Give your album a cover that moves.
Motion art is the short loop Apple Music shows in place of a flat cover. Motion, the Apple Music motion art studio, composes it at Apple's two frame sizes with Apple's measured safe areas drawn on the stage, so nothing important ends up under the notch or behind the track list. One project, both shapes.
For artists and labels delivering to Apple Music, and for anyone who already has a Spotify Canvas.
Apple takes a square file and a tall file. The studio composes once and reframes the layers for each.
What you get
- Sizes: 3840 x 3840 square and 2048 x 2732 tall, both required by Apple
- Length: 8 seconds, silent
- Safe areas: Measured off Apple's Album Motion Partner Toolkit and drawn on the stage
- Convert: Any Spotify Canvas project, in one click, as a copy
- Export: 60 fps MP4. Apple lists 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97 or 30 fps; check the file against Apple's current requirements or your distributor's before you submit
Cover to motion art in three moves
- Bring your cover. Start from the album art, then layer stickers, logos, text, GIFs or short video on top.
- Animate inside Apple's frames. Give each object motion and effects on the timeline. The safe areas stay on the stage while you work.
- Render both shapes. Flip the frame and render again: two silent 8 second loops, 3840 x 3840 and 2048 x 2732, from one composition.
Built for the frame
Apple's exact sizes. 3840 x 3840 for the square placement and 2048 x 2732 for the tall. The size is a property of the project, so switching frames reframes your layers instead of resetting them.
Safe areas you can trust. Apple does not publish its safe area as text. We read it off the artboard in Apple's own partner toolkit, and the studio draws exactly that.
Bring a Canvas over. Open a Spotify Canvas project from Motion and convert a copy. Every layer and keyframe is rescaled into Apple's frame; the original is untouched.
The whole effects lab. 181 motion, effect, filter and shader cards and 140 text animations, the same library as Canvas.
Seamless by construction. Every motion is a function of the loop position, so nothing jumps when the art repeats on an album page.
Nothing gets squeezed. Videos and GIFs centre-crop into Apple's frames instead of stretching. A face stays a face in both shapes.
One composition, both frames
Square, 3840 x 3840
Tall, 2048 x 2732, the album page on iPhone
The safe areas as the studio draws them
A Spotify Canvas converted in one click
Works with
Canvas: The Spotify version of the same loop, built in the same editor.
Music Visualizer: The full-length video for the same release.
Frequently asked questions
What size is Apple Music motion art?
Two files per release: 3840 x 3840 for the square placement and 2048 x 2732 for the tall album page. LimePulse composes once and exports at both exact sizes.
Why does Apple need two files?
Because the art appears in two shapes. The square runs on iPad, Mac and larger screens, and the tall frame is the album page on iPhone. A delivery with only one is incomplete.
Can I upload the export straight to Apple?
Treat it as your finished motion design rather than a certified delivery. The frames and safe areas are exact, but Apple's requirements also cover frame rate, bitrate and colour tagging, and LimePulse exports 60 fps MP4. Check the file against Apple's current requirements, or your distributor's, before you submit.
I already made a Spotify Canvas. Do I start over?
No. Open it from Motion and convert a copy. Layers, keyframes and sizes are rescaled into Apple's frames.
Is it included in the plan?
Yes. One Creator plan covers every studio, $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year.
Apple and Apple Music are trademarks of Apple Inc. LimePulse is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Apple.
Read more
- How to make Apple Music motion art
- Apple Music motion art specs
- Spotify Canvas vs Apple Music motion art