Display visual previews on your records by automatically extracting images from descriptions, comments, or custom fields.
Overview
Cover images allow you to add visual context to your records by displaying image previews directly on record cards. This feature automatically extracts images from various sources within your records and displays them as thumbnails, making it easier to identify and organize visual content at a glance.
Whether you're managing design projects, content calendars, product catalogs, or any workflow involving visual assets, cover images help you quickly scan through records and find what you're looking for. The feature includes real-time progress tracking and flexible display options to match your specific workflow needs.
Key Features
- Automatic Image Extraction: Blue automatically finds and displays images from your chosen source
- Multiple Image Sources: Pull images from record descriptions, comments, or custom file fields
- ** Display Fit Options**: Choose how images appear with Cover or Contain.
- Smart Selection: Configure whether to use the first or last image from your source
- Real-time Updates: Cover images update automatically when record content changes
- Live Progress Tracking: Monitor bulk processing with real-time progress subscriptions
Cover images make your records instantly recognizable
How It Works
Enabling Cover Images
Cover images are configured at the project level by Project Administrators:
- Open your project and navigate to Project Settings
- Select Record Settings
- Find the Image Cover Options section
- Toggle Enable Cover Images to activate the feature
Configuration Options
Image Source
Choose where Blue should look for images:
- Description: Extracts images embedded in record descriptions (default)
- Comments: Pulls the first/last image from record comments
- Custom Field: Uses files from a specific file-type custom field (supports any file type)
Image Selection
When multiple images are available, choose which to display:
- First Image: Uses the first image found (default)
- Last Image: Uses the most recent image
Display Fit
Control how images appear in the preview area:
- Cover: Image fills the entire preview area, may crop edges to maintain aspect ratio (default)
- Contain: Shows the complete image within the preview area, may have empty space
Configure cover images to match your workflow needs
Use Cases
Design Projects - Display mockups and design iterations directly on task cards, making it easy to see the current state of each design task without opening individual records.
Content Planning - For content calendars and editorial workflows, show featured images or thumbnails to visualize your content pipeline at a glance.
Product Management - Display product photos on inventory records or feature requests, helping teams quickly identify items during discussions.
Real Estate - Show property photos on listing records, allowing agents to quickly browse through properties visually.
Event Planning - Display venue photos, design concepts, or event layouts on planning tasks for better visual organization.
Setting Up Cover Images
Step 1: Choose Your Image Source
Consider where images naturally exist in your workflow:
- If images are part of task descriptions or briefs, use Description
- If images are added through team collaboration, use Comments
- If you have a dedicated field for images, use Custom Field
Step 2: Configure Display Settings
-
Select your preferred Image Fit based on your image types:
- Use Cover for photos and designs where cropping is acceptable
- Use Contain for diagrams or screenshots where you need to see everything
-
Choose Image Selection based on your workflow:
- Use First for workflows where the primary image is added initially
- Use Last for workflows where the most recent image is most relevant
Step 3: Process Existing Records
When you first enable cover images or change configuration, Blue automatically processes your records:
- Real-time progress updates show processing status
- Records are processed in batches (50 records per batch) for optimal performance
- You can continue working while processing happens in the background
- Lists will automatically refresh when processing completes
- Processing automatically triggers when configuration changes are saved
Technical Details
Supported Formats
- When using Description or Comments sources:
- JPEG/JPG images
- PNG images (including transparency)
- GIF images (static display)
- When using Custom Field source:
- Any file type can be displayed (images, PDFs, documents)
- Non-image files display appropriate file type icons
- All files must be uploaded to Blue (external URLs not supported)
Limitations
- Maximum 6,000 records per project for bulk cover generation
- Only file-type custom fields can be used as sources
- Cover images are view-only and cannot be edited directly
Automatic Updates
Covers automatically regenerate when:
- Record description is edited (if using Description source)
- New comments with images are added (if using Comments source)
- Files in custom fields are updated (if using Custom Field source)
- Cover configuration settings are changed
- Display fit option is modified
API Access
Cover images are fully integrated with the GraphQL API:
- Configure via
setTodoCoverConfig
mutation - Access cover data through the
cover
field on Todo type - Monitor progress with
subscribeToCoverGenerationProgress
subscription - Thumbnail URLs automatically generated at
/uploads/{uid}/thumbnail/cover
Integration with Other Features
Cover images work seamlessly with other Blue features:
- Forms: Submitted images can automatically become covers
- API: Full GraphQL API support for configuration and data access
- Custom Fields: Any file-type field can serve as a cover source