Automatic cover of the first image in odt file

heinzeb · 09-18-2022, 08:35 AM

Hello,

as I convert a .odt file with images to .azw3 to caliber, caliber takes the first image as the cover.
If I change the cover to another cover, the first image in the e-book is also converted to the cover image.
How can you turn this off so that caliber doesn't take the first image as a cover?

kovidgoyal · 09-18-2022, 09:47 AM

Insert a dummy image at the start of the document or save it as docx and in the calibre conversion dialog under docx you will find an option to not treat the first image as the cover.

heinzeb · 09-18-2022, 12:34 PM

Thank you for the quick reply.

There is no write as docx in OpenOffice.
Anyway, I use a lot of styles in the document and there are problems when saving in other formats.
And wouldn't it be possible to add such an option to disable the option of the first image as cover also for odt files?

Martinoptic · 09-18-2022, 02:44 PM

OpenOffice can’t save as .docx but LibreOffice apparently can. Maybe worth a try?

heinzeb · 09-19-2022, 05:48 AM

However, I would prefer to stick to the odt files.

It would be better to add to caliber an option to disable automatic addition of first image covers for odt files.

Bookstooge · 09-23-2022, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heinzeb

However, I would prefer to stick to the odt files.

It would be better to add to caliber an option to disable automatic addition of first image covers for odt files.

You are more than welcome to work on calibre to create this option. Go for it!

Quoth · 09-24-2022, 10:23 AM

Open Office is essentially dead. Use LibreOffice Writer and edit in odt but an extra Save As in docx. Calibre converts docx better than odt anyway.
But while I've imported docx about 800 times or more into Calibre I have detect cover disabled and separately browse for a cover.
No-one professionally publishing or editing or reviewing docx or pdf or epub wants the cover in the document. Either they want a higher resolution image of just the front than would be in a epub or azw3 or want a full wrap image at 300 dpi minimum for front, spine and back if it's a PDF for POD.

Quoth · 09-24-2022, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bookstooge

You are more than welcome to work on calibre to create this option. Go for it!

Except Kovid writes that odt isn't going to be upgraded to work as well as docx. Doing extra Save As in docx (don't open it in LO ever) from LO Writer and convert docx to epub maps all the paragraph styles etc to CSS etc perfectly. The odt doesn't.
Then any other format is converted from epub.

heinzeb · 09-28-2022, 03:55 AM

I tested the docx write option.
Unfortunately, after writing to the docx in LibreOffice and converting the book to caliber, the structure of the headings is destroyed.
I guess LibreOffice doesn't write docx correctly.
Therefore, however, I will stick to odt.

However, this option to disable the first image as cover for odt files would be nice.

Quoth · 09-28-2022, 06:59 AM

No, the headings are perfect if done correctly. I've been doing this for years. The docx Save As and Calibre import has TOC and Headings Ok. But you must not open and save the docx in LO Writer ever, only edit odt, as LO converts docx on import and save.
I've a copy of Word 2007 I occasionally use to check what LO Writer is doing with a docx, but I've not needed to for over a year.
Literally hundreds of docx to Calibre import/conversions. The odt import simply is poor on styles to CSS conversion and other aspects (I forget). Kovid recommended I use docx and since then the issues I had with odt are gone.

LO Writer does Save As of docx fine if it's an odt with correct styling. But if you open the docx and save it in LO Writer, even without changes, it messes up the Word headings, links and styles. Especially page styles. Only ever do an EXTRA Save As in docx after Save of the odt and then without edit revert to the odt version!

heinzeb · 09-28-2022, 07:22 AM

That's what I did, opened an odt in LibreOffice and saved it as docx.
After converting to caliber, the title headers broke.
Maybe because the document was edited in OpenOffice and only saved in LibreOffice as docx.
So far I am fully satisfied with OpenOffice and odt.
The only problem is the covers from the first image after the caliber conversion.

retiredbiker · 09-28-2022, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heinzeb

That's what I did, opened an odt in LibreOffice and saved it as docx.
After converting to caliber, the title headers broke.
Maybe because the document was edited in OpenOffice and only saved in LibreOffice as docx.
So far I am fully satisfied with OpenOffice and odt.
The only problem is the covers from the first image after the caliber conversion.

After I add an odt book to Calibre, I edit the metadata so that on conversion, it has the cover I want. I can add a dummy 1st image, and use the "remove first image" option, or just open the resulting epub in the editor and delete the extra cover.

But if I try and do the save to docx thing, LO insists on making my Heading 1 (etc.) chapter titles into numbered lists, which totally messes up the epub titles. I've spent hours trying to fix this, but without luck. LO turns the Heading 1 style into something with outline levels as far as I can tell.

Quoth · 09-30-2022, 08:13 AM

Open Office is long dead. Forked to Libre Office. Check all your styles & headings, content page etc in LO Writer. Working here for years and hundreds of conversions.

Quote:

But if I try and do the save to docx thing, LO insists on making my Heading 1 (etc.) chapter titles into numbered lists, which totally messes up the epub titles.

No, it doesn't. Stop using Open Office and Check the properties of the styles, especially for headings/chapters.

Also don't use a named style of page in "Insert page break" before a heading in the style properties.

Have the Styles and Formatting List window beside the main edit window. Right click on Modify on style after clicking on a chapter head.

In Paragraph style click "Outline and Numbering" tab:
Outline level is Heading level. I use 2 rather than 1 for chapter headings.
Numbering style: None

On "Text Flow" tab for chapters or headings with a page break before:
Breaks: Tick "Insert" and Type: Page Position: Before but leave "With page style" empty.

Note any headings that should not be in the TOC/Contents page/Index, even if they make a page break, should be "Level": Text Body. You can make them look like a heading and Insert Page Break Before. Only set Heading Levels for items to be index/TOC/Contents page etc.

Quoth · 09-30-2022, 08:21 AM

Metadata:
Calibre can read title and comments from "Properties". Save ODT then Save As docx imported into metadata Title and Comments (which appears in epubs).
The default Calibre Author Last Name, First Name is read from docx too, but in LO it's set in Options > LibreOffice > User Data > Forename/Surname/initials

Also without setting that in LO it always opens at start. If the Forename/Surname/initials is set, then when you open an odt the cursor is at where it was on last save.

Don't swap back/forth between OO and LO, as that will mess up styles.
Only ever import a docx once. Then fix everything and only do an extra Save As for 3rd parties. Only edit LO created odt.

09-18-2022, 08:35 AM	#1
heinzeb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: kindle	Automatic cover of the first image in odt file Hello, as I convert a .odt file with images to .azw3 to caliber, caliber takes the first image as the cover. If I change the cover to another cover, the first image in the e-book is also converted to the cover image. How can you turn this off so that caliber doesn't take the first image as a cover?

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09-18-2022, 09:47 AM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,604 Karma: 28548974 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Insert a dummy image at the start of the document or save it as docx and in the calibre conversion dialog under docx you will find an option to not treat the first image as the cover.

09-18-2022, 12:34 PM	#3
heinzeb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: kindle	Thank you for the quick reply. There is no write as docx in OpenOffice. Anyway, I use a lot of styles in the document and there are problems when saving in other formats. And wouldn't it be possible to add such an option to disable the option of the first image as cover also for odt files?

09-18-2022, 02:44 PM	#4
Martinoptic Bibliophist Posts: 7,520 Karma: 7237230 Join Date: Dec 2021 Location: England Device: none	OpenOffice can’t save as .docx but LibreOffice apparently can. Maybe worth a try?

09-19-2022, 05:48 AM	#5
heinzeb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: kindle	However, I would prefer to stick to the odt files. It would be better to add to caliber an option to disable automatic addition of first image covers for odt files.

09-24-2022, 10:23 AM	#7
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,990 Karma: 111111255 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	Open Office is essentially dead. Use LibreOffice Writer and edit in odt but an extra Save As in docx. Calibre converts docx better than odt anyway. But while I've imported docx about 800 times or more into Calibre I have detect cover disabled and separately browse for a cover. No-one professionally publishing or editing or reviewing docx or pdf or epub wants the cover in the document. Either they want a higher resolution image of just the front than would be in a epub or azw3 or want a full wrap image at 300 dpi minimum for front, spine and back if it's a PDF for POD.

09-28-2022, 03:55 AM	#9
heinzeb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: kindle	I tested the docx write option. Unfortunately, after writing to the docx in LibreOffice and converting the book to caliber, the structure of the headings is destroyed. I guess LibreOffice doesn't write docx correctly. Therefore, however, I will stick to odt. However, this option to disable the first image as cover for odt files would be nice.

09-28-2022, 06:59 AM	#10
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,990 Karma: 111111255 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	No, the headings are perfect if done correctly. I've been doing this for years. The docx Save As and Calibre import has TOC and Headings Ok. But you must not open and save the docx in LO Writer ever, only edit odt, as LO converts docx on import and save. I've a copy of Word 2007 I occasionally use to check what LO Writer is doing with a docx, but I've not needed to for over a year. Literally hundreds of docx to Calibre import/conversions. The odt import simply is poor on styles to CSS conversion and other aspects (I forget). Kovid recommended I use docx and since then the issues I had with odt are gone. LO Writer does Save As of docx fine if it's an odt with correct styling. But if you open the docx and save it in LO Writer, even without changes, it messes up the Word headings, links and styles. Especially page styles. Only ever do an EXTRA Save As in docx after Save of the odt and then without edit revert to the odt version!

09-28-2022, 07:22 AM	#11
heinzeb Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2022 Device: kindle	That's what I did, opened an odt in LibreOffice and saved it as docx. After converting to caliber, the title headers broke. Maybe because the document was edited in OpenOffice and only saved in LibreOffice as docx. So far I am fully satisfied with OpenOffice and odt. The only problem is the covers from the first image after the caliber conversion.

09-30-2022, 08:21 AM	#14
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,990 Karma: 111111255 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	Metadata: Calibre can read title and comments from "Properties". Save ODT then Save As docx imported into metadata Title and Comments (which appears in epubs). The default Calibre Author Last Name, First Name is read from docx too, but in LO it's set in Options > LibreOffice > User Data > Forename/Surname/initials Also without setting that in LO it always opens at start. If the Forename/Surname/initials is set, then when you open an odt the cursor is at where it was on last save. Don't swap back/forth between OO and LO, as that will mess up styles. Only ever import a docx once. Then fix everything and only do an extra Save As for 3rd parties. Only edit LO created odt.

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