The new cover artwork system in iTunes 7 is a little unfriendly: the connection between each song and the corresponding cover is only via the iTunes DB. Don’t like it. But what I really hate is the fact that Apple tries to hide the image. Cryptic folders and cryptic file names. An example: "~/Music/iTunes/Album 20Artwork/Download/6CACBDC1950DC19F/00/01/12/6CACBDC19
50DC19F-8CA78A55DBF3DC10.itc”
Did a little inside file «hacking» and voila: the deep into the woods put away and mystified with a «unknown» file extension — “.itc” — is at least a kind of JPEG image. I opened some of them with GraphicConverter.
I can confirm - Graphic Converter opened the images successfully at my computer too.
I agree Apple is really unfriendly trying to hide the files from the user. The new iPod-Apple are becoming more and more like Microsoft. Trying to take control over your computer.
Well, you are mostley right. The itc format is a pngfile. So, yes imageconverter can handle them due it don’t give a crap about the custom header itunes uses before the png header.
@ Inoue: You are right. There are also png files besides the jfif (jpeg) files. After your reply I checked some files again and it seems there is a pattern: you will probably find the png files in:
and the jfif/jpeg files in:
Take a look into the headers (first 3 or 4 lines) and you will find:
but also:
Hi, do you know how to convert jpeg files to itc files and how to paste it into the art cover folder in itunes?
I can’t download the cover art from itunes store and the only way is getting them is convert jpeg file.
you don’t have to convert the file to an itc. you just have to drag’n’drop the jpg to the info window of the track. that’s it.
Hi, Above action causes the jpg to be embedded in the mp3.
How would you still convert a jpg to itc file so you can use Artwork without embedding the file?
What is the reason to convert any jpg into an itc? If you want to use the artwork use the jpg. Besides that I would prefer to embed the artwork into the mp3/aac anyway.
Note: I gonna close the comments very soon. If you want further help go to the support forums out there, eg. apple or macosxhints …
Actually, I’d like to know if there’s a way to do this, too. The reason this would be useful is because embedding a 200kb jpeg into an album of 15 songs is going to take up about 3 megabytes of space on my computer. It’s redundant information that I don’t need 15 times — I need it once. For those of us with full hard drives or iPods, that’s space that adds up. Especially if you have a large music collection, as I do. (My music collection takes up 81 gigs.)
It would save even MORE room on the iPod since I’m pretty sure the iPod compresses the album art file to the maximum resolution it can display. So on the iPod, you may only be using 50kb where you’d still be using 3 megabytes otherwise.
ok, that’s it. if you can’t live w/ 100 to 200 kb for each mp3 incl. the artwork, I don’t know.
again:
Note: I gonna close the comments
very soonnow. If you want further help go to the support forums out there, eg. apple or macosxhints …