Artists releasing a first single
Learn the right album cover size before release day, not from a rejection email a week later.
Album Cover Size Guide and Free Checker
The safe album cover size is 3000×3000 pixels: a square RGB JPG. Drop your artwork on the checker to read its size, shape, color mode and file type, see a pass or fail for Spotify, Apple Music and DistroKid, and fix it in one click. Free, and nothing is uploaded.
- Nothing uploaded
- Free, no sign-up
- Pass or fail per store
- Fix and download
What Album Cover Size Do Stores Want?
Make it 3000×3000 pixels, square, saved as an RGB JPG. That one album cover size passes all eight platforms the checker knows: Spotify, Apple Music, DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts. The minimums differ a lot: Spotify takes anything from 640 px, DistroKid asks for at least 1000, Apple’s delivery spec sets 1400, and SoundCloud’s distribution page wants 3000. Bigger is not always safer: CD Baby, TuneCore and Apple Podcasts cap the side at 3000. Start smaller and you cannot fix it later, because stores say not to upscale. The checker on this page reads your file and shows which rules it meets.
Check My CoverAlbum Cover Size by Platform
Official numbers from each platform’s own help pages. Specs checked November 2026; platforms change them, so check again before a big release.
| Smallest side | Largest or best | Format and color | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spotify | 640 px | 10,000 px max; highest resolution you have | JPG, PNG or TIFF; sRGB, profile applied, not embedded | Spotify for Artists, Cover art requirements |
| Apple Music (delivery) | 1400 px | 3000 px or larger recommended | JPG or PNG at 100% quality | Apple Music Provider Support |
| Apple Music for Artists | 4000 px | A perfect square | JPG, PNG or GIF | artists.apple.com, Album cover art |
| DistroKid | 1000 px | 3000 px recommended | JPG; RGB, not CMYK or grayscale | DistroKid Help Center |
| CD Baby | 1400 px | 3000 px max | JPG, PNG or GIF; RGB; under 25 MB; 72 to 300 DPI | CD Baby Help Center |
| TuneCore | 1600 px | 3000 px max | JPG, PNG or GIF; RGB; under 10 MB | TuneCore Help |
| Bandcamp | 1400 px | Bigger is better | Square | Bandcamp Help, design tutorial |
| SoundCloud (distribution) | 3000 px | A perfect square | PNG or JPG; 300 DPI asked | SoundCloud Help, artwork for distribution |
| Apple Podcasts (show cover) | 1400 px | 3000 px, also the max | PNG or JPG; no transparency | Apple Podcasts for Creators |
| Safe for all eight | 3000 px | Exactly 3000 px | RGB JPG, under 10 MB, 300 DPI | All of the above |
Why Check Album Art Size Here
A size guide tells you the numbers. The checker tells you whether your cover art size meets them, and fixes it when it does not.
Every store in one view
One drop shows a pass, a warning or a fail for eight platforms, rule by rule, with a link to each source page, instead of eight help pages.
Reads what you cannot see
CMYK or grayscale color, an embedded ICC profile, a DPI tag, EXIF rotation, transparency, a file that is secretly huge: the details that bounce an upload.
Fixes in one click
Crop to a square, resize to 3000 px, convert to an sRGB JPG and fit it under a file size cap, then download the fixed file.
Honest about upscaling
If your art is smaller than 3000 px, the checker says so and warns that enlarging it will look soft.
Your art stays private
The image is read and fixed inside your browser tab. Unreleased covers never reach a server.
Free, no account
Check as many covers as you like, from the first draft to the final file you send your distributor.
How to Check Your Album Cover Size
Three steps, about a minute, and you know your album art size passes the store rules.
Drag a JPG, PNG, WebP or TIFF onto the checker at the top of this page, or try the sample. It reads the album artwork dimensions, the color mode and the file details at once.
See the size, shape, file size and color, then a pass, a warning or a fail for each store. Every fail says what is wrong.
Crop square, resize to 3000×3000 and save as an sRGB JPG in one click. Your original file stays as it was.
Step 1 · Drop your artwork
Album Cover Dimensions, Checked and Fixed
Everything the checker reads from your file, and everything it can fix.
Size, shape and file facts
The checker shows the album cover dimensions in pixels, the aspect ratio, the file type and size, the color mode (RGB, CMYK or grayscale), the embedded color profile, the DPI tag, EXIF rotation and transparency. A 2999×3000 export, a CMYK file from a print designer or an 11 MB JPG over TuneCore’s 10 MB cap all show up before a store sees them.
Read My FileA pass or fail for each store
Spotify, Apple Music, DistroKid, CD Baby, TuneCore, Bandcamp, SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts each get a row with their album art size and format rules: smallest and largest side, square shape, file type, color, file size and DPI where they ask. Only rules the platforms publish themselves are checked, each with its source, so a pass means your file meets the written spec. What is in the picture is a separate review only the store makes.
Check My CoverCrop a rectangle to a square
A phone photo or a poster is not square. Drag the crop box to choose what stays, and the cover art size becomes a true 1:1, with no stretching. Want type and filters on top? Open the album cover maker instead.
Crop SquareResize, convert and compress
One click resizes the art to 3000×3000, converts CMYK or grayscale to sRGB, fills transparent areas and saves a JPG at 300 DPI, re-compressed if needed to fit under TuneCore’s 10 MB or CD Baby’s 25 MB cap. If the source is smaller than 3000 px, you see a warning before anything is enlarged.
Fix My CoverA Real Album Cover Size Report
What the checker shows for a typical first draft: album cover size, color and format, before and after the fix.
What you are looking at
This draft came from a print designer: an 11 MB JPG, 2400×2400 pixels, CMYK with a print profile, 300 DPI. Spotify, DistroKid, CD Baby and TuneCore fail it on color (TuneCore on file size too), SoundCloud fails it on size, and Apple Music warns that it is under 3000 px. After the fix it is a 3000×3000 sRGB JPG of about 2 MB at 300 DPI, with a warning that it was enlarged from 2400. The right album cover size starts in the design file; once it passes, add album art to MP3 files with the same image.
Album Art Size Questions That Trip People Up
Four things the pixel count alone does not tell you about album cover dimensions.
DPI is a tag, pixels are the art
A 3000×3000 file looks the same at 72 or 300 DPI. A few pages still name a value (SoundCloud asks for 300), so fixed files are tagged 300.
RGB, not CMYK
Screens use RGB. DistroKid, CD Baby and TuneCore ask for RGB, and Spotify for sRGB. Keep CMYK for the printer.
JPG or PNG
Both work for most stores. JPG keeps a photo small; PNG suits flat art with text. DistroKid asks for JPG only.
Never upscale
Spotify and Apple both say not to enlarge a small image. Make the art at 3000 px or more from the start.
Vinyl, CD and Cassette Cover Art Size
Physical cover art size comes from the manufacturer’s template. These are typical sizes, with the pixels you need at 300 DPI; your pressing plant’s template and bleed always win.
| Printed size | Pixels at 300 DPI | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 inch vinyl jacket | About 12.375 in (314 mm) square | About 3,700 px, plus bleed | Use a 4000 px export; keep 3000 for stores |
| 7 inch single sleeve | About 7.25 in (184 mm) square | About 2,200 px, plus bleed | 3000 px is plenty |
| CD booklet front | 4.75 in (120 mm) square | About 1,420 px, plus bleed | Same art as streaming |
| Cassette J-card front | About 2.5 × 4 in, not square | About 750 × 1,200 px | Needs its own layout |
| Color for print | Usually CMYK | Ask the printer | This checker exports sRGB only |
Who Needs an Album Art Size Check
Anyone about to hand a cover to a distributor should check the album art size first, and so should the people who make covers for them.
Designers handing off art
Export from your design app, check the file, and send the client something that passes on the first try.
Labels and release managers
Check the album cover size and color of every release in a batch against the same rules before the delivery deadline.
Podcasters and Bandcamp sellers
Apple Podcasts wants 1400 to 3000 px with no transparency, Bandcamp at least 1400. One 3000 px JPG covers both.
Video and Canvas makers
Start the Spotify Canvas maker or MP3 to MP4 with a sharp cover, so the video is sharp too.
Collectors fixing old art
Square up and resize scans of old records for a music library, then embed them with the MP3 tag editor.
Album Cover Size FAQ
The questions artists ask most, answered from the platforms’ own help pages.
What is the standard album cover size?
3000×3000 pixels, square. It is the album cover size in pixels that distributors recommend: it clears every minimum we list except the 4000 px figure on Apple Music for Artists, and it stays inside the 3000 px cap of CD Baby, TuneCore and Apple Podcasts.
What is the Spotify album cover size?
Spotify cover art requirements: square, between 640 and 10,000 pixels wide and tall, JPG, PNG or TIFF, sRGB, at the highest resolution you have, and never upscaled. Most artists deliver through a distributor, so 3000×3000 is the practical target.
What is the Apple Music album art size?
Apple’s delivery spec recommends 3000×3000 or larger with a 1400×1400 minimum, as JPG or PNG. The Apple Music for Artists page asks for at least 4000×4000. Distributors deliver 3000, so keep that as your main file and make a 4000 copy only where a page asks for it: CD Baby and TuneCore refuse anything over 3000.
What are the DistroKid album art requirements?
Square, at least 1000×1000 pixels, RGB, with 3000×3000 JPG recommended. CMYK or grayscale files can fail, so re-save them as RGB. DistroKid also says stores reject URLs, QR codes, third-party logos, prices and nudity on the art.
How do I resize album art for DistroKid?
Drop the image on the checker, crop it square if needed, and click the fix: it resizes to 3000×3000 and saves an sRGB JPG. DistroKid can adjust small or rectangular art itself, but it warns the result may not look as you intended, so fix it first.
What is the SoundCloud album cover size?
For releases distributed through SoundCloud: at least 3000×3000 pixels, a perfect square, PNG or JPG, and its page asks for 300 DPI. For a plain track upload, SoundCloud’s help recommends at least 800×800 pixels and takes images up to 2 MB.
What is the Bandcamp album art size?
Square and at least 1400×1400 pixels, and Bandcamp’s help says bigger is better. A 3000×3000 cover is ideal, and the same file works for every store above.
What is the ideal album cover resolution?
3000×3000 pixels for digital release, made at that size from the start. It is the only side every platform here accepts: SoundCloud’s distribution page wants at least 3000, and CD Baby, TuneCore and Apple Podcasts allow no more than 3000. Make a 4000 px copy for Apple Music for Artists or a 12 inch print.
Does DPI matter for album art?
Barely, for streaming. DPI is a tag in the file; stores judge the pixels, so a 3000×3000 file looks the same at 72 or 300 DPI. Some pages still name a value: CD Baby lists 72 to 300 DPI, TuneCore at least 72, SoundCloud asks for 300. Files fixed or exported here are tagged 300 DPI to be safe. For print, 300 DPI at the printed size is the usual target.
Should album art be RGB or CMYK?
RGB, and sRGB to be safe. Spotify asks for sRGB; DistroKid, CD Baby and TuneCore ask for RGB and turn away CMYK. CMYK is for printing a CD or vinyl sleeve, and even then the printer usually converts it for you.
JPG or PNG for album covers?
JPG for most covers, especially photos: the file is far smaller. PNG keeps flat colors and small text crisp, but check the file size. DistroKid asks for JPG; Spotify, Apple, CD Baby, TuneCore, SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts take both.
Can I make a small image 3000×3000?
You can, but it will look soft, and Spotify and Apple both say not to upscale. The checker warns before it enlarges anything. Better to rebuild the art at the full album cover size in the album cover maker.
What is the vinyl record album cover size?
A 12 inch LP jacket is about 12.375 inches square, so about 3,700 pixels at 300 DPI plus the bleed your plant asks for. Export at 4000 px and let the printer place it in their template; they will tell you if they need CMYK.
What is the CD cover size?
The booklet front is 4.75 inches (120 mm) square, about 1,420 pixels at 300 DPI plus bleed. Your 3000 px streaming cover has more than enough pixels for it.
My cover is the right size. Why was it rejected?
Content rules. Apple Music refuses blurry or pixelated art, URLs, social handles, logos, dates, prices and images you have no rights to, and names on the art should match the release. A size check cannot see those; only you can.
Is the album cover size checker free and private?
Yes. It is free with no account, and your image is read and fixed inside your browser tab, never uploaded. The fixed cover also works in any audio visualizer video you make on this site.
Your Cover, Everywhere Your Song Plays
Once the size is right, put the art to work.
- Spotify VisualizerPromo videos for a song you have on Spotify.
- YouTube Visualizer16:9 visualizers for singles, albums and long mixes.
- Apple Music VisualizerVisualizer videos for songs you release on Apple Music.
- Photo Music Video MakerYour photos cut on the beat of your song.
- Lyric Video MakerSync your lyrics to the vocal and export a lyric video.
- SoonAlbum Name GeneratorAlbum and EP titles that fit your songs.
Check Your Album Cover Size Now
Drop your artwork on the checker: see its album cover size, color and format against each store, fix it in one click and download. Free, and nothing leaves your device.