MP3 Album Art file location ?

I have a USB flash drive with MP3 files that displayed album art when played in my old car but does not show the images when played in my new/used car.

Did some searching & it looks like the artwork may need to be embedded in each mp3 file. It’s been years since I worked with the Mp3tag app but it appears my artwork is stored separately but in the same folder with the mp3 files, at least from what I can figure out..

I have duplicate files on my PC & want to use that to hopefully modify my mp3 files. Using the PC I open a music folder using Mp3tag & it shows 17 songs. As I click on each song it displays the proper image.

Then I use File Explorer set to show hidden system files and it lists the 17 songs plus AlbumArtSmall.jpg and Folder.jpg. AlbumArtSmall.jpg shows a 75 x 75 pixel image & Folder.jpg shows the same image with 200 x 200 pixels. FWIW that image is the album art from the last song in the folder.

Where is the album art hidden for the other 16 songs?

There are two possible options - so 'it depends'...



If you can determine which format your car player can handle that would help of course.

And you can experiment.. with
a. an mp3 you know has the cover art embedded
b. with a music folder with separate cover art files

For all the cars I've owned I use album art embedded in the mp3 file and all works fine. I use Tagscanner to check all the mp3 files and check every track contains the embedded album art jpg file.

Previously I used Mp3tag software to view or modify the tags, but it's been several years so I have to re-learn it.

So after spending more time & searching it appears my artwork is embedded. The "extra" AlbumArtSmall.jpg and Folder.jpg files are just that, extra. Maybe ended up in the folders when I first started playing around with the artwork. Back then I had to make adjustments in some image sizes in order for them to display in one car.

Now I have a different car & the artwork does not show up. I did post my question on the car forum but so far no replies. This new car forum does not appear to be as "techy" as other car forums I've been on. There is no audio or electronics sub-forum. Hopefully someone there will chime in.

Chuck99 said:

Previously I used Mp3tag software to view or modify the tags, but it's been several years so I have to re-learn it.

Click to expand...

Not hard. Besides, I still re-tag things all the time so I've kept up with it.

dalchina said:

And you can experiment.. with
a. an mp3 you know has the cover art embedded
b. with a music folder with separate cover art files

Click to expand...

You can also have both and see which one works for you. If an the album's in a folder, hit CRTL+A to select them all (music tracks) and then find a cover or picture of the album you can embed all with them through the picture placeholder you see on the lower right by right-mouse clicking in it and selecting your pix then hitting CTRL+S to save them. I do it the same way I would do it through all tag fields.

What has worked for me without fail is embedding the album art within the MP3's metadata at 600x600 px.

I love Mp3tag. Still use it to this day.