CoverArt options and their effects

[PeterSt]

This topic shows the various options on the CoverArt functions since XXHighEnd 0.9v-3, and explains what the effects of these options are.

Here goes :

[PeterSt]

First, let's see what happens when the checkbox "Simple Search" in the Settings Area is ticked;

In the Library Area (top most) we see that no cover has been found, because the only coverart XX is looking for is Folder.jpg;
In the CoverArt Area (right pane) we see that really some coverart files are there, but none is called Folder.jpg.

When a track is played from this album (see the 3rd screen copy, the last track), no cover is shown in the left pane just the same.
Also, the Wallpaper (when set to show) will only show this "X".

Simple Search is faster because really only one file is looked for its existance, BUT when CoverArt is shown in the CoverArt Area still much time is consumed on getting all the files in general. See more below for better explanation.

[PeterSt]

When Simple Search is not ticked, various algorithms cause the Thumb.jpg to be selected as the proper cover to show on the album.

In the left pane it now shows as well, and also it would show as Wallpaper when set.

[PeterSt]

Now we tick Fast Rendering;

Wow, is that a difference, or is it. Don't forget to look at e.g. Booklet1.jpg which is not properly scaled anymore.

Well, the first large screen copy already makes that very clear, but also look at the second (Fast Rendering not ticked) and the third (ticked).

Note : The Fast Rendering checkbox will *not* influence the way the cover is shown in the left pane. See the last screen copy and the wrongly scaled "full cover.jp" which is correctly scaled in the left pane.


Also look at the icon from info.txt at the bottom in CoverArt08 and compare it with the properly sized same icon in CoverArt05 in the post above.

The downside of Fast Rendering is obvious : lousy pictures. The upside is that Fast Rendering is enourmeously more fast, depending on if you want to show CoverArt in the CoverArt Area (the Show Data checkbox) and when you do - on the sole fact that a high resolution scan can be really 10s of megabytes which a. have to be read from disk and b. take a long time to "render" to a good looking picture when not shown at the original size (which is plain impossible looking at e.g. CoverArt14 from the next post, which would be a few meters (x 3 = feet) wide ).

[PeterSt]

No matter how the images are rendered, when opening them (could be doubleclick) they look as good as you intended.

How it shows initially on the screen (CoverArt12) ... or a bit zoomed into the real size (CoverArt13).

[PeterSt]

But of course you can view anything :

[PeterSt]

Then it can happen that you didn't save to jpeg but to tiff.

Although XXHighEnd only supports jpeg (.jpg or .jpeg) for opening internally, opening the file from within the CoverArt Area just always works.

Btw, don't ask what happens when an audio file shows up there.

[PeterSt]

Here's a situation :

CoverArt18 shows that really the wrong file has been taken to use for the cover (Voodoo06.jpg instead of Voodoo01.jpg).
So this is what we do :

We change Voodoo001.jpg into Folder.jpg (CovarArt19) and since in the Library Area is automatically refreshed we see it worked (CoverArt20).

Note : It might take some longer to rename the file because of some OS (Vista only ?) twirk, and you may receive the message that the Rename failed. Just try it again.

Be careful because you may not want to do this when you are in a Galery (it works allright though), while doing it in the original folder only doesn't affect the derived Galeries. In a next version this will be taken care of.

[PeterSt]

Lastly for now, here's a situation XX won't be able to handle :

What we see is a "Covers etc." folder at the same level as where the individual albums of a multi volume album are being held;
Although there's really something to show (see CoverArt23) XX won't be able to judge which belongs to which CD.

The above is different from the setup as shown in CoverArt24 and CoverArt25, where the coverart is held in the folder *above* the individual CDs (here named 1 and 2), *and* where it is not held in a "Covers" (etc.) folder.

In a next version something may come from the first mentioned situation afterall.