What is a Spotify Canvas and how to create one
The Canvas is the short looping video that plays behind a song in the Spotify app. It is easy to skip, but it is one of the few visual spaces artists control inside Spotify.
What a Spotify Canvas is
A Canvas is a short, vertical video that loops behind a track in the Spotify mobile app, in place of the static cover art. It is added per song by the artist or their team through Spotify for Artists. Because it plays while people are already listening, it is a quiet but direct way to give the song a visual identity inside the platform.
Spotify publishes the technical requirements and content guidelines for Canvas in Spotify for Artists. They are summarized below; requirements can change, so check them before you upload.
Spotify Canvas size, length and format
According to Spotify’s Canvas guidelines (checked on October 15, 2026), a Canvas must be:
- Length: 3 to 8 seconds.
- Aspect ratio: vertical 9:16.
- Size: between 720 and 1080 pixels tall (for example, 1080 × 1920 or 720 × 1280).
- File: MP4 (video) or JPG (still image).
The same guidelines describe three ways to loop: a continuous loop with no visible break, a hard cut with clear edit points, and a rebound that plays forward and then in reverse. They also recommend footage without talking, singing or rapping (a few seconds cannot stay in sync with the lyrics), no rapid cuts or intense flashing, nothing important near the edges, and no song or artist name, because the app already shows them. If an upload fails, the most common cause is a file that is slightly off in length or size.
What makes a good Canvas
- It loops smoothly. A visible jump when the video restarts is distracting. The end should blend into the beginning.
- It is calm enough to watch for minutes. People see it for the whole song, again and again. Slow movement works better than fast cuts.
- It respects the interface. The song title and controls cover parts of the screen, so keep the important image in the center.
- It matches the release. Same colors and mood as the cover and the rest of the campaign.
- It shows the artist, when possible. A few seconds of the artist from the music video often feel more personal than an abstract animation.
How to create a Canvas
You can edit a Canvas by hand in any video editor: choose a segment, crop it to 9:16, cut it to length and make the end match the beginning. Or you can generate it with TONTRIA Release assets:
- Paste the Spotify or YouTube link of the release, or upload the cover and, if you have it, the music video.
- Choose the source. From the music video, TONTRIA takes a segment that follows the artist and blends the end into the beginning so the loop is seamless. Without a video, it animates the cover.
- Export the 8-second vertical loop.
In the same step you get the rest of the campaign: coming soon, release date, countdown, today and out now pieces in story, post and square formats.
How to upload it
- Open Spotify for Artists (web or app) and go to your music.
- Select the song and choose the option to add a Canvas.
- Upload the file, preview it and confirm that it follows the guidelines.
Tip: make a Canvas for the songs people are listening to now, not only the newest single. Older songs that still get streams benefit too.
To make yours now, open the Spotify Canvas maker: paste the link, choose the music video or the animated cover (spinning vinyl, CD or floating cover) and download the loop. If you don’t know what to show, there are ten loop ideas in Spotify Canvas ideas.
Looking for the lyric video for the same song? Read how to make a lyric video with AI from a Spotify link.