When did iTunes stop supporting transparent covers? Workaround?

[Makosuke]

I noticed a while ago that if you used a PNG with an alpha channel as the cover in iTunes, the transparency was fully supported. This was pretty awesome, since you could do semi-transparent covers (in particular, I made a blank CD image where the center hub was partly transparent).

But at some point recently (not sure when, I wasn't paying that much attention) iTunes stopped supporting this, and 7.5 doesn't, either. What the heck!

When was this change made, and does anyone know of a workaround? Not like it's necessary, but it'd be nice to have back...

 

[siliconjones]

It happened at the 7 release.

The artwork is stored in an .itc file. Its an image file with additional metadata. I think originally the image component of it was .png now for some reason it is JPG. Therefore no transparency.

The annoying part is, if you ad a png with transparency it will keep transparency till you quit itunes, which I think is when the png stored in memory is replaced with the .itc which is stashed on your hard drive.

Additionally and most annoying, the no-album-artwork image has transparency.

I'm trying to find a workaround, I had lots of sweet album artwork built using transparency, now they've been overwritten without transparency.

Undoubtedly, the new .itc is to facilitate some limitation of the store/phone.

 

[ayzee]

Ive been trying to solve this problem ever since i bought my iMac!
Interestingly the only coverflow that stays transparent in my library are the ones on my movies bought from iTunes Store.


Could there be a solution from this?

 

[ZDarius]

Any luck in making transaparent .png files work again

Any luck in finding a way to get transparent .png files to work in iTunes again.
I too have had to change a great deal of my artwork from iTunes from really
nice transparent CD's to simple boxes and hate it!!!!!!!!

 

[ayzee]

I still haven't managed to find a work around or indeed find somebody else who has any ideas

The closest ive seen somebody get is this page here from 2007
http://www.falsecognate.org/2007/01/deciphering_the_itunes_itc_fil/

 

[racer27x]

I noticed this problem this morning. I have an Intel Mac Mini, OS X 10.6.7, iTunes 10.2.1. I dragged one of the non-working "transparent" images to the desktop and then deleted and re-added it in the Get Info/Artwork window and it started working again. I quit iTunes and reopened it and the transparent image still worked. Strange