Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Exporting books to iBook using Calibre
http://www.40tech.com/2010/07/09/get-your-current-ebook-library-on-your-ibooks-bookshelf-with-calibre/#comments
With I solved my problem with getting lots of books to read using iBook. iBook is a good book reader, the best so far. Mobipocket is good but iBook is much better especially for iPad 3.
Get Your Current eBook Library On Your iBooks Bookshelf with Calibre
July 9, 2010 by 
One of the most annoying things about eReader apps on the iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad (that have their own dedicated stores) is their proprietary nature — namely, they generally only read books you have purchased from their respective companies, regardless of the library you already own. This can be a pain, as it leads to both multiple eReader apps on your phone and several books inevitably left twisting in the proverbial wind. You can use Stanza for iPhone to solve this problem, but why not put all of your books on that pretty iBooks bookshelf? As of version 0.7, Calibre lets you do just that!
Calibre is a fantastic tool for PC and Mac that handles eBook management. It has all the features you could ever want or need, including tagging; organization by genre, series and more; turning your computer into an eBook server; single and bulk conversion from and to multiple eBook formats; and now a handy button that sends eBooks directly to the Books section of your iTunes library — and, of course, to your device.
It’s a fairly simple process, in essence requiring only that you connect your device to your computer and make sure the book you are transferring is in EPUB fromat (which can be set as the Preferred Output Format in Preferences). You just select the book from your library that you want to send to your device, and click the big Send to Device button on the top menu. You can also right-click and do the same. If the book is not in EPUB, you will be asked if you want Calibre to automatically convert it for you. Click OK and wait a moment. The book will convert and send itself to your device, via iTunes, appearing on your iBooks bookshelf. If you are an iPad user, go into the Page Setup area of the Conversion settings in Preferences, and select iPad as your Output Profile.
You can also connect directly to iTunes, without the using your device, to move your library to the Books area of iTunes, for later syncing. You can find the Connect to iTunes option by right clicking on a book or clicking the menu arrow beside the Send to Device button on the top menu of Calibre. I find connecting the device and sending the books directly to it and iTunes at the same time to be more effective, however.
Send more than one book at a time by holding down shift and selecting multiple titles before you make the transfer.
If you have trouble connecting or just want to make sure you have all of the settings tweaked just right, GRiker (the fellow who created the Apple Device Interface plugin for Calibre) has put together a step by step tutorial to help you make that happen:
GRiker’s Step By Step Tutorial for Connecting Calibre to iTunes
What do you think of Calibre’s ability to convert and send books right to your iBooks bookshelf? Will it make you more likely to use iBooks as your main eReader?
Monday, April 23, 2012
HDR Photo using iPad
This is a good review for HDR apps available with iPad and iPhone. Just this app is making iPad worthwhile in taking pictures despite its size.
I may start posting HDR pictures of Sabah in this blog.
Josh Bancroft's TinyScreenfuls.com
Geek. Serial Experimentalist. Selfish, Obsessive, and Easily Distracted.
iPhone HDR Comparison: iOS 4.1, Pro HDR, and True HDR
I’ve been using two iPhone HDR apps for a while, Pro HDR and TrueHDR, and now that Apple’s thrown its hat in the ring, it’s time for a comparison.Here are the examples, and below them, my thoughts. The following photo was taken in my driveway last night (sunsets are generally good fodder for HDR photos). The four shots are, in order:
- The original “non HDR” photo that iOS 4.1 optionally saves when you take an HDR shot.
- The Apple iOS 4.1 HDR photo
- The Pro HDR photo, taken in “Auto HDR” mode
- The TrueHDR photo, taken using “Take Pictures” mode.
Original iPhone 4 Non-HDR Photo
* The Bad: Shadows and dark areas underexposed. Could have touched the dark areas to get them exposed correctly, but then the sky would be overexposed and blown out. Hence the need for HDR.
* The Verdict: The iPhone 4 still has an amazing camera with great saturation and color. Unless you really need HDR to make a photo better, this is all you need.
Apple iOS 4.1 HDR Photo
* The Bad: Subtle. May not give as much of that “HDR” effect you’re looking for. Colors aren’t as bright, and the image can appear a little washed out. Dark areas are still really dark (compare the grass and balloons on the left side).
* The Verdict: An great capability added to an already amazing camera. Will make a lot of photos better for almost no effort at all.
Pro HDR Photo, “Auto HDR” Mode
* The Bad: Even Auto mode isn’t fast enough for moving subjects. A “halo” is sometimes visible where two areas blend together (see where the trees meet the sky on the right). Sometimes the colors just go wrong. Merging the photos takes a few seconds (longer than iOS 4.1, but not as long as TrueHDR).
* The Verdict: If you’re a photography nerd like me, iOS 4.1′s HDR mode probably won’t be enough to scratch your itch. Pro HDR is a great tool for the virtual camera bag, and I recommend it without hesitation. If iOS 4.1 had never added HDR, I’d still recommend Pro HDR for taking cool HDR shots on your iPhone.
TrueHDR Photo, “Take Pictures” Mode
* The Bad: Slowest of the three to process/merge the two photos. No adjustment sliders for contrast, saturation, etc. Colors don’t “pop” as much as Pro HDR. Sometimes the colors just go wrong.
* The Verdict: Still a great HDR app, and future improvements could move it right into parity with Pro HDR.
What I’ve written is based on these four photos, plus the experience I’ve had using both Pro HDR and True HDR for a couple of months in various situations. The differences between those two apps are small, and sometimes performs better in one situation than another, with the opposite occurring under different conditions.
In the end, if you’re an iPhone photography geek like me, you’ll want to use the built in iOS 4.1 HDR function and one of the third party apps. Which one to choose is a tough call, though. If it came down to it, I’d say get Pro HDR. But software updates can change the landscape quickly, and TrueHDR is a great app, too. You won’t go wrong with either of them.
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