Hello, I am super new to the art of creating/prepping manga files for e-readers, and I would like to learn and get more insights/advices! From my rabbit-hole 20+ tabs of research yesterday, so far I was able create a .cbz on my first try (huzah!), but still ran into roadblocks (sobsob). So please teach me your ways, masters! ^u^
Warning: sorry for the long post and highly-possible silly mistakes. 
I'll walk you through everything I have done so far, I would love to get your feedback on the step-by-step workflow and explanation for my in-experienced one brain cell T_T (psst... please explain like I'm 5yo, and thank you so much for your patience)
Some details on what I have/use:
- Main Device:
Kobo Libra 2 that I got exactly 2 years ago in 2022 (factory settings + a Vietnamese font update so that my Vietnamese book-titles can show in the main interface. I don't have KOreader... I am baby...)
- Computer: Apple desktop M1 macOS 15.1.1
- Apps I downloaded yesterday: KCC 7.0.0; and a few things I also got bc my rabbit-hole research said they might be helpful(?): Calibre (no additional plugins or anything), ComicTagger.
what-I-did Walkthrough:
First Try
So yesterday, I downloaded and installed KCC 7.0.0 for the first time. I also (through idiot-proof youtube videos) downloaded and installed Homebrew for 7zip. Then Calibre and ComicTagger.
I then gathered all the images for the manga pages into a folder (I just bulk download the images from a manga website that has the series I want). I followed
the Set Up structure from the Metadata KCC wiki page (example attached below - 'FolderStructure')
My outermost folder is the Title > Volumes (3 in total) > Chapters (per volume) > Manga pages JPEGs
In KCC, with the Setup attached, I add directory and picked the title folder. Had my Device as Kobo Libra 2 and format as CBZ, I hit 'Convert' and huzah! A .cbz file named (
At 2500, in Akasaka - Volume 1-3.cbz).
I go back to the KCC Editors, load up the newly created cbz to add the Series name and Writer for the metadata. I then manually drop into my Kobo via USB.
Result: yay! first time reading manga on Kobo! All the images shows up, no weird sizing, crops, or missing pages!
Roadblocks I ran into: - I cannot get the cbz file to have ToC that is sectioned out by chapter/volume. Everything is showing up per "Page"? I have 606 pages, across 3 volumes and 18 chapters, and all 606 came up as an entry in the ToC (please see image 'ToC_NoChapter' attached)
- I also can't (understand how to) edit metadata or to get the ComicInfo.xml to work T_T My .cbz file show still up as Unknown Author on the Kobo after using the Editor function in KCC
I unzip the cbz to confirm the .xml file from the KCC Editors was saved and it is infact there.
when I load it to Calibre the information is not retained there either, but I couldn't figure out how to update it again there in a way that is saved into the cbz. I tried editing the metadata of the cbz on Calibre, and then click Send it to device, but none of the information is retained
Second Try
I read on the
ComicRack Metadata KCC wiki page that ComicRack can be used to edit metadata, but it seemed like the website is down, so I opted for ComicTagger that was also mentioned.
I used the same Files folder to a new .cbz file to test. Loaded the cbz into Comic loader, and I inputed all the metadata there and use the Pages tab to do the ToC bookmarks (see ComicTagger attached-image).
I hit "Saved Tags" and then loaded the newly saved cbz to my Kobo via USB again.
Results:
The file shows up with all the pages and no weird visual, but again, still no metadata that I have input into it and no ToC T_T
Side quest:
Out of curiosity, I unzipped the cbz to look at the ComicInfo.xml using macOS Terminal's command:
Code:
7z e At\ 2500\,\ in\ Akasaka\ -\ Volume\ 1-3.cbz ComicInfo.xml
I did a bit of a clean up in the mac default TextEdit app from the long format of
Code:
<Page Bookmark="Scene. 1" DoublePage="False" Image="1" ImageHeight="1680" ImageSize="499827" ImageWidth="1264" />
to the short and sweet example on the metadata KCC wiki page
Code:
<Page Bookmark="Scene. 1" Image="1" />
for all of the pages that has an important bookmark for the chapters/volume.
I then using Terminal's 7z commands again to delete the old ComicInfo.xml from the cbz, and replace with the one I cleaned, using:
Code:
7z d At\ 2500\,\ in\ Akasaka\ -\ Volume\ 1-3.cbz ComicInfo.xml
to delete one saved out from ComicTagger
Code:
7z a At\ 2500\,\ in\ Akasaka\ -\ Volume\ 1-3.cbz ComicInfo.xml
to add the new one (see attached for my current ComicInfo.xml)
I opened the cbz with the new xml on ComicTagger to see if the Details information are intact, and the are. Same for the bookmark information as well. However, when I load that new cbz into my Kobo, I still get the same result T_T... Still no info and ToC whatsoever T_T
=> Long story short:
YES I DID IT! to cbz file when convert from folders and image files (which is the most basic thing LOL)
No - I am an ultra failure at figuring out how to make metadata like author/covers/other details and Table of Contents work. which I am very SAD....
Questions:
- How to get metadata to work?
- How to get Table of Contents to work?
- Is CBZ the best option for comic/manga/webtoon?
- Is there a different app or plugins for anything that I should install? (or use, like aside from or switch from ComicTagger)
- Should I give up on cbz file and just go with an epub file? so that the metadata can just be edit with Calibre? If so, how would I do the ToC on Calibre?
- Any idiot-proof step by step guide for newbie in making manga/comic/webtoon files?
- Best practices?
I truly don't know where I went wrong, and I'm determined to learn, so please! Let me know what I did wrong, or what I should change. If you have a step-by-step workflow (or link to a tutorial, even better if it has visual), please teach me! I would really appreciate it!
Thank you and I hope you guys have a wonderful holidays ahead!