Correcting image sizes from Sigil to Kindle Previewer

[ralphiedee]

I have a large project which was originally done in InDesign. I needed to create a reflowable .mobi file. After realizing doing this thru InDesign there were too many nested images to deal with so I just exported an HTML file from InDesign and did the formatting in Jutoh.

Jutoh did a great job re nesting the images but I did have to correct alot of styling which exported incorrectly but overall I was pretty satisfied.

Now came the bad part as converting the html to an epub using Sigil generated alot of errors I was able to correct and get an errorless epub that looked pretty good but the final file the client wanted was a mobi so I opened in Calibre and converted the epub over to a mobi.

The result is the images are crushed to a point where they are almost 1/2 of what they looked like in the epub so what I'm asking is whats the best way to get the images as close in size as the epub in this mobi file?

see images in attached files.

thx R

[KevinH]

Since you are doing the conversion with Calibre, you might want to ask that question in their forum. Especially since Calibre has a large number of conversion options that may or may not be in play when converting to mobi.

[KevinH]

Or try with Kindle Previewer to do the conversion straight from the epub. Also do you want an old style .mobi or a .azw3 (more like an epub but still reflowable)?

[slowsmile]

@ralphiedee...

"...so what I'm asking is whats the best way to get the images as close in size as the epub in this mobi file?"

This is a well known problem in Kindle mobi files where image dimensions are altered at random for all images that are smaller than max page/screen size.

Here are some practical ways to resolve this problem. You could manually code each image in the epub as a percentage of current device screen width -- example shown below:

<p class="centered"><img alt=" " src="../Images/Your_Image.jpeg" style="width: 40%;height: auto;"/></p>

Or you could use Sigil's CustomCleanerPlus plugin and just select the "Reformat smaller images..." option which will automatically convert all image formatting in the epub to percentage format values(as shown above). After conversion, you should be able to further fine tune individual image size by altering the "width" value as needed in the epub.

[DNSB]

@slowsmile: Unfortunately, the .mobi format does not allow for image sizes in percents. Pixels only need apply.

[slowsmile]

@DNSB...

"...Unfortunately, the .mobi format does not allow for image sizes in percents. Pixels only need apply."

True enough, but KF8 image format should always use percentage values. So if you want correct image displays on both KF7 and KF8 devices then just use my AddKindleMediaQueries plugin. This plugin automatically dual formats all images in you epub for both KF8 devices(as percentage screen values) as well as for KF7 devices(as absolute pixel values). Which image format is actually displayed for the current Kindle device is decided by the media queries in the css.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by slowsmile

@DNSB...

"...Unfortunately, the .mobi format does not allow for image sizes in percents. Pixels only need apply."

True enough, but KF8 image format should always use percentage values. So if you want correct image displays on both KF7 and KF8 devices then just use my AddKindleMediaQueries plugin. This plugin automatically dual formats all images in you epub for both KF8 devices(as percentage screen values) as well as for KF7 devices(as absolute pixel values). Which image format is actually displayed for the current Kindle device is decided by the media queries in the css.

Since the OP mentioned the client wanting a .mobi with no mention of .azw3 or dual-format, I felt a reminder that percentages don't work with .mobi was needed.

OTOH, one friend of mine loves your AddKindleMediaQueries plugin for mostly automating a task that she used to handle by copy/paste/editing. Some editing is still required but 90% is automated.

[Notjohn]

There is no reason to upload a "mobi" so-called to the KDP platform. Since January 2012 I have uploaded every book as a validated epub built by Sigil. If one refrains from including a cover image, no problem has ever arisen.

The vast majority of my images are 800 pixels wide, and I include a width="100%" instruction in the html. There is no problem with the older Kindle devices because their ruling motto is to enlarge all images to full width anyhow.

Can you not persuade your client/friend/whatever to upload an epub? Tell him/her/it that all the best people are doing it!

[ralphiedee]

Hmm, alot to report back here. Original post was about getting images to be the same size dimensions as the epub file as exporting thru Calibre to a mobi gave me tiny images. So I did as suggested and coded each image as percentage inside Sigil and made the new Kindle previewer convert the epub to the mobi file and the images look fine. But then I decided to convert the epub to mobi in Calibre and it crushed the images back to where I was before.

All of this is for a client of mine and having gotten so sidetracked I also realized that the file size was 127mb. Way too big to upload to KDP anyway.

Not gonna lose sleep over this as this book is 700 pages, but I learn something everyday.

R

[slowsmile]

@Notjohn...

"The vast majority of my images are 800 pixels wide, and I include a width="100%" instruction in the html. There is no problem with the older Kindle devices because their ruling motto is to enlarge all images to full width anyhow. "

The OP's problem really has nothing to do with only ever using full width or max page images throughout your epub as you suggest. So your suggestion of always loading all epub images as width="100%" -- as full page/screen size images -- is really not a solution at all and is quite irrelevant, since most people on this thread have been talking about the problem of accurately loading ebook images with dimensions that are all less than max page size. An example, to help your own apparent misunderstanding, is how would you accurately format a small logo-size image in your epub that is not width="100%" and not max page size so that it's dimensions are rendered and displayed as accurately as possible on all Kindle KF7 and KF8 devices?? That's the problem that is currently being discussed on this thread.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by ralphiedee

Hmm, alot to report back here. Original post was about getting images to be the same size dimensions as the epub file as exporting thru Calibre to a mobi gave me tiny images. So I did as suggested and coded each image as percentage inside Sigil and made the new Kindle previewer convert the epub to the mobi file and the images look fine. But then I decided to convert the epub to mobi in Calibre and it crushed the images back to where I was before.

So...why the hell are you messing with Calibre, then? You have a working MOBI file, from the ePUB-->KP3-->MOBI process. So...what? Why even bother with the Calibre step? That makes NO sense.

All of this is for a client of mine and having gotten so sidetracked I also realized that the file size was 127mb. Way too big to upload to KDP anyway.

Well, the old 50MB size limit is no longer in existence, but, yeah, that's a file that will definitely end up in the 35% royalty bracket. Why in the name of God is it so huge? Or, do you mean that 127MB is the MOBI size--not the delivery size?

Not gonna lose sleep over this as this book is 700 pages, but I learn something everyday.

R

Well, 700 pages will be a big book, surely, but we've made a book with just under 900 images that was under 50mb. 127MB seems QUITE large, really.

@notjohn: your constant haranguing of people to "just use an ePUB" does NOT solve the image issue, by any means. You're not addressing the problem by saying that. Anyone with images that are NOT the full-width of a screen, nor intended to be, really need to be addressed with a proper MOBI and media-queries. An ePUB will NOT work in that circumstance. I understand why you say it, but you are endeavoring to simplify something that at the moment, should not be simplified, not for professional results.

Hitch

[Notjohn]

Originally Posted by slowsmile

@Notjohn...

is how would you accurately format a small logo-size image in your epub that is not width="100%" and not max page size so that it's dimensions are rendered and displayed as accurately as possible on all Kindle KF7 and KF8 devices?? That's the problem that is currently being discussed on this thread.

One uploads an image that works! For example, my colophon is sized 100 pixels square at width="12 percent". In KF7 devices, it comes out larger than 12 percent, but it's acceptable.

"Good enough for government work," as we used to say in the defense industry (and probably still do).

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Notjohn

One uploads an image that works! For example, my colophon is sized 100 pixels square at width="12 percent". In KF7 devices, it comes out larger than 12 percent, but it's acceptable.

"Good enough for government work," as we used to say in the defense industry (and probably still do).

And because you're using a teeny image, you get away with it. But lots of people have images that are mid-sized, and those will be utterly bollixed using your method, nj. Only mqs and double-coding work for those.

Hitch