Script to add artwork to podcast

#1

I’m looking for a way to add artwork to podcast files that I download automatically. I’m using Hazel to monitor my iCloud Drive > Downloads folder for audio files that match certain criteria. If those criteria are met, my Mac Mini moves them out the iCloud Drive folder, renames them appropriately, and uses a script to upload them to Overcast. The only part I have not been able to figure out is how to add artwork to the podcast / audio file during the Hazel steps. I do not need to change the audio quality and re-encode it. I would prefer to not do that so that it runs quickly and smoothly.

Because I’m using Hazel, I should be able to use an Automator workflow, a shell script, or Javascript. A shell (bash) script would probably be easiest because that is what I’m already using to rename the file and upload it to Overcast.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

#2

What file type are your podcast files?

I think for audio files the images are defined in the RSS feed, but there are some multi format containers for chapters etc. that should give other standalone options I guess.

#3

They are MP3 files. There are ways to add artwork to a specific MP3 file with programs but I haven’t found a command line version yet. The one I used on my Windows machine at work is “mp3tag”.

#4

Ok. Try using LAME.

1 Like
#5

Thanks, I looked at LAME but I can’t figure out a way to do it without re-encoding the file. I would rather not have to do that for the sake of time and I’m not sure about the ramifications for quality. For example, when I tried using LAME to add the artwork, which it did, the file size dropped from 134 MB to 89 MB. In the short samples I listened to, I did not notice a difference in quality but I’m nervous about having that happen going forward.

I’ll keep looking but I’ll keep LAME as a backup option.

#6

I haven’t finished updating my script(s) yet but I believe I’m going to make it work with ffmpeg via Homebrew. Once I get it working, I’ll try to write up a synopsis of my steps.