Guide · Artwork check
Album Cover Size Guide, Plus a Free Artwork Checker
Square, 3000 × 3000 pixels, RGB color: that's the target most distributors recommend. Drop your JPG or PNG to see if it passes, then save a corrected copy in one click.
Spec check
Drop a JPG, PNG or WebP to see if it meets streaming specs
The check runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Your image is checked in the browser and never uploaded. Distributor rules change, so confirm yours before you submit.
How it works
Three steps, all in your browser.
- 01
Drop your artwork
Add the JPG or PNG you plan to submit. The file is read by your browser on your own device and is not uploaded anywhere.
- 02
Read the report
See the pixel dimensions, whether the image is square, the file size, the file type and the color mode. CMYK JPEGs and PNGs with transparency are flagged, and every item gets a pass or warn result.
- 03
Fix it in one click
Save a 3000 × 3000 RGB JPG. Art that isn't square is center-cropped, and if your original is smaller you'll see a warning, because enlarging can't add detail that was never captured.
Stores vs distributors
Why 3000 × 3000 is the safe default when the specs disagree
Album cover dimensions are set in two places, the stores and the distributors who deliver to them, and they don't fully agree. Spotify's artist support page accepts square art from 640 to 10,000 pixels a side, while Apple Music's current artist guidelines ask for at least 4000 × 4000. Several large distributors recommend 3000 × 3000, and some cap uploads at exactly that size. Independent releases reach the stores through a distributor, so its upload form is the gate that counts. That makes 3000 × 3000 the practical target, unless your distributor asks for something else.
Square, exactly
A 3000 × 2999 file is not square. The checker compares width and height to the pixel, and the fix center-crops to a true 1:1 instead of stretching the picture.
RGB, not CMYK
Print files are often saved in CMYK, while screens and stores expect RGB, and some distributors refuse CMYK outright. The checker reads the color mode from the JPEG itself.
No hidden transparency
Spotify's spec calls for 24-bit sRGB, which leaves no room for an alpha channel. Transparent PNGs are flagged, and the one-click fix saves a flat JPG.
Honest about upscaling
Stretching a 1000-pixel image to 3000 makes the numbers pass while the art turns soft, and blurry or pixelated covers are a listed reason for rejection. The fixer warns you instead of hiding it.
Who it's for
Built for the way you release.
Artists releasing a first single
Get the file right before the distributor's form asks for it, rather than learning the rules from a rejection notice.
Designers handing off cover art
Check the export your client will upload, covering size, shape, color mode and file type, in one pass before you send the final.
Release managers and small labels
Run every cover through the same checklist before it goes into a release, and catch print-ready CMYK files that were sent by mistake.
Common artwork requirements
| Shape | Perfect square, 1:1 aspect ratio; other shapes may be rejected or auto-cropped |
|---|---|
| Recommended size | 3000 × 3000 px; some distributors cap uploads at this size, while Apple Music's artist guidelines list at least 4000 × 4000 |
| Minimum size | Varies, roughly 1000 to 1600 px a side at large distributors; Spotify accepts 640 to 10,000 px |
| File type | JPG is accepted everywhere we checked; PNG by most; some also take GIF or TIFF |
| Color and file size | RGB, not CMYK (Spotify asks for sRGB); file-size caps vary, for example 10 MB at one distributor and 25 MB at another |
| Leave off the art | URLs, social handles, email addresses, prices, QR codes, barcodes, and store or social media logos |
Based on the published guidelines of Apple Music, Spotify and three large distributors, checked October 24, 2026. Rules change, so confirm with your distributor.
FAQ
Questions about this tool
No single number is shared by every service, but 3000 × 3000 pixels is the common recommendation for digital releases. It's square, large enough to stay sharp on big screens, and inside the upload limits of the large distributors we checked, some of which cap uploads at exactly that size. Save it as an RGB JPG or PNG. If you deliver directly to a store that asks for more, such as Apple Music's current 4000 × 4000 guideline, keep a larger master as well.
Spotify's artist support page asks for square cover art between 640 and 10,000 pixels on each side, as JPG, PNG or TIFF, in sRGB color at 24 bits per pixel, and it says not to upscale. Most independent artists don't upload artwork to Spotify themselves, though. Your distributor delivers the file, so its rules apply first. A 3000 × 3000 RGB JPG fits inside Spotify's range and inside the distributor limits we checked.
Hardly, for digital releases. Stores and players display artwork by its pixel dimensions, so a 3000 × 3000 image looks the same whether the file says 72 or 300 DPI. Some distributors still mention a DPI figure, typically between 72 and 300, so saving at 300 does no harm if your editor asks. What counts is real pixel detail: changing the DPI field or enlarging a small file adds nothing to the picture.
You can, and the one-click fix will do it, but it warns you first. Enlarging a 1000-pixel image to 3000 spreads the same detail across nine times as many pixels, so edges go soft and textures smear. The file then passes the size check while still risking rejection, since stores and distributors list blurry or pixelated art as a reason to refuse a cover. If you can, re-export from the original design file or camera image at full size.
Usually because it has a transparency channel. Cover art is shown as a solid square, and Spotify's spec calls for 24-bit sRGB, which has no room for transparency, so see-through areas may not display the way you expect. PNG exports can also be much larger files than an equivalent JPG. The one-click fix saves a flat RGB JPG at 3000 × 3000, and JPG is a file type accepted by every store and distributor guideline we checked.
Yes, in two ways. The album cover maker opens a 3000 × 3000 RGB canvas where you can add your own photo or a gradient, type the title and artist name, and export a ready file. If you design in another app, create a square 3000 × 3000 pixel document in RGB mode before you start, so nothing needs resizing at the end. Keep the text large and clear of the edges, since covers are often seen as small thumbnails.
It's free, adds no watermark and needs no account. The checker and the one-click fix both run in your browser, so the image is read on your own device and never sent to our servers, which helps when the artwork is still under wraps. It reports album art size, shape, file size, file type and color mode, but it can't judge content, so review text, logos and image rights yourself before you submit.
Related tools
Keep going with your release
Know it passes before you upload
Check size, shape, file type and color mode, then save a 3000 × 3000 RGB JPG. Free, no watermark, nothing uploaded.