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📖 User Guide

Complete documentation for the Baseline JPEG Converter

Overview

This tool converts images in EPUB files to baseline JPEG format, optimized for e-ink readers like XTEink X4, Kindle, and Kobo devices. It runs entirely in your browser — no files are uploaded to any server.

Key Features

• Convert PNG, GIF, WebP, BMP to baseline JPEG

Smart scaling to 480×800 — dramatically reduces file size

• Grayscale conversion for e-ink displays

• Rotate & split wide images for vertical screens

• Fix SVG covers and metadata issues

• Batch processing multiple EPUBs

Simple vs Advanced Mode

Simple Mode Default
Drop your EPUB, click Convert, download. Uses sensible defaults: 85% quality, grayscale ON. No configuration needed — perfect for quick conversions.
⚙️ Advanced Mode
Toggle to reveal all settings: quality slider, image selection grid, rotate & split options, overlap controls, and detailed conversion logs. Use when you need fine control.

Quality Settings

🎨 JPEG Quality

Controls the compression level for output images. Higher values mean better quality but larger files.

Preset Value Best For
Low 60% Smallest files, text-heavy books
Medium 75% Good balance for most content
High 85% Recommended default, sharp images
Max 95% Best quality, manga/art with fine detail
💡 Tip

For e-ink displays, 85% is usually indistinguishable from higher values while saving significant space.

⚫ Grayscale

Converts all images to grayscale. Recommended for e-ink readers which display in grayscale anyway — reduces file size without visible quality loss.

Grayscale ON
When enabled, converts RGB images to single-channel grayscale. Turn OFF only if you read on a color e-reader or plan to view on tablets/phones.

Rotate & Split Mode

For manga, comics, and light novels with horizontal spread images that don't fit on vertical e-reader screens.

Processing Modes

Each selected image can have its own processing mode:

↻ CW
↺ CCW
┃┃ Vertical
↻ CW — Rotate Clockwise + Split
Rotates the image 90° clockwise, then splits into vertical strips from right to left. Use for Japanese manga (right-to-left reading order). The original right side becomes the first page.
↺ CCW — Rotate Counter-Clockwise + Split
Rotates the image 90° counter-clockwise, then splits left to right. Use for Western comics or when CW produces wrong reading order.
┃┃ Vertical — Split Only (No Rotation)
Splits a wide image vertically without rotation. Creates left and right halves. Use for panoramic images or spreads that should stay horizontal in orientation.

Overlap Settings

When an image is split into multiple parts, overlap ensures you don't miss content at the seams.

↻ Rotate Overlap 15%
Overlap percentage for CW and CCW modes. Each split part shares this much content with adjacent parts. Options: 5%, 10%, 15%.
┃ Vertical Overlap 15%
Separate overlap setting for Vertical split mode. Adjust independently based on content type.
💡 Choosing Overlap

15% — Safe default, ensures nothing is missed
10% — Good balance, less redundancy
5% — Minimal overlap, best for simple content

Image Selection Grid

In Advanced Mode, all images from your EPUB are displayed in a thumbnail grid for selection.

Selection States

Indicator Meaning
Green ✓ badge Image is selected for processing
Grayed out with ✓ Image fits in 480×800 — no rotation/split needed
Disabled ┃┃ button Image width ≤480px — vertical split not applicable

Quick Selection Buttons

Select Landscape
Automatically selects all images where width > height. Perfect for manga spreads.
Select All
Selects all images that can be processed (excludes locked small images).
Clear Selection
Deselects all images.

Automatic EPUB Repairs

The converter automatically detects and fixes common EPUB issues:

SVG Cover Fix
Unwraps images from <svg><image xlink:href="..."> wrappers that some e-readers can't display.
Cover Metadata
Ensures the OPF manifest contains proper <meta name="cover"> entry.
NCX Sync
Synchronizes dtb:uid in NCX file with OPF dc:identifier.
Manifest Updates
Updates all image references and media-types after conversion to JPEG.

Smart Scaling

All images are automatically scaled to fit within the target screen dimensions. This is one of the most impactful optimizations — large source images (often 2000×3000px or more) are reduced to fit 480×800, dramatically reducing file size and improving e-reader responsiveness.

📐 How Scaling Works

• Images larger than 480×800 are scaled down (aspect ratio preserved)

• Images that already fit are left untouched

• Typical reduction: 70-90% smaller file size

• Result: Faster page turns, less memory usage on e-reader

💡 Why This Matters

E-ink displays refresh slowly. Smaller images mean faster rendering, smoother page turns, and longer battery life. A 3000×4000px PNG scaled to 480×800 JPEG can go from 5MB to under 50KB.

Target Dimensions

Setting Value Notes
Max Width 480px XTEink X4 screen width
Max Height 800px XTEink X4 screen height

These values are optimized for XTEink X4 (480×800 @ 220 PPI). For other devices, the code can be modified.

Batch Processing

Drop multiple EPUB files at once to convert them all with the same settings.

📚 Batch Features

• Individual progress tracking per file

• Combined statistics (total saved, conversion count)

• Download all converted files as a single ZIP

• Failed files are reported but don't stop the batch

Export Log

In Advanced Mode, click the 📥 Export button in the log section to save a text file with:

• Timestamp for each operation

• Per-image conversion details (dimensions, sizes, compression ratio)

• Split image details (part names, dimensions)

• Final summary statistics

Tips & Best Practices

📚 For Manga

Use Select Landscape to auto-select spreads, then apply ↻ CW mode with 15% overlap.

📖 For Light Novels

Most illustrations are already portrait. Enable grayscale and use 85% quality — no rotation needed.

💾 For Smallest Files

Use 60% quality + grayscale. Good for text-heavy books where image quality is less critical.