Cover art specs that will not get rejected
Distributors reject sloppy art daily. Meet the specs the first time.
The technical bar
3000 by 3000 pixels minimum, JPG or PNG, RGB color. No blurry upscales, no pixelation, no screenshots of other art.
Keep all text readable and intentional. Typos on cover art are forever.
The content rules
No URLs, no social handles, no barcode images, no distributor logos on the art. No pornographic or hateful imagery, obviously.
Do not use another artist's photo or artwork. Rights issues get releases pulled.
Design for the thumbnail
Test at one inch wide. If the title and mood do not read instantly, simplify. Bold beats detailed at streaming sizes.
Next step: check your last three covers against this list before your next upload.
Hire when it matters
Your cover art is forever. For important releases, hire a designer. A few hundred dollars protects a career asset.
Give designers references and creative freedom. Micromanaged designers produce mediocre work.
Your Monday action plan
Audit your upcoming cover art against the spec checklist: size, format, content rules, thumbnail test.
Fix any issues before upload. Rejections delay releases by days or weeks.
Sources and further reading
Sources were checked for this article. Tool features, prices and availability can change. Product claims are attributed to their publishers.
