Feature Request: Resize covers

[BeeTee-Ess]

As the title says, I'd like to be able to resize, in particular enlarge the covers in Calibre metadata edit.

If it is feasible, I'd like to be able to nominate a single dimension (height or width, it does not matter which) and have Calibre enlarge the cover image while retaining the existing proportions.

Most of us must have seen, from time to time, covers which are too small to be easily read. I do realise there are limits but a degree of adjustment would be helpful.

[davidfor]

You can use the Resize Cover plugin to do this.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by BeeTee-Ess

As the title says, I'd like to be able to resize, in particular enlarge the covers in Calibre metadata edit.

If it is feasible, I'd like to be able to nominate a single dimension (height or width, it does not matter which) and have Calibre enlarge the cover image while retaining the existing proportions.

Most of us must have seen, from time to time, covers which are too small to be easily read. I do realise there are limits but a degree of adjustment would be helpful.

There is a plugin for that: Resize cover.
Link is to the Qt4/Qt5 compatible version
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...7&postcount=34

[BeeTee-Ess]

Thanks @davidfor, @theducks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BeeTee-Ess

As the title says, I'd like to be able to resize, in particular enlarge the covers in Calibre metadata edit.

If it is feasible, I'd like to be able to nominate a single dimension (height or width, it does not matter which) and have Calibre enlarge the cover image while retaining the existing proportions.

Most of us must have seen, from time to time, covers which are too small to be easily read. I do realise there are limits but a degree of adjustment would be helpful.

What I do is use Google Images to try to find a high resolution cover when there is no proper cover or the cover is too low resolution. I'm usually successful. Also, Amazon might have a high resolution cover available. This lends to getting a better quality copy then upscaling.

[Sabardeyn]

I agree with JSWolf, getting a larger, more detailed source image is better than scaling the existing image to a larger size. Effectively you're going to have a 'copy of a copy' type problem, where detail is lost in the pixelation of the image.

[BeeTee-Ess]

I hadn't thought of using Google Images. I shall bear it in mind. I have used Amazon with some success.

I've now used the Resize Cover plugin also, and it is satisfactory where the enlargement is not too great.

Horses for courses. Another tool in the toolbox.

Thanks everyone.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by BeeTee-Ess

I hadn't thought of using Google Images. I shall bear it in mind. I have used Amazon with some success.

Download Metadata can use Google Images as a source for covers; I use it.

[fidvo]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Download Metadata can use Google Images as a source for covers; I use it.

There's also the Search the Internet plugin. Sometimes if a book has been published multiple times it will have different covers, and searching Google Images this way will allow you to choose which cover you prefer. I've also noticed that ISFDB (also available through the Search the Internet plugin) is a great source of covers if you read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by fidvo

There's also the Search the Internet plugin. Sometimes if a book has been published multiple times it will have different covers, and searching Google Images this way will allow you to choose which cover you prefer. I've also noticed that ISFDB (also available through the Search the Internet plugin) is a great source of covers if you read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy.

I have OLD deadtree versions of my books documented in Calibre. I have sometimes resorted to the Flatbed scanner for the correct cover.

[BeeTee-Ess]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Download Metadata can use Google Images as a source for covers; I use it.

I have just added it . Thanks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Download Metadata can use Google Images as a source for covers; I use it.

But does it choose a high resolution cover if one is available? If different covers are available, do you get to chose which one you want?

If the answer is no to either of these, then this feature is less then useless.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But does it choose a high resolution cover if one is available? If different covers are available, do you get to chose which one you want?

If the answer is no to either of these, then this feature is less then useless.

Yes to the first, no to the second. And Jon, please stop calling everything that doesn't work exactly the way you want 'useless''; it may be useless to you, but it isn't to others, myself included.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Yes to the first, no to the second. And Jon, please stop calling everything that doesn't work exactly the way you want 'useless''; it may be useless to you, but it isn't to others, myself included.

The problem I've seen is that there are some sites that come up in a cover search with very poor hi-resolution covers. They look like they are either resized up to be higher resolution or overly compressed. In either case, they look awful and it's then important to be able to choose a different cover since that one is not suitable. This is why it's important to be able to pick the cover you want and not just take the first one you get. Also, you may want a specific cover image and if that cover image is not given to you as a choice but it's available, then that too is poor functioning.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by mbovenka

Yes to the first, no to the second.

Actually, yes to both. The Google Image search is configurable to how many images to return and the minimum size.