Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you haven't already read part 1 of this 4 part series on creating Kindle eBooks, you may want to view (or print) that to start with: 

Part 1: Creating Headers and Document Text

There are times when images can really add to a book. Children's books, cookery books, art books and all kinds of instructional books can benefit in particular from adding something other than just text.

The Kindle supports JPEG, GIF, PNG and BMP image files. Jpeg is widely used for photographs but it doesn't work so well for images of letters or simple line drawings. Gif files work very well for simple line drawings. Png files are very good for screenshots (images of your computer screen) and also for illustrations and images with text - but do watch the file size as it can be large. Bmp (bitmap) are large files and there is no particular reason why you would choose this over the other available formats.  
 
Part 2 - Inserting Images

This mini-series requires that you use the free and open-source software, Open Office which is available here: http://www.openoffice.org I'm currently using version 3.1.0. You should be able to use Microsoft Word (and other Word Processing software) but I won't be able to show you the specifics for that.


1) I recommend creating a folder on your PC and placing the document you're working on as well as any images you want to use all in the same folder. Trust me - it will make life a lot easier later on if they're all in the same location.

2) You may find it quicker to finish all your document text and headings before adding in any images. This is because inserting pictures into an incomplete document means that you may waste time removing and repositioning them when your text changes.


3) To add in a picture, place your cursor on an empty line where you want the image to be. Click on 'Insert' on the top menu, then 'Picture' and select 'From File'


4) What if your image is the wrong size? I've added mine in and it takes up the entire page so I want to make that smaller. The Kindle will reduce the image size of any picture which is too large for its screen but bear in mind that this may reduce the quality a little. To alter the size, right-click on the image and select 'Picture...'


5) You should now be able to see a 'Picture' menu. If you want to make the original image smaller or larger, make sure you check/tick the 'Keep Ratio' box. This means that when you alter the width of the image (for example) the height of the image will automatically change by the same proportion. It can definitely prevent some very odd looking s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d pictures, that's for sure.

Unfortunately there is no preview to give you an idea of what the new sizing may look like in your document so it is down to a bit of guesswork and may take a few tries before you get a size you're happy with. Click the down arrow on either the width or the height box to shrink your image or click the up arrow on either box to enlarge your image. Or you can change the numbers accordingly. Then click OK.


6) OK, well I didn't mean to make it that small. Easy enough to rectify. 


7) The Undo button is your friend. Simply click on the Undo Arrow (or CRTL + Z) and your image will go back to how it was before you changed the size. Then just start again from Step 4 until it is the size you want.


8) If your images are in colour, I recommend you keep them that way. Although the Kindle itself is not a colour device, the Kindle apps such as Kindle for PC and Kindle for iPhone are all capable of displaying full colour images. You may want to get an idea of how each image might look on the greyscale Kindle - just so you can decide whether you need to use a photo editor to tweak the image and make it lighter/darker or add more contrast. If you select your image, you can then click on the dropdown box on the floating picture menu as shown in the image above and choose 'Grayscale.' This gives you an idea of what the picture will look like on the Kindle.

The next part of this series shows you how to add a clickable Table of Contents to your document: http://www.kinworm.com/2011/01/create-your-own-kindle-ebook-using-open_30.html


Amazon Kindle Bestselling eBooks:

UK Amazon Kindle - Click here for the 100 Bestselling free eBooks

US Amazon Kindle - Click here for the 100 Bestselling free eBooks

I upload new freebies as soon as I find them for you, so check back soon to make sure you grab them while they're still free. Happy Kindling, Marie

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