Removing photos and album artwork from iTunes

Article

Removing photos and album artwork from iTunes

Ask iLounge offers readers the opportunity to get answers to their iPod-, iPhone-, iPad-, iTunes-, or Apple TV-related questions from a member of the iLounge editorial team. We'll answer several questions here each week, and of course, you can always get help with more immediate concerns from the iLounge Discussion Forums. Submit your questions for consideration using our Ask iLounge Submit Form. We reserve the right to edit questions for grammar, spelling, and length.

View the complete Ask iLounge archives...

Q: How do I delete photos and/or album artwork from iTunes?

- J.D.

A: There are actually two different questions here, since photos and album artwork are handled very differently by iTunes.

iTunes synchronizes photos to your iPod based on either a file and folder structure or a photo management application such as iPhoto. Photos are not stored or managed within iTunes itself in any way. You can remove entire photo albums from your iPod simply by DE-selecting them under the iPod synchronization settings, on the “Photos” tab:

To remove individual photos from an iPod, however, you must remove them from the album or file folder in which the photo is stored. The next time you connect your iPod, the photo will be automatically removed, since it is no longer available in the synchronized folder.

See our article, The Complete Guide to Displaying Photos on iPod + iPhone for more information.

On the other hand, album artwork is managed within iTunes as part of the associated tracks. You can remove album artwork from an individual track by selecting the track, choosing File, Get Info and then the Artwork tab:

Select the artwork image you would like to remove from that track, and hit the “Delete” button.

To remove artwork from several tracks at once, simply highlight all of the tracks you would like to remove the artwork from, and choose File, Get Info and you will be presented with a dialog box to edit the properties for the selected tracks:

Check the “Artwork” button, as shown above, but do not paste anything into the “Artwork” box. iTunes will replace the artwork on all tracks with the content of the “Artwork” box, which is this case is nothing.

Note that if you would like to leave your artwork on your tracks in iTunes itself, but merely want to remove it from your iPod, you can de-select the option to “Display album artwork on your iPod” under the “Music” tab in your iPod “Sync” preferences:

Note that this option is not available for the iPhone or iPod touch, as these devices rely more heavily on album artwork than the traditional iPod models.

The most asked question at iLounge.com:

How do I copy content from my iPod/iPhone onto my computer?

Converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and more:

The Complete Guide to iPod, Apple TV and iPhone Video Formats

Converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and more:

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Mac)

Converting DVDs, web video, TV shows and more:

The Complete Guide to iPod, iPhone and Apple TV Video Conversion (Win)

Best Speakers?

Best Headphones?

Best Case?

Best In-Car Solution?

Best Battery Extender?

Find more answers in the latest publications in our Library. Free downloads developed by the editors of iLounge!

Ask iLounge Archives:

5-23-13: Costs associated with using FaceTime

5-22-13: iMessages showing as Delivered when iPhone is out of coverage

5-21-13: Inability to use Find My Friends without a passcode

5-17-13: Calendar info disappears after iCloud restore

5-16-13: Remove old iCloud backup after restoring to a new iPhone

View the complete Ask iLounge archives...

« Overdrive Media and iPods

Copying Content from your iPod to your Computer - The Definitive Guide »

Comments

If you have a comment, news tip, advertising inquiry, or coverage request, a question about iPods/iPhones/iPad or accessories, or if you sell or market iPod/iPhone/iPad products or services, read iLounge's Comments + Questions policies before posting, and fully identify yourself if you do. We will delete comments containing advertising, astroturfing, trolling, personal attacks, offensive language, or other objectionable content, then ban and/or publicly identify violators.

Recent Reviews

New Deals

Shop for Accessories: Cases, speakers, chargers, etc.

iLounge

Article