Add local Plex movie posters and choose the intended candidate

The useful distinctions

• The current Plex Movie agent exposes Use local Assets in library settings.
• poster is a documented movie poster basename.
• Numbered poster candidates can be stored together.
• The chosen poster can be selected through Plex Web.

Keep the original design available

A custom poster may contain deliberate typography, a local recording title or artwork licensed for your collection. Preserve the original image outside any temporary editing workflow. Store the display candidate beside the associated movie so a library rebuild does not depend entirely on a remote source remaining available. Record its provenance when the image was not created by you.

Give candidates clear roles

Use numbered poster candidates when comparing two designs rather than repeatedly overwriting the same file without a history. The filename can express which image belongs to the movie, while a small note explains the design choice. Keep the number of candidates modest so the artwork editor remains easy to inspect. A correctly named local image is a discoverable candidate, not a requirement that every view immediately shows that candidate.

Check identity and crop

Choose the intended poster and inspect it in the actual library view. Confirm that the movie identity and path are correct at the same time, then check whether important text is legible in the displayed crop. Avoid turning a landscape frame into a portrait poster solely by stretching it. Retain the alternative until the chosen design has been reviewed at ordinary browsing size rather than only at full resolution.

A focused way to proceed

1. Store authorised images inside the individual movie folder.
2. Name candidates poster.jpg and poster-2.png or another documented form.
3. Enable Use local Assets for the current movie agent.
4. Refresh the item as needed and choose the intended poster in its artwork editor.

Worked example · synthetic

/media/Movies/Harbour Lantern (2024)/Harbour Lantern (2024).mkv
/media/Movies/Harbour Lantern (2024)/poster.jpg
/media/Movies/Harbour Lantern (2024)/poster-2.png

Read the comparison

Local assets provide artwork candidates; visible selection and cached client views need separate review.

When to stop or ask for help

If assets are absent, confirm current versus legacy agent instructions and the actual movie-folder structure.