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Batch download and embed album cover art #

If you have a huge MP3 collection and just want to batch download and embed cover art without verifying each cover individually (and iTunes' "Get Album Artwork" is insufficient*):
  1. Download and install Mp3tag
  2. Download DisCoverArt and unzip contents to the Mp3tag program directory (e.g., C:\Program Files (x86)\Mp3tag)
  3. Open an elevated command prompt and cd to the Mp3tag program directory
  4. Run regsvr32 custommsgbox.dll and click OK when the success dialog appears
  5. Open Mp3tag
  6. File > Add directory... > navigate to your music folder > Select Folder
  7. Create a new tool:
    1. Tools > Options > Tools
    2. Click the New (yellow star) button
    3. Name: DisCoverArt Google 300x300 Artist+Title NoQuotes
    4. Path: Browse to the Mp3tag program directory and select DisCoverArt.exe
    5. Parameter: "%artist%" "%title%" -discomusic.com 0 1 300 300 jpg 1 1
    6. Check "for all selected files" > OK > OK
  8. Create a new action:
    1. Actions > Actions (you need to select at least one song in the main interface for this menu item to be available)
    2. Click the New (yellow star) button
    3. Name of action group: Save Coverart
    4. Click OK > click the New button again
    5. Select action type: Import Cover From File > OK
    6. Format string for image filename: %artist% - %title%.jpg
    7. Import cover as: Front Cover
    8. Check "Delete existing cover art" > OK > OK > Close
  9. Right click on column header > Customize columns... > check "Cover" > click "Move up" until it is at or near the top of the list
  10. Click the Cover column to sort
  11. Select all files without an entry in the Cover column (the author recommends selecting no more than 300 at a time to avoid problems)
  12. Right click on highlighted files and click Tools > DisCoverArt Google 300x300 Artist+Title NoQuotes
  13. Wait for all console windows to close
  14. Actions > Actions (Quick) > "Import cover from file" > OK
  15. Format string for image filename: %artist% - %title%.jpg
  16. Import cover as: Front Cover
  17. Check "Delete existing cover art" > OK > OK
  18. File > Save tag > OK
  19. Close Mp3tag
  20. Getting the artwork to show up in iTunes:
    1. Open iTunes and click "Albums"
    2. Edit > Select All > Right click > click "Uncheck Selection" (album covers will appear)
    3. Edit > Select All > Right click > "Check Selection"
Another option is to download cover art with Album Art Downloader and embed with Mp3tag:
  1. Download and run Album Art Downloader
  2. File > New > File Browser...
  3. Enter path to music directory under "Search for audio files in:"
  4. Click Search
  5. Click Options...
  6. Click "Automatically download and save the first result that meets set criteria"
  7. Click "Select all albums with missing artwork"
  8. Click "Get Artwork for Selection..."
  9. Click "Download and save results automatically"
  10. If desired, change minimum required image size to 300 px and allowed cover types to Front
  11. Click Start
  12. When the process is complete, embed the album art with Mp3tag by starting with step 14 above. The only change is in step 15, where you'll need to use Folder.jpg as the format string.

* On a related note, cover art obtained through iTunes' "Get Album Artwork" is not embedded within files by default. To quickly embed all such artwork, the fastest and simplest tool I've found is the $5 iCoverArt (via the "Embed Downloaded Artwork" function). The free and open source iTSfv looked promising, but kept crashing in a clean Windows 7 32 bit virtual machine, even after installing the required .Net Framework.

/windows | Sep 10, 2014

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