Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Formats > Workshop

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 09-01-2016, 05:17 PM   #1
Eugenius
Junior Member
Eugenius began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 1
Karma: 10
Join Date: Sep 2016
Device: none
Format best for images/spreads

I am an artist trying to create an e-book of my work. It is image heavy and uses a lot of full spreads, so ideally I would like it to be in landscape format. What format options are best for me so the book can be viewed on the greatest number of devices?
Eugenius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2016, 12:18 AM   #2
Turtle91
A Hairy Wizard
Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Turtle91 ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Turtle91's Avatar
 
Posts: 3,069
Karma: 18727053
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Charleston, SC today
Device: iPhone 11/X/6/iPad 1,2,Air & Air Pro/Surface Pro/Kindle PW & Fire
Welcome to MR forums!

Very quickly - because there is a TON of info to get into the details of your answer - you should be aware that ebooks in general are intended to be re-flowable. ie. they are supposed to adapt their display to however the user turns their device (landscape or portrait), what font-size they have, what size screen they are displaying it on, etc. One persons landscape mode on their phone might be only half as wide as another persons portrait mode.

Also, many (most?) reading devices/apps have the ability to zoom and pan an image. Just realize that is a device function, not a function of the format.

So, I wouldn't waste too much time trying to lock down exactly how the user is going to view your book. My best advice is to make sure you have good quality images and good quality coding to display your images to their best effect no matter the device. This usually takes a professional ebook maker - or sometimes an amateur with a lot of patience. You CAN force a specific format/view...this is called "fixed-format" (pretty original huh!) but this is much more involved and professionals typically charge likewise...amateurs tend to avoid it.

Your specific question about what type of format...pretty much ePub for any store except the Amazon Kindle...and then the Kindle format for Amazon. In North America Amazon has a very large portion of the customer base, while overseas my impression is that ePub is bigger.


Cheers,

edit: I also didn't mention the pdf format. Yes books are published in pdf, so technically they can be considered an ebook, but they don't take advantage of all of the advanced functionality of what "ebooks" are supposed to do. It is an option, but I would be hard pressed to actual recommend to someone to intentionally publish in that format.

Last edited by Turtle91; 09-02-2016 at 12:25 AM.
Turtle91 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-02-2016, 02:08 AM   #3
Toxaris
Wizard
Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Toxaris's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,520
Karma: 121692313
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Heemskerk, NL
Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura
In this specific case I would not recommend an ePUB of Kindle e-book to be honest, but to stick with PDF.

For a book that you envision, a fixed-layout would be best. However, not only are they more difficult to make, they are also strongly restricted to the device for which they were designed and the support for fixed-layout is mediocre at best. Only a few devices support fixed layout.

Now, most devices support PDF in a sort of way (some better than others) and it will allow you to form it as you see fit. Although I am not a big fan of PDF for e-books, for this particular format I would recommend it.
Toxaris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2016, 09:31 AM   #4
HarryT
eBook Enthusiast
HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.HarryT ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
HarryT's Avatar
 
Posts: 85,544
Karma: 93383043
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: UK
Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6
Quote:
Originally Posted by DominickLo View Post
JPEG, JPG and PNG are the best format that suits for every phone model..
What on Earth are you talking about? We're discussing ebook formats here.
HarryT is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-22-2016, 10:28 AM   #5
dwig
Wizard
dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dwig ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
dwig's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,613
Karma: 6718479
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Paradise (Key West, FL)
Device: Current:Surface Go & Kindle 3 - Retired: DellV8p, Clie UX50, ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugenius View Post
I am an artist trying to create an e-book of my work. It is image heavy and uses a lot of full spreads, so ideally I would like it to be in landscape format. ...
Which means that you really really don't want to use a real ebook format which would reflow, changing layout based on screen orientation, user font choices, etc.

What you describe is something that will function more like a slide show. If you want it to be viewable on common portable devices then I would suggest either PDF or one of the comic book formats, CBZ and CBR.
dwig is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2017, 05:11 PM   #6
nickmel
Junior Member
nickmel began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 2
Karma: 10
Join Date: Apr 2016
Device: kindle
I need a fixed format book to work on a Windows phone. None of the readers I have tries are any use. Has anyone got any suggestions?
nickmel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-01-2017, 06:29 PM   #7
jhowell
Grand Sorcerer
jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.jhowell ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
jhowell's Avatar
 
Posts: 6,470
Karma: 84000001
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Tampa Bay, Florida
Device: Kindles
Convert to PDF?
jhowell is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2017, 02:03 AM   #8
Toxaris
Wizard
Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Toxaris's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,520
Karma: 121692313
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Heemskerk, NL
Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura
I haven't found a single reading app I liked on Windows or Windows Phone.
Toxaris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2017, 06:14 AM   #9
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,654
Karma: 127838196
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
I haven't found a single Windows Phone I liked.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-02-2017, 01:26 PM   #10
Toxaris
Wizard
Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Toxaris ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Toxaris's Avatar
 
Posts: 4,520
Karma: 121692313
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Heemskerk, NL
Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura
Quote:
Originally Posted by JSWolf View Post
I haven't found a single Windows Phone I liked.
Now that is not surprising...
Toxaris is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2017, 05:50 AM   #11
nickmel
Junior Member
nickmel began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 2
Karma: 10
Join Date: Apr 2016
Device: kindle
PDF as a solution to Windows phone image problem

Quote:
Originally Posted by jhowell View Post
Convert to PDF?
yes, PDF looks like the best (and possibly only) possibility at the moment. Google Books makes a great job on Android phones and Apple devices (including iphone) seem to work fine with the epub file. But Windows phone seems impossible. The book is very heavy on images which must be placed correctly with the text.

My concern is that PDF files are too easy to copy and the book will spread around the world free. Maybe that is becoming true of all formats though. Any thoughts or advice on how to sell as a PDF?

Nick
nickmel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2017, 06:16 AM   #12
JSWolf
Resident Curmudgeon
JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.JSWolf ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
JSWolf's Avatar
 
Posts: 73,654
Karma: 127838196
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts
Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3
PDF doesn't sell well overall.
JSWolf is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-03-2017, 06:40 PM   #13
BetterRed
null operator (he/him)
BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.BetterRed ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 20,457
Karma: 26645808
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Sydney Australia
Device: none
@Eugenious - AFAIK an EPUB can be copied just as easily as a PDF, and a PDF can be furnished with encryption just as easily as an ePUB.

I just looked at a Light Net site that somehow gets away with offering boatloads of pirated stuff. For fiction, biographies etc all I see EPUB and MOBI. For Magazines all I see is PDF. And for comics I see a mixture of CBR, CBZ and PDF.

The real question is why bother targeting Windows Phone, according to NetMarketShare it has slid from ~4% a year ago to about 1.5% now.

BR
BetterRed is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
formatting, images, landscape mode

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
images format changing and resizing gianni_1 Editor 14 09-07-2018 08:35 PM
Best way to format images and captions in EPUB silviolorusso ePub 6 05-03-2013 07:51 AM
E-book format that supports images? scarab1 Workshop 11 03-05-2010 03:21 AM
Best format in DR1000s for Images? alxwang Workshop 2 05-12-2009 11:26 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:23 PM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.