Preparing Custom Artwork

Good source media loads quickly, stays sharp on large displays, and crops predictably across album, player, and Lock Screen layouts. Codafy accepts common image formats and uses .mp4 video for Motion Artwork.

Static artwork specifications

Property	Recommendation
Shape	1:1 square
Dimensions	1000 × 1000 px recommended
Format	WebP recommended; JPEG and PNG are also supported
Color	sRGB
File size	As small as practical; aim for less than 1 MB when possible
URL	Direct HTTP(S) URL that the iPhone can reach

The app does not enforce one exact image resolution. A 1000 × 1000 image normally provides enough detail for Codafy without unnecessary download, decoding, and storage costs. Lighter files load faster, require less cache space, and are easier for the device to render. WebP usually provides the best balance between image quality and file size.

Motion Artwork specifications

Property	Recommendation
Container	MP4
Video codec	HEVC/H.265 recommended; H.264/AVC also supported
Lock Screen shape	iPhone: 3:4 portrait (Tall); iPad: 1:1 square
Example dimensions	iPhone: 900 × 1200 px; iPad: 1200 × 1200 px
Length	A short, seamless loop—about 6–12 seconds
Frame rate	24 or 30 fps
Audio	None; Motion Artwork is presented silently
File size	Keep it as small as practical and below 15 MB
URL	Direct HTTP(S) URL that the iPhone can reach

For the Lock Screen, use 3:4 portrait (Tall) on iPhone and 1:1 square on iPad. In our testing, iOS 26.5.x may not display square Motion Artwork correctly. Other video shapes may still appear inside Codafy, but they may not be registered as animated Lock Screen artwork.

HEVC/H.265—often encoded with x265—usually produces a smaller file than H.264 at comparable visual quality. H.264 remains a good fallback when you need the broadest compatibility. In either case, test the exported MP4 on the target device before relying on it as your only copy.

Use a direct URL

A valid URL should open only the image or video when pasted into a browser. It should not require a login, cookies, custom request headers, or an expiring session.

Good examples:

• https://media.example.com/covers/album.webp
• https://media.example.com/motion/album.mp4
• http://192.168.0.25:8000/artwork/album-motion.mp4

Avoid:

• A sharing page that contains the media inside it.
• A local file:// path, which other devices and Codafy cannot request as a network resource.
• A URL that expires shortly after it is created.
• A server that blocks requests from the device.

Local network URLs

A local address such as http://192.168.0.25:8000/ can be used while the iPhone can reach that server. After Codafy downloads and caches the artwork, the cached copy can continue working when the server is temporarily unavailable.

Keep the route available over time. If iOS clears the cache, the artwork is restored on another device, or you import a .codafy backup, Codafy must reach the original URL to download the media again. A reserved IP address or stable local hostname is more reliable than an address that changes automatically.

Example workflow

1. Export a square image or a short MP4 loop.
2. Upload it to a host that provides a permanent public HTTPS URL.
3. Open the URL and confirm it displays or plays directly.
4. Paste the URL into Edit > Change Cover in Codafy.
5. Save and confirm the result before removing your original file.

Change album or playlist artwork →

Learn simple ways to host your artwork →