Show cover (recommended)
Recommended3000×3000 1:1
Quality master for Spotify, TV apps, and many directories. Title and host still have to read when the tile shrinks.
Use in toolSpotify · Image size
Spotify Podcast Cover Size
Podcast show art has to work in the car, on TV, and in directory grids. Export a 3000×3000 square (1400×1400 if you need a lighter file), keep the title huge, then download in your browser.
Browser crop · stays on your device
Crop your Spotify podcast cover
3000 × 3000
Add a photo to crop
Upload show art—or try the sample—then keep the title and host inside the readable zone. Episode numbers on the show cover go stale.
Size specs
This is catalog artwork for a show, not a personal playlist stamp. Make the title readable at the size of a car tile, then export 3000×3000 when the source is sharp.
Publish
Export this for Spotify upload.
Lighter square
1400×1400 1:1
Same square habit at a lighter pixel count. Use when the host or RSS slot prefers a smaller still—prefer 3000×3000 when you can.
Use in tool| Asset | Pixels | Ratio | Notes | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Show cover (recommended) Recommended | 3000×3000 | 1:1 | Quality master for Spotify, TV apps, and many directories. Title and host still have to read when the tile shrinks. | Use in tool |
| Lighter square | 1400×1400 | 1:1 | Same square habit at a lighter pixel count. Use when the host or RSS slot prefers a smaller still—prefer 3000×3000 when you can. | Use in tool |
The show has to read from the passenger seat
A podcast cover is product packaging that follows the RSS feed into Spotify, cars, living-room TVs, and sometimes a smart-speaker companion screen. Nobody sits in Figma at 3000 pixels when they pick a show from Android Auto. They see a small square across a cabin or a couch. If the title is a thin script along the rim, the tile becomes a color blob and the host’s name in the metadata has to do all the work. Put the show name in heavy type fully inside the readable zone, or make a host silhouette so bold it still parses at arm’s length.
3000×3000 is the quality master this page starts from: enough pixels for TV apps and for directories that display a large square on the show page. 1400×1400 is a legitimate lighter alternative when a host’s uploader, an older RSS cap, or a simple flat design does not need the extra weight. Same ratio either way. Do not upload a 640px playlist experiment and hope the car screen sharpens it.
Playlist covers on Spotify are also squares, and 1400×1400 even overlaps a common playlist export. The jobs are not the same. A playlist cover is a disposable stamp for a mix you might delete next month. Podcast show art is a catalog record: it sits in Followed Shows, in search, in charts, and on every episode until you replace it. Designing it like a “Friday beats” mix—inside jokes, tiny episode counts, a screenshot of a waveform—makes the show look unofficial in a directory next to programs that treated the square as a book jacket.
Apple Podcasts often wants the same square habit (a large 1:1 still, commonly in the 1400–3000 range). That overlap is why one master can feed both, but this page is the Spotify podcast crop: you will judge it in Spotify’s dark lists, in the Spotify car experience, and on TV apps that pull Spotify catalog art. Recheck contrast on a dark background even if you also ship the file to Apple. Episode-level art, when your host supports it, is a different slot—do not put “Ep. 147” on the show cover you will regret in a year.
Good vs weak crop
Same feed frame—keep the subject inside the margin phones actually show.
Reads on a car tile
- Huge title or host inside the zone
- High contrast for TV and cabin light
- True 3000×3000 (or a clean 1400 square)
Looks like a private mix
- Episode numbers that will be wrong next month
- Playlist-style collage with no show name
- Thin type on the rim that cars cannot read
Before you upload
Tick these off against your crop preview—nothing is saved.
Related surfaces compared
Similar-looking slots often use different ratios—do not reuse one export for all of them.
Podcast show cover
3000 × 3000
This page. Catalog square for Spotify, cars, TV, and many directories.
Lighter show square
1400 × 1400
Same job, fewer pixels—when the pipeline prefers a lighter still.
Playlist cover
1400 × 1400
Personal or editorial mix stamp—do not treat it as show packaging.
Artist profile photo
750 × 750
Music-artist identity. A hosted show still needs its own jacket.
| Surface | Typical size | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Podcast show cover | 3000 × 3000 | This page. Catalog square for Spotify, cars, TV, and many directories. |
| Lighter show square | 1400 × 1400 | Same job, fewer pixels—when the pipeline prefers a lighter still. |
| Playlist cover | 1400 × 1400 | Personal or editorial mix stamp—do not treat it as show packaging. |
| Artist profile photo | 750 × 750 | Music-artist identity. A hosted show still needs its own jacket. |
Directories, TV, and the car
Spotify is one storefront. The same square is what a passenger glances at while choosing a commute episode, and what a TV app hangs on a row of shows. Those environments add glare, distance, and tiny UI chrome you do not control. Large type and a simple field beat a detailed illustration with five supporting characters.
If the show is named with a long phrase, put a short lockup on the cover (“Night Shift,” not the full legal title) and let metadata carry the rest. Covers that repeat the entire subtitle in six-point type fail in every directory at once.
- Test the export at roughly stamp size before you call it done.
- Dark type on a dark field disappears in Spotify; light type on a busy photo disappears on TV.
- Host faces work when they fill the square like a portrait, not as a tiny inset.
Show art is not a playlist cover
It is tempting to duplicate a 1400×1400 playlist export because the pixels match the lighter podcast preset. Resist it. Playlist art signals “this is my mix.” Show art signals “this is a program you can follow.” Directories rank and display the latter next to news brands and studio shows. A waveform screenshot that felt fine on a private playlist looks unfinished as a catalog jacket.
Music artists who also host a talk show should still ship two identities: the 750×750 artist photo for the music page, and this square for the podcast. Listeners who find the show from Search should not have to guess whether they tapped a playlist.
- Playlist cover size — mix stamp, often 1400 × 1400
- Artist profile size — 750 × 750 music identity
File requirements
JPG for photographic covers; PNG for flat titles and hard shapes. Prefer sRGB. 3000×3000 is the master this page recommends; 1400×1400 is the lighter alternative, not a different ratio. Keep episode-specific stills off the show-level file if your host offers episode art.
- Recommended master
- 3000 × 3000 px square
- Lighter alternative
- 1400 × 1400 px square
- Formats
- JPG or PNG (sRGB stills)
- Design for
- Car tiles, TV rows, and phone grids
- Not this slot
- Playlist mix art or episode-only stills
- Also a common habit
- Apple Podcasts uses a similar large square—this page is Spotify-first
Common mistakes
- Putting “Episode 12” on the show cover you will still be using at Episode 200.
- Shipping a private playlist collage as the official catalog jacket.
- Script type that looks elegant at 3000px and vanishes in the car.
- A 9:16 guest still with black bars to fake a square.
- Updating the cover every week so Followed Shows looks like a broken cache.
How to use the crop tool
Upload the jacket, keep Show cover (3000×3000) selected unless you truly need the lighter 1400 square, drag until the title sits inside the readable zone, then download. Cropping stays in the browser. Publish through your podcast host or RSS image field.
- Zoom until the name or host fills the zone.
- Prefer fewer words over a paragraph of cover copy.
- Replace show art rarely; use episode art for topical stills when the host allows it.
After you download
From this download to a live upload in a few minutes.
- 1
Download the 3000×3000 JPG or PNG (use 1400×1400 only if you chose the lighter preset).
- 2
Upload it in your podcast host (Spotify for Podcasters, Buzzsprout, and similar) or as the RSS show image—not as a Spotify playlist cover.
- 3
Wait for the directory refresh; apps cache show art longer than you expect.
- 4
Check the Followed Shows grid on a phone, then imagine the same square on a car display.
- 5
If the title vanishes, recrop with fewer words and more fill, then replace the show art once—not every episode.
Frequently asked questions
What size is a Spotify podcast cover in 2026?
Export a square. 3000×3000 is the quality master this page recommends. 1400×1400 is a lighter alternative at the same ratio.
Should I use 1400×1400 or 3000×3000?
Prefer 3000×3000 for TV and large show pages. Use 1400×1400 when the host or file pipeline needs a lighter still. Do not treat 1400 as a different layout.
Is podcast cover the same as a playlist cover?
No. Both can be squares, and 1400×1400 even overlaps, but a playlist cover is a mix stamp. Show art is catalog packaging that lives in directories, cars, and TV rows.
Does Apple Podcasts need a different size?
Apple often uses the same large-square habit. You can share one master, but this page is for Spotify’s show tile—check contrast on a dark Spotify list either way.
Should episode numbers go on the cover?
Not on the show-level file. Numbers go stale. If your host supports episode art, put topical stills there and keep the show jacket stable.
JPG or PNG for podcast show art?
JPG for photographic covers, PNG for flat titles. Export sRGB stills. This is not a Canvas-style video slot.
Why is the title unreadable in the car?
Cabin tiles are small and often viewed at a glance. Recrop with heavier type, more fill, and the words fully inside the readable zone—then replace the show art once.
Where do I upload the file on Spotify?
Through your podcast host or the RSS show image (Spotify for Podcasters and similar). Do not paste it onto a music playlist and expect the catalog to update.