Kindle's Sort Of "Zoom" Feature

daffy4u · 06-25-2008, 01:51 PM

Some of you may have already known about this but it's new to me.

I learned of this feature in a discussion on the Amazon boards which used a book called "Basic Relativity" by Richard A. Mould. Some author/publishers have designed their books to show a larger versions of diagrams which don't always render well in e-ink.

You can download a sample and see for yourself (Locations 141-43, Figure 1.1).

For those without Kindles, I'm attaching some images.

zoom1 = the page as it looks at a level 3 size on my Kindle
zoom2 = when I scroll to the image and click, a "zoom" choice is available in the menu
zoom3 and zoom3a = a larger rotated image appears

Nate the great · 06-25-2008, 02:06 PM

It's also a feature in most versions of MobiReader. I can do the same thing on my Jornada 720 running MobiReader 4.9.

P.S. There are very few Kindle features that weren't already in my version of MobiReader, and it was released back in 2003. Obviously most of the design of the Kindle software was thought up by Mobipocket -not Amazon- before one bought the other in 2005.

daffy4u · 06-25-2008, 02:11 PM

So if I use MobiCreator, I have the ability to create files using this "zoom-lite" feature?

HarryT · 06-25-2008, 02:12 PM

Standard versions of MobiPocket call this feature "image mode". On both the Windows and the Pocket PC version of MobiPocket you can click on an image, and then zoom in on it as far as you wish, pan around it, etc. Works very well.

daffy4u · 06-25-2008, 02:15 PM

This is a very cool feature. I wonder why more Kindle-ized books don't take advantage of it. Maybe those upcoming textbooks will use it.

dre95060 · 06-25-2008, 02:56 PM

I don't see any reference to "image mode" in the Mobipocket Creator help documentation. How does this actually work from the publisher's standpoint?

Ervserver · 06-25-2008, 03:10 PM

Cool, happy zooming!

daffy4u · 06-25-2008, 03:10 PM

I was asking if I could do it in Creator. I haven't figured out how yet. I have MobiPocket Reader open now and I'm trying to find a book with some images in it to see if I can find the "image mode".

Edit: I found an image and just clicked on it and it blew up to full size in MobiPocket Desktop Reader. Now to figure out how to do it in Creator or maybe it happens automatically. Time to experiment.

Nate the great · 06-25-2008, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dre95060

I don't see any reference to "image mode" in the Mobipocket Creator help documentation. How does this actually work from the publisher's standpoint?

It's not an ebook feature, it's a feature of the reading software. What it means is that when making an ebook, the creator gets to use a full size high resolution image instead of having to scale the image down to fit the screen.

I think.

dre95060 · 06-25-2008, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

It's not an ebook feature, it's a feature of the reading software. What it means is that when making an ebook, the creator gets to use a full size high resolution image instead of having to scale the image down to fit the screen.

I think.

If this is true, then how come when you select the picture in the Mould book the menu appears with "Zoom" in it? Where does that come from? Is there some metadata associated with the image that the reader on the Kindle recognizes?

Dave E

wallcraft · 06-25-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

It's not an ebook feature, it's a feature of the reading software. What it means is that when making an ebook, the creator gets to use a full size high resolution image instead of having to scale the image down to fit the screen.

With the Windows MobiPocket Reader I have seen two cases: a) large image in reading view click on it and get image mode with same image and magnify options and b) small image in reading view click on it and get a different (larger) image in image mode with magnify options. Under (a) the image might be downscaled in reader view depending on the window size. An example of (b) is the Oxford Advanced Learner Dictionary 7th ed (sample available), see About dictionaries. I don't know if dictionaries treat images differently, although I can't see why they would.

wallcraft · 06-25-2008, 04:33 PM

From Mobipocket file format documentation - Image support:

Quote:

align, border, width and height attributes are all supported. width & height attributes can be used to implement a "thumbnail" version of an image. However, contrary to web rowser rendering, specifying an width / height larger than the actual image will not have any effect (images are not scaled up).

When the user clicks on a picture that has been resized to fit the screen, the picture opens in the Image Viewer. If you create an HTML hyperlink pointing to the image file directly the image viewer will be launched by clicking on the hyperlink.

I tried width and height attributes a while ago and they did not seem to produce a "thumbnail" version in the Windows Reader, but I may have been doing something wrong.

wallcraft · 06-25-2008, 10:25 PM

The image mode works as MobiPocket describes it in Windows MobiPocket Reader, but I have not been able to get it to work on the Kindle for MOBI files. The original example, "Basic Relativity" by Richard A. Mould, is a TOPAZ (.azw1) ebook. Does anyone have a MOBI example with image zoom on the Kindle?

daffy4u · 06-25-2008, 10:40 PM

It worked for me on the prc version of "The Future of the Internet", pages 24-27.

I'll see if I have a mobi file with an image in it.

daffy4u · 06-25-2008, 10:59 PM

I downloaded one of the free books from MobiPocket. Some images zoom when you click on them and others don't unless you choose "image mode" from the right click menu.

"Big People and Little People of Other Lands"

06-25-2008, 01:51 PM	#1
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	Kindle's Sort Of "Zoom" Feature Some of you may have already known about this but it's new to me. I learned of this feature in a discussion on the Amazon boards which used a book called "Basic Relativity" by Richard A. Mould. Some author/publishers have designed their books to show a larger versions of diagrams which don't always render well in e-ink. You can download a sample and see for yourself (Locations 141-43, Figure 1.1). For those without Kindles, I'm attaching some images. zoom1 = the page as it looks at a level 3 size on my Kindle zoom2 = when I scroll to the image and click, a "zoom" choice is available in the menu zoom3 and zoom3a = a larger rotated image appears Attached Thumbnails Last edited by daffy4u; 06-25-2008 at 02:14 PM.

06-25-2008, 03:10 PM	#8
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	I was asking if I could do it in Creator. I haven't figured out how yet. I have MobiPocket Reader open now and I'm trying to find a book with some images in it to see if I can find the "image mode". Edit: I found an image and just clicked on it and it blew up to full size in MobiPocket Desktop Reader. Now to figure out how to do it in Creator or maybe it happens automatically. Time to experiment. Last edited by daffy4u; 06-25-2008 at 03:17 PM.

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06-25-2008, 02:06 PM	#2
Nate the great Sir Penguin of Edinburgh Posts: 12,375 Karma: 23555235 Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: DC Metro area Device: Shake a stick plus 1	It's also a feature in most versions of MobiReader. I can do the same thing on my Jornada 720 running MobiReader 4.9. P.S. There are very few Kindle features that weren't already in my version of MobiReader, and it was released back in 2003. Obviously most of the design of the Kindle software was thought up by Mobipocket -not Amazon- before one bought the other in 2005.

06-25-2008, 02:11 PM	#3
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	So if I use MobiCreator, I have the ability to create files using this "zoom-lite" feature?

06-25-2008, 02:12 PM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Standard versions of MobiPocket call this feature "image mode". On both the Windows and the Pocket PC version of MobiPocket you can click on an image, and then zoom in on it as far as you wish, pan around it, etc. Works very well.

06-25-2008, 02:15 PM	#5
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	This is a very cool feature. I wonder why more Kindle-ized books don't take advantage of it. Maybe those upcoming textbooks will use it.

06-25-2008, 02:56 PM	#6
dre95060 Member Posts: 15 Karma: 100 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Kindle	I don't see any reference to "image mode" in the Mobipocket Creator help documentation. How does this actually work from the publisher's standpoint?

06-25-2008, 03:10 PM	#7
Ervserver Wizard Posts: 2,624 Karma: 1008294 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Iowa, USA Device: Nook Simple Touch	Cool, happy zooming!

06-25-2008, 10:25 PM	#13
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The image mode works as MobiPocket describes it in Windows MobiPocket Reader, but I have not been able to get it to work on the Kindle for MOBI files. The original example, "Basic Relativity" by Richard A. Mould, is a TOPAZ (.azw1) ebook. Does anyone have a MOBI example with image zoom on the Kindle?

06-25-2008, 10:40 PM	#14
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	It worked for me on the prc version of "The Future of the Internet", pages 24-27. I'll see if I have a mobi file with an image in it.

06-25-2008, 10:59 PM	#15
daffy4u I'm Super Kindle-icious Posts: 6,734 Karma: 2434103 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Long Drive, Calinadia Candafornia Device: KDXG, KT, Oasis	I downloaded one of the free books from MobiPocket. Some images zoom when you click on them and others don't unless you choose "image mode" from the right click menu. "Big People and Little People of Other Lands"

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