How to create ePUB with full size images/pages to adjust according to device?

[picsbylis]

Friendly Greetings,

        I have been trying, for nigh on two months, to convert/create my 7 books that are in print into eBooks; with first publishing scheduled to be Nook, with Kindle on the eventually list. I am, sadly still working on just getting the first one published! And I could really use any assistance to get this figured out. My intent was to publish several weeks ago...now my desperation is to publish before the weather gets too warm and kids are outside most of the time...or at least no later than Easter. :0)

        First and foremost, my books are picture/poetry books for kids of all ages. They were fully designed in Photoshop, where I also created the full size images for the first eBook. I received the specifications from B&N for the various Nook devices. Under the assumption that it would be best to create the largest of the files, thus allowing smaller sized devices to adjust the page accordingly to fit and the largest would not overstretch a smaller image, I sized my pages to 1280px x 1920px at 72dpi. (now I hear 150 is standard??)

        My text is included within the image as the design is one image = one page. I included a full text only version of the story/poem at the end for those wishing to adjust text or use a voice reader. I obviously have all the original files, but for publishing they were all saved as JPGs.

        After quite a struggle and a whole lot of frustration I managed to complete the manuscript in Barnes and Noble's Nook Press Manuscript Editor. My internet is molasses and thus much of this was done in the wee hours of the morning when the rest of the time zone is asleep. I only had one page with an issue, of an extra blank line/space that was irreparable. I published, and found it was completely botched in publish, though the preview looked a-okay. Only about the top left 1/6 of each image/page was visible in either my laptop's Nook for PC or my Android Tablet's Nook App. So I agonizingly awaited another 10 hours, hoping no one would buy my book during that time, for it to be removed from sale.

        I downloaded a trial of InDesign CC, and after two weeks of not even being able to create a single new document for some screwy reason, I bought a month's subscription. So far I'm not entirely convinced of this whole Creative Cloud malarkey, especially considering...as like I said my internet is slow...it took me nearly 20 hours just download the software. (Is it really that difficult to offer disc, seriously?) After a chat and phone call I can, in theory, now use InDesign.

        I created a New Document for Digital Publishing at the aforementioned specs (1280 x 1920 px). I made the rectangle placeholders the full size of the page, and place one image per page. This usually inserted the image at about 50% and I would have to select 100% and then move as necessary in to place.

        Thus, my first question is: Is there a way to place an image at 100% without having to do that extra resizing step? Or if there is an alternative way to place the image to the full size of the page without any of those other steps that would be lovely too.

        Okay, after placing several pages/images I also selected each and went to Object Export Options and Checking the Custom Rasterization and "Resize to Text Flow".  I then exported a trial ePUB to see what it would look like. On both the PC and Tablet in landscape mode it was a far cry better than the other, but about oh a 1/3 of the bottom of each page was cut off. On the tablet I rotated to portrait and voila full page. Woohoo! But alas, I don't want to limit it.

        Is there something I am doing wrong? Did I miss a step or two somewhere so that the full image will fit on the page? I feel like I'm just about to turn the page on this thing, but it's stuck to the one after that.

        I would greatly appreciate any insight, tips, help that anyone can offer. I have run the gauntlet of Barnes and Noble...cough, cough...support and apparently I ask questions which no Nook Press rep can answer and the forums over there have no clue about InDesign. It's almost as if with all the fantastic beautiful screens out there today nobody wants picture books! How does National Geographic do it?!

        Thank you very kindly.

In case it is necessary: My laptop uses Window 7 Pro 64-bit, InDesign CC is 64-bit and my 10.1 tablet uses Android. I can view the EPUB files in Nook for PC and Nook for Android. I also have Kindle, LumiRead, and various other apps on the tablet. I can also have someone preview the finished epub, if need, on a Mac, iPad, and/or Android phone...though I do not have any of these. Not sure who has a Nook I can look at though. Thanks again.

[pooja2087 · Accepted solution]

Q: Is there a way to place an image at 100% without having to do that extra resizing step?

I think here you want your images to fit in the full page size frame automatically. For this you can try the follwoing steps:

1. Create a new doc

2. Goto Object menu and choose Frame fitting options

3. Select Autofit and from Fitting drowdown, select "Fit content to frame". Refer the screenshot below:

After this you images should automatically fit in the entire page placeholder frames. Please let me know if this does not work or if the problem you are facing is different and I did not understand your problem correctly.

Regards,

Pooja

[picsbylis]

Oh, thank you very kindly, Pooja! That did it. I figured I had to be missing some step somewhere.

Maybe you could help my other problem?

How do I get the full size image/page to auto adjust per device for an ePUB?

I went to the Object Export Options and chose Custom Rasterization and then "Resize to text flow". This made the images/pages fit width-wise...gratefully...but is there a way to get them to fit to full height as well?

Thank you very kindly. I'm already steps ahead on my first question here.

[pooja2087]

Hi,

The images will be adjusted to relative width without affecting the aspect ratio of the image. If you select your Page size as iPad (768x1024 px) and autofit your images in page size graphic frames, then I think exporting them as relative should make them fit the screen height wise as well on iPad.

Regards,

Pooja

[picsbylis]

Hmm, maybe I need to play with it a bit more then. I adjusted to relative width, which works fine if a tablet is turned portrait-wise but not landscape. Or do you mean I should adjust my images to be as tall as the narrowest dimension (1280 on Nook, or 768 as per your iPad example)?

[pooja2087]

Yes, you can try it out by adjusting your images. Landsape mode should not be a problem then.

Regards,

Pooja

[PhotogCda]

I know this is an old discussion, but I'm having the same issue and starting a new thread seems superfluous.

I've tried the solution mentioned here but it's not working.  I'm using ID CC.  In the attached screenshot, the first image is supposed to be on a page on its own, filling the page entirely.  I've used exactly the Fitting solution noted above.  The title and other image is another issue but I've already got a thread started on that.

Assistance appreciated. 

Thank you.

[Steve Werner]

I've moved this discussion to the new InDesign EPUB forum.

[PhotogCda]

You may want to move this one over as well then, Steve, http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1457802.  It's mine and it has to do with ePub and ID.  Sorry, I didn't realise there was a specific forum for ePub.