Art
Art and game info
Get box art and descriptions, and enter API keys without typing them on a controller.
Box art and screenshots download without an account. To get more, add free accounts or keys for these services.
Where art comes from
Open Settings › Library › Scraper.
| Source | Needs | Gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Libretro thumbnails | Nothing | Box art, screenshots and title screens |
| SteamGridDB | A free API key | Box art, backdrops, logos and icons |
| ScreenScraper | A free account | Box art, screenshots, video and game info |
| IGDB | A free Twitch developer app | Descriptions, genres and ratings |
| ES-DE, Cocoon | Nothing | Art you already have from those apps |
ES-DE and Cocoon only show up if setup found their folders. If you've set a data folder, art you saved before is always used first, so it isn't downloaded again.
Change the order: sources at the top are asked first. Select one, press X, move it with Up and Down, then press A.
Choose what to download: under What to download, set each kind of art (Box art, Screenshots, Backdrops, Logos, Title screens, Icons, Videos, Descriptions and ratings) to Auto, one source only, or Off. Videos play in the Standard and Rich performance modes.
Enter your keys
Typing a long key with a controller is slow. There are two easier ways.
From a computer
- On a computer, open clamshell-fe.com/keys.
- Fill in the services you use and set a password.
- You get a short code, or a
.clamshell-keysfile you can keep for your next device. - In Clamshell, open Settings › Library › Scraper › Accounts and keys › Import from computer.
- Enter the code (it works for 15 minutes) or pick the file, then type your password.
Clamshell checks each key and turns those sources on. Your keys are encrypted in your browser, so the site never sees them. The page can also hold your RomM address and token. Import works in free and patron builds.
From your phone
- Open Settings › Library › Scraper › Accounts and keys › Enter from your phone.
- Scan the QR code with a phone on the same Wi-Fi.
- Type or paste your keys on the phone and send them.
The page takes one submission and closes itself after a few minutes.
You can also type each key under Accounts and keys. The help there links to each service's sign-up page.
Keep your art after a reinstall
Set a data folder in Settings › Library › Data folder, for example on your SD card. Then two more options appear under Settings › Library › Scraper:
- Keep full-size art in the data folder: keeps the originals in
Clamshell/media, so after a
reinstall your art comes back without downloading it again.
- Write gamelist.xml files: writes one per system in
Clamshell/gamelists, for other frontends
to read.
Download art
- Download art automatically runs after each scan. It waits for Wi-Fi and enough battery.
- Settings › Library › Download art now gets missing art, and tries again for games that
weren't found before.
- Settings › Library › Scraper › Download all art again replaces the art for every game. Press
it twice to confirm.
- For one game, press X and choose Re-download art.