Calibre Conversion Tutorial

ForceMd · 08-09-2009, 11:06 AM

Hello Mobileread;

I am new to the forums. Although I have been reading for about a month now, I just decided to join the community.

I do have a question about Calibre. I have recently purchased a PRS-505 and was surfing the net for info about the device's capabilities when I found this community, and therefore found information about Calibre. So far this has been an excellent program that works a lot better than the Sony software that comes with the reader.

I have received my first couple of books that are not compatable with the reader (some HTML books which I tried converting to ePub) and I was attempting to convert the books with Calibre so that they can be read on my 505. I however, have yet to be successful at converting any books properly. I even tried converting several books that are compatible to a different (compatible) format to see if the converted file could be read by the reader. (tried converting PDF to ePub)In all cases, my converted files were not able to be read by my Sony reader. All files will transfer to the reader, and the reader can display title information and correct meta data (author, publisher, number of pages ect) but could not be read. When I attemt to read, the book suddenly becomes one page long (according to the reader) and none of the table of contents worked. If I attempt to begin reading from page one (without using the table of contents) then I only can view one page (typically the tittle page, or cover page).

I consider myself to be fairly computer saavy (though I know nothing about programming, but some basic HTML) and I know that what I have provided is pretty vague and more details may be needed.

I would (if possible) simply like to be pointed to a resource that explains how conversion in Calibre works. I attempted to go into the conversion settings and see if I could manually tweak something to get conversion to work, but it's all gibberish to me. I have no idea where to begin. I attempted to search the forums, but I had no luck (although this might be due to the fact that I don't exactly know what search terms to use).I also tried the manual on the Calibre website, but the 'ebook conversion' section is missing/link is broken ( http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...onversion.html ).

P.S. none of my books are DRMed, they are all free, unlocked books.

Thanks (in advance) to all who took the time to read my lengthy first post, and to all responses,

James

slantybard · 08-09-2009, 11:39 AM

Can you attach the original html book and the epub generated from calibre for us to look at?

ForceMd · 08-09-2009, 07:23 PM

Thanks for the reply;

The thing is, I have tried several books in several formats and I have yet to be successful at converting a book that works properly on my PRS-505. I know it isn't the software, it is my (lack of) understanding of it. This is why I was hoping for a tutorial/manual on Calibre's conversion function.

James

kovidgoyal · 08-09-2009, 08:02 PM

In the conversion settings of the book, under Page setup make sure that the selected output profile is SONY

AlexBell · 08-10-2009, 03:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForceMd

Thanks for the reply;

The thing is, I have tried several books in several formats and I have yet to be successful at converting a book that works properly on my PRS-505. I know it isn't the software, it is my (lack of) understanding of it. This is why I was hoping for a tutorial/manual on Calibre's conversion function.

James

I couldn't agree with you more, James; I'm in exactly the same position as you. I really don't want to flounder around from one topic to the next or have people help me out with this problem or the next. I'd very much like to have a tutorial or manual so I know how to do it myself from start to finish. In fact I'd pay money for it.

If I knew how to I'd put five stars against this thread, and give you a lot of karma. At least I now know that I'm not alone.

Regards, Alex

itimpi · 08-10-2009, 06:01 AM

The problem is trying to work out why you are having problems in the first place. Just doing a standard convert with default setting works fine something like 99% of the time.

A conversion tuorial would therefore probably only say something like:
- Select the book to be converted and press the Convert button
- Check the output format is the one you want
- Press OK

It is only when trying to handle the unusual cases, or to fine-tune a convert that you should have to do anything special.

Having said that it would still be useful if the documentation was complete enough to be used as a reference manual. However since calibre is Open Source software it basically relies on enthusiastic users to provide anything more than minimal documentation.

AlexBell · 08-10-2009, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itimpi

The problem is trying to work out why you are having problems in the first place. Just doing a standard convert with default setting works fine something like 99% of the time.

A conversion tuorial would therefore probably only say something like:
- Select the book to be converted and press the Convert button
- Check the output format is the one you want
- Press OK

It is only when trying to handle the unusual cases, or to fine-tune a convert that you should have to do anything special.

No, I'm sorry, I don't entirely agree. I'd really like to know what is meant by levels of TOC, and what the force autogeneration of TOC does, and find some of other options confusing.

I understand that Calibre is free, and is the work of volunteers, and really am most grateful. I think it is a marvellous tool. But I'd still really like to know how to use it properly, and for that I need a tutorial or a manual.

Regards, Alex

ilovejedd · 08-10-2009, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexBell

No, I'm sorry, I don't entirely agree. I'd really like to know what is meant by levels of TOC, and what the force autogeneration of TOC does, and find some of other options confusing.

TOC level means exactly that. Calibre allows you to create up to 3 levels, at least in ePUB. I'm not sure about the other formats.

For example, if you have an Omnibus, say the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Your Level 1 TOC would be:

Fellowship of the Ring
Two Towers
Return of the King

Chapters within those books would make up your Level 2 TOC.

Fellowship of the Ring
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- ...
Two Towers
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- ...
Return of the King
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- ...

Of course, that's only personal preference. If you want to create a flat TOC (all level 1), then that's up to you.

Addendum:
This is a pretty good resource on Calibre's conversion system. If Kovid hadn't given me the link in another thread, I wouldn't have known about it, too.
http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...k-convert.html

Use that one while the official conversional manual hasn't been finished yet.

ForceMd · 08-10-2009, 12:59 PM

......looks like I opened up a can of worms

I did not mean to imply that I am in any way unhappy with Calibre. I also was unaware that there never was any type of tutorial/manual planned, or that it was up to the community of users to create said manual (which is understandable).

Obviously something is screwy with my setup if what itimpi said is true (about automated conversion working on 99% of all supported files without a need for user input). To date I have attempted to convert five different PDFs and an HTML book from different sources; all text (very few if any images) to different formats (supported by the Sony PRS-505). In all cases I was able to view the file on the reader, but the converted file would only show the first one or two pages. The TOC would not work, I would always have to select the option to begin reading from page one to see the 1-2 pages that I mentioned above.

Here are the steps I used to convert

1) imported original files into my Calibre library

2) ensured that my PRS-505 was connected and Calibre recognized both the internal memory and the SD card.

3) Selected the book I desired to convert (I only ever attempted to convert 1 book at a time).

4) Clicked on the "Convert Book" icon.

5) Ensured that "Sony reader" is selected as the input and output profile in the 'conversion settings' under 'page setup'. ( as mentioned by kovidgoyal)

6) clicked on the 'convert' button

After doing this, Calibre shows the hour glass for less than a second (I have the feeling it should take longer) then is done.

7) I then right click on the 'converted' book and select 'send specific format to device'.

8) A box pops up with an icon for the original format, and an icon for the converted format; I select the converted format icon and click 'send'.

9) Calibre shows the hourglass for about 2 seconds then the transfer is complete.

-- I followed these steps exactly, although, the exact name I gave the menu items may be a little off as I do not have access to the program at the moment.

When I get home, I will see if I can post a copy of one of the books (original and attempted conversion).

Thanks to everyone for their input;
James

itimpi · 08-10-2009, 01:52 PM

Just a point - PDF files are probably the worst format to try for initial experiments. In my experience LIT or HTML files tend to give best results and be the most reliable for conversion without any errors.

Amalthia · 08-10-2009, 02:54 PM

There are Livejournal communities that have conversion tutorials with screencaps. But honestly, most are geared towards converting fanfiction to ebook format. I also second the person that pointed out PDF is not a good format to use in Calibre to convert to other formats. I convert PDFs first to HTML using Adobe Acrobat and then I fix the html before converting to LRF.

Krystian Galaj · 08-10-2009, 03:55 PM

Just for clarity, TOC is a shortcut for Table Of Contents.

ilovejedd · 08-10-2009, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ForceMd

I did not mean to imply that I am in any way unhappy with Calibre. I also was unaware that there never was any type of tutorial/manual planned, or that it was up to the community of users to create said manual (which is understandable).

The http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...onversion.html link you mentioned in your first post is the placeholder for the manual. It's been there for a while (even before the 0.6 betas were released) and Kovid has mentioned he's working on it. He probably just has too many other things going on at the same time.

kovidgoyal · 08-10-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

The http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...onversion.html link you mentioned in your first post is the placeholder for the manual. It's been there for a while (even before the 0.6 betas were released) and Kovid has mentioned he's working on it. He probably just has too many other things going on at the same time.

Understatement of the century

AlexBell · 08-10-2009, 07:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ilovejedd

The http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...onversion.html link you mentioned in your first post is the placeholder for the manual. It's been there for a while (even before the 0.6 betas were released) and Kovid has mentioned he's working on it. He probably just has too many other things going on at the same time.

Thanks to you both for the link. 'Firefox is unable to establish a connection'

Regards, Alex

08-09-2009, 11:06 AM	#1
ForceMd Member Posts: 15 Karma: 58 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad: (Thinks to himself; Kindle or Nook; Hmmm...)	Calibre Conversion Tutorial Hello Mobileread; I am new to the forums. Although I have been reading for about a month now, I just decided to join the community. I do have a question about Calibre. I have recently purchased a PRS-505 and was surfing the net for info about the device's capabilities when I found this community, and therefore found information about Calibre. So far this has been an excellent program that works a lot better than the Sony software that comes with the reader. I have received my first couple of books that are not compatable with the reader (some HTML books which I tried converting to ePub) and I was attempting to convert the books with Calibre so that they can be read on my 505. I however, have yet to be successful at converting any books properly. I even tried converting several books that are compatible to a different (compatible) format to see if the converted file could be read by the reader. (tried converting PDF to ePub)In all cases, my converted files were not able to be read by my Sony reader. All files will transfer to the reader, and the reader can display title information and correct meta data (author, publisher, number of pages ect) but could not be read. When I attemt to read, the book suddenly becomes one page long (according to the reader) and none of the table of contents worked. If I attempt to begin reading from page one (without using the table of contents) then I only can view one page (typically the tittle page, or cover page). I consider myself to be fairly computer saavy (though I know nothing about programming, but some basic HTML) and I know that what I have provided is pretty vague and more details may be needed. I would (if possible) simply like to be pointed to a resource that explains how conversion in Calibre works. I attempted to go into the conversion settings and see if I could manually tweak something to get conversion to work, but it's all gibberish to me. I have no idea where to begin. I attempted to search the forums, but I had no luck (although this might be due to the fact that I don't exactly know what search terms to use).I also tried the manual on the Calibre website, but the 'ebook conversion' section is missing/link is broken ( http://calibre.kovidgoyal.net/user_m...onversion.html ). P.S. none of my books are DRMed, they are all free, unlocked books. Thanks (in advance) to all who took the time to read my lengthy first post, and to all responses, James

08-10-2009, 02:54 PM	#11
Amalthia Wizard Posts: 1,159 Karma: 32196 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Anchorage, AK Device: Sony Reader PRS-505, PRS-650, PRS-T3, Pocketbook HD2	There are Livejournal communities that have conversion tutorials with screencaps. But honestly, most are geared towards converting fanfiction to ebook format. I also second the person that pointed out PDF is not a good format to use in Calibre to convert to other formats. I convert PDFs first to HTML using Adobe Acrobat and then I fix the html before converting to LRF. Last edited by Amalthia; 08-10-2009 at 02:57 PM.

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08-09-2009, 11:39 AM	#2
slantybard my parent's oops... Posts: 466 Karma: 1477570 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Vx->Handera->Clie-> Axim->505->650->KPW/Aura ->iOS/L2	Can you attach the original html book and the epub generated from calibre for us to look at?

08-09-2009, 07:23 PM	#3
ForceMd Member Posts: 15 Karma: 58 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad: (Thinks to himself; Kindle or Nook; Hmmm...)	Thanks for the reply; The thing is, I have tried several books in several formats and I have yet to be successful at converting a book that works properly on my PRS-505. I know it isn't the software, it is my (lack of) understanding of it. This is why I was hoping for a tutorial/manual on Calibre's conversion function. James

08-09-2009, 08:02 PM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,860 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	In the conversion settings of the book, under Page setup make sure that the selected output profile is SONY

08-10-2009, 06:01 AM	#6
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	The problem is trying to work out why you are having problems in the first place. Just doing a standard convert with default setting works fine something like 99% of the time. A conversion tuorial would therefore probably only say something like: - Select the book to be converted and press the Convert button - Check the output format is the one you want - Press OK It is only when trying to handle the unusual cases, or to fine-tune a convert that you should have to do anything special. Having said that it would still be useful if the documentation was complete enough to be used as a reference manual. However since calibre is Open Source software it basically relies on enthusiastic users to provide anything more than minimal documentation.

08-10-2009, 12:59 PM	#9
ForceMd Member Posts: 15 Karma: 58 Join Date: Aug 2009 Device: iPad: (Thinks to himself; Kindle or Nook; Hmmm...)	......looks like I opened up a can of worms I did not mean to imply that I am in any way unhappy with Calibre. I also was unaware that there never was any type of tutorial/manual planned, or that it was up to the community of users to create said manual (which is understandable). Obviously something is screwy with my setup if what itimpi said is true (about automated conversion working on 99% of all supported files without a need for user input). To date I have attempted to convert five different PDFs and an HTML book from different sources; all text (very few if any images) to different formats (supported by the Sony PRS-505). In all cases I was able to view the file on the reader, but the converted file would only show the first one or two pages. The TOC would not work, I would always have to select the option to begin reading from page one to see the 1-2 pages that I mentioned above. Here are the steps I used to convert 1) imported original files into my Calibre library 2) ensured that my PRS-505 was connected and Calibre recognized both the internal memory and the SD card. 3) Selected the book I desired to convert (I only ever attempted to convert 1 book at a time). 4) Clicked on the "Convert Book" icon. 5) Ensured that "Sony reader" is selected as the input and output profile in the 'conversion settings' under 'page setup'. ( as mentioned by kovidgoyal) 6) clicked on the 'convert' button After doing this, Calibre shows the hour glass for less than a second (I have the feeling it should take longer) then is done. 7) I then right click on the 'converted' book and select 'send specific format to device'. 8) A box pops up with an icon for the original format, and an icon for the converted format; I select the converted format icon and click 'send'. 9) Calibre shows the hourglass for about 2 seconds then the transfer is complete. -- I followed these steps exactly, although, the exact name I gave the menu items may be a little off as I do not have access to the program at the moment. When I get home, I will see if I can post a copy of one of the books (original and attempted conversion). Thanks to everyone for their input; James

08-10-2009, 01:52 PM	#10
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	Just a point - PDF files are probably the worst format to try for initial experiments. In my experience LIT or HTML files tend to give best results and be the most reliable for conversion without any errors.

08-10-2009, 03:55 PM	#12
Krystian Galaj Guru Posts: 820 Karma: 11012 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Warsaw, Poland Device: Bookeen Cybook	Just for clarity, TOC is a shortcut for Table Of Contents.

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