Paul

[Oggy]

What DIMENSIONS though are the average scanned CD cover? I mean, do they appear as 300x300 (or whatever), please?

I'll check a couple later, but the CD Ripper, settings, certainly reduce the file size!

[Oggy]

What DIMENSIONS though are the average scanned CD cover? I mean, do they appear as 300x300 (or whatever), please?

Hi Paul,

They seem to around 1400x1400, 800kb, but you can set different resolutions.

[monsterjazzlick]

Hi Paul,

They seem to around 1400x1400, 800kb, but you can set different resolutions.

Great stuff, cheers Oggy.

Do you always go for the MAX resolution, please? I would assume that in doing so would ensure a higher grade of PNG quality?

Paul

[Oggy]

Great stuff, cheers Oggy.

Do you always go for the MAX resolution, please? I would assume that in doing so would ensure a higher grade of PNG quality?

Paul

I can't remember what settings I use, the file size doesn't seem particularly large, and I use jpeg. Have a play ripping a couple of sleeves, and see how they work for you.

It would make sense to scan at max resolution, and compress with CD Ripper. I believe that jpeg files, are more universal.

[monsterjazzlick]

I can't remember what settings I use, the file size doesn't seem particularly large, and I use jpeg. Have a play ripping a couple of sleeves, and see how they work for you.

It would make sense to scan at max resolution, and compress with CD Ripper. I believe that jpeg files, are more universal.

Oggy, OK I will try with JPeg rather than PNG. Paul