your custom cover images for ebooks!

lera · 06-01-2025, 06:03 PM

hi everyone ^^

i recently discovered one can switch out an ebook's firmware cover image (the one displaying on the screen when it is shut down) for a custom one and i wonder if any of y'all ever did this and what were your picks if you did, if you'd maybe like to share!

for me there's a bit of a unique challenge here comparing to choosing smth like desktop wallpaper as it has to look good in black & white so i'd probably end up designing my own, but i'm interested in what others did ^^

DNSB · 06-01-2025, 07:10 PM

Personally, for my older books which have had multiple covers through multiple releases, I tend to pick one of those covers. I very seldom use a random self generated image for a book cover.

OTOH, my choice of what to display while my ereaders are sleeping are a collection of random images mostly M. C. Escher images. I seldom see any of those images since I use sleep covers for protection and convenience.

Sirtel · 06-02-2025, 04:33 AM

I have an entire folder of images that I've cropped and formatted for my Kobos. Mostly landscape, plants and animals, some abstracts.

Unfortunately I can't share them in public, as some of them may be copyrighted.

Graham44 · 06-02-2025, 08:07 AM

For the actual ebooks I tend to keep the covers as they come, unless I have a physical copy of the book and then I will change the ebook cover to match the physical book.

As for the sleep screen of my Kobo I create 'sets' of images along different themes - at the moment it is ancient sites/ ruins i.e. Stonehenge, Petra etc I also have a movie set, Jurassic Park, X files etc and a paranormal set, UFO's etc

lumping-sugar66 · 06-02-2025, 09:27 AM

I change my cover images a lot. I like the covers to be abstract. If there are faces, actual pictures of something/someone from the story, I change it (This is especially the case with novels that are adapted to motion picture -- Matt Damon's face has no place in the cover of the Martian!)

I also add a custom cover if what I'm reading isn't actually in proper book format. It may as well be a story published on web with no cover image whatsoever. ChatGPT comes to the rescue in those instances; I upload the story as a text file to ChatGPT and with a prompt like "Don't give me any spoilers, but generate a book cover for this story", I get an image and it becomes the cover.

theducks · 06-02-2025, 10:09 AM

Like @Graham44, I favor the cover of the Paperback when it is in my physical Library.
When I first started with Calibre, I just added these 'empty books' to keep track, many covers were not available (age of the book), so I would put it on my flatbed scanner.

Sirtel · 06-02-2025, 10:53 AM

The question is about the sleep screen images, not covers for individual books.

DNSB · 06-02-2025, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirtel

The question is about the sleep screen images, not covers for individual books.

I'm not really sure about that interpretation. I had the impression the OP was changing the ebook cover image to one that they preferred and which would also show on the sleep screen.

lera · 06-02-2025, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DNSB

I'm not really sure about that interpretation. I had the impression the OP was changing the ebook cover image to one that they preferred and which would also show on the sleep screen.

the op (who's me! :D) just meant sleep screen images, not individual book covers xD i think i just confused the terms e-book and e-reader a bit, but by a "cover for an e-reader" i meant sleep screen images

that said, i had no idea someone would even go through the trouble of editing these individual book covers (esp since my current reader doesn't even display them anywhere) and it's cute that this is also a thing! honestly salute such attention to detail (when it's not done with chatgpt :P even besides everything else wrong about it feeding it a full book of someone else's text is maybe not the best idea?)

Sirtel · 06-03-2025, 07:16 AM

Many of us not only edit book covers, but also metadata and formatting. And no, not with an AI.

Calibre is the program generally used for both editing and library management.

06-01-2025, 06:03 PM	#1
lera Member Posts: 18 Karma: 1190722 Join Date: May 2025 Device: PocketBook 622	your custom cover images for ebooks! hi everyone ^^ i recently discovered one can switch out an ebook's firmware cover image (the one displaying on the screen when it is shut down) for a custom one and i wonder if any of y'all ever did this and what were your picks if you did, if you'd maybe like to share! for me there's a bit of a unique challenge here comparing to choosing smth like desktop wallpaper as it has to look good in black & white so i'd probably end up designing my own, but i'm interested in what others did ^^

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06-01-2025, 07:10 PM	#2
DNSB Bibliophagist Posts: 45,266 Karma: 168808723 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Vancouver Device: Kobo Sage, Libra Colour, Lenovo M8 FHD, Paperwhite 4, Tolino epos	Personally, for my older books which have had multiple covers through multiple releases, I tend to pick one of those covers. I very seldom use a random self generated image for a book cover. OTOH, my choice of what to display while my ereaders are sleeping are a collection of random images mostly M. C. Escher images. I seldom see any of those images since I use sleep covers for protection and convenience.

06-02-2025, 04:33 AM	#3
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,330 Karma: 238311259 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	I have an entire folder of images that I've cropped and formatted for my Kobos. Mostly landscape, plants and animals, some abstracts. Unfortunately I can't share them in public, as some of them may be copyrighted.

06-02-2025, 08:07 AM	#4
Graham44 Addict Posts: 251 Karma: 5500000 Join Date: Sep 2024 Device: Kobo Clara BW	For the actual ebooks I tend to keep the covers as they come, unless I have a physical copy of the book and then I will change the ebook cover to match the physical book. As for the sleep screen of my Kobo I create 'sets' of images along different themes - at the moment it is ancient sites/ ruins i.e. Stonehenge, Petra etc I also have a movie set, Jurassic Park, X files etc and a paranormal set, UFO's etc

06-02-2025, 09:27 AM	#5
lumping-sugar66 Zealot Posts: 100 Karma: 81981 Join Date: Oct 2023 Location: Ontario, Canada Device: Kobo Aura Edition 2, Kobo Clara 2E	I change my cover images a lot. I like the covers to be abstract. If there are faces, actual pictures of something/someone from the story, I change it (This is especially the case with novels that are adapted to motion picture -- Matt Damon's face has no place in the cover of the Martian!) I also add a custom cover if what I'm reading isn't actually in proper book format. It may as well be a story published on web with no cover image whatsoever. ChatGPT comes to the rescue in those instances; I upload the story as a text file to ChatGPT and with a prompt like "Don't give me any spoilers, but generate a book cover for this story", I get an image and it becomes the cover.

06-02-2025, 10:09 AM	#6
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 30,934 Karma: 60358908 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	Like @Graham44, I favor the cover of the Paperback when it is in my physical Library. When I first started with Calibre, I just added these 'empty books' to keep track, many covers were not available (age of the book), so I would put it on my flatbed scanner.

06-02-2025, 10:53 AM	#7
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,330 Karma: 238311259 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	The question is about the sleep screen images, not covers for individual books.

06-03-2025, 07:16 AM	#10
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,330 Karma: 238311259 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	Many of us not only edit book covers, but also metadata and formatting. And no, not with an AI. Calibre is the program generally used for both editing and library management.

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