PDF flip books

[SteveC]

I've been asked to look into software for turning PDFs (or possibly JPEGs) into flip books.
Does the panel have any comments or suggestions about this? Recommended software? That sort of thing.

I have to admit I'm not very fond of flip books as a mechanism for reading things on computers, but that may be just me.

Thanks in advance.

[sizbut]

Best start with what you mean by "flip book" else some of us are thinking moving matching stick men whilst you mean simplified ebook format rather than full PDF.

[Kim]

I'm thinking matchstick men, but my spidey-sense tells me that it's one of those horrid internet things like videos made up of panny-zoomy static images that only exist for the gratification of their creator.

[robgul]

I think the OP means something like this   https://leaflets.aldi.co.uk/view/476758570/  (and a host of other catalogues) - which (for when I was working with this stuff back in about 2005/6) is based on a simple image (.pdf or .jpg) that the software manipulates.   

Lots of software out there, I can't remember what we used but it was dead simple - you loaded up your individual pages and Hey presto you had a catalogue

Page turning like this is is a PITA in my view.

[nikki]

Also thinking stick people!
(But aware of this: https://issuu.com because it's something that'll usually make me give up on reading the content.)

"A digital publishing innovator, Issuu is the only platform loved by marketers and creatives, educators and editors around the world since 2008"

"A digital publishing innovator, Issuu is the platform loved only by marketers and creatives, educators and editors around the world since 2008"

[SteveC]

@robgul, @nikki - that's the sort of thing I was meaning.

I agree with the negative sentiments about these things, but have been asked to find out about the software. My strong recommendation will be to not go down this route, but I need to do so from a position of strength. (cos POLITICKS)

[citoyen]

My strong recommendation will be to not go down this route, but I need to do so from a position of strength. (cos POLITICKS)

I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but flip books are a means of digitally presenting content that was originally produced for print. So if you're producing natively digital content, it's a really poor idea and there are much better approaches. (Bloody politicks!)

Can't answer the question myself, but I have a colleague who does this kind of thing regularly so I'll ask him what software he uses...

[Kim]

The diplomatic approach would be to provide a choice between the Groovy Funky Channel 27 flip-book version and a nice sensible HTML page or PDF download because 'accessibility'.

[Kim]

I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but flip books are a means of digitally presenting content that was originally produced for print.

If only there was some sort of standard format for digitally exchanging laid-out-for-print documents...

[MattH]

I'm thinking matchstick men, but my spidey-sense tells me that it's one of those horrid internet things like videos made up of panny-zoomy static images that only exist for the gratification of their creator.

Ob.xkcd.

[citoyen]

If only there was some sort of standard format for digitally exchanging laid-out-for-print documents...

Flip books are made from PDFs though. All they are is a GUI to make presentation of PDFs on websites a bit slicker and prettier. And there's nothing wrong with that if you're making an online archive of print content.

My point is that if the content is natively digital, it should be presented in a natively digital format, not a print format. (But I'm sure SteveC doesn't need to be told this - it's the people who want him to go through with this exercise who need hitting with the clue bat.)

[ian]

I seem to remember doing these some years ago, there was some plugin for Quark and a standalone viewer, don't ask me what, it was so long ago you could still look out of the window and expect to see dinosaurs.

I liked proper catalogue layouts, it might be a reflection of my former education perusals of the Freemans lingerie section, but I want poses. I hate those websites that just have thumbnails of the items, like they might be on a shelf, or worse, modelled by the invisible wo/man. I'd obviously be troubled if my fantasies were of invisible women and discarnate undergarments.

[barakta]

I concur with all the others who struggle with small text, restricted fonts, bad colours.

I would much rather an HTML webpage I can adapt to meet my needs than even PDF.

I close issu.com things instantly, cos I know they're unreadable and to zoom in big enough is bigger than my big screens. I refuse to reward bad layout by using it.

If this is for any public sector org then there are the new web accessibility guidelines which may help with politickingTM.

[citoyen]

M'colleague says this is what he uses: https://flippingbook.com

You can download the app to make flipbooks to host on your own servers, or they can host it on their servers and you share it on your website with embeddable links. You can also password-protect content to restrict access.

[robgul]

My strong recommendation will be to not go down this route, but I need to do so from a position of strength. (cos POLITICKS)

I'm sure I don't need to tell you this but flip books are a means of digitally presenting content that was originally produced for print. So if you're producing natively digital content, it's a really poor idea and there are much better approaches. (Bloody politicks!)

Can't answer the question myself, but I have a colleague who does this kind of thing regularly so I'll ask him what software he uses...

Absolutely right - it was a mechanism for displaying printed catalogues - the stuff I was involved with had the "turn the page" feature AND you could click on items to get an enlargement that was easier to read.   

It was a crude way to present stuff but at the time, c 2001/2, it worked - the firm I worked for was in N California (I was the sole UK/Europe person . . . such power!) and had some proprietary tools (and manual add-ons) to do the stuff.

[I retired from the job in late 2007]

Having just looked at the biggest customer I had in Europe I find that they are still doing the catalogue page turn!  https://onlinekat.hornbach.de/blaetterkatalog-frontend/onlinekat/WH_0521_DE_S/index.html#p=1   Not sure how it is processed nowadays.

We also re-purposed newspaper ads for online viewing/searching - that was also very labour intensive.

[ian]

I dunno about you, but I'd seriously pay those people to fix my house and garden.

[Kim]

Having just looked at the biggest customer I had in Europe I find that they are still doing the catalogue page turn!  https://onlinekat.hornbach.de/blaetterkatalog-frontend/onlinekat/WH_0521_DE_S/index.html#p=1

You know you're in trouble when my PC does its impression of a Rolls Royce Trent spooling up just because you've turned a couple of pages   

[citoyen]

Having just looked at the biggest customer I had in Europe I find that they are still doing the catalogue page turn!  https://onlinekat.hornbach.de/blaetterkatalog-frontend/onlinekat/WH_0521_DE_S/index.html#p=1

That's fantastic! Worth it for the main pictures on p2 and p42 alone.

Much better than the Screwfix catalogue.

[robgul]

Having just looked at the biggest customer I had in Europe I find that they are still doing the catalogue page turn!  https://onlinekat.hornbach.de/blaetterkatalog-frontend/onlinekat/WH_0521_DE_S/index.html#p=1

That's fantastic! Worth it for the main pictures on p2 and p42 alone.

Much better than the Screwfix catalogue.

Have to say if you are anywhere near a Hornbach store (Germany, Holland, Slovakia, Switzerland . . possibly more) it's worth going in to have a look - massive range of stuff.  I've been to the Bornheim HQ store quite a few times, it's in its own shopping plaza.   If you imagine the biggest B&Q you've ever seen and then quadruple it that's getting near the size of the place.

For all that they do seem a bit backward on the catalogue promo stuff - it's barely changed in getting on for 20 years?   BUT Germany especially is an odd marketplace, mainly debit not credit cards are taken in stores.    ALDI seems to be following the flip-catalogue idea - they've only brought it in over the last probably 8 or 9 months.

Hornbach used to be part-owned by Kingfisher (B&Q/Screwfix) and a lot of products were sourced jointly for economies of scale.

... and if you're into DIY and visit France then the Leroy Merlin stores are pretty good for ranges of stuff (same store group as Auchan supermarkets and Decathlon)

[ian]

Seriously, I would break things just to get the people from p13 in to fix them.

Can you imagine the British version, a line up of fat blokes with a cigarette drooping from mouth and mobile phone glued to ear, who might turn up to finish the work, or they might burn out your wiring and set fire to the bathroom and stop answering their phone.

Those flick-through catalogues are making me absurdly happy.

[Cudzoziemiec]

The gang on p13 are how Village People would've looked if they'd been Die Dörfermenschen. 

Or perhaps that should be Dörferleute?

[Mr Larrington]

Having just looked at the biggest customer I had in Europe I find that they are still doing the catalogue page turn!  https://onlinekat.hornbach.de/blaetterkatalog-frontend/onlinekat/WH_0521_DE_S/index.html#p=1

That's fantastic! Worth it for the main pictures on p2 and p42 alone.

Much better than the Screwfix catalogue.

p42: at last it can be revealed what Arthur Brown is doing these days.

[citoyen]

Seriously, I would break things just to get the people from p13 in to fix them.

And you definitely want the people on p24-25 in to do your garden (not to mention the woman on the cover).

Also her on p52 can paint my walls any time she likes.

[SteveC]

(back on topic for a second  )
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments. I have replied to the individual involved, with some links--including the one from citoyen--and my views on the suitability of doing it at all. We will see.
(now back to the semi-smut)

[ian]

Seriously, I would break things just to get the people from p13 in to fix them.

And you definitely want the people on p24-25 in to do your garden (not to mention the woman on the cover).

Also her on p52 can paint my walls any time she likes.

More demi-goddess than gardener.