Introduction

This article outlines the requirements for motion art. However, all standard cover requirements (except technical ones) also apply to motion art. Please review them before creating motion art if you haven’t done so already.

You can read more about how to upload motion art to a release in our article from the FAQ section of the website.

Requirements

Two Formats

Motion art must be uploaded in two formats — 3:4 and 1:1. The first one will be shown to listeners on mobile devices, the second — on computers. In the last section of this article, you’ll find the technical requirements for both versions.

We recommend creating the 3:4 version first and then cropping it to 1:1 — not the other way around. As shown in the example below, the 3:4 version has an unevenly extended background compared to the 1:1 version — it’s extended only at the bottom. This is required to meet the safe zone guidelines, which will be explained in the next section.

Screenshots from the Apple Music app, motion art for Ingrid Andress — Lady Like release

Safe Zone

The safe zone is the area of the image where the main (key) content must be placed.

According to Apple Music, the entire area of the 1:1 version is considered a safe zone.

The safe zone for the 3:4 version is shown in Apple’s official guide, in their After Effects template and in our example below. Outside of this safe zone are UI elements of the phone (like time and battery indicator), as well as Apple Music interface elements (artist name, release title, playback button, etc.) that may partially cover the content in those areas.

Screenshots from the Apple Music app, motion art for Ingrid Andress — Lady Like release

Templates for Adobe After Effects can be downloaded from the official Apple Music guide mentioned earlier. Using these templates should help you meet the platform’s requirements for safe zone alignment. If you plan to have a specialist create your motion art, we recommend sending them this article, the original Apple guide, and the After Effects templates.

Image Content

Consistency with the Cover

The animated version must use the same image as the static cover throughout the entire animation. You may animate any elements from the original cover, but you cannot swap one image for a completely different one. For example, if your static cover and the first frames of the motion art show a person by a window, you cannot switch later to a shot of a car by the sea. What you can do: animate the person’s arms, or make the window open and close.

First Frame and Static Cover

The first frame of the motion art must match the static cover exactly.

First and Last Frame

The first frame of the motion art must match the last frame — this ensures the video loops smoothly without visible transitions.

Fade Effects

Do not use fade in/fade out transitions in motion art. In other words, the video must not begin or end with a fade to or from black, or with a completely black screen that then reveals the image.

Text and Titles

If you want to include the track name or other text in the motion art, it must be placed within the safe zone.

Flashes

The video must not contain rapid flashing or constant strobe-like effects with fast-changing bright colors.

Technical Requirements

Motion Art Examples

We recommend checking out the motion art examples below to better understand how the requirements listed above are applied:

Pearl Jam — Gigatron
DaBaby — BLAME IT ON BABY (DELUXE)
Victoria Monét — JAGUAR
Big Sean — Detroit 2 (Deluxe Video Version)

The motion art example shown earlier in this article is taken from Apple’s official documentation.
The release examples listed above were found by us on Apple Music. The creators of these releases are not our clients.