Issues with embedded cover art

2013-04-24 20:20:34

I noticed 3 issues with displaying and transferring embedded cover art.
1st -  if I replace front image in file that already holds 2/3 or 4 images, then Windows Explorer shows improper image as front cover (mostly back cover). Foobar always shows correct image. As far as I remember, the only way to fix Explorer view was to remove images permanently (by transcoding FLAC->FLAC) and then load them again, in correct order. Simply removing them in foobar and adding them again was at least several times not successful because of padding and the fact that images were still embedded in file and they were not rewritten - just revived. I am not sure, I may misremember something, but probably the same situation occurs when images are added in different order than front cover first -> rest of images after front.  Is this bug in Explorer or in foobar? This is serious problem for me.
2nd - when I convert (FLAC -> mp3) files that contain for example front and back image, then resulting mp3s show wrong front cover in Windows Explorer. Explorer shows backcover instead of front but foobar shows correct image. I haven't try to fix Explorer view yet, maybe I will just remove images as I don't need them in those mp3s. But this may be a problem for someone. Question is - is this foobar or Explorer bug?
3rd - I need to investigate it further, but it seems that not all embedded images are transfered from FLAC to mp3. Some images just missing in resulting mp3s. I have to note that I used custom setting for encoding (custom commandline options for LAME 3.99 x64 exec from rarewares). This isn't a big issue for me. But it's atill a bug.

1st issue was observed on foobar between version 1.2 and 1.2.3 - I haven't occasion to try it on 1.2.5. 2nd and 3rd occur on 1.2.5 final.
All versions were installed on Windows 7 SP1 x64 MSDNAA PL with Windows Update turned on and regularly used. If any further information about software/hardware  configuration is necessary please leave a note.

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #1 – 2013-05-01 18:07:19

2nd and 3rd bugs still occur in 1.2.6 beta 1

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #2 – 2013-05-01 18:40:23

Which version of ID3v2 do you use?

foobar2000 used to have ID3v2.4 as default but changed to ID3v2.3 to be more compatible. Windows Explorer can't read ID3v2.4.

You can for see what it's set to in Preferences > Advanced > Tagging > MP3.

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #3 – 2013-05-01 19:10:30

i checked the frames written inside an mp3 i tagged with foobar using axone.jar. when you embed multiple images, the back cover always appears as the first APIC frame regardless of what order it was added.

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #4 – 2013-05-01 20:19:56

This amateur speculation sounds very realistic... I am using ID3v2.3 - I forced it on all my files at some day and I set foobar to always use v2.3 - just because of compatibility (after I tested v2.4 with Explorer on my own). And the problem is that Explorer displays cover art - but the wrong picture. Not that it doesn't display anything.

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #5 – 2013-05-01 22:17:38

something weird going on with embeded art but not sure that its foobar. did a couple of tests.

It would seem to me that the first cover that you embed is always the one that shows in explorer regardless of what cover type you set it too, its also the first one that shows with third party pluggins like audioshell and dppoweramp properties and comes up first with programs like mp3tag or easy tag.
so
if you add a back cover first then a front the back will show
if you add the front then the back the front will show

this just gives me more reason to strip any other cover except the front cover
beware in foobar though that a folder.jpg will override your embeded it seems in columns ui when set to embeded and external

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #6 – 2013-05-05 09:27:53

I found another strange thing... I got an album that shows proper front cover in both Windows Explorer and foobar's Album Art Viewer. But when I open embedded Picture Manager it's window is blank... It shows no images, no info about them...

EDIT:
Sorry, I'm an idiot... That was just cover art from external "cover.jpg" file... LOL. But maybe it is possible that Picture Manager will show some info like "no embedded images" and maybe additionally "external cover art detected" ? This is official suggestion/ feature request

Issues with embedded cover art

Reply #7 – 2013-05-05 14:49:18

@dobo, your testing certainly conflicts with my results. you're essentially saying so long as you add front cover first then it will always show? that was definitely not the case for me.