[GUI Plugin] Generate Cover

[Dyspeptica]

Well one, I don't have the time.
Two, i am not intending to learn to code in python/perl/php just to make amendments to a plugin, to do things which it is not intended to cover.

My process takes at least three steps to create a cover image, and another pass to create a thumbnail. Neither calibre nor the plugin are built to allow that sort of flexibility.

If you need that flexibility, it is available outside of calibre. If you do not need that, then the plugin works fine.

[Oldgeeza]

Hi I installed generate cover and it worked brilliant generated some covers superb closed calibre and when i run calibre now and try to open generate cover i get message:
calibre 2.51 embedded-python: True is64bit: True
Darwin-15.3.0-x86_64-i386-64bit Darwin ('64bit', '')
('Darwin', '15.3.0', 'Darwin Kernel Version 15.3.0: Thu Dec 10 18:40:58 PST 2015; root:xnu-3248.30.4~1/RELEASE_X86_64')
Python 2.7.11
OSX: ('10.11.3', ('', '', ''), 'x86_64')
Successfully initialized third party plugins: DeDRM && Generate Cover
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.action", line 62, in _generate_cover
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.dialogs", line 1370, in __init__
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.dialogs", line 1662, in display_preview
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.draw", line 313, in generate_cover_for_book
File "calibre_plugins.generate_cover.draw", line 180, in create_cover_page
File "site-packages/calibre/utils/magick/__init__.py", line 152, in open
File "site-packages/calibre/utils/magick/__init__.py", line 135, in load
Exception: NoDecodeDelegateForThisImageFormat `PDF' @ error/blob.c/BlobToImage/358

i deleted the cover template i was using last as it didn't suit any help would be appreciated miss generate cover

[BetterRed]

@Oldgeeza - that error appears to be occurring in the calibre core

What is the full name of the image your using for the cover i.e. including the extension - by the looks of the error message it thinks its a PDF - but Generate Cover add image only allows image formats - jpg, png, gif etc.



I can't get a PDF to show in that list even via the FBI back door

BR (another one Knockin' On Heaven's Door)

[Oldgeeza]

hi the file your right was a pdf which didn't load I had to escape calibre because it had locked up and then deleted pdf file because it would not work. Then restarted calibre and ever since I get this message when I try to load generate cover I have uninstalled Calibre and reinstalled but still get this message. My computer is macbook air

[BetterRed]

@Oldgeeza - try uninstalling Generate cover; you do that via Preferences ->plugins. and then reinstall it.

If that doesn't fix it (I suspect it won't - but its the least destructive option), then do this:

• Uninstall the PI again ;
• go to Preferences->Miscellaneous and click Open configuration directory;
• in the plugins folder rename the file Generate Cover.json to SaveGenerate Cover.json
• in the resources/images folder rename the generate_cover folder to Save_generate_cover
• reinstall the plugin

That will give you a clean slate.

You can use the Save_generate_cover folder as the source for adding new images to the 'clean slate', then delete that folder.

You can use the SaveGenerate Cover.json file as an aide-memoire for reconfiguring Generate Cover. If you're on Windows you'll need a decent text editor to view the json file, Notepad's no use for this, I suggest Notepad++. When you've done delete SaveGenerate Cover.json.

BR

[Oldgeeza]

Thank you sorted generate cover working thank you for your help much appreciated

[Oldgeeza]

what size should I set in dimensions to get the best cover on the Kindle PW it's using 588x684 but that is smaller than the books already on the PW
Thanks for your help

[Tanjamuse]

I just installed the newest version of Calibre and for some reason the Generate Cover plugin has disappeared ... I can't even find it in the plugin-list in calibre.

Could someone please fix it?

Edit: I've even tried to install the downloaded version from this thread, but I can't see it anywhere.

[davidfor]

Kovid has changed the image handling in this version of calibre. The Generate Cover plugin has to be updated to match this. The version in the first post of the thread has been updated, but about 10 minutes after your post. Calibre will announce the update sometime in the next hour or so. Close and reopen calibre in about 30 minutes and you should see the plugin update message.

[Tanjamuse]

Thank you. I thought that it had been removed

[baggins41]

I just updated to the last version of the plugin and there seems to be some kind of bug with the font rendering. I had been using Blambot's "ACME Secret Agent" font for some of my covers, but now it no longer works.

I can still select the font from the drop-down, but the text renders in Arial. However the "Ale and Wenches" font renders just fine.

Just for the fun of it I tried uninstalling the TrueType version of the font and installing the OpenType version, but it made no difference. I have been using the affected font frequently in other programs and I have verified that it continues to render correctly elsewhere.

I am running Calibre v2.57.1 on Windows 10 with Generate Cover v1.5.18.

I was also able to reproduce the issue on a newly-installed Windows 7 virtual machine using a fresh copy of Calibre v2.56 with Generate Cover v1.5.18 and a virgin library with no books besides the "Quick Start Guide" and no additional plugins installed. The behaviour was the same, except that instead of rendering in Arial it rendered in a Serif font that I was unable to identify (see attached screenshot).

It's not a major problem, but it is rather annoying. If there is any additional information I could provide or tests that I could do to aid in debugging, I'd be happy to assist in any way I can.

[baggins41]

I had a thought occur to me immediately after my last post. "ACME Secret Agent" was the first font in the drop-down list, thanks to it being ordered alphabetically. I just installed "10 Cent Soviet" on my system and, lo and behold, ACME started working properly again while 10 Cent is now the one that renders as Arial.

[kovidgoyal]

EDIT: Never mind

[kovidgoyal]

I looked at the plugin code, and the inability to select the first font in the list has always been the case, nothing to do with the recent update.

[baggins41]

Odd. Something definitely changed and it happened between today and the 16th.

You're right, though. Looking back through the covers I've previously generated, they weren't using the ACME font. But they weren't coming out in Arial either.

Also, I notice the "stroke" option has gone away. Did something change in Calibre that makes its existence no longer viable for some reason? It was extremely valuable in improving readability on certain cover images.