Start an image-bearing EPUB by deciding the route from the manuscript file to one image. Keep the text and image under a common project folder, and close the loop on path, alternative text, package inclusion, and reader display before adding more illustrations.
This guide handles one inline illustration. Cover assignment and recovery after moving existing files are separate topics.
Build the smallest useful project
Place text/chapter01.md beside an images folder containing scene01.png. From the chapter, a possible route is ../images/scene01.png. Write alternative text that conveys the image’s function, such as “The protagonist holding an umbrella outside a station at night.”
Use unambiguous filenames and avoid copies with the same name in several folders. A path that reaches the wrong same-named image is still a broken result.
Prove one illustration end to end
- Confirm the text and image locations.
- Insert the relative image reference.
- Add accurate alternative text.
- Export the EPUB.
- Inspect the package for the asset and the document reference.
- Open the book and review the image with its surrounding paragraphs.
A completed Rune Studio test confirms an EPUB export containing image assets and a valid package inspection. It does not preserve the exact starting path, updated path, alternative text, and XHTML reference values used in that test. The sample values here are therefore instructions, not reconstructed evidence.
Trace a missing image in order
Check that the source image exists, then verify filename case and extension, then recalculate the route from the manuscript. If the asset is present in the EPUB but absent from the page, compare the packaged document reference with the asset location.
Repeat the smallest proof on another day
Before adopting the one-image EPUB path, close the project and repeat the smallest useful path later. Record source document, source image, relative route, alternative text, packaged asset, and document reference. A result that depends on memory or an already-open preview is not yet a dependable routine.
Keep one untouched copy and change a single condition per retry. If the second run differs, identify whether the source, operation, or inspection changed before expanding the scope. This rehearsal is also the point to keep undocumented path values clearly labeled as unverified rather than filling the gap with an assumption.
The next practical step for the one-image EPUB path is to prepare the smallest useful copy and write down its expected result before touching the production manuscript. Extend this particular workflow only after the observed result matches.
Conclusion
An illustrated EPUB becomes manageable when one image completes the entire chain from source path to reader display. Rune Studio has a verified image-bearing export, while the exact reference values remain undocumented so far. Record them explicitly before scaling the project. Explore Rune Studio’s EPUB export
