How to upload an Album Motion for Apple Music
What Is an Album Motion?
The Album Motion is an animated artwork for your Apple Music release in the form of a looping video lasting 15–35 seconds. It’s a great way to make your release stand out and attract potential listeners browsing through the store. It also helps convey the mood of the release.
Note: the Album Motion must be added in addition to the regular static cover. It’s important to understand that an Album Motion is not a replacement but a visual enhancement — both versions should display the same image. The Album Motion cannot be a music video or a clip extracted from one.
How to Create It
Apple, in its Motion Art Guidelines, mentions tools such as Adobe After Effects, Premiere, and Media Encoder. If you don’t have experience creating animation, we recommend hiring a freelancer familiar with these tools — it can save you time and effort.
We suggest sending the chosen specialist our article with requirements for Album Motion, along with Apple’s official documentation mentioned above — or reviewing it yourself beforehand.
How to Upload It
To upload, you’ll need two files that meet all Album Motion requirements. The upload process is the same as for audio files:
Instructions
- Open the desired release in edit mode.
- Go to the Media Files section.
- Click Upload Files to upload from your computer, or Upload via FTP if you’ve already added files to your FTP catalog. Upload both Album Motion files here.
- Done! The Album Motion will now appear in the Main Information tab of the release editor, under the "iTunes Motion Art" section. There, you'll see a lower-quality preview of the cover. On Apple Music, it will be delivered in full quality.