[GUI Plugin] Prettify Cover

[m1d1]

Prettify
Cover


Scale book-covers proportional to the full screen of your e-reader.
The calibre cover-grid looks even better with all cover-images in the same size.

Scaling book-covers proportional usually adds an empty margin.
With „Prettify Cover“ you can choose how to align the image and how to fill the margin:

• Black
• White
• Custom color
• Cut-out method:
  (Scaling the smallest side of the image to fit the e-reader full screen.)
• Content-aware background (optional)
  (Only available when GIMP and the GIMP Plug-in „resynthesizer“ is installed)

Usage:

• Add „Prettify Cover“ to your toolbar. (Preferences > Toolbars. )
• Click the arrow next to the „Prettify Cover“ icon in the toolbar and set the default resolution.
• Select one or more books and click the „Prettify Cover“ icon
• Choose the best cover by clicking the image

Now you've generated the new book-cover for calibre, only.

If you want this new cover in your ebook (epub, etc.) use the plug-in „Polish Book“ and make sure the option „update the cover in the book files“ is checked.
Click OK and upload the ebook with the new cover to your e-reader.

Content-aware background:

You can use „Prettify Cover“ without this feature.
If you want to use it you need GIMP and the resynthesizer plug-in for GIMP installed.

• Windows:
  GIMP download:
  http://www.GIMP.org/
  
  Note: Currently, „Prettify Cover“ will only detect GIMP when it's installed to the default location: C:\Program Files\GIMP 2
  
  Resynthesizer plug-in (see README_WINDOWS.txt in zip file)
  http://registry.GIMP.org/node/27986
  
  National Geographics Filter:
  http://registry.GIMP.org/node/27656
  
• Linux:
  Resynthesizer plug-in + National Geographics Filter:
  For Ubuntu/Kubuntu etc. users install GIMP and plugin with
  sudo apt-get install GIMP GIMP-plugin-registry
  
• Mac:
  The resynthesizer plug-in is not available for Mac.
  

Edit with GIMP button:

Since version 0.9.6. you can start GIMP to edit the original cover.
When done editing select:

• File > Overwrite tmp_GIMP.png
• File > Exit
• Discard changes

Now proceed as usual.

Q: Why is the GIMP button grayed out and not clickable?
A1: Install GIMP then restart Calibre.
(Mac OS is not supported, yet.)

Installation Steps:

Download the attached zip file and install the plugin/add to context menu or toolbar/restart Calibre as described in the Introduction to plugins thread.

Paypal Donations:

Feel free to show your appreciation if you like this plug-in

Version History:

Spoiler:

Version 0.9.12 - 2017-08-20
- NG Filter (National Geographics) available on Windows version
Version 0.9.11 - 2017-08-13
- bugfix for windows version
Version 0.9.10 - 2017-08-06
- GIMP fixes for Calibre 3.x
Version 0.9.9 - 2017-05-17
- windows bugfix release
- added version number in dialog title
Version 0.9.8 - 2017-04-17
- responsive ui. only show features (GIMP) that are available.
- code cosmetics (PEP 8 styleguide) and minor changes.
- new button to apply GIMP's National Geographic filter (linux only).
(can improve the cover visibilty on 16 color b/w devices.)

Version 0.9.7 - 2016-09-14
- add: GIMP button to edit the content-aware cover.
- bugfix: alignment buttons, when changing cover format in GIMP session.

Version 0.9.6 - 2016-08-22
- now you can edit the original cover with GIMP (mac is not supported, yet)
- improved GUI

Version 0.9.5 - 2016-03-24
- added easteregg feature ctrl+click image to show fullsize cover

Version 0.9.4 - 2016-01-11
- bugfix: cover generation with custom color from colorpicker didn't work

Version 0.9.3 - 2015-12-17
- added color palette widget with a colorpicker.
"most used color" groupbox is renamed to "custom color"
on start it's still set to the most used color.
open the widget by clicking the button labeled "change color"
- alignment buttons show current state
- timeout period for content-aware background rendering has been increased
from 99 to 120sec (some covers took more than 99sec on my end)
- moved help button below content-aware options
- updated help
- optimized code

Version 0.9.2 - 2015-12-07
- fixed the content-aware bg. preview.
it didn't match the final result because a thumbnail was rendererd for the preview.
now the full-size cover is processed for the preview and scaled down to thumbnail size.
the preview operation takes longer (approx. 30sec) but there is no more rendering done when choosing the cover.
- reduced thumbnail height. dialog was to large and some btns unavailable for monitors with 768px height
- Cut-out image preview starts centered
- updated german and english help files
- abbreviated, renamed and simplified text labels to better fit in UI
- optimized code

Version 0.9.1 - 2015-11-26
- renamed "Oversized" image preview to "Cut-Out"
- added alignment buttons for (now) cut-out image option

Version 0.9.0 - 2015-11-16
- add german translation
- more status dialogs
- support for GIMP 2.6 and higher on win
- add abort button to progress dialog
- updated help
- add timeout for GIMP operations
(thumbnail 33s, cover 99s)

Version 0.8.0 - 2015-11-12
Public release

[m1d1]

released version 0.9.0

[m1d1]

released version 0.9.1

[m1d1]

released version 0.9.2

[JSWolf]

What's new in the new versions?

[m1d1]

Just open the "Version History" spoiler.

[m1d1]

released version 0.9.3

[m1d1]

released version 0.9.4
- bugfix: cover generation with custom color from colorpicker didn't work

[m1d1]

released version 0.9.5
- added ctrl+click for preview image to view it in fullsize

[m1d1]

• now you can edit the original cover with GIMP (mac is not supported, yet)
• improved GUI

(If you want the new GIMP edit feature for Mac and you're willing to help. Contact me here with a PM)

[m1d1]

• New GIMP button to edit the content-aware cover.

• bugfix: alignment buttons, when changing cover format in GIMP session.

[m1d1]

• responsive ui. only show features (GIMP) that are available.
• code cosmetics (PEP 8 styleguide) and minor changes.
• new button to apply GIMP's "National Geographic" filter (linux only).
  (can improve the cover visibilty on 16 color b/w devices.)
  http://registry.gimp.org/node/9592

[m1d1]

• windows bugfix release
• added version number in dialog title

[MrKobayashi]

I tried to use this plugin but I keep getting the same error.

calibre, version 3.1.1
ERROR: Excepción no considerada: <b>AttributeError</b>:'CoverOptionsDialog' object has no attribute 'gimp_opt1'

calibre 3.1.1 [64bit] embedded-python: True is64bit: True
Windows-10-10.0.15063-SP0 Windows ('64bit', 'WindowsPE')
('Windows', '10', '10.0.15063')
Python 2.7.12+
Windows: ('10', '10.0.15063', 'SP0', u'Multiprocessor Free')
Interface language: es
Successfully initialized third party plugins: Prettify Cover (0, 9, 9)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre_plugins.prettify_cover.action", line 181, in prettify_covers
AttributeError: 'CoverOptionsDialog' object has no attribute 'gimp_opt1'

I also got it on OS X. Same version 3.1.1 and 0.9.9

calibre, version 3.1.1
ERROR: Unhandled exception: <b>AttributeError</b>:'CoverOptionsDialog' object has no attribute 'gimp_opt1'

calibre 3.1.1 embedded-python: True is64bit: True
Darwin-16.6.0-x86_64-i386-64bit Darwin ('64bit', '')
('Darwin', '16.6.0', 'Darwin Kernel Version 16.6.0: Fri Apr 14 16:21:16 PDT 2017; root:xnu-3789.60.24~6/RELEASE_X86_64')
Python 2.7.12
OSX: ('10.12.5', ('', '', ''), 'x86_64')
Interface language: None
Successfully initialized third party plugins: Kindle covers (G) (0, 3, 0) && Goodreads (1, 1, 12) && Prettify Cover (0, 9, 9)
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "calibre_plugins.prettify_cover.action", line 181, in prettify_covers
AttributeError: 'CoverOptionsDialog' object has no attribute 'gimp_opt1'

[m1d1]

Originally Posted by MrKobayashi

I tried to use this plugin but I keep getting the same error.



I also got it on OS X. Same version 3.1.1 and 0.9.9

Thanks for your bugreport.
I will upgrade "prettify cover" for calibre version 3.x in the next 3-4 weeks. For the time beeing downgrade to calibre 2.8.5 (last 2.x version) if you want to use the gimp features... (afaik all features are working in 3.x only the gimp features don't)