updating covers

[asllearner]

Using latest version on mac monterey

I sometimes manually edit the cover.jpg files for a book. When I do, the resulting image does not immediately appear in my book details side panel or in the cover grid. It does appear in the Edit metadata window amd book details popup window, interestingly. Sometimes I edit many covers.

I wonder if there is a way to get Calibre to reload the covers other than these rather time consuming means:

1. restarting
2. copying and pasting the cover for each cover
3. going to the edit metadata and clicking update cover for format (does not work for djvu files since djvu does not generate a cover on import, unlike pdf, epub, etc., and so I have to create my own.)

Thank you in advance for your support.

[Karellen]

How are you editing the cover.jpg files? Within Calibre or using an external photo editing software?

[asllearner]

Originally Posted by Karellen

How are you editing the cover.jpg files? Within Calibre or using an external photo editing software?

external editor. Sometimes I edit the file in situ, sometimes I just import or overwrite the file.

[kovidgoyal]

No calibre does not continuously monitor the filesystem for changes. If you edit things outside it, it will not pick up changes instantly. In the case of covers various caches are involved to prevent having to load potentially alrge images repeatedly.

[asllearner]

Originally Posted by kovidgoyal

No calibre does not continuously monitor the filesystem for changes. If you edit things outside it, it will not pick up changes instantly. In the case of covers various caches are involved to prevent having to load potentially alrge images repeatedly.

Thanks. I can understand that it would be detrimental to monitor the filesystem, but it would be nice, for example, if there were some way to force a reload of the currently selected book(s)' directory(ies). I can run a library maintenance check and do it that way, for example. I guess I would just hope for a way to do it on the fly, like a shortcut, button, or menu command.

[BetterRed]

On Windows:

I edit covers via calibre's built-in Open With option -- Shift+I opens the cover in Irfanview. Once I've saved the edited cover I use the View Manager (optional plugin)->Re-Apply Current View option (I have it hooked Ctrl+Alt+R) - et voila the edited cover is displayed.

There's probably a way to do the 'refresh' without View Manager.

BR

[asllearner]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

On Windows:

I edit covers via calibre's built-in Open With option -- Shift+I opens the cover in Irfanview. Once I've saved the edited cover I use the View Manager (optional plugin)->Re-Apply Current View option (I have it hooked Ctrl+Alt+R) - et voila the edited cover is displayed.

There's probably a way to do the 'refresh' without View Manager.

BR

I appreciate the suggestion, and either I am doing it wrong, or it doesn't work on mac. I followed your suggested route. Some of time there is no cover and I am adding a new one, but adding it directly into the folder. View Manager-> re-Apply current view doesn't seem to have any effect.

[BetterRed]

Originally Posted by asllearner

I appreciate the suggestion, and either I am doing it wrong, or it doesn't work on mac. I followed your suggested route. Some of time there is no cover and I am adding a new one, but adding it directly into the folder. View Manager-> re-Apply current view doesn't seem to have any effect.

If a book has no cover you must add it to calibre directly.

There are various ways to do that, my preference is to copy the image to the clipboard and then paste it into the book via Add books->Add files to selected book records from clipboard -- which I have at Shift+Alt+V.

The VM->Re-apply… trick only works for edited or replacement covers.

BR

[Karellen]

Originally Posted by asllearner

Some of time there is no cover and I am adding a new one, but adding it directly into the folder.

That is the wrong way to do it.
You should "Edit Metadata" on the library entry and select "Browse" under where the cover is normally displayed.