Content Kindle 3 Image Dimensions Test to Fill Entire Viewable Area

sinan · 08-17-2011, 02:11 AM

Dislaying images fullscreen on Kindle 3 is quite a hustle since Kindle leaves a lot of space around the image and no one knows the exact size of that space for sure. I have been working on it quite some time and did a lot of experimentation.

What I deduced from my experiments, calculating right image size is very complex issue and depends on the dimensions of all embedded images. Probably I am wrong but I felt like it.

800x580 is seems like the best dimension for viewable screen but for zoomed image it is not, since it leaves spaces around zoomed image. I did'nt try below 580 because I use image zoom alot.

As you can guess from the title, entire viewable screen and entire screen are not the same. Viewable screen = entire screen - margins and Kindle leaves very large margins around the book. You need to know there is no way you can get full screen display for mobi files. There will be spaces around the reading area, no matter what.

But for larger image view, you can zoom on the image (press up or down arrow) , then image will cover the entire screen.

Testing Process
First I created images with with different dimension starting with 800x580 to 800x590 px dimensions then added them to a html as shown below.

Code:

<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">
<head>
<title>Kindle 3 Dimension Test</title>
<link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"/>
<meta content="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type"/></head>
<body>
<p><img alt="image3" src="580.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="581.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="582.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="583.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="584.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="585.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="586.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="587.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="588.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="589.jpg"/></p>
<p><img alt="image3" src="590.jpg"/></p>
</body>
</html>

Here is the css I used

Code:

@namespace h "http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml";
h|body, h|p, h|div, h|img {
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0
    }
h|p {
    text-align: center
    }
h|img {
    width: auto;
    height: auto;
    max-height: 100%;
    max-width: 100%
    }

I used calibre to convert it to mobi. I also debugged the mobi to study the conversion.

Contrary to my expectation viewable screen has also 800x600px dimension.

You can download Kindle 3 Dimension Test.mobi and debug files from the attachment section.

If you can post similar experimental mobi files, or participate in the poll, we may find best image dimension.

bfollowell · 08-17-2011, 07:08 AM

I thought it had long been established that the resolution for cover images was 600x800x167dpi and all other images were 520x622x167 dpi. These are the resolutions I've always used and they seem to work perfectly for me. Of course, to the best of my knowledge, you can't fill the entire screen area with an in-book image the way you can with a cover but the above resolution was said to be the actual resolution of the viewable/usable area of the screen. From what I've seen, that appears to be correct.

I am curious to check out your test file though and see what you have. It may be that I've been operating under incorrect assumptions all this time.

- Byron

Kamikuza · 07-10-2012, 09:44 PM

Digging this up cos I find myself bugged by cover images that don't fill the screen. That is, when creating or editing an .epub, you can assign a cover image independent of the front/first/cover page.

THAT image fills the whole screen ... or at least, has the potential to if you get the aspect ratio correct - which is what I'm searching for.

Seems Kindle Preview doesn't do it properly so will have to test on the actual K3 ... wait one

Kamikuza · 07-11-2012, 02:20 AM

KindlePreview does "full" screen cover as 520x730 AR=0.7123...

cf. 600x800 AR=0.75

Will test when I get home on K3

Kamikuza · 07-11-2012, 05:40 AM

Well there we go then

To cover as much of the screen as you can with images ...

Cover image - as in "go to - cover" is 600x800 AR=0.75
I notice that the cover image has a 1px or so 'dead zone' on the LHS - like the screen should be covered by the case material just a tiny bit more ...

Maximum screen coverage (as a page in an epub, say) is actually 573x800 AR=0.67125 but that (and 580x800) causes a blank screen after the image, even if I use a mbppagebreak thingy.

The MOST fill you can get without the 'blank page' effect is 574x800 AR=0.7175 ... which leaves maybe 1px above the bottom most coverage point on the screen.

Click to zoom full page view, and cover all the screen? 600x800 again ...!!!

With regular "full size" on a page images, the Kindle seems to crop a tiny bit of the LHS of the image ... say 4px? Oddly enough, this shows up in KindlePreview as well.

PS. Maybe :lol: changed the order of the files in the epub and now 574x800 is giving a blank page after!

Kamikuza · 07-11-2012, 05:58 AM

Oh that's without using the OP's 100% fill technique - which totally fills the screen with all of his pics ...?!?

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View Poll Results: Which image dimensions worked best for you?
580	1	33.33%
581	0	0%
582	0	0%
583	0	0%
584	0	0%
585	0	0%
586	0	0%
587	0	0%
588	0	0%
589	0	0%
590	2	66.67%
Voters: 3. You may not vote on this poll

08-17-2011, 07:08 AM	#2
bfollowell Fanatic Posts: 541 Karma: 1152752 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Evansville, IN, USA Device: Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook & Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5	I thought it had long been established that the resolution for cover images was 600x800x167dpi and all other images were 520x622x167 dpi. These are the resolutions I've always used and they seem to work perfectly for me. Of course, to the best of my knowledge, you can't fill the entire screen area with an in-book image the way you can with a cover but the above resolution was said to be the actual resolution of the viewable/usable area of the screen. From what I've seen, that appears to be correct. I am curious to check out your test file though and see what you have. It may be that I've been operating under incorrect assumptions all this time. - Byron

07-10-2012, 09:44 PM	#3
Kamikuza Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Japan Device: Kindle3	Digging this up cos I find myself bugged by cover images that don't fill the screen. That is, when creating or editing an .epub, you can assign a cover image independent of the front/first/cover page. THAT image fills the whole screen ... or at least, has the potential to if you get the aspect ratio correct - which is what I'm searching for. Seems Kindle Preview doesn't do it properly so will have to test on the actual K3 ... wait one

07-11-2012, 02:20 AM	#4
Kamikuza Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Japan Device: Kindle3	KindlePreview does "full" screen cover as 520x730 AR=0.7123... cf. 600x800 AR=0.75 Will test when I get home on K3

07-11-2012, 05:40 AM	#5
Kamikuza Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Japan Device: Kindle3	Well there we go then To cover as much of the screen as you can with images ... Cover image - as in "go to - cover" is 600x800 AR=0.75 I notice that the cover image has a 1px or so 'dead zone' on the LHS - like the screen should be covered by the case material just a tiny bit more ... Maximum screen coverage (as a page in an epub, say) is actually 573x800 AR=0.67125 but that (and 580x800) causes a blank screen after the image, even if I use a mbppagebreak thingy. The MOST fill you can get without the 'blank page' effect is 574x800 AR=0.7175 ... which leaves maybe 1px above the bottom most coverage point on the screen. Click to zoom full page view, and cover all the screen? 600x800 again ...!!! With regular "full size" on a page images, the Kindle seems to crop a tiny bit of the LHS of the image ... say 4px? Oddly enough, this shows up in KindlePreview as well. PS. Maybe :lol: changed the order of the files in the epub and now 574x800 is giving a blank page after!

07-11-2012, 05:58 AM	#6
Kamikuza Connoisseur Posts: 62 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Location: Japan Device: Kindle3	Oh that's without using the OP's 100% fill technique - which totally fills the screen with all of his pics ...?!?

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