That way, in case anything should go wrong while editing the file,you can always go back to the 'OEM version' that came with iTunes. For this demonstration, I've usedTextEdit, which ships with OS X, so you don't have to go hunting for anyadditional software.īefore editing the file, you should create a backup of the property list byselecting the ist file and choosing 'Duplicate' from the Finder's Filemenu. plist file, you can edit it in a dedicated plist editorlike the one that ships with the Xcode development environment, but youcan also open it in any plain-text editor. The pairings between artwork image file and genre are configured via a filecalled 'ist', which resides in the same folder as the image files. To add custom genre artwork, just copy the image files into iTunes'sResources folder. Also, don't worryabout the round-edged bezel: iTunes adds this on the fly.

While the artwork files that ship with iTunes are sized at 256x256 pixels formusic and TV shows, and 171x256 pixels for movies, you are not restrictedto these formats, as iTunes will scale them as required. Inside that folder, you will see a list of jpeg files whose names start with'genre-' followed by a genre name like 'jazz,' 'raggae,' and 'world.'(Anyone ever heard of 'Kayokyoku' before, by the way?) Those files thatfeature an uppercase 'M' or an uppercase 'T' in their names are being usedfor movies and TV shows, respectively all others are assigned to music.Īdding a custom genre artwork file to the iTunes application bundle.

In short, navigate to/Applications/iTunes/Contents/Resources. Open the Contents folder and then theResources folder. Then, right-click on iTunes's icon and choose 'Show PackageContents' from the contextual menu. Quit iTunes if it's running and locate the application in the Applicationsfolder. Customizing iTunes'sgenre artwork is as simple as copying an image file into the applicationbundle and editing the plist file. ITunes 8 ships with a total of 52 genre artwork images, which are plain jpegfiles contained in the software's application bundle, and a property list filedetermines which image is assigned to which genre. When using custom genres, or if you're unhappy with the Apple-designed artwork, however, there's a way to add your own custom artworkto iTunes 8. When browsing your media library by genre in the new Grid View thatdebuted with the recently released iTunes 8, each genre folder is adorned bygorgeous genre artwork - as long as you stick to iTunes's default genrenames.

How to add artwork to itunes manually