Skip to main content ↑ ↓

Notice

Please note that most of the software linked on this forum is likely to be safe to use. If you are unsure, feel free to ask in the relevant topics, or send a private message to an administrator or moderator. To help curb the problems of false positives, or in the event that you do find actual malware, you can contribute through the article linked here.
Topic: artwork increase file size? ruin quality? (Read 3877 times) previous topic - next topic
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

artwork increase file size? ruin quality?

This may sound like a dumb question but if you add artwork to your ID tag on an mp3 does that increase the file size and does it ruin any quality of the mp3 (or is it the same as editing the tag)

artwork increase file size? ruin quality?

Reply #1 –
Quote from: airtas on
This may sound like a dumb question but if you add artwork to your ID tag on an mp3 does that increase the file size
Yes
Quote
and does it ruin any quality of the mp3

No
Quote
(or is it the same as editing the tag)

Yes, only larger.
Creature of habit.

artwork increase file size? ruin quality?

Reply #2 –
It will increase the file size, but only if there is not enough padding in the tag. For example if the tag padding is 25KB and you add artwork of 20KB, then the file size of the mp3 will not increase, it will just have less padding after the addition of the artwork. If there is insufficient padding e.g. only 15KB with a 20KB picture, then the mp3 file will have to be re-written to the disc, but don't worry, the file is not being "re-encoded" so there is no loss of quality, the file-system is just moving the file on the disc to make room for the artwork.

The artwork is simply added to another tag, so yes it is exactly like editing a tag as in fact that is all that is being done.

artwork increase file size? ruin quality?

Reply #3 –
I wondered this a while ago:  whether removing/adding artwork often could degrade the audio.  I often find better images and replace out my old ones.  I now know that it doesn't affect the audio portion of the file.

I use 600x600 artwork saved as maximum-quality JPEGs.  In my experience, it adds about .2mb per song, or the equivalent of 1 additional song per album.