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iTunes 11 - Default Genre Artwork

How do I set default genre artwork in iTunes 11? iTunes has remembered what was my iTunes 10 default grid artwork for genres, which I set by scrolling through the tile and then right clicking and setting the artwork I wanted. How do I edit this, or remove the default artwork I have set in iTunes 11?

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.7.5), does not support Mountain Lion.

Posted on Nov 30, 2012 5:08 PM

Reply
42 replies

Mar 30, 2017 12:43 AM in response to Hemslow

It is a very very UN-Appley thing! I really can't imagine that Apple design team sit around that magical studio and make these irritant icons. It may be hacked by Windows team!! It's unbearable in an app like iTunes which every details designed perfectly exclusive in it.

It seems to be one of Apple's most serious graphic design bugs without any chance to fix. So as i do love iTunes i delete all the gender pic manually and prefer to not have gender icon and see that gray general music icon instead.


Go to: Application/iTunse > right click > show package contents

Go to: contents/Resources/ and you will see those ugly f&$#^@g UN-Appley pics. Kill them all and open the iTunes clean and free!

Dec 5, 2012 8:45 AM in response to Hemslow

Same for me!!! I use the genres section to browse my movie and I liked it when my favorit movie artwork was the artwork of the genre. In iTunes 10 it was simple to do and perfect. But now it's gone!!!! I hate when apple make things right just to remove it after!!! I realy don't get it and I hope apple will fix it!

Dec 13, 2012 3:34 PM in response to Hemslow

To change the genre artwork in iTunes 11 (Windows 7):


1. Close iTunes.

2. Go to: Computer>Local Disk (C:)>Program Files (x86)>iTunes>iTunes.Resources

3. You will see a bunch of jpg (picture) files. They will be named like this: genre-drama, genre-action, etc.

4. Just delete the picture for the particular genre that you want to change.

5. Find a picture you want to use and save in the iTunes.Resources folder. Label it [genre-whatever]

6. Open iTunes. Your genre should be labled with the picture you saved in the iTunes.Resources folder.


While we're on the subject, I wish they would let me display my genres with large pics like before. I liked it that way...


Rock on!

Jan 23, 2013 9:19 AM in response to Hemslow

Hey I succeed to find a way.


1-As simple as selecting all the movies in the same genre. (command A of the genre, then command i)

2-Change the name of the genre to completely something else. (temp name)

3-Then selected again all the same movies.

4-And rechange the name of the genre to the one you want.


It seems itunes pick the artwork of the first movie of the genre.

You don't have the choice. But better then nothing.


Hope this help.


As you see the size of the artwork is matching the poster.

User uploaded file

Jan 23, 2013 9:50 AM in response to Mr Blond Qc

Mr Blond Qc, thank you for this suggestion. However, when changing the genre name to a new one I get the first cover to show up in the genre list, which is sweet. But when I change the genre's name back to it's previous original, the cover is gone again. Not so great.


Thank you anyway, at least now we now have a workaround. :thumbup:

Feb 27, 2013 7:27 PM in response to Hemslow

I saw this inquiry and had a similar question about how to create a default genre artwork for a newly created genre category in iTunes 11. Following erixium and Steve Taylor1's starting instructions I discovered a method to perform this task that I thought I would share.


  1. Create a new genre in iTunes.
    1. Control-click the item you want in a new genre.
    2. Select Get Info from the drop down menu
    3. Select the Info tab
    4. In the Genre box at the bottom type in a new name, let's call it example for this sake.
    5. Click the Okay button at the bottom right, should be blue.
  2. Close iTunes
  3. Create a new Genre artwork from a .jpg file and name it genre-example.jpg
  4. In Finder go to the Applications window, select iTunes,app and control-click
  5. Select Show Package Contents from the drop down menu
  6. Copy the new Genre artwork into the Resources folder
  7. Look for a file named genres.plist in the Resources folder.
  8. Copy that folder to another location and save a copy of it in case you make a mistake and need to go back to the original.
  9. Control-click the file and select open with then other from the menu
  10. Select textedit.app as the application to open it with and click the open button on the bottom right
  11. Go to the bottom of the file and select the last 4 lines prior to the line with </array>, they should look like this
  12. User uploaded file
  13. Copy those 4 lines below the selected 4 to create a new item
  14. Change the 2nd line (in this case musical score) to the name of the new genre you create in iTunes
  15. Change the 3rd line (in this case genre-soundtrack.jpg) to the name of the .jpg file with your new artwork that you already inserted into the Resources folder of the iTunes package
  16. Save the file
  17. Copy the file to the Resources folder of the iTunes package overwriting the original genres.plist file
  18. Close the iTunes.app Finder window
  19. Open iTunes
  20. Your previously newly created genre should now be using the genre artwork that you selected.


If anyone finds an easier way to do this, please post.


Thank you.

iTunes 11 - Default Genre Artwork

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