diff --git a/lib/rb-util.c b/lib/rb-util.c
index 48dbffe8bfda415e8a077025447d170846f584e8..53d82973be44dda26a48a4037cc5b64d16732bef 100644
--- a/lib/rb-util.c
+++ b/lib/rb-util.c
@@ -51,6 +51,11 @@
 
 static GPrivate private_is_primary_thread;
 
+typedef struct {
+	const gchar *name;
+	int val; /* just 'int' for now */
+} PixbufOptions;
+
 /**
  * rb_true_function: (skip)
  * @dummy: unused
@@ -1177,6 +1182,107 @@ rb_scale_pixbuf_to_size (GdkPixbuf *pixbuf, GtkIconSize size)
 	return gdk_pixbuf_scale_simple (pixbuf, d_width, d_height, GDK_INTERP_BILINEAR);
 }
 
+/**
+ * rb_pixbuf_new_with_pixel:
+ * @width: pixbuf width
+ * @height: pixbuf height
+ * @pixel: RGBA pixel to apply to each pixel location
+ *         (0xffffffff is opaque white, 0x00000000 transparent black)
+ *
+ * Creates a new #GdkPixbuf of the given @width and @height filling
+ * each pixel with @pixel RGBA value.
+ *
+ * Return value: (nullable) (transfer full): A newly-created
+ * #GdkPixbuf with a reference count of 1, or %NULL if not enough
+ * memory could be allocated for the image buffer.
+ */
+GdkPixbuf *
+rb_pixbuf_new_with_pixel (int width, int height, guint32 pixel)
+{
+	GdkPixbuf *pixbuf;
+
+	g_return_val_if_fail (width > 0, NULL);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (height > 0, NULL);
+
+	pixbuf = gdk_pixbuf_new (GDK_COLORSPACE_RGB, TRUE, 8, width, height);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (pixbuf != NULL, NULL);
+
+	gdk_pixbuf_fill (pixbuf, pixel);
+
+	return pixbuf;
+}
+
+/**
+ * rb_pixbuf_center_in_new_pixbuf:
+ * @pixbuf: the #GdkPixbuf containing the original image
+ * @dest_width: destination pixbuf width ( must be >= @pixbuf width )
+ * @dest_height: destination pixbuf height ( must be >= @pixbuf height )
+ * @dest_pixel: RGBA pixel to apply to each pixel location in
+ *              destination pixbuf (0xffffffff is opaque white,
+ *              0x00000000 transparent black)
+ *
+ * Creates a new #GdkPixbuf of the given @dest_width and @dest_height
+ * filling each pixel with @dest_pixel RGBA value, after which @pixbuf
+ * will be centered vertically and horizontally within it. The options
+ * from @pixbuf are copied over to the newly created pixbuf.
+ *
+ * Return value: (nullable) (transfer full): The newly-created
+ * #GdkPixbuf with @pixbuf centered, or %NULL if not enough memory
+ * could be allocated for the image buffer.
+ */
+GdkPixbuf *
+rb_pixbuf_center_in_new_pixbuf (const GdkPixbuf *pixbuf,
+				guint dest_width,
+				guint dest_height,
+				guint32 dest_pixel)
+{
+	int i;
+	int dest_x, dest_y;
+	int width, height;
+	GdkPixbuf *dest_pixbuf;
+	gboolean success;
+	const gchar *option_name;
+
+	PixbufOptions overwrite_options[] = {
+		{ "original-width", 0 },
+		{ "original-height", 0 },
+	};
+
+	width = gdk_pixbuf_get_width (pixbuf);
+	height = gdk_pixbuf_get_height (pixbuf);
+
+	g_return_val_if_fail (width > 0 && width <= dest_width, NULL);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (height > 0 && height <= dest_height, NULL);
+
+	dest_pixbuf = rb_pixbuf_new_with_pixel (dest_width, dest_height, dest_pixel);
+	g_return_val_if_fail (dest_pixbuf != NULL, NULL);
+
+	dest_x = (dest_width - width) / 2;
+	dest_y = (dest_height - height) / 2;
+	gdk_pixbuf_copy_area (pixbuf, 0, 0, width, height, dest_pixbuf, dest_x, dest_y);
+
+	if (gdk_pixbuf_copy_options ((GdkPixbuf *) pixbuf, dest_pixbuf) == FALSE) {
+		g_warning ("failed to copy pixbuf options");
+		return dest_pixbuf;
+	}
+
+	overwrite_options[0].val = gdk_pixbuf_get_width (dest_pixbuf);
+	overwrite_options[1].val = gdk_pixbuf_get_height (dest_pixbuf);
+
+	for (i = 0; i < G_N_ELEMENTS (overwrite_options); i++) {
+		gchar *str;
+		option_name = overwrite_options[i].name;
+		gdk_pixbuf_remove_option (dest_pixbuf, option_name);
+		str = g_strdup_printf ("%d", overwrite_options[i].val);
+		success = gdk_pixbuf_set_option (dest_pixbuf, option_name, str);
+		if (!success)
+			g_warning ("failed to set pixbuf option: '%s'", option_name);
+		g_free (str);
+	}
+
+	return dest_pixbuf;
+}
+
 #define DELAYED_SYNC_ITEM "rb-delayed-sync"
 #define DELAYED_SYNC_FUNC_ITEM "rb-delayed-sync-func"
 #define DELAYED_SYNC_DATA_ITEM "rb-delayed-sync-data"
diff --git a/lib/rb-util.h b/lib/rb-util.h
index 68d3dd4aa7eba6dc54226326c0aaa53b0dfa1fbc..26934c4168b6bdce163ca2beca33f609ce8c1f96 100644
--- a/lib/rb-util.h
+++ b/lib/rb-util.h
@@ -106,6 +106,11 @@ void rb_set_tree_view_column_fixed_width (GtkWidget *treeview,
 
 GdkPixbuf *rb_scale_pixbuf_to_size (GdkPixbuf *pixbuf,
 				    GtkIconSize size);
+GdkPixbuf *rb_pixbuf_center_in_new_pixbuf (const GdkPixbuf *pixbuf,
+					   guint dest_width,
+					   guint dest_height,
+					   guint32 dest_pixel);
+GdkPixbuf *rb_pixbuf_new_with_pixel (int width, int height, guint32 pixel);
 
 typedef void (*RBDelayedSyncFunc)(GSettings *settings, gpointer data);
 
diff --git a/podcast/rb-podcast-add-dialog.c b/podcast/rb-podcast-add-dialog.c
index ef948845940967955fe604c27f049564e4a10277..22f997bd9bca25cc5009f5dca20f289843c2ad06 100644
--- a/podcast/rb-podcast-add-dialog.c
+++ b/podcast/rb-podcast-add-dialog.c
@@ -43,6 +43,8 @@
 #include "rb-search-entry.h"
 #include "nautilus-floating-bar.h"
 
+#define WHITE_SMOKE 0xF5F5F5FF
+
 static void rb_podcast_add_dialog_class_init (RBPodcastAddDialogClass *klass);
 static void rb_podcast_add_dialog_init (RBPodcastAddDialog *dialog);
 
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ struct RBPodcastAddDialogPrivate
 	gboolean have_selection;
 	gboolean clearing;
 	GtkTreeIter selected_feed;
+	GdkPixbuf *default_pixbuf;
 
 	int running_searches;
 	gboolean search_successful;
@@ -171,13 +174,14 @@ add_posts_for_feed (RBPodcastAddDialog *dialog, RBPodcastChannel *channel)
 }
 
 static void
-image_file_read_cb (GObject *file, GAsyncResult *result, RBPodcastAddDialog *dialog)
+image_file_read_cb (GFile *file, GAsyncResult *result, RBPodcastAddDialog *dialog)
 {
 	GFileInputStream *stream;
 	GdkPixbuf *pixbuf;
 	GError *error = NULL;
+	GdkPixbuf *centered_pixbuf;
 
-	stream = g_file_read_finish (G_FILE (file), result, &error);
+	stream = g_file_read_finish (file, result, &error);
 	if (error != NULL) {
 		rb_debug ("podcast image read failed: %s", error->message);
 		g_clear_error (&error);
@@ -191,14 +195,35 @@ image_file_read_cb (GObject *file, GAsyncResult *result, RBPodcastAddDialog *dia
 		g_clear_error (&error);
 	} else {
 		GtkTreeIter iter;
-
+		guint width, height;
+
+		width = gdk_pixbuf_get_width (pixbuf);
+		height = gdk_pixbuf_get_height (pixbuf);
+
+		if (width < PODCAST_IMAGE_SIZE || height < PODCAST_IMAGE_SIZE) {
+			char *uri;
+			uri = g_file_get_uri (file);
+			rb_debug ("image size not as expected: [ %d x %d ] [%s]\n", width, height, uri);
+			g_free (uri);
+
+			centered_pixbuf = rb_pixbuf_center_in_new_pixbuf (pixbuf,
+									  PODCAST_IMAGE_SIZE,
+									  PODCAST_IMAGE_SIZE,
+									  0x0FFFFFFFF);
+			if (centered_pixbuf != NULL) {
+				g_object_unref (pixbuf);
+				pixbuf = centered_pixbuf;
+			} else {
+				g_warning ("failed to center image");
+			}
+		}
 		if (gtk_tree_model_get_iter_first (GTK_TREE_MODEL (dialog->priv->feed_model), &iter)) {
 			do {
 				GFile *feedfile;
 				gtk_tree_model_get (GTK_TREE_MODEL (dialog->priv->feed_model), &iter,
 						    FEED_COLUMN_IMAGE_FILE, &feedfile,
 						    -1);
-				if (feedfile == G_FILE (file)) {
+				if (feedfile == file) {
 					gtk_list_store_set (dialog->priv->feed_model,
 							    &iter,
 							    FEED_COLUMN_IMAGE, g_object_ref (pixbuf),
@@ -235,13 +260,19 @@ insert_search_result (RBPodcastAddDialog *dialog, RBPodcastChannel *channel, gbo
 		image_file = NULL;
 	}
 
+	if (dialog->priv->default_pixbuf == NULL) {
+		dialog->priv->default_pixbuf = rb_pixbuf_new_with_pixel (PODCAST_IMAGE_SIZE,
+									 PODCAST_IMAGE_SIZE,
+									 WHITE_SMOKE);
+	}
+
 	gtk_list_store_insert_with_values (dialog->priv->feed_model,
 					   &iter,
 					   G_MAXINT,
 					   FEED_COLUMN_TITLE, channel->title,
 					   FEED_COLUMN_AUTHOR, channel->author,
 					   FEED_COLUMN_EPISODE_COUNT, episodes,
-					   FEED_COLUMN_IMAGE, NULL,
+					   FEED_COLUMN_IMAGE, dialog->priv->default_pixbuf,
 					   FEED_COLUMN_IMAGE_FILE, image_file,
 					   FEED_COLUMN_PARSED_FEED, channel,
 					   -1);
@@ -854,6 +885,7 @@ impl_dispose (GObject *object)
 		dialog->priv->db = NULL;
 	}
 
+	g_clear_object (&dialog->priv->default_pixbuf);
 	G_OBJECT_CLASS (rb_podcast_add_dialog_parent_class)->dispose (object);
 }