+- Kodi Community Forum (https://forum.kodi.tv)
+-- Forum: Support (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=33)
+--- Forum: General Support (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=111)
+---- Forum: OS independent / Other (https://forum.kodi.tv/forumdisplay.php?fid=228)
+---- Thread: Question About Exporting (/showthread.php?tid=341204)
Question About Exporting - desepticon - 2019-02-22
I have taken a lot of time to set the correct artwork for my media. I've noticed a couple things though when I export to individual files (all options yes, with overwrite). The artwork gets appropriately placed with the correct filenames (ie: *-fanart, *-poster, etc), but there are no corresponding entries in the .nfo file with the file paths, only URLs. Is this normal behavior? Will the files placed in the same directory as the media take precedence over the entries in the nfo?
How do I ensure that if I ever need to reimport my library that the appropriate artwork takes precedence?
RE: Question About Exporting - Karellen - 2019-02-22
@desepticon
I am not quite clear whether you used local artwork when you "have taken a lot of time to set the correct artwork for my media". But if you have, the last thing you want to do is overwrite it when running an Export. Kodi exports the images in the Cache which are modified versions of the original, usually of lesser quality. Never overwrite local artwork with the artwork from an Export.
(2019-02-22, 19:36)desepticon Wrote: but there are no corresponding entries in the .nfo file with the file paths, only URLs. Is this normal behaviorYes, this is normal and wanted behaviour. Kodi will automatically look for the actual local artwork files first. If it can't find any, then it follows the links and downloads the online artwork. These URL's serve two purposes...
1. As a fallback for missing artwork
2. Provides a list of available artwork when using the Choose Art dialogue to select new artwork.
RE: Question About Exporting - desepticon - 2019-02-22
@Karellen
I have used a couple different methods to set my artwork. Sometimes I use the "choose artwork" button from the media information page. Sometimes I use the Library edit function of Chorus2, or Maraschino to set the artwork as I want them.
The quality seems good enough so I'm not concerned about that. I'm only concerned that Kodi will correctly remember the choices I made if I ever have to reimport.
RE: Question About Exporting - scott967 - 2019-02-22
To kind of expand on Karellen, in the video database the "movie" table contains data that is scraped or imported. That table includes entries for "thumb" (now called poster) and "fanart". Since it is scraped, the intent is that it is a remote url to the image. (actually, can be multiple images for each type.) This part of the database is what's exported as<thumb> and <fanart> elements, and is imported from the nfo. Same thing for actor thumb. (disclaimer: I don't use universal scraper and it might find additional art-types than just poster and fanart these days.)
There's another table "art" and this is where the actual assignment of a specific image (either local or remote) to a specific art-type for a movie (or any other video content) is stored. This table data is exported as the <art> element but is not imported. Note that in addition to "assigned" art, Kodi can do a frame grab from the video as "thumb".
A different database (textures) provides the linkage between the video art table and the thumbnail cache version of the image. The cached version is what's exported and should contain the images as found in the exported <art> element.
You could manually edit the exported nfo files to put your local image into the <thumb> or <fanart> elements, but I don't recommend this as Kodi should select your local image (assuming it's named correctly) during a scan without editing your nfo. That way you have the option of using the online art in the future.
You can check out artwork beef addon as an alternative that can download remote art directly without converting it to a Kodi thumbnail cached image first. There's also various media managers supported on Kodi forum that can do this and maybe give you more control over the process.
scott s.
.
RE: Question About Exporting - desepticon - 2019-02-22
I do use artwork beef (and Universal Media Scraper). Basically, what I want to know is: do my local *-fanart, *-poster, etc files take precedent over what's in the nfo? What I want is for Kodi to remember my artwork selection if I ever have to reimport my database. This is thousands of titles, so I don't want to have to go through it again.