path: root/README.md

# KCC

`KCC` (a.k.a. `KindleComicConverter`) is a Python app to convert comic files or folders to ePub or Panel View MOBI.  
It was initally developed for Kindle but as of version 2.2 it outputs valid ePub 2.0 so _**despite its name, KCC is
actually a comic 2 epub converter that every ereader owner can happily use**_.  

It also optimizes comic images by:
- Enhancing contrast.
- Cutting page numbering.
- Cropping white borders.
- Resizing larger images to device's native resolution.
- Quantizing images to device's palette.

## BINARY RELEASES
You can find the latest released binary at the following links:  
- OS X: [https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16806101/KindleComicConverter_osx_2.6.zip](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16806101/KindleComicConverter_osx_2.6.zip)
- Win64: [https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16806101/KindleComicConverter_win-amd64_2.6.zip](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/16806101/KindleComicConverter_win-amd64_2.6.zip)
- Win32: [http://pawelj.vulturis.eu/Shared/KindleComicConverter_win-x86_2.6.zip](http://pawelj.vulturis.eu/Shared/KindleComicConverter_win-x86_2.6.zip) *(thanks to [AcidWeb](https://github.com/AcidWeb))*
- Linux: Just download sourcecode and launch `python kcc.py` *(Provided you have Python and Pillow installed)*

## INPUT FORMATS
`kcc` can understand and convert, at the moment, the following file types:
- PNG, JPG
- Folders
- CBZ, ZIP
- CBR, RAR *(With `unrar` executable)*
- PDF *(Extracting only contained JPG images)*

## OPTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
- `kindlegen` v2.7+ in a directory reachable by your PATH or in KCC directory *(For .mobi generation)*
- [unrar](http://www.rarlab.com/download.htm) *(For CBR support)*

### for compiling/running from source:
- Python 2.7+ (Included in MacOS and Linux, follow the [official documentation](http://www.python.org/getit/windows/) to install on Windows)
- [Pillow](http://pypi.python.org/pypi/Pillow/) for comic optimizations like split double pages, resize to optimal resolution, improve contrast and palette, etc.
  Please refer to official documentation for installing into your system.

## USAGE

### GUI

Should be pretty self-explanatory, just keep in mind that it's still in development ;)
While working it seems frozen, I'll try to fix the aesthetics later.
Conversion being done, you should find an .epub and a .mobi files alongside the original input file (same directory)

### Standalone `comic2ebook.py` usage:

```
comic2ebook.py [options] comic_file|comic_folder

Options:
  --version                         Show program's version number and exit
  -h, --help                        Show this help message and exit
  -p PROFILE, --profile=PROFILE     Device profile (Choose one among K1, K2, K3, K4, KDX, KDXG or KHD) [Default=KHD]
  -t TITLE, --title=TITLE           Comic title [Default=filename]
  -m, --manga-style                 Manga style (Right-to-left reading and splitting) [Default=False]
  --noprocessing                    Do not apply image preprocessing (Page splitting and optimizations) [Default=True]
  --nodithering                     Disable image quantization [Default=False]
  --gamma=GAMMA                     Apply gamma correction to linearize the image [Default=Auto]
  --upscale                         Resize images smaller than device's resolution [Default=False]
  --stretch                         Stretch images to device's resolution [Default=False]
  --blackborders                    Use black borders (Instead of white ones) when not stretching and ratio is not like the device's one [Default=False]
  --rotate                          Rotate landscape pages instead of splitting them [Default=False]
  --nosplitrotate                   Disable splitting and rotation [Default=False]
  --nocutpagenumbers                Do not try to cut page numbering on images [Default=True]
  -o OUTPUT, --output=OUTPUT        Output generated EPUB to specified directory or file
  -v, --verbose                     Verbose output [Default=False]
```

## CREDITS
KCC is made by [Ciro Mattia Gonano](http://github.com/ciromattia) and [Paweł Jastrzębski](http://github.com/AcidWeb)

This script born as a cross-platform alternative to `KindleComicParser` by **Dc5e** (published in [this mobileread forum thread](http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192783))

The app relies and includes the following scripts/binaries:

 - `KindleStrip` script © 2010-2012 by **Paul Durrant** and released in public domain
([mobileread forum thread](http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96903))
 - `rarfile.py` script &copy; 2005-2011 **Marko Kreen** <markokr@gmail.com>, released with ISC License
 - the icon is by **Nikolay Verin** ([http://ncrow.deviantart.com/](http://ncrow.deviantart.com/)) and released under [CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/) License
 - `image.py` class from **Alex Yatskov**'s [Mangle](http://foosoft.net/mangle/) with subsequent [proDOOMman](https://github.com/proDOOMman/Mangle)'s and [Birua](https://github.com/Birua/Mangle)'s patches

## CHANGELOG
  - 1.00: Initial version
  - 1.10: Added support for CBZ/CBR files in comic2ebook.py
  - 1.11: Added support for CBZ/CBR files in KindleComicConverter
  - 1.20: Comic optimizations! Split pages not target-oriented (landscape with portrait target or portrait
   with landscape target), add palette and other image optimizations from Mangle.  
   WARNING: PIL is required for all image mangling!
  - 1.30: Fixed an issue in OPF generation for device resolution  
   Reworked options system (call with -h option to get the inline help)
  - 1.40: Added some options for controlling image optimization  
        Further optimization (ImageOps, page numbering cut, autocontrast)
  - 1.41: Fixed a serious bug on resizing when img ratio was bigger than device one
  - 1.50: Added subfolder support for multiple chapters.
  - 2.0: GUI! AppleScript is gone and Tk is used to provide cross-platform GUI support.
  - 2.1: Added basic error reporting
  - 2.2: Added (valid!) ePub 2.0 output  
        Rename .zip files to .cbz to avoid overwriting
  - 2.3: Fixed win32 ePub generation, folder handling, filenames with spaces and subfolders
  - 2.4: Use temporary directory as workdir (fixes converting from external volumes and zipfiles renaming)  
        Fixed "add folders" from GUI.
  - 2.5: Added --black-borders option to set added borders black when page's ratio is not the device's one (#11).  
        Fixes epub containing zipped itself (#10).  
  - 2.6: Added --rotate option to rotate landscape images instead of splitting them.  
        Added --output option to customize ePub output dir/file.  
        Add rendition:layout and rendition:orientation ePub meta tags (supported by new kindlegen 2.8)  

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright (c) 2012-2013 Ciro Mattia Gonano with further contributions by Paweł Jastrzębski.  
KCC is released under ISC LICENSE; see LICENSE.txt for further details.