Dealing with Covers

[Paula-59]

HI:

When I convert an html manuscript to an epub or mobi, I select the cover art I want to use via the metadata window.

Can someone tell me if I need to save a separate epub for each distributor/portal I might want to submit the book to, in order to change out which cover is submitted? Apple, KOBO, Googlebooks etc. all have different size specs for the cover art. So, while the book itself remains the same, the cover art is different.

Thanks!

[theducks]

Moderator Notice
This is Not a Calibre question, just because you use Calibre to craft your book. Moved

[phillipgessert]

Originally Posted by Paula-59

HI:

When I convert an html manuscript to an epub or mobi, I select the cover art I want to use via the metadata window.

Can someone tell me if I need to save a separate epub for each distributor/portal I might want to submit the book to, in order to change out which cover is submitted? Apple, KOBO, Googlebooks etc. all have different size specs for the cover art. So, while the book itself remains the same, the cover art is different.

Thanks!

I just build it out at 2500px tall in the ePub, based on Kindle specs. I've figured this is the most demanding spec, though now that I say that I can see how I might be mistaken, and in hindsight it's a bit funny since Amazon doesn't use the inbuilt cover in the first place. But anyway, that's what I do.

[Paula-59]

phillipgessert: Thanks for replying!

Just to clarify, you use a larger version of the image and assume it will be resized as needed by the various outlets?

[phillipgessert]

Originally Posted by Paula-59

phillipgessert: Thanks for replying!

Just to clarify, you use a larger version of the image and assume it will be resized as needed by the various outlets?

Yes, I treat the spec as a minimum spec and try to hit them all at once with one (large) image, although I do try to keep the file size reasonable as well.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by phillipgessert

I just build it out at 2500px tall in the ePub, based on Kindle specs. I've figured this is the most demanding spec, though now that I say that I can see how I might be mistaken, and in hindsight it's a bit funny since Amazon doesn't use the inbuilt cover in the first place. But anyway, that's what I do.

That's correct; Amazon does not use the included cover. However, I assume you're not distributing to iBooks, is that right? Because last time I looked--which was relatively recently, say, not more than a month ago--that size cover will fail at iBooks' intake (and, obviously, Smashwords as well, as their main claim to fame is iBooks distro).

Originally Posted by Paula-59

phillipgessert: Thanks for replying!

Just to clarify, you use a larger version of the image and assume it will be resized as needed by the various outlets?

As mentioned above, that may not always work well. Honestly, you're likely better off doing something a little less enthusiastic. 1000 px, or thereabouts, for the "short side" (width). If you plan on distributing to iBooks, you want to stay under 4megapixels in size.

Hope that helps.

Hitch

[Paula-59]

Thanks to Phillip and Hitch!

OK, I have cover jpegs prepared for the different size requirements of several possible distributors/outlets, including one for iBooks.

When I convert an html file to an epub using Calibri and then download it to my computer I get a .epub, a .zip, a .jpg and an .opf.

So, my question is: can I use the same epub at every portal that uses epubs: Apple, KOBO, GooglBooks etc. but submit a different cover jpeg?

I'm confused because, as part of the conversion process AT Calibri, I normally fill out metadata and include cover art there. So, I'm gathering THAT metadata is NOT included in the .epub, right? Is that metadata used soley for the Calibri Library?

Sorry for being dense and thanks for help!

[BetterRed]

@Paula-59 see my recent response in your other thread =>> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=272021

BR

[phillipgessert]

Originally Posted by Hitch

That's correct; Amazon does not use the included cover. However, I assume you're not distributing to iBooks, is that right? Because last time I looked--which was relatively recently, say, not more than a month ago--that size cover will fail at iBooks' intake (and, obviously, Smashwords as well, as their main claim to fame is iBooks distro).

Thank you! I did not know this. Looks like I'll be amending my process a bit.

[dgatwood]

Originally Posted by Hitch

That's correct; Amazon does not use the included cover. However, I assume you're not distributing to iBooks, is that right? Because last time I looked--which was relatively recently, say, not more than a month ago--that size cover will fail at iBooks' intake (and, obviously, Smashwords as well, as their main claim to fame is iBooks distro).

Yes, annoyingly, they have a maximum limit of 3.2 million pixels. I keep filing bugs complaining about it, and they did up it from 2 million, which was ridiculously small, but even 3.2 million is nowhere near sufficient.

Since the original iPad, the maximum native display size for iBooks has gone up by about a factor of 8, while the allowed pixel count has gone up by only a factor of 1.6. That's kind of bad.

• iPad (early): 1024 x 768
• iMac (current): 5120 x 2880

So if you show an image in 4:3 aspect ratio on the iMac in full-screen mode, it is 2160 x 2880 pixels. That's over 6.2 megapixels—roughly double what Apple allows—just to have an image that doesn't have to be scaled up to fit the screen.

When that first iPad came out, the allowed size for a 4:3 image was about 1224 x 1632, or about 1.6x the resolution in either direction. To get that level of extra resolution with an iMac, the resolution would be 3456 x 4608, which is about 16 megapixels. Apple still allows only 3.2 megapixels.

If you happen to be viewing a book that's in landscape orientation, the numbers get even more laughable. 3840 x 2880 is the minimum resolution without scaling, or 11 megapixels. If you want 1.6x that size, it is over 28 megapixels.

So Apple's megapixel count has failed to keep up with hardware resolution increases by an entire order of magnitude. Not that anybody in his or her right mind is going to produce content at that resolution if they can help it, mind you, but the fact that Apple doesn't even give us the option of producing higher-quality content for desktop delivery is just plain lame.

I understand Apple's desire to limit the size of images for bandwidth reasons, but arbitrary megapixel counts are just plain silly. Instead, Apple should require that images with higher resolution be properly configured to use media queries so that devices with lower resolution load the lower-resolution versions for memory purposes (an original iPad would explode with a 6 MP image, much less a 28 MP image), and so that devices with higher resolution load the higher-resolution versions. That way, publishers could maintain compatibility with older devices, while still maintaining the ability to grow their images for maximum quality on higher-resolution hardware.