How to make a Spotify Canvas,
the complete guide.
Canvas is the looping video that replaces your artwork while your track plays on Spotify. Done right, it holds the listener, drives shares and playlist adds. Here are the rules — and the fastest way to make one, right on your phone.
What is a Spotify Canvas?
A Canvas is a short, silent, vertical looping video shown instead of your cover art while someone plays your track in the Spotify app. Spotify reports that tracks with a Canvas get shared and playlisted more often: it is one of the few visual levers an artist has inside the player itself.
The specs
- Length: 3 to 8 seconds.
- Format: vertical 9:16 — at least 720 × 1280 pixels.
- Loop: it plays on repeat, muted. A visible jump at the seam is instantly noticed — aim for a perfect loop where the last frame flows exactly into the first.
- Upload: through Spotify for Artists (app or web), track by track.
Make your Canvas in a minute with Rondo
- Import your track into Rondo — the analysis (kick, mids, highs, spectrum) runs on your phone; nothing is uploaded.
- Pick a scene and a palette: the kick-pulsing ring, the turntable wearing your artwork, the beatbox crew, the night skyline… 19 scenes and 15 backgrounds genuinely react to your music.
- “Find the drop” spots the most energetic passage; select the 3-to-8-second window you like.
- Export in the Canvas format: Rondo renders a silent 9:16 loop that closes pixel-perfectly — the seam is invisible. Upload the file in Spotify for Artists, done.
Three tips for a Canvas that holds attention
- One visual gesture. A 5-second Canvas has no room for three ideas: a ring pumping on the kick is enough.
- Stay on brand. Same palette and typography as your artwork — listeners should recognize your world from track to track.
- The perfect loop is not a detail. A visible seam breaks the spell — which is exactly what Rondo's loop rendering guarantees.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Canvas replace my cover art?
No — it shows during playback in the Spotify mobile app; your artwork is still used everywhere else.
Does a Canvas have sound?
No, it is muted by definition: your track is what plays. Rondo's Canvas export therefore has no audio track.
How much does Rondo cost?
The app is free and exports without a watermark. The Canvas export is part of Rondo Pro, a one-time purchase — no subscription.
Is my music uploaded anywhere?
Never. Analysis and rendering run entirely on your phone; Rondo even works in airplane mode.
Go further
The Canvas keeps the listener once they're on the track; to bring them there, make a snippet that hooks on TikTok, Reels and Shorts. And on release day, follow the release-day visual checklist.
Ready to publish?
Download Rondo and export your first Canvas today.