Does adding an image change the MP3’s sound?
Embedding cover art in the tag doesn’t touch the sound at all. Making a video re-encodes the sound as 192 kbps AAC inside the MP4, while your original MP3 stays exactly as it was.
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Add an image to an MP3
Two different jobs share this name. Here is how to put artwork inside the MP3 itself, and how to turn the MP3 and a picture into a video.
There are two ways to add an image to an MP3. If you want the picture to show in a music player, such as Apple Music, VLC or your car’s screen, you embed it in the file’s tags with a tag editor; the file stays an MP3. If you want to post the track on YouTube, Instagram or anywhere that only takes video, you combine the audio and the image into a new video file.
The studio above does the second: open the MP3, add your picture under Cover art, and export an MP4 with the image and the sound together. It doesn’t change your original MP3. The first job is covered step by step below, because if artwork in your music library is what you’re after, a video is the wrong answer.
How to combine an MP3 and an image into a video
Open the MP3
Square is selected, which suits album art and most feeds. Choose Landscape for YouTube. Press Choose an MP3 (Ctrl+O or ⌘+O).
Add the image
In Text, press Cover art and pick a JPEG or PNG. The Still cover template shows it large on a soft-focus copy of itself, and the colours follow the picture.
Set the length
Tracks over 75 seconds open on their liveliest 30 seconds. Drag Clip start and Clip end on the timeline to cover the whole track, up to 10 minutes.
Export the video
Press Export, then Export video and Download video. Cover image (.png) in the same sheet saves the current frame as a picture, handy for a thumbnail.
Embed cover art in the MP3 itself
MP3 files carry a block of information called an ID3 tag: title, artist, album and, optionally, a picture. Music players read that picture and show it as the album art. Adding one changes only the tag, not the sound, and needs a tag editor rather than a video tool.
On a Mac, with the Music app
- Add the MP3 to your library (File → Import).
- Click Songs in the sidebar, select the song, then choose Song → Get Info.
- Click Artwork, then Add Artwork, choose the image and click OK. You can also drag a picture into the Artwork area.
Music stores the picture in the MP3’s tag (an ID3 “attached picture” frame), so it travels with the file when you copy it elsewhere. Apple notes that WAV files can’t take artwork this way; convert them first.
On Windows, with Mp3tag
- Install Mp3tag (free) and drag the MP3 into its window.
- Select the file. Right-click the cover box at the bottom of the tag panel, choose Add cover… and pick the image.
- Save the tag (Ctrl+S).
Mp3tag can also give a whole album the same cover in one go: select every track before adding the picture. A square JPEG of 500 to 1400 pixels is plenty for players; very large images make every file bigger.
When you need a video instead
Embedded artwork is invisible to YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and most social sites. They accept only video, so the picture has to become a picture track. That is what the studio makes: an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound, which is the format all of them prefer.
- YouTube: Landscape at 1080p. The MP3 upload guide covers YouTube Studio, titles and copyright.
- Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn feeds: Square or Portrait.
- Reels, TikTok and Shorts: Vertical, with the strongest 30 seconds rather than the whole track.
If the picture is a photo you love and the music is just the soundtrack, the add music to a photo page starts from the photo instead, with it filling the frame (on an iPhone, iMovie and Photos memories can do it too).
Make the picture part of the design
- Keep it still: in Wave, choose None, and under Style set Progress to None. The video shows only your image.
- A little movement: the default Seek bar wave fills slowly along the bottom; Cover art moves with the voice under Style lets the picture pulse gently with the sound.
- More movement: try Vinyl in Templates for a spinning record with your art as the label, or Visualiser for a ring around it.
- Shape: Cover art shape under Style switches between Rounded, Circle and Square.
Adding an image to an MP3: FAQs
Can this tool embed album art in my MP3 file?
No. It makes a video from the audio and picture. To put artwork inside the MP3, use a tag editor such as the Music app on a Mac or Mp3tag on Windows, as described above.
How do I add a picture to an MP3 for YouTube?
Combine them into a video: open the MP3 here with Landscape selected, add the picture as Cover art, set the clip to the whole track and export. Upload the MP4 to YouTube.
Can I add more than one picture?
One picture per video: the cover art, or a full-frame photo under Style → Background → Photo. There are no slideshows here.
What image size should I use?
For a video, a square image of at least 1080×1080, or 1920×1080 for a full-frame landscape photo. JPEG and PNG both work.
Are my MP3 and picture uploaded?
No. Both are opened and combined in your browser. Captions aren’t needed for a music video; if you did press Make captions, only the selected clip’s sound would be sent to be written out.