--- search: boost: 2 --- # Image Asset Directory Guide The Image Asset Directories can be used to update the posters and backgrounds of collections, movies, shows, seasons, and episodes. ## What is an Asset Directory? It is a folder containing artwork (posters and/or backgrounds) that is *typically* entirely separate to your media directories. The only connection an asset directory has with your media directories is that the name of the folder your movie or series is in is the "asset name". Kometa uses that "asset name" as the **key** to find the artwork in the asset directory. Media directory: ```txt /this/part/does/not/matter/Star Wars (1977)/neither_does_this_part.mkv ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "asset name" ``` Asset Directory: with asset folders: ```txt /this/part/does/not/matter/Star Wars (1977)/background.jpg /this/part/does/not/matter/Star Wars (1977)/poster.jpg ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "asset name" used as lookup key ``` OR without asset folders ```txt /this/part/does/not/matter/Star Wars (1977)_background.jpg /this/part/does/not/matter/Star Wars (1977).jpg ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "asset name" used as lookup key ``` You **can** use your media directories as the asset directories (if for example you like to keep your artwork next to your media files), but this is not typical, nor is it required. Kometa does not require direct access to your media directories in normal use, and it is typically run remote from the Plex server, which is why the asset directory is *typically* entirely separate. ## Requirements and configuration If you want to apply artwork to movies and shows using the asset directory, the Kometa asset pipeline *requires* that your movies and shows are in folders of their own. The name that Kometa will use to look up the asset poster for a movie is the folder that the movie file is located in *on disk*, and each movie/show needs to have a unique asset name. In other words, this works: ```txt movies/Star Wars (1977)/Star Wars (1977) Bluray-1080p.mkv movies/Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979)/Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979) Bluray-1080p.mkv movies/The Empire Strikes Back (1980)/The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Bluray-1080p.mkv ``` while this *WILL NOT*: ```txt movies/Star Wars (1977) Bluray-1080p.mkv movies/Star Trek The Motion Picture (1979) Bluray-1080p.mkv movies/The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Bluray-1080p.mkv ``` If your movies and shows are not in individual folders, setting art using the asset directory will not work and you can stop here. You can specify your asset folders under the `settings` attribute `asset_directory`: ???+ important Assets can be stored anywhere on the host system that Kometa has visibility of (i.e. if using docker, the directory must be mounted/visible to the docker container). For the sake of this document, we will assume that your assets folders are all based within the directory mapped to `config` within your Kometa environment. ```yaml settings: asset_directory: config/assets ``` To use multiple Image Asset Directories specify the directories as a YAML list: ```yaml settings: asset_directory: - config/assets - config/more_assets - config/assets_ahoy ``` * Kometa will not create the asset directories themselves; it will create folder *within* asset directories [if configured to do this], but not the asset directories themselves. * You can specify an Image Asset Directory per Metadata/Playlist/Overlay File when calling the file. See [File Blocks](../../config/files.md) for how to define them. * By default [if no `asset_directory` is specified], the program will look in the same folder as your `config.yml` for a folder called `assets`. ## Applying assets Assets can be applied to collections [managed or unmanaged], playlists, and media items [movies, shows, seasons, and episodes]. Managed Collection and Playlist assets are applied whenever that collection/playlist is run. You do not have to specifically enable assets for these items; Kometa will always search for and apply them. Item [movie/show/etc] assets and Unmanaged Collections assets have to be specifically enabled before Kometa will search for and apply them. Do this by enabling the `assets_for_all` Library Operation: ```yaml Movies: operations: assets_for_all: true ``` If you want to silence the `Asset Warning: No poster or background found in an assets folder for 'TITLE'` you can use the [`show_missing_assets` Setting Attribute](../../config/settings.md): ```yaml settings: show_missing_assets: false ``` ## Asset interaction with overlays If a media item has an asset associated with it, that asset image is taken as the source of truth for what artwork the item should have, and the overlay pipeline will no longer download and back up the base artwork from Plex. Using the Asset Directory to assign custom art is the simplest and safest way to ensure that the overlay pipeline doesn't unexpectedly overwrite your custom artwork in Plex. ## Asset Naming The table below shows the asset folder path structures that will be searched for. There are two options for how Kometa looks at the files inside your Asset Directories. Choose an option with the [`asset_folders` Setting Attribute](../../config/settings.md). Note that `asset_folders` is a toggle; you can't put some images in folders and some not in a context where it is enabled. Assets can be stored anywhere on the host system that Kometa has visibility of (i.e. if using docker, the directory must be mounted/visible to the docker container). ???+ important The below table assumes that your assets are stored within the directory mapped to `config` in your Kometa environment. === "ASSET_FOLDERS=True" | Image Type | Asset Folders Image Paths
`asset_folders: true` | |:---------------------------------|:---------------------------------------------------------| | Collection/Movie/Show poster | `/ASSET_NAME/poster.ext` | | Collection/Movie/Show background | `/ASSET_NAME/background.ext` | | Season poster | `/ASSET_NAME/Season##.ext` | | Season background | `/ASSET_NAME/Season##_background.ext` | | Episode poster | `/ASSET_NAME/S##E##.ext` | | Episode background | `/ASSET_NAME/S##E##_background.ext` | === "ASSET_FOLDERS=False" | Image Type | Flat Assets Image Paths
`asset_folders: false` | |:---------------------------------|:---------------------------------------------------------| | Collection/Movie/Show poster | `/ASSET_NAME.ext` | | Collection/Movie/Show background | `/ASSET_NAME_background.ext` | | Season poster | `/ASSET_NAME_Season##.ext` | | Season background | `/ASSET_NAME_Season##_background.ext` | | Episode poster | `/ASSET_NAME_S##E##.ext` | | Episode background | `/ASSET_NAME_S##E##_background.ext` | ## Determining the "Asset Name" === "Collections" `ASSET_NAME` is the mapping name used with the collection unless `name_mapping` is specified, in which case you would use what's specified in `name_mapping`. For example: ```yaml collections: A24 Movies: trakt_list: https://trakt.tv/users/moonilism/lists/a24 ``` `ASSET_NAME` is "A24 Movies" ```yaml collections: /// < : ** : > \\\: name_mapping: crazy-punctuation-collection trakt_list: https://trakt.tv/users/moonilism/lists/a24 ``` `ASSET_NAME` is "crazy-punctuation-collection" === "Movies" `ASSET_NAME` is the exact name of the folder the video file is stored in. That means the folder name exactly as it appears in the file system. ``` /path/to/media/movies/NAME OF THE FOLDER HOWEVER LONG AND WHATEVER IT CONTAINS/MOVIE_NAME.mp4 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ -- THIS IS ASSET_NAME ``` For example, given this movie: ``` /path/to/media/movies/Star Wars (1977) {imdb-tt0076759} {tmdb-11}/Star Wars (1977) [1080p].mp4 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ -- THIS IS ASSET_NAME ``` The asset names that Kometa will look for are: === "ASSET_FOLDERS=True" ``` config/assets/Star Wars (1977) {imdb-tt0076759} {tmdb-11}/poster.ext config/assets/Star Wars (1977) {imdb-tt0076759} {tmdb-11}/background.ext ``` === "ASSET_FOLDERS=False" ``` config/assets/Star Wars (1977) {imdb-tt0076759} {tmdb-11}.ext config/assets/Star Wars (1977) {imdb-tt0076759} {tmdb-11}_background.ext ``` === "Shows, Seasons, and Episodes" `ASSET_NAME` is the exact name of the folder for the show as a whole. That means the folder name exactly as it appears in the file system. ``` /path/to/media/tv/NAME OF THE FOLDER HOWEVER LONG AND WHATEVER IT CONTAINS/Season 01/EPISODE_FILE.mkv ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ -- THIS IS ASSET_NAME ``` For example, given this show: ``` /path/to/media/tv/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/Season 01/The Expanse (2015) - S01E01 - Dulcinea.mkv ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ -- THIS IS ASSET_NAME ``` The asset names that Kometa will look for are: === "ASSET_FOLDERS=True" ``` config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/poster.ext config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/background.ext ``` === "ASSET_FOLDERS=False" ``` config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}.ext config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}_background.ext ``` ## Season and Episode numbers === "Seasons" Replace `##` with the zero padded season number (00 for specials) For example, given this show: ``` /path/to/media/tv/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/Season 01/The Expanse (2015) - S01E01 - Dulcinea.mkv ``` The asset names that Kometa will look for are: === "ASSET_FOLDERS=True" ``` config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/Season01.ext config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/Season01_background.ext ``` === "ASSET_FOLDERS=False" ``` config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}_Season01.ext config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}_Season01_background.ext ``` === "Episodes" Replace the first `##` with the zero padded season number (00 for specials), the second `##` with the zero padded episode number For example, given this show: ``` /path/to/media/tv/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/Season 01/The Expanse (2015) - S01E01 - Dulcinea.mkv ``` The asset names that Kometa will look for are: === "ASSET_FOLDERS=True" ``` config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/S01E01.ext config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}/S01E01_background.ext ``` === "ASSET_FOLDERS=False" ``` config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}_S01E01.ext config/assets/The Expanse (2015) {tvdb-280619}_S01E01_background.ext ``` * Replace `.ext` with the image extension * When `asset_folders` is set to `true` movie/show folders can be nested inside other folders, but you must specify how deep you want to search because the more levels to search the longer it takes. * You can specify how deep you want to scan by using the [`asset_depth` Setting Attribute](../../config/settings.md). Here's an example config folder structure with an assets directory with `asset_folders` set to true and false. ### Asset Folders vs Flat Assets === "ASSET_FOLDERS=True" ``` config ├── config.yml ├── Movies.yml ├── TV Shows.yml └── assets ├── The Lord of the Rings │ ├── poster.png │ └── background.png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) │ ├── poster.png │ └── background.png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (2002) │ ├── poster.png │ └── background.png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King (2003) │ ├── poster.png │ └── background.png ├── Star Wars (Animated) │ ├── poster.png │ └── background.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars │ ├── poster.png │ ├── background.png │ ├── Season00.png │ ├── Season01.png │ ├── Season02.png │ ├── Season03.png │ ├── Season04.png │ ├── Season05.png │ ├── Season06.png │ ├── Season07.png │ ├── S07E01.png │ ├── S07E02.png │ ├── S07E03.png │ ├── S07E04.png │ └── S07E05.png └── Star Wars Rebels ├── poster.png ├── background.png ├── Season01.png ├── Season01_background.png ├── Season02.png ├── Season02_background.png ├── Season03.png ├── Season03_background.png ├── Season04.png └── Season04_background.png ``` === "ASSET_FOLDERS=False" ``` config ├── config.yml ├── Movies.yml ├── TV Shows.yml └── assets ├── The Lord of the Rings.png ├── The Lord of the Rings_background.png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)_background.png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (2002).png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Two Towers (2002)_background.png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King (2003).png ├── The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King (2003)_background.png ├── Star Wars (Animated).png ├── Star Wars (Animated)_background.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_background.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season00.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season01.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season02.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season03.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season04.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season05.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season06.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_Season07.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_S07E01.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_S07E02.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_S07E03.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_S07E04.png ├── Star Wars The Clone Wars_S07E05.png ├── Star Wars Rebels.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_background.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season01.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season01_background.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season02.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season02_background.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season03.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season03_background.png ├── Star Wars Rebels_Season04.png └── Star Wars Rebels_Season04_background.png ```