Artist Page motion is an opportunity to make your artist portrait come alive in Apple Music. Create an eye-catching portrait for fans to build a closer connection to an artist they’re just getting to know or an artist they already love.
These guidelines describe how to create Artist Page motion artwork on Apple Music. They include standards and best practices to ensure your artwork will be visually consistent, recognizable, and have the greatest impact.
Artist Page Motion Art versus Artist Image
The Artist Page motion art is not the same as your Artist Image on Apple Music for Artists. The Artist Image will still appear in many placements across Apple Music, the iTunes Store, and Shazam in all countries where that content is available.
Some examples where the Artist Image will continue to appear include:
As a thumbnail image in “Search”
Within an “Essentials” cover
Within a “Influences” cover
Within an “Inspired by” cover
Within a “Songwriters” cover
Required Deliverables
Artwork Specifications
If you’ve been asked to provide Artist Page motion artwork, download our templates and follow the guidelines to create your deliverables and provide them to Apple. Artwork must be delivered to these technical specifications.
Understand template behavior to inform design decisions
Our templates have been designed to fit the varying formats of our device sizes. Understanding the cropping behavior of the motion templates can inform how you design your artwork.
Motion Artist Square 1x1 for iPhone
Motion Artist Wide 16x9 for iPad and Mac
Motion Artist Fullscreen 16x9 for Apple TVs
Motion Output Settings
You must deliver motion artwork without an audio track. Disable any blank audio track settings upon output.
Double-Check Motion Asset Render Settings
To ensure correct output settings, we highly recommend to match these settings when using After Effects, Premiere, or Media Encoder.
After Effects Settings
Match the Video Output settings: Apple ProRes 4444 and Audio Output Off.
Premiere or Media Encoder Settings
Step 1
Select Preset Apple ProRes 4444.
Step 2
Deselect the Export Audio checkbox. This will change your Preset to Custom and can be submitted.
Design Guidelines
No Animated Stills, Cinemagraphs, Motion Graphics, or Animated Logos
It is important that video on the Artist Page does not look like an animated GIF or cinemagraph. It should consist of video footage.
Artist Pages can be made from a variety of video footage, including content sourced from music videos, b-roll, and behind-the-sceens footage. Sometimes, content is filmed specifically for the Artist Page.
Create a Seamless Loop
Motion artwork will continue to loop on the device. Creating a seamless loop produces a smooth experience for the listener so they never feel like they’re taken out of the experience. Seeing a jump in the motion or seeing a start or end point can ruin the experience and make the loop appear broken.
Multishot Edit
Use an edit to join the “end” to the “start” of the video. This is probably the most common way to create a loop point and is easily achieved and very effective.
Transition Edit
Use a transition between the “end” and “start” of the video. This can be achieved by using a cross dissolve, fade to black, or transitional effect such as a lens flare or wipe.
Seamless Edit
Create a seamless edit where the action at the “end” of the video matches exactly to the action at the “start” of your video.
Don’t Repeat Footage
Only submit the total length of the footage. Do not repeat or reverse footage to extend playtime.
Consider How the First Frame Represents the Artist
Be intentional about the first frame of your video and how it represents the artist. It will appear as the motion’s poster keyframe, which is the loading image until the video begins. Avoid empty or mid-action frames to prevent it from looking broken.
Do: Show a portrait of the artist as the first frame.
Don’t: Use a solid color at any point of the video. Don’t use flare transitions as the first frame. Don’t fade to black as the first frame. Don’t use b-roll as the first frame.
Don’t Crop to Frame
Fill the entire template canvas when designing your motion artwork. You do not need to crop any artwork because this will automatically be done by the device.
Don’t crop to frame, mask the video, use color bars, or tile the video.
Don’t use color bars. They will appear on devices and make the platform look broken.
Animation Should be Full Frame
Don’t use frame edges or borders. The iPad and Mac have an aspect ratio of 16x7. Ensure your animation has enough headspace and properly frame your key art assets for this space.
No Interlaced Footage
Do not use content with interlaced footage. Interlacing/scanlines make the footage appear as poor quality and can make the platform look broken.
No Low-Resolution Footage
All footage should be shot in 4K resolution. A video derived from low-resolution footage creates poor quality and can make the platform look broken.
Use Optical Flow
When using time-remapped footage, change the time interpolation to optical flow. When footage is slowed without the proper frame or optical flow techniques, video playback can appear shaky and unnatural. The Artist Page image should not be so subtle that it’s difficult know it’s an animation.
No Heavy Grain Overlay
This treatment makes the footage appear as poor quality and can make the platform look broken.
Artwork Policies
For more information on Apple artwork guidelines, including general guidance for content delivery, review the Apple Music Style Guide.
Reason Codes
Your Artist Page motion deliveries must adhere to the standards listed in this guide. Your artwork may be rejected for the following reasons listed below:
1.1 Missing Assets. A 16:9 and 1:1 asset need to be submitted in order to be approved.
1.2 Resolution. All assets need to be submitted in the correct resolution. These are:
1.3 Codec. The submitted files need to be rendered as Apple ProRes/.mov which is uncompressed and will show the best quality on the device. Please render as Apple ProRes from original quality footage. See Motion Output Settings for more details.
1.4 Audio Channel. An audio channel, even a blank audio channel will cause the video to “pop” when played back on the device. When exporting, please turn off options for Audio Export. View instructions for turning off audio when exporting/rendering.
1.5 Full Frame. Motion art must not have a frame edge or color bars. Remove and make artwork full frame.
1.6 Animated Stills. Artist Page animation should be live video footage. No animated stills, motion graphics, or animated logos.
1.7 Duration. Artist Page animation must be between 20 to 75 seconds of original footage.
1.9 Repeated or Reversed Footage. Artist Page animation must not have repeated or reversed footage to stretch the duration of the video. See the Design Guidelines for more details.
1.10 Low-Quality Footage. Artist Page animation should be sourced from high-quality footage (4K or above).
1.11 Interlacing. Artist Page animation should not contain any interlacing or scanlines.
1.12 Start Frame. The start frame must start on imagery of the artist. Do not include black, white, or solid color start frames.
1.13 Drop Frame. Artist Page animation that contains a drop frame appears in the motion as a black flash (empty frame) or a series of black empty frames.
1.14 Flash Frame. A flash frame appears in the motion as a frame of solid color or a series of flash frames. Remove frame/s.
1.15 Frenetic Flashing. Motion cover art that flashes and/or flickers heavily can cause discomfort to some users. Remove the flashing and/or flickering.
1.16 Offensive Imagery. Do not include imagery or themes that are illegal or inappropriate for all countries/regions, or that encourage unlawful content, or are otherwise obscene, objectionable, or in poor taste.
1.17 Looping. Artist Page animation will continue to loop on the device. This can be either a seamless loop, transition edit, or seamless edit. See the Design Guidelines for more details.
1.18 Other.
Advertisements. Video should not contain any promotional content.
Album cover art or artist logos. Motion art must not reflect album cover art or contain artist logos.
Download Templates
All artwork must be delivered to the technical specifications provided in this toolkit:
