10-16-2017, 08:51 AM | #1 |
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[Conversion Plugin] KFX Input
KFX Conversion Input Plugin
tl;dr: It is currently possible to import into calibre and convert the vast majority of Kindle books downloaded using the latest release of Kindle for PC or specific older versions of Kindle for Mac as long as both the DeDRM plugin (latest alpha auto-release) and this KFX Input plugin are installed in calibre. Some books that Amazon always delivers with the strongest encryption may not be usable in calibre when downloaded using these programs, however no other method is likely to work for those books anyway. See the thread Dealing with Kindle ebooks in calibre for details. The KFX Input plugin allows books in Amazon KFX format to be imported and converted to other e-book formats, such as EPUB, for archival and for reading on alternate devices. The plugin can convert from several KFX variants: Monolithic KFX, KFX-ZIP, KPF, or Scribe notebook. DRM removal is required in order to access books downloaded in KFX format. See "DRM Concerns" below for more information. Amazon uses KFX format for the delivery of most e-books to customers. It supports advanced features, including Enhanced Typesetting and Page Flip, on Amazon apps and devices. More information about the KFX format can be found in the KFX Format thread and the MobileRead Wiki (KFX). Books in KFX format delivered by Amazon are a bundle of files composed of an encrypted main container, a metadata container, auxiliary containers (zero or more) and a DRM voucher. Those each contain only part of the book's content and cannot be converted individually. KFX container files typically have a ".kfx" extension, though other extensions (".azw", ".azw8", and ".azw9") are used by some software. This plugin will combine the individual files that make up a KFX book into a single file (monolithic KFX format) when a KFX book is successfully imported into calibre. See "Importing KFX books into calibre" below for instructions. Monolithic KFX can also be produced using the KFX Output plugin. It is also the format delivered to newer Kindles when send-to-kindle is used. Monolithic KFX can be converted to other formats using this plugin. Amazon's Kindle Create software exports books in KPF (Kindle Package Format), a variant of KFX, for publishing on Amazon. This plugin allows conversion from KPF to other e-book formats. (Note: Kindle Create has the ability to export reflowable books in EPUB format, eliminating the need to convert from KPF format in order to obtain a usable copy of the finished book.) Alternatives to KFX There several concerns when choosing between the various Kindle e-book formats (MOBI, KF8, and KFX) provided by Amazon: text formatting, image quality, and ease of availability. In most cases KF8 (AZW3) format closely matches the original HTML/CSS format provided to Amazon by the publisher. KFX format is highly processed by Amazon and some formatting will differ from the original. MOBI format is the worst in terms of maintaining the original formatting provided by the publisher. Amazon delivers books with varying graphics quality depending on the platform and app version that downloaded it. Quality can also vary between books with some books being best on different platforms than on others. Generally the highest quality graphics that Amazon makes available are delivered in KFX format to recent versions of the iOS/Mac and Android apps. The next best image quality can be obtained with a KF8 (AZW3) format book along with an HD image container file (AZW6) obtained for some books using Kindle for PC or an older version of the Android app. A bit worse is a standalone KF8 file obtained from one of those apps or by using the Download & Transfer function of Amazon's web site. Recent versions of Kindle for PC will deliver books in KFX format with graphics quality somewhere between the highest possible and KF8 equivalent depending on the particular book. Worst of all is the image quality in books downloaded directly by Kindle devices in KFX format, which are typically black and white with low resolution. Some categories of books are only made available by Amazon in KFX format. Some cases are Arabic, Indian and Traditional Chinese language books/dictionaries, Kindle in Motion books containing animation, Interactive Textbooks containing A/V media, and some books where the publisher requires strong DRM such as some eTextbooks and some English language books published in India. In most other cases KFX can be avoided. However the only alternative format may be MOBI for reflowable books that were published using Amazon's Kindle Create software. Those who wish to obtain formats other than KFX should see the threads Dealing with Kindle ebooks in calibre, Amazon and DRM changes and DRM workaround: Kindle for Android for more information. Installation: Install the KFX Input plugin and restart calibre as described in the Introduction to plugins thread. Configuration: Spoiler:
DRM Concerns: Spoiler:
Importing KFX books into calibre for conversion: Spoiler:
Viewing books in KFX format: Spoiler:
Converting from KFX to other formats: Spoiler:
"From KFX" toolbar action: Spoiler:
Dealing with conversion errors: Spoiler:
Reading book metadata: Spoiler:
Command Line Interface: Spoiler:
Converting Scribe notebooks: Spoiler:
Generating content/position information: Spoiler:
Limitations: Spoiler:
Version History: Spoiler:
Last edited by jhowell; Today at 08:45 AM. Reason: version 2.13.0 |
10-16-2017, 08:52 AM | #2 |
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Reserved post
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10-16-2017, 01:51 PM | #3 |
just an egg
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Awesome! Thank you, jhowell, for all your work unraveling KFX and making it more accessible to all!
Last edited by odamizu; 10-16-2017 at 01:53 PM. |
10-16-2017, 06:37 PM | #4 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
I know that this plugin isn't especially useful right now given the continued availability of KF8 and the lack of automatic DRM removal for KFX. But I thought it would be best to be prepared in case this capability is needed in the future. |
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10-18-2017, 12:45 AM | #5 |
just an egg
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Absolutely! Hopefully KF8 and EPUB will continue to be available and accessible for a long time to come, but it gives me great comfort knowing your plug-in (and the Pascal decrypter) exists, just in case. for all your time and effort.
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10-18-2017, 01:01 AM | #6 |
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Thank you very much, perhaps some of the things which you say they limit its usefulness will disappear in a near future.
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10-18-2017, 04:25 AM | #7 |
Wizard
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+1. Not that I expect EPUB to go anywhere, as Amazon has no control over it, but KF8 might.
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10-18-2017, 04:18 PM | #8 |
just an egg
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10-18-2017, 04:20 PM | #9 |
The Grand Mouse 高貴的老鼠
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Thank you for this most impressive bit of work.
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10-18-2017, 10:45 PM | #10 |
Member
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I do not think this is unuseful right now since Epubor has update this software to remove Kindle KFX DRM yesterday. Unfortunately, they can not convert KFX. This is really what I need. Thanks for your contribution.
Last edited by Iris-maybe; 10-18-2017 at 11:21 PM. |
10-19-2017, 12:33 PM | #11 |
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epubor is a rip-off of Calibre (overall).
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10-19-2017, 12:53 PM | #12 |
just an egg
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10-19-2017, 12:58 PM | #13 |
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12-11-2017, 11:46 AM | #14 |
o saeclum infacetum
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The rest of this conversation has been moved to a new thread here, per request. Please continue the conversation along those lines there; this thread is for the support of the KFX Input plugin only.
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01-07-2018, 11:59 PM | #15 |
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I have decent luck so far, but one book "inferno" by dan brown won't convert to kfx. It seems to be any image files from what I can tell. If I removed the first graphic symbol on one of the pages, the next time i convert it errors on a further page... Any way to keep the graphic elements and still convert?
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