The ImagesByName folder contains artwork that is used by MediaBrowser to enhance the overall look of Media Browser. The ImagesByName folder is often abbreviated as IBN.
Predefined Folders
As of Media Browser 2.2.1 (also called Firestorm) the ImagesByName folder has a predefined set of subfolders. These are:
Genre
- This folder houses subfolders with icons and backdrops like Action, Comedy, Thriller, Horror, etc.
- subfolders with folder.jpg files in here will show up in Media Browser if filtering by Genre
People
- This folder houses subfolders with icons and backdrops for Actors, Directors, etc.
- subfolder with folder.jpg files in here will show up in Media Browser if filtering by Actor or when viewing the Actors tab on a Movie details screen
Studio
- This folder houses subfolders with icons and backdrops for Studios, TV Networks, etc.
- subfolder with folder.jpg files in here will show up in Media Browser if filtering by Studio or they will be displayed on a Movie details screen if the active theme supports showing them.
Year
- This folder houses subfolders with icons and backdrops for Years.
- subfolder with folder.jpg files in here will show up in Media Browser if filtering by Year
General
- This folder houses subfolders with icons and backdrops for Plugins, etc.
- More details about this can be found here
Configuring the IBN Folder
Media Browser looks for the ImagesByName folder in C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName.
By default, this folder does not exist after a fresh installation. You need to create it manually including the above subfolders.
Please note that the C:\ProgramData folder is hidden in Windows by default.
A final directory structure would look like this:
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\General
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\Genre
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\People
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\Studio
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\Year
Example IBN Folder
For the record, here is an example ImagesByName folder with some contents to get a better idea:
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\General
Favorites\folder.jpg
Music Library\folder.png
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\Genre
Action\folder.jpg
Drama\folder.jpg
Thriller\folder.png
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\People
Mel Gibson\folder.jpg
Julia Roberts\folder.png
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\Studio
BBC\folder.jpg
Universal Studios\folder.png
C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName\Year
2009\folder.jpg
2010\folder.jpg
Moving the ImagesByName Folder
The location of the IBN folder can be moved to a different location.
To do this, if you have an existing ImagesByName folder then copy/cut it to the new location. If you do not currently have an IBN folder, then create a folder called “ImagesByName” in the location you would like to store it, and then create the subfolders listed above. If your existing IBN folder does not have those subfolders then you need to create them if you are using Media Browser 2.2.1 (Codename Firestorm) or later .
Once you have done this navigate to the directory C:\ProgramData\MediaBrowser and use a text editor such as Notepad (not a word processor like MS Word) to open the file called “MediaBrowserXml.config”.
Look for an entry in this file that starts with <ImageByNameLocation>
There should also be an end tag that looks like </ImageByNameLocation>
Between these tags is where you need to put the path to your new ImagesByName location, e.g. \\Server\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName or D:\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName
So the end result will be:
<ImageByNameLocation>\\Server\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName</ImageByNameLocation>
or
<ImageByNameLocation>D:\MediaBrowser\ImagesByName</ImageByNameLocation>
Be sure to confirm that there is no hard return after the path and before . It must all stay on the one line.
Then save and close that file. MediaBrowser will now use your new location for ImagesByName.
Important Note: If you move the ImagesByName folder to a network location, this can cause a significant performance impact on Media Browser.