Getting the new portrait artwork from the iOS 26 Apple TV app
iTunes added the ability to purchase TV shows in 2005 with movies following a year later. For both of these, artwork was available in a square aspect ratio usually at 600x600px. With iOS 12.3 in 2019, Apple moved the video content in iTunes to a new Apple TV app which incorporated a 16:9 aspect ratio for artwork, typically at 4K resolution. Now with the launch of iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe, Apple has once again changed its artwork to a 2:3 portrait aspect ratio.
For over a decade, I’ve been providing a way to easily access high-resolution artwork through my iTunes Artwork Finder and later the 16:9 Artwork Finder. Today, I’m happy to announce the latest version of these tools with the new Apple TV Shows & Movies Artwork Finder, updated for the iOS 26 style.
The new artwork finder doesn’t only add support for the new portrait images for shows and movies available to purchase within the Apple TV app; it also supports Apple TV+ and all of the streaming services that can connect to the Apple TV app such as BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus. This means you can now get hi-resolution portrait artwork for tens of thousands of TV shows and films.
In addition to my free artwork finder, I’ve also created a new Apple Shortcut that opens up numerous possiblities for automation. Introducing the Hi-Res Apple TV Artwork Shortcut available exclusively on Gumroad.
With this new shortcut, all you need is an Apple TV URL. Feed it in, and you’ll get back a direct link to the highest resolution artwork available. There are advanced options so you can choose between the new 2:3 portrait style or the older 16:9 aspect ratio along with ways to return additional metadata such as the title (useful for naming files when saving). I’ve also included three demo shortcuts that show you how to use this tool as part of a larger automation. As with the artwork finder updates above, this new shortcut also works across all the streaming services that connect to the Apple TV app.
These new tools will hopefully allow you to update your personal libraries to match the new style Apple are using across iOS 26 and macOS Tahoe. If you run into any issues or have any suggestions for improvements, then please feel free to contact me.