Embed each folder's folder.jpg¶
Copy an album-folder image into its audio files so the picture can travel with them. A picture already displayed as Folder image / Not embedded in the file is still an external file; seeing it in the tag panel does not mean it is inside the audio.
Prepare one album copy¶
Put the intended image in the copied album folder as folder.jpg. Check
that it opens as a real supported image, and select a few copied audio
files with a writable artwork-capable tag, such as MP3 with ID3v2 enabled.
Keep the separate high-resolution image and original audio files.
Start with the exact filename rather than a broad wildcard. When several album folders are selected, each needs its own image in the expected place. This action does not find online artwork or choose an image by album title.
Run the import once¶
- Save or discard pending edits and select the practice audio files.
- Choose Actions → Actions (Quick)…, then Import Cover from File.
- Enter the settings below. The filename expression includes the extension.
- Choose Apply action and inspect the operation result.
- Select each practice file separately and inspect its embedded cover set.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Image filename format | %_folderpath%folder.jpg |
| Import cover as | Front Cover |
| Delete existing covers | Off |
%_folderpath% already ends with the file's native folder separator. Appending
folder.jpg reads that folder's image; it does not introduce a second
separator. A relative folder.jpg also resolves beside each audio file.
An absolute filename chosen with Browse instead reads the same image for
every selected file.
The action writes immediately. There is no later Save tags step for the completed import. Saving an equivalent group with Save groups only stores the workflow; applying the checked group runs it.
Understand adding versus replacing¶
With deletion off, existing artwork stays and a new front-cover picture is added. A repeated import can add another picture. It is not an automatic “replace the old front cover” operation.
| Existing embedded pictures | Delete existing covers | Source image | Pictures after successful import, or retained after refusal |
|---|---|---|---|
0 |
Off | Valid | 1 |
1 |
Off | Valid | 2 |
2 |
Off | Valid | 3 |
2 |
On | Valid | 1 |
2 |
On | Invalid image | 2 |
These are practice MP3 cases with supported picture roles/descriptions. The deletion-on row removes all existing pictures, including booklet and back images, before adding the new front. Use Manage covers to replace one selected image while keeping the others instead.
A missing or invalid image is refused before that removal step, but a later write failure still needs inspection. Read all file errors and keep backups; a multi-file run is not one atomic write. Ordinary action warnings do not stop later actions/groups, so a following adjustment may still act on a file's old artwork if its import warned.
Use a wildcard only when needed¶
For an explicit local naming convention, %_folderpath%front*.png can select
the first importable matching image in natural, case-insensitive name order.
For example, this folder's candidates are considered as follows:
| Candidate | What it contains | Result for front*.png |
|---|---|---|
front1.png |
Plain text, not an image | Skipped |
Front2.PNG |
Valid PNG | Chosen |
front3.png |
A folder | Skipped |
front10.png |
Valid PNG | Later valid candidate |
The action does not compare image quality or recognize which picture is the
correct front. A broad * can select unwanted artwork. Filename matching
uses the final component; folder components are literal existing paths,
not a recursive search pattern. See Import Cover
for accepted formats and path-placeholder behavior.
Verify and recover¶
The audio format must support embedded pictures; ID3v1 alone cannot store them. Some formats cannot preserve every role or description. Check format capabilities and the saved result instead of assuming a folder image proves a successful embed.
Use Edit → Undo … for a recorded import in the current desktop session. Undo is not a replacement for retaining the original files. These action paths require local files; provider-document action groups are unavailable in the current baseline.