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Moving album covers are a real thing. Here's why:

They are growing in popularity, and will soon replace all static album covers on the Internet. It only makes sense, really.

 

Album covers used to be printed on paper, but now they are displayed on screens. Screens support animation and changing pixels, so why would album covers stay still rather than move? Therefore, it is inevitable that we will eventually re-create every album cover as a moving album cover.

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How do you create a moving album cover?

First off, we need to recognize that there are a few different ways to go about it. procedural, manual, and hybrid. Using procedural techniques, any artwork can react to any music, as long as the necessary steps are taken to begin with. This is how most music visualizers are made.

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Shop procedural animated artwork and visualizers on Vlux Visual >

 

Manual animation is a far more tedious process, and can produce a much more custom result. In this case, using classic animation techniques and keyframes the animator uses his own judgment to listen to the music, and create relevant visuals on beat. 

 

Discover manual animation solutions on Vlux Visual >

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A hybrid solution is one where an experienced animator creates manual animations to the chosen audio track, while implementing some automations used for procedural animation. The large movements of the album cover are manually animated, while the small adjustments such as twinkling lights and rippling base are generated by the procedural system. 

 

In conclusion:

Moving artwork is a growing trend and now is a better time than ever to invest in creating your own. As a musician, it can be hard to stand out visually in a saturated online environment. Using moving album covers and animated artwork like visualizers, musicians can leave a lasting impression on your audience.

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If you are looking to create high-quality animated artwork for your album cover or single, Vlux Visual is the best platform to do so. Their robust team of experts have been pioneering the technology for the past few years, just as the trend began to see growth. Vlux has reported that select clients have gained a 22% engagement spike since animating their album covers.

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Thank you for reading this article, I hope you enjoyed it and learned something. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out and ask.

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