How Long Should a Spotify Canvas Be? Length, Duration and the Loop
Spotify Canvas length explained: the 3 to 8 second rule, why LimePulse uses the full 8 seconds, what happens above the max length, and how duration affects file size.
A Spotify Canvas has to be between 3 and 8 seconds long. That is the whole rule, and Spotify enforces it at upload: a clip under 3 seconds or over the 8 second max length gets rejected by Spotify for Artists. So the real question is not how long a Canvas can be, it is how long yours should be, because inside that window the duration you pick changes how the loop feels.
The short answer: 5 to 8 seconds for motion, 3 to 4 for a pulse
A Canvas plays on repeat for the entire listen, so a viewer sees your loop dozens of times. Longer durations (6, 7, 8 seconds) give a camera move or a text reveal room to breathe before it repeats. Very short durations (3 or 4 seconds) work when the motion is a simple heartbeat: a slow zoom, a flicker, a breathing cover. If you are unsure, use the full 8 seconds, the longest Spotify accepts.
Why the seam matters more than the length
Whatever duration you choose, the last frame has to flow back into the first or the loop visibly stutters every few seconds, and that stutter is all anyone sees. This is the part most editors get wrong by hand. Canvas, the LimePulse loop builder for Spotify Canvas, sidesteps it completely: frame one and the final frame always match.
Canvas duration and file size
Spotify takes 9:16 video from 720x1280 up to 1080x1920, and LimePulse exports your loop at 1080x1920, the top of that range. The file size stays tiny at these lengths, so duration is a creative decision rather than a technical one. The full pixel numbers, aspect ratio and format requirements live in our Spotify Canvas size and specs cheat sheet if you want everything on one page.
Quick answers
- How long is a Spotify Canvas? Between 3 and 8 seconds, looping forever.
- How long should a Spotify Canvas be? 5 to 8 seconds for a camera move or text, 3 to 4 for a simple pulse.
- What is the Spotify Canvas max length? 8 seconds. Anything longer is rejected at upload.
- Can a Canvas have sound? No. The Canvas is silent; your track is the audio.
- Does the length affect quality? No, but the seam does. A clean loop at any length beats a fancy one that jumps.
When you are ready to build one, the step-by-step Canvas guide walks the whole flow from cover art to upload, and in Canvas there is no length to set: every loop runs the full 8 seconds.