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Canvas guidelines
Canvas is an 8-second visual loop that shows in a vertical format to fill the screen. It appears in the Now Playing View instead of your album artwork.
Your Canvas needs to be:
- 3-8 seconds long
- Vertical 9:16 ratio
- Between 720px - 1080px tall
- An MP4 or JPG file
To make the most of your Canvas:
- Choose footage without talking, singing, or rapping. The clips are only 3-8 seconds long, so won’t sync with the lyrics.
- Avoid rapid video cuts or intense flashing graphics. They may overwhelm the viewer.
- Phone screen size is important. The edges may get cut off on some phones.
- Consider excluding your song and artist name. It already shows in the Now Playing view in the Spotify app.
- Try to tell a full story. You only have 8 seconds, but trimmed down music videos and incomplete stories can leave fans expecting more.
- Pick the right type of loop:
- Continuous Loop has a satisfying seamless loop.
- Hard Cut has clear edit points (they can be artfully disguised).
- Rebound plays your clip forwards, then reverses it (an easy way to get a smooth loop).
- Create a theme. Connect your Canvas identity to your album art, profile picture, header image, or even playlists. You could even create a narrative across an entire release.
- Keep it updated. You can change your Canvas over time to tell a current story, explore different visions, or just to keep things interesting.
For more info, check out artists.spotify.com/canvas.
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