# Import artwork from central folder
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [March 6, 2007, 9:21am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576 "2007-03-06T09:21:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@nlindholm](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/nlindholm)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2007, 9:21am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/1 "2007-03-06T09:21:16Z")
First post here so try to be gentle with me π³
I have the following setup :
iTunes with 8000 songs but with no artwork.
The latest edition of this magnificent tool Mp3tag π
A map on my PC containing 840 covers to the CD's in my iTunes (I know i sounds stupid
but I was playing around with iTunes setup and managed to changed the tag in there from
ID3v2 to ID3.1)
Thankfully I had saved copies of the artwork in my extramap. I now face the excrutiating
work of applying every artwork per Artist per Album which will take forever UNLESS .......
Is there any chance that Mp3tag can help me do this ?
Can I somehow make this program (2.37a) "find" my map on the PC and put the right coverart
back in the ID3tag ? βΉ
If the question sound stupid it's because I now very little about ID3tags and have allways used
iTunes to convert my CD albums (sorry!)
Regards
Nik
---
### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2007, 10:19am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/2 "2007-03-06T10:19:04Z")
What do you mean by map, a folder?
And what are the names of the covers? Do they have a certain structure?
---
### Author:  [@nlindholm](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/nlindholm)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2007, 12:44pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/3 "2007-03-06T12:44:41Z")
Sorry if it sounds strange .. Yes they are in a folder on my desktop called CDCOVERS
All my covers are bmp and named after the albums (ie "Back in Black.bmp" etc).
I don't know in full what you mean by structure but they all got different names,
they are all .bmp, they are all in the same "folder" and they are sorted after when I
put them in there which is to say they have the same order as the order iTunes sort my CD's
(ie 10CC all their albums in alphabetical order, AC/DC all theirs etc etc..)
Does this clarify or mystify things for you ? βΉ
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2007, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/4 "2007-03-06T13:56:41Z")
First, if your pictures are in bmp format you must convert them to jpg or png. Bmp is oversized for embedded covers anyway.
> [@](#):
>
> All my covers are bmp and named after the albums (ie "Back in Black.bmp" etc).
That's good because the program needs soemthing that connects the pictures with the files.
There's an action type "Import cover from file" which you can use.
Select your files (not all at one time, maybe a thousand per run), press Shift+Alt+5 and select "Import cover from file"
Then as string you use the path to your CDCOVERS folder and the placeholder %album%, could be like this:
C:\Documents and Settings{user name}\Desktop\CDCOVERS\%album%.jpg
Of course it only works if you have the Album tag in your files and it is spelled as the picture names.
---
### Author:  [@nlindholm](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/nlindholm)
#### Post date: [March 6, 2007, 2:05pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/5 "2007-03-06T14:05:31Z")
> [@dano](#):
>
> First, if your pictures are in bmp format you must convert them to jpg or png. Bmp is oversized for embedded covers anyway.
>
> That's good because the program needs soemthing that connects the pictures with the files.
>
> There's an action type "Import cover from file" which you can use.
> Select your files (not all at one time, maybe a thousand per run), press Shift+Alt+5 and select "Import cover from file"
> Then as string you use the path to your CDCOVERS folder and the placeholder %album%, could be like this:
> C:\Documents and Settings{user name}\Desktop\CDCOVERS\%album%.jpg
>
> Of course it only works if you have the Album tag in your files and it is spelled as the picture names.
man that sounds comforting π I will try this as soon as I get my but out of work and post
my imminent success. Phew I been thinking about this for about 2 weeks now and finally
found a program that can get me out of this mess... Thans alot for your answer.
You (and Florians little program) saved my bacon
Cheers mate
Nik πΆ 
---
### Author:  [@nlindholm](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/nlindholm)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/6 "2007-03-07T21:09:45Z")
> [@dano](#):
>
> First, if your pictures are in bmp format you must convert them to jpg or png. Bmp is oversized for embedded covers anyway.
>
> That's good because the program needs soemthing that connects the pictures with the files.
>
> There's an action type "Import cover from file" which you can use.
> Select your files (not all at one time, maybe a thousand per run), press Shift+Alt+5 and select "Import cover from file"
> Then as string you use the path to your CDCOVERS folder and the placeholder %album%, could be like this:
> C:\Documents and Settings{user name}\Desktop\CDCOVERS\%album%.jpg
>
> Of course it only works if you have the Album tag in your files and it is spelled as the picture names.
Hi Dano, I have been unable to try this until now (computer crash  ) but I tried it tonight and I think I need further assistace. I did the Shift+Alt+5 (how on earth can one find this ? is this in a manual because I was looking for a way through the menubar but cannot find it there. Oh well nevermind I'll remember it now π but would be happy if one can find these things without using the keyboard since I'm a mouse man myself  π )
I took 1 album and tried it on, It said it had converted 11 out of 11 files but I cannot see the CD cover in iTunes ? (Yes I changed them to .jpg first) so what can be the problem here ?
I have all cd covers in a folder under C:\CD COVERS and my string looks like this
C:\CD COVERS%album%.jpg ... Is this right. It's not nescessary to actually write the name of the album in the "%album%" field I hope ?? That would take longer time than manually update 840 covers π
Edited by yself 20 min later....
Well I found the error. I had checked the box "Delete 3v2" and unchecket "Write 3.2 tags" in the setup (silly me) Sorry mate but it worked like a charm thank you thank you πΆπΆ
I will be back if I have further problem π³
Nik
ps thanks for the help sofar my friend ds
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### Author:  [@dano](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/dano)
#### Post date: [March 7, 2007, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/7 "2007-03-07T21:51:58Z")
Shift+Alt+5 ist just the shortcut for **quick action**. It is to the left of this  icon.
You can also use a normal  action if you want to save your string.
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### Author:  [@nlindholm](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/nlindholm)
#### Post date: [March 8, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/8 "2007-03-08T16:49:59Z")
The conversion is "underway" 
It workes gr8 ! thanks for a very nice program !   
Nik
---
### Author:  [@system](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/system)
#### Post date: [February 9, 2026, 12:20pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/import-artwork-from-central-folder/4576/9 "2026-02-09T12:20:11Z")