Fix Image Processing

ASYNC_IMAGE_PROCESSING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,220 @@
+# Async Image Processing Implementation
+
+## Overview
+
+The image processing system has been updated to handle external images asynchronously, preventing timeouts when processing stories with many images. This provides real-time progress updates to users showing which images are being processed.
+
+## Backend Components
+
+### 1. `ImageProcessingProgressService`
+- Tracks progress for individual story image processing sessions
+- Thread-safe with `ConcurrentHashMap` for multi-user support
+- Provides progress information: total images, processed count, current image, status, errors
+
+### 2. `AsyncImageProcessingService`
+- Handles asynchronous image processing using Spring's `@Async` annotation
+- Counts external images before processing
+- Provides progress callbacks during processing
+- Updates story content when processing completes
+- Automatic cleanup of progress data after completion
+
+### 3. Enhanced `ImageService`
+- Added `processContentImagesWithProgress()` method with callback support
+- Progress callbacks provide real-time updates during image download/processing
+- Maintains compatibility with existing synchronous processing
+
+### 4. Updated `StoryController`
+- `POST /api/stories` and `PUT /api/stories/{id}` now trigger async image processing
+- `GET /api/stories/{id}/image-processing-progress` endpoint for progress polling
+- Processing starts immediately after story save and returns control to user
+
+## Frontend Components
+
+### 1. `ImageProcessingProgressTracker` (Utility Class)
+```typescript
+const tracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId);
+tracker.onProgress((progress) => {
+  console.log(`Processing ${progress.processedImages}/${progress.totalImages}`);
+});
+tracker.onComplete(() => console.log('Done!'));
+tracker.start();
+```
+
+### 2. `ImageProcessingProgressComponent` (React Component)
+```tsx
+<ImageProcessingProgressComponent
+  storyId={storyId}
+  autoStart={true}
+  onComplete={() => refreshStory()}
+/>
+```
+
+## User Experience
+
+### Before (Synchronous)
+1. User saves story with external images
+2. Request hangs for 30+ seconds processing images
+3. Browser may timeout
+4. No feedback about progress
+5. User doesn't know if it's working
+
+### After (Asynchronous)
+1. User saves story with external images
+2. Save completes immediately
+3. Progress indicator appears: "Processing 5 images. Currently image 2 of 5..."
+4. User can continue using the application
+5. Progress updates every second
+6. Story automatically refreshes when processing completes
+
+## API Endpoints
+
+### Progress Endpoint
+```
+GET /api/stories/{id}/image-processing-progress
+```
+
+**Response when processing:**
+```json
+{
+  "isProcessing": true,
+  "totalImages": 5,
+  "processedImages": 2,
+  "currentImageUrl": "https://example.com/image.jpg",
+  "status": "Processing image 3 of 5",
+  "progressPercentage": 40.0,
+  "completed": false,
+  "error": ""
+}
+```
+
+**Response when completed:**
+```json
+{
+  "isProcessing": false,
+  "totalImages": 5,
+  "processedImages": 5,
+  "currentImageUrl": "",
+  "status": "Completed: 5 images processed",
+  "progressPercentage": 100.0,
+  "completed": true,
+  "error": ""
+}
+```
+
+**Response when no processing:**
+```json
+{
+  "isProcessing": false,
+  "message": "No active image processing"
+}
+```
+
+## Integration Examples
+
+### React Hook Usage
+```tsx
+import { useImageProcessingProgress } from '../utils/imageProcessingProgress';
+
+function StoryEditor({ storyId }) {
+  const { progress, isTracking, startTracking } = useImageProcessingProgress(storyId);
+
+  const handleSave = async () => {
+    await saveStory();
+    startTracking(); // Start monitoring progress
+  };
+
+  return (
+    <div>
+      {isTracking && progress && (
+        <div className="progress-indicator">
+          Processing {progress.processedImages}/{progress.totalImages} images...
+        </div>
+      )}
+      <button onClick={handleSave}>Save Story</button>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+```
+
+### Manual Progress Tracking
+```typescript
+// After saving a story with external images
+const tracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId);
+
+tracker.onProgress((progress) => {
+  updateProgressBar(progress.progressPercentage);
+  showStatus(progress.status);
+  if (progress.currentImageUrl) {
+    showCurrentImage(progress.currentImageUrl);
+  }
+});
+
+tracker.onComplete((finalProgress) => {
+  hideProgressBar();
+  showNotification('Image processing completed!');
+  refreshStoryContent(); // Reload story with processed images
+});
+
+tracker.onError((error) => {
+  hideProgressBar();
+  showError(`Image processing failed: ${error}`);
+});
+
+tracker.start();
+```
+
+## Configuration
+
+### Polling Interval
+Default: 1 second (1000ms)
+```typescript
+const tracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId, 500); // Poll every 500ms
+```
+
+### Timeout
+Default: 5 minutes (300000ms)
+```typescript
+const tracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId, 1000, 600000); // 10 minute timeout
+```
+
+### Spring Async Configuration
+The backend uses Spring's default async executor. For production, consider configuring a custom thread pool in your application properties:
+
+```yaml
+spring:
+  task:
+    execution:
+      pool:
+        core-size: 4
+        max-size: 8
+        queue-capacity: 100
+```
+
+## Error Handling
+
+### Backend Errors
+- Network timeouts downloading images
+- Invalid image formats
+- Disk space issues
+- All errors are logged and returned in progress status
+
+### Frontend Errors
+- Network failures during progress polling
+- Timeout if processing takes too long
+- Graceful degradation - user can continue working
+
+## Benefits
+
+1. **No More Timeouts**: Large image processing operations won't timeout HTTP requests
+2. **Better UX**: Users get real-time feedback about processing progress
+3. **Improved Performance**: Users can continue using the app while images process
+4. **Error Visibility**: Clear error messages when image processing fails
+5. **Scalability**: Multiple users can process images simultaneously without blocking
+
+## Future Enhancements
+
+1. **WebSocket Support**: Replace polling with WebSocket for real-time push updates
+2. **Batch Processing**: Queue multiple stories for batch image processing
+3. **Retry Logic**: Automatic retry for failed image downloads
+4. **Progress Persistence**: Save progress to database for recovery after server restart
+5. **Image Optimization**: Automatic resize/compress images during processing

backend/src/main/java/com/storycove/StoryCoveApplication.java

@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@ package com.storycove;
 
 import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
+import org.springframework.scheduling.annotation.EnableAsync;
 import org.springframework.scheduling.annotation.EnableScheduling;
 
 @SpringBootApplication
 @EnableScheduling
+@EnableAsync
 public class StoryCoveApplication {
 
     public static void main(String[] args) {

backend/src/main/java/com/storycove/controller/StoryController.java

@@ -44,6 +44,8 @@ public class StoryController {
     private final ReadingTimeService readingTimeService;
     private final EPUBImportService epubImportService;
     private final EPUBExportService epubExportService;
+    private final AsyncImageProcessingService asyncImageProcessingService;
+    private final ImageProcessingProgressService progressService;
     
     public StoryController(StoryService storyService, 
                           AuthorService authorService,
@@ -54,7 +56,9 @@ public class StoryController {
                           SearchServiceAdapter searchServiceAdapter,
                           ReadingTimeService readingTimeService,
                           EPUBImportService epubImportService,
-                          EPUBExportService epubExportService) {
+                          EPUBExportService epubExportService,
+                          AsyncImageProcessingService asyncImageProcessingService,
+                          ImageProcessingProgressService progressService) {
         this.storyService = storyService;
         this.authorService = authorService;
         this.seriesService = seriesService;
@@ -65,6 +69,8 @@ public class StoryController {
         this.readingTimeService = readingTimeService;
         this.epubImportService = epubImportService;
         this.epubExportService = epubExportService;
+        this.asyncImageProcessingService = asyncImageProcessingService;
+        this.progressService = progressService;
     }
     
     @GetMapping
@@ -718,28 +724,15 @@ public class StoryController {
     private Story processExternalImagesIfNeeded(Story story) {
         try {
             if (story.getContentHtml() != null && !story.getContentHtml().trim().isEmpty()) {
-                logger.debug("Processing external images for story: {}", story.getId());
+                logger.debug("Starting async image processing for story: {}", story.getId());
 
-                ImageService.ContentImageProcessingResult result =
+                // Start async processing - this returns immediately
-                    imageService.processContentImages(story.getContentHtml(), story.getId());
+                asyncImageProcessingService.processStoryImagesAsync(story.getId(), story.getContentHtml());
 
-                // If content was changed (external images were processed), update the story
+                logger.info("Async image processing started for story: {}", story.getId());
-                if (!result.getProcessedContent().equals(story.getContentHtml())) {
-                    logger.info("External images processed for story {}: {} images downloaded",
-                               story.getId(), result.getDownloadedImages().size());
-
-                    // Update the story with the processed content
-                    story.setContentHtml(result.getProcessedContent());
-                    story = storyService.updateContentOnly(story.getId(), result.getProcessedContent());
-                }
-
-                if (result.hasWarnings()) {
-                    logger.warn("Image processing warnings for story {}: {}",
-                               story.getId(), result.getWarnings());
-                }
             }
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            logger.error("Failed to process external images for story {}: {}",
+            logger.error("Failed to start async image processing for story {}: {}",
                         story.getId(), e.getMessage(), e);
             // Don't fail the entire operation if image processing fails
         }
@@ -747,6 +740,31 @@ public class StoryController {
         return story;
     }
 
+    @GetMapping("/{id}/image-processing-progress")
+    public ResponseEntity<Map<String, Object>> getImageProcessingProgress(@PathVariable UUID id) {
+        ImageProcessingProgressService.ImageProcessingProgress progress = progressService.getProgress(id);
+
+        if (progress == null) {
+            return ResponseEntity.ok(Map.of(
+                "isProcessing", false,
+                "message", "No active image processing"
+            ));
+        }
+
+        Map<String, Object> response = Map.of(
+            "isProcessing", !progress.isCompleted(),
+            "totalImages", progress.getTotalImages(),
+            "processedImages", progress.getProcessedImages(),
+            "currentImageUrl", progress.getCurrentImageUrl() != null ? progress.getCurrentImageUrl() : "",
+            "status", progress.getStatus(),
+            "progressPercentage", progress.getProgressPercentage(),
+            "completed", progress.isCompleted(),
+            "error", progress.getErrorMessage() != null ? progress.getErrorMessage() : ""
+        );
+
+        return ResponseEntity.ok(response);
+    }
+
     @GetMapping("/check-duplicate")
     public ResponseEntity<Map<String, Object>> checkDuplicate(
             @RequestParam String title,

backend/src/main/java/com/storycove/service/AsyncImageProcessingService.java

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+package com.storycove.service;
+
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.scheduling.annotation.Async;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
+
+import java.util.UUID;
+import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
+import java.util.regex.Matcher;
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
+
+@Service
+public class AsyncImageProcessingService {
+
+    private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(AsyncImageProcessingService.class);
+
+    private final ImageService imageService;
+    private final StoryService storyService;
+    private final ImageProcessingProgressService progressService;
+
+    @Autowired
+    public AsyncImageProcessingService(ImageService imageService,
+                                     StoryService storyService,
+                                     ImageProcessingProgressService progressService) {
+        this.imageService = imageService;
+        this.storyService = storyService;
+        this.progressService = progressService;
+    }
+
+    @Async
+    public CompletableFuture<Void> processStoryImagesAsync(UUID storyId, String contentHtml) {
+        logger.info("Starting async image processing for story: {}", storyId);
+
+        try {
+            // Count external images first
+            int externalImageCount = countExternalImages(contentHtml);
+
+            if (externalImageCount == 0) {
+                logger.debug("No external images found for story {}", storyId);
+                return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(null);
+            }
+
+            // Start progress tracking
+            ImageProcessingProgressService.ImageProcessingProgress progress =
+                progressService.startProgress(storyId, externalImageCount);
+
+            // Process images with progress updates
+            ImageService.ContentImageProcessingResult result =
+                processImagesWithProgress(contentHtml, storyId, progress);
+
+            // Update story with processed content if changed
+            if (!result.getProcessedContent().equals(contentHtml)) {
+                progressService.updateProgress(storyId, progress.getTotalImages(),
+                    "Saving processed content", "Updating story content");
+
+                storyService.updateContentOnly(storyId, result.getProcessedContent());
+
+                progressService.completeProgress(storyId,
+                    String.format("Completed: %d images processed", result.getDownloadedImages().size()));
+
+                logger.info("Async image processing completed for story {}: {} images processed",
+                           storyId, result.getDownloadedImages().size());
+            } else {
+                progressService.completeProgress(storyId, "Completed: No images needed processing");
+            }
+
+            // Clean up progress after a delay to allow frontend to see completion
+            CompletableFuture.runAsync(() -> {
+                try {
+                    Thread.sleep(5000); // 5 seconds delay
+                    progressService.removeProgress(storyId);
+                } catch (InterruptedException e) {
+                    Thread.currentThread().interrupt();
+                }
+            });
+
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            logger.error("Async image processing failed for story {}: {}", storyId, e.getMessage(), e);
+            progressService.setError(storyId, e.getMessage());
+        }
+
+        return CompletableFuture.completedFuture(null);
+    }
+
+    private int countExternalImages(String contentHtml) {
+        if (contentHtml == null || contentHtml.trim().isEmpty()) {
+            return 0;
+        }
+
+        Pattern imgPattern = Pattern.compile("<img[^>]+src=[\"']([^\"']+)[\"'][^>]*>", Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE);
+        Matcher matcher = imgPattern.matcher(contentHtml);
+
+        int count = 0;
+        while (matcher.find()) {
+            String src = matcher.group(1);
+            if (isExternalUrl(src)) {
+                count++;
+            }
+        }
+
+        return count;
+    }
+
+    private boolean isExternalUrl(String url) {
+        return url != null &&
+               (url.startsWith("http://") || url.startsWith("https://")) &&
+               !url.contains("/api/files/images/");
+    }
+
+    private ImageService.ContentImageProcessingResult processImagesWithProgress(
+            String contentHtml, UUID storyId, ImageProcessingProgressService.ImageProcessingProgress progress) {
+
+        // Use a custom version of processContentImages that provides progress callbacks
+        return imageService.processContentImagesWithProgress(contentHtml, storyId,
+            (currentUrl, processedCount, totalCount) -> {
+                progressService.updateProgress(storyId, processedCount, currentUrl,
+                    String.format("Processing image %d of %d", processedCount + 1, totalCount));
+            });
+    }
+}

backend/src/main/java/com/storycove/service/ImageProcessingProgressService.java

@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+package com.storycove.service;
+
+import org.slf4j.Logger;
+import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
+import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;
+
+import java.util.Map;
+import java.util.UUID;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
+
+@Service
+public class ImageProcessingProgressService {
+
+    private static final Logger logger = LoggerFactory.getLogger(ImageProcessingProgressService.class);
+
+    private final Map<UUID, ImageProcessingProgress> progressMap = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
+
+    public static class ImageProcessingProgress {
+        private final UUID storyId;
+        private final int totalImages;
+        private volatile int processedImages;
+        private volatile String currentImageUrl;
+        private volatile String status;
+        private volatile boolean completed;
+        private volatile String errorMessage;
+
+        public ImageProcessingProgress(UUID storyId, int totalImages) {
+            this.storyId = storyId;
+            this.totalImages = totalImages;
+            this.processedImages = 0;
+            this.status = "Starting";
+            this.completed = false;
+        }
+
+        // Getters
+        public UUID getStoryId() { return storyId; }
+        public int getTotalImages() { return totalImages; }
+        public int getProcessedImages() { return processedImages; }
+        public String getCurrentImageUrl() { return currentImageUrl; }
+        public String getStatus() { return status; }
+        public boolean isCompleted() { return completed; }
+        public String getErrorMessage() { return errorMessage; }
+        public double getProgressPercentage() {
+            return totalImages > 0 ? (double) processedImages / totalImages * 100 : 100;
+        }
+
+        // Setters
+        public void setProcessedImages(int processedImages) { this.processedImages = processedImages; }
+        public void setCurrentImageUrl(String currentImageUrl) { this.currentImageUrl = currentImageUrl; }
+        public void setStatus(String status) { this.status = status; }
+        public void setCompleted(boolean completed) { this.completed = completed; }
+        public void setErrorMessage(String errorMessage) { this.errorMessage = errorMessage; }
+
+        public void incrementProcessed() {
+            this.processedImages++;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public ImageProcessingProgress startProgress(UUID storyId, int totalImages) {
+        ImageProcessingProgress progress = new ImageProcessingProgress(storyId, totalImages);
+        progressMap.put(storyId, progress);
+        logger.info("Started image processing progress tracking for story {} with {} images", storyId, totalImages);
+        return progress;
+    }
+
+    public ImageProcessingProgress getProgress(UUID storyId) {
+        return progressMap.get(storyId);
+    }
+
+    public void updateProgress(UUID storyId, int processedImages, String currentImageUrl, String status) {
+        ImageProcessingProgress progress = progressMap.get(storyId);
+        if (progress != null) {
+            progress.setProcessedImages(processedImages);
+            progress.setCurrentImageUrl(currentImageUrl);
+            progress.setStatus(status);
+            logger.debug("Updated progress for story {}: {}/{} - {}", storyId, processedImages, progress.getTotalImages(), status);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void completeProgress(UUID storyId, String finalStatus) {
+        ImageProcessingProgress progress = progressMap.get(storyId);
+        if (progress != null) {
+            progress.setCompleted(true);
+            progress.setStatus(finalStatus);
+            logger.info("Completed image processing for story {}: {}", storyId, finalStatus);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void setError(UUID storyId, String errorMessage) {
+        ImageProcessingProgress progress = progressMap.get(storyId);
+        if (progress != null) {
+            progress.setErrorMessage(errorMessage);
+            progress.setStatus("Error: " + errorMessage);
+            progress.setCompleted(true);
+            logger.error("Image processing error for story {}: {}", storyId, errorMessage);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void removeProgress(UUID storyId) {
+        progressMap.remove(storyId);
+        logger.debug("Removed progress tracking for story {}", storyId);
+    }
+
+    public boolean isProcessing(UUID storyId) {
+        ImageProcessingProgress progress = progressMap.get(storyId);
+        return progress != null && !progress.isCompleted();
+    }
+}

backend/src/main/java/com/storycove/service/ImageService.java

@@ -334,6 +334,101 @@ public class ImageService {
         return new ContentImageProcessingResult(processedContent.toString(), warnings, downloadedImages);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Functional interface for progress callbacks during image processing
+     */
+    @FunctionalInterface
+    public interface ImageProcessingProgressCallback {
+        void onProgress(String currentImageUrl, int processedCount, int totalCount);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Process content images with progress callbacks for async processing
+     */
+    public ContentImageProcessingResult processContentImagesWithProgress(String htmlContent, UUID storyId, ImageProcessingProgressCallback progressCallback) {
+        logger.debug("Processing content images with progress for story: {}, content length: {}", storyId,
+                   htmlContent != null ? htmlContent.length() : 0);
+
+        List<String> warnings = new ArrayList<>();
+        List<String> downloadedImages = new ArrayList<>();
+
+        if (htmlContent == null || htmlContent.trim().isEmpty()) {
+            logger.debug("No content to process for story: {}", storyId);
+            return new ContentImageProcessingResult(htmlContent, warnings, downloadedImages);
+        }
+
+        // Find all img tags with src attributes
+        Pattern imgPattern = Pattern.compile("<img[^>]+src=[\"']([^\"']+)[\"'][^>]*>", Pattern.CASE_INSENSITIVE);
+        Matcher matcher = imgPattern.matcher(htmlContent);
+
+        // First pass: count external images
+        List<String> externalImages = new ArrayList<>();
+        Matcher countMatcher = imgPattern.matcher(htmlContent);
+        while (countMatcher.find()) {
+            String imageUrl = countMatcher.group(1);
+            if (!imageUrl.startsWith("/") && !imageUrl.startsWith("data:")) {
+                externalImages.add(imageUrl);
+            }
+        }
+
+        int totalExternalImages = externalImages.size();
+        int processedCount = 0;
+
+        StringBuffer processedContent = new StringBuffer();
+        matcher.reset(); // Reset the matcher for processing
+
+        while (matcher.find()) {
+            String fullImgTag = matcher.group(0);
+            String imageUrl = matcher.group(1);
+
+            logger.debug("Found image: {} in tag: {}", imageUrl, fullImgTag);
+
+            try {
+                // Skip if it's already a local path or data URL
+                if (imageUrl.startsWith("/") || imageUrl.startsWith("data:")) {
+                    logger.debug("Skipping local/data URL: {}", imageUrl);
+                    matcher.appendReplacement(processedContent, Matcher.quoteReplacement(fullImgTag));
+                    continue;
+                }
+
+                // Call progress callback
+                if (progressCallback != null) {
+                    progressCallback.onProgress(imageUrl, processedCount, totalExternalImages);
+                }
+
+                logger.debug("Processing external image #{}: {}", processedCount + 1, imageUrl);
+
+                // Download and store the image
+                String localPath = downloadImageFromUrl(imageUrl, storyId);
+                downloadedImages.add(localPath);
+
+                // Generate local URL
+                String localUrl = getLocalImageUrl(storyId, localPath);
+                logger.debug("Downloaded image: {} -> {}", imageUrl, localUrl);
+
+                // Replace the src attribute with the local path
+                String newImgTag = fullImgTag
+                    .replaceFirst("src=\"" + Pattern.quote(imageUrl) + "\"", "src=\"" + localUrl + "\"")
+                    .replaceFirst("src='" + Pattern.quote(imageUrl) + "'", "src='" + localUrl + "'");
+
+                matcher.appendReplacement(processedContent, Matcher.quoteReplacement(newImgTag));
+                processedCount++;
+
+            } catch (Exception e) {
+                logger.warn("Failed to download image: {} - Error: {}", imageUrl, e.getMessage());
+                warnings.add("Failed to download image: " + imageUrl + " - " + e.getMessage());
+                matcher.appendReplacement(processedContent, Matcher.quoteReplacement(fullImgTag));
+            }
+        }
+
+        matcher.appendTail(processedContent);
+
+        logger.info("Processed {} external images for story: {} (Total: {}, Downloaded: {}, Warnings: {})",
+                   processedCount, storyId, processedCount, downloadedImages.size(), warnings.size());
+
+        return new ContentImageProcessingResult(processedContent.toString(), warnings, downloadedImages);
+    }
+
     /**
      * Download an image from a URL and store it locally
      */

frontend/src/components/ImageProcessingProgress.tsx

@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+import React, { useState, useEffect } from 'react';
+import { ImageProcessingProgressTracker, ImageProcessingProgress } from '../utils/imageProcessingProgress';
+
+interface ImageProcessingProgressProps {
+  storyId: string;
+  autoStart?: boolean;
+  onComplete?: () => void;
+  onError?: (error: string) => void;
+}
+
+export const ImageProcessingProgressComponent: React.FC<ImageProcessingProgressProps> = ({
+  storyId,
+  autoStart = false,
+  onComplete,
+  onError
+}) => {
+  const [progress, setProgress] = useState<ImageProcessingProgress | null>(null);
+  const [isTracking, setIsTracking] = useState(false);
+  const [tracker, setTracker] = useState<ImageProcessingProgressTracker | null>(null);
+
+  const startTracking = () => {
+    if (tracker) {
+      tracker.stop();
+    }
+
+    const newTracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId);
+
+    newTracker.onProgress((progress) => {
+      setProgress(progress);
+    });
+
+    newTracker.onComplete((finalProgress) => {
+      setProgress(finalProgress);
+      setIsTracking(false);
+      onComplete?.();
+    });
+
+    newTracker.onError((error) => {
+      console.error('Image processing error:', error);
+      setIsTracking(false);
+      onError?.(error);
+    });
+
+    setTracker(newTracker);
+    setIsTracking(true);
+    newTracker.start();
+  };
+
+  const stopTracking = () => {
+    if (tracker) {
+      tracker.stop();
+      setIsTracking(false);
+    }
+  };
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (autoStart) {
+      startTracking();
+    }
+
+    return () => {
+      if (tracker) {
+        tracker.stop();
+      }
+    };
+  }, [storyId, autoStart]);
+
+  if (!progress && !isTracking) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  if (!progress?.isProcessing && !progress?.completed) {
+    return null;
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="image-processing-progress">
+      <div className="progress-header">
+        <h4>Processing Images</h4>
+        {isTracking && (
+          <button onClick={stopTracking} className="btn btn-sm btn-secondary">
+            Cancel
+          </button>
+        )}
+      </div>
+
+      {progress && (
+        <div className="progress-content">
+          {progress.error ? (
+            <div className="alert alert-danger">
+              <strong>Error:</strong> {progress.error}
+            </div>
+          ) : progress.completed ? (
+            <div className="alert alert-success">
+              <strong>Completed:</strong> {progress.status}
+            </div>
+          ) : (
+            <div className="progress-info">
+              <div className="status-text">
+                <strong>Status:</strong> {progress.status}
+              </div>
+
+              <div className="progress-stats">
+                Processing {progress.processedImages} of {progress.totalImages} images
+                ({progress.progressPercentage.toFixed(1)}%)
+              </div>
+
+              {progress.currentImageUrl && (
+                <div className="current-image">
+                  <strong>Current:</strong>
+                  <span className="image-url" title={progress.currentImageUrl}>
+                    {progress.currentImageUrl.length > 60
+                      ? `...${progress.currentImageUrl.slice(-60)}`
+                      : progress.currentImageUrl
+                    }
+                  </span>
+                </div>
+              )}
+
+              {/* Progress bar */}
+              <div className="progress-bar-container">
+                <div className="progress-bar">
+                  <div
+                    className="progress-bar-fill"
+                    style={{ width: `${progress.progressPercentage}%` }}
+                  />
+                </div>
+                <span className="progress-percentage">
+                  {progress.progressPercentage.toFixed(1)}%
+                </span>
+              </div>
+            </div>
+          )}
+        </div>
+      )}
+
+      <style jsx>{`
+        .image-processing-progress {
+          background: #f8f9fa;
+          border: 1px solid #dee2e6;
+          border-radius: 4px;
+          padding: 1rem;
+          margin: 1rem 0;
+          font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', sans-serif;
+        }
+
+        .progress-header {
+          display: flex;
+          justify-content: space-between;
+          align-items: center;
+          margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
+        }
+
+        .progress-header h4 {
+          margin: 0;
+          font-size: 1.1rem;
+          color: #495057;
+        }
+
+        .progress-content {
+          space-y: 0.5rem;
+        }
+
+        .status-text {
+          font-size: 0.9rem;
+          color: #6c757d;
+          margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+        }
+
+        .progress-stats {
+          font-weight: 500;
+          color: #495057;
+          margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+        }
+
+        .current-image {
+          font-size: 0.85rem;
+          color: #6c757d;
+          margin-bottom: 0.75rem;
+        }
+
+        .image-url {
+          font-family: 'Monaco', 'Menlo', 'Ubuntu Mono', monospace;
+          background: #e9ecef;
+          padding: 0.1rem 0.3rem;
+          border-radius: 2px;
+          margin-left: 0.5rem;
+        }
+
+        .progress-bar-container {
+          display: flex;
+          align-items: center;
+          gap: 0.75rem;
+        }
+
+        .progress-bar {
+          flex: 1;
+          height: 8px;
+          background: #e9ecef;
+          border-radius: 4px;
+          overflow: hidden;
+        }
+
+        .progress-bar-fill {
+          height: 100%;
+          background: linear-gradient(90deg, #007bff, #0056b3);
+          transition: width 0.3s ease;
+        }
+
+        .progress-percentage {
+          font-size: 0.85rem;
+          font-weight: 500;
+          color: #495057;
+          min-width: 3rem;
+          text-align: right;
+        }
+
+        .btn {
+          padding: 0.25rem 0.5rem;
+          border-radius: 3px;
+          border: 1px solid transparent;
+          cursor: pointer;
+          font-size: 0.8rem;
+        }
+
+        .btn-secondary {
+          background: #6c757d;
+          color: white;
+          border-color: #6c757d;
+        }
+
+        .btn-secondary:hover {
+          background: #5a6268;
+          border-color: #545b62;
+        }
+
+        .alert {
+          padding: 0.75rem;
+          border-radius: 4px;
+          margin-bottom: 0.5rem;
+        }
+
+        .alert-danger {
+          background: #f8d7da;
+          color: #721c24;
+          border: 1px solid #f5c6cb;
+        }
+
+        .alert-success {
+          background: #d4edda;
+          color: #155724;
+          border: 1px solid #c3e6cb;
+        }
+      `}</style>
+    </div>
+  );
+};
+
+export default ImageProcessingProgressComponent;

frontend/src/utils/imageProcessingProgress.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,246 @@
+/**
+ * Utility for tracking image processing progress
+ *
+ * Usage example:
+ *
+ * // After saving a story, start polling for progress
+ * const progressTracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId);
+ *
+ * progressTracker.onProgress((progress) => {
+ *   console.log(`Processing ${progress.processedImages}/${progress.totalImages} images`);
+ *   console.log(`Current: ${progress.currentImageUrl}`);
+ *   console.log(`Status: ${progress.status}`);
+ * });
+ *
+ * progressTracker.onComplete((finalProgress) => {
+ *   console.log('Image processing completed!');
+ * });
+ *
+ * progressTracker.onError((error) => {
+ *   console.error('Image processing failed:', error);
+ * });
+ *
+ * progressTracker.start();
+ */
+
+export interface ImageProcessingProgress {
+  isProcessing: boolean;
+  totalImages: number;
+  processedImages: number;
+  currentImageUrl: string;
+  status: string;
+  progressPercentage: number;
+  completed: boolean;
+  error: string;
+  message?: string;
+}
+
+export type ProgressCallback = (progress: ImageProcessingProgress) => void;
+export type CompleteCallback = (finalProgress: ImageProcessingProgress) => void;
+export type ErrorCallback = (error: string) => void;
+
+export class ImageProcessingProgressTracker {
+  private storyId: string;
+  private pollInterval: number;
+  private timeoutMs: number;
+  private isPolling: boolean = false;
+  private pollTimer: NodeJS.Timeout | null = null;
+  private startTime: number = 0;
+
+  private progressCallbacks: ProgressCallback[] = [];
+  private completeCallbacks: CompleteCallback[] = [];
+  private errorCallbacks: ErrorCallback[] = [];
+
+  constructor(
+    storyId: string,
+    pollInterval: number = 1000, // Poll every 1 second
+    timeoutMs: number = 300000    // 5 minute timeout
+  ) {
+    this.storyId = storyId;
+    this.pollInterval = pollInterval;
+    this.timeoutMs = timeoutMs;
+  }
+
+  public onProgress(callback: ProgressCallback): void {
+    this.progressCallbacks.push(callback);
+  }
+
+  public onComplete(callback: CompleteCallback): void {
+    this.completeCallbacks.push(callback);
+  }
+
+  public onError(callback: ErrorCallback): void {
+    this.errorCallbacks.push(callback);
+  }
+
+  public async start(): Promise<void> {
+    if (this.isPolling) {
+      console.warn('Progress tracking already started');
+      return;
+    }
+
+    this.isPolling = true;
+    this.startTime = Date.now();
+
+    console.log(`Starting image processing progress tracking for story ${this.storyId}`);
+    this.poll();
+  }
+
+  public stop(): void {
+    this.isPolling = false;
+    if (this.pollTimer) {
+      clearTimeout(this.pollTimer);
+      this.pollTimer = null;
+    }
+    console.log(`Stopped progress tracking for story ${this.storyId}`);
+  }
+
+  private async poll(): Promise<void> {
+    if (!this.isPolling) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    // Check for timeout
+    const elapsed = Date.now() - this.startTime;
+    if (elapsed > this.timeoutMs) {
+      this.handleError('Image processing timed out');
+      return;
+    }
+
+    try {
+      const response = await fetch(`/api/stories/${this.storyId}/image-processing-progress`);
+
+      if (!response.ok) {
+        throw new Error(`HTTP ${response.status}: ${response.statusText}`);
+      }
+
+      const progress: ImageProcessingProgress = await response.json();
+
+      // Call progress callbacks
+      this.progressCallbacks.forEach(callback => {
+        try {
+          callback(progress);
+        } catch (error) {
+          console.error('Error in progress callback:', error);
+        }
+      });
+
+      // Check if processing is complete
+      if (progress.completed) {
+        this.handleComplete(progress);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Check for errors
+      if (progress.error) {
+        this.handleError(progress.error);
+        return;
+      }
+
+      // Continue polling if still processing
+      if (progress.isProcessing) {
+        this.pollTimer = setTimeout(() => this.poll(), this.pollInterval);
+      } else {
+        // No active processing - might have finished or never started
+        this.handleComplete(progress);
+      }
+
+    } catch (error) {
+      this.handleError(`Failed to fetch progress: ${error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Unknown error'}`);
+    }
+  }
+
+  private handleComplete(finalProgress: ImageProcessingProgress): void {
+    this.stop();
+    console.log(`Image processing completed for story ${this.storyId}`);
+
+    this.completeCallbacks.forEach(callback => {
+      try {
+        callback(finalProgress);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('Error in complete callback:', error);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+
+  private handleError(error: string): void {
+    this.stop();
+    console.error(`Image processing error for story ${this.storyId}:`, error);
+
+    this.errorCallbacks.forEach(callback => {
+      try {
+        callback(error);
+      } catch (error) {
+        console.error('Error in error callback:', error);
+      }
+    });
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * React hook for image processing progress
+ *
+ * Note: This hook requires React to be imported in the file where it's used.
+ * To use this hook, import React in your component file:
+ *
+ * import React from 'react';
+ * import { useImageProcessingProgress } from '../utils/imageProcessingProgress';
+ *
+ * Usage:
+ * const { progress, isTracking, startTracking } = useImageProcessingProgress(storyId);
+ */
+import React from 'react';
+
+export function useImageProcessingProgress(storyId: string) {
+  const [progress, setProgress] = React.useState<ImageProcessingProgress | null>(null);
+  const [isTracking, setIsTracking] = React.useState(false);
+  const [tracker, setTracker] = React.useState<ImageProcessingProgressTracker | null>(null);
+
+  const startTracking = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (tracker) {
+      tracker.stop();
+    }
+
+    const newTracker = new ImageProcessingProgressTracker(storyId);
+
+    newTracker.onProgress((progress) => {
+      setProgress(progress);
+    });
+
+    newTracker.onComplete((finalProgress) => {
+      setProgress(finalProgress);
+      setIsTracking(false);
+    });
+
+    newTracker.onError((error) => {
+      console.error('Image processing error:', error);
+      setIsTracking(false);
+    });
+
+    setTracker(newTracker);
+    setIsTracking(true);
+    newTracker.start();
+  }, [storyId, tracker]);
+
+  const stopTracking = React.useCallback(() => {
+    if (tracker) {
+      tracker.stop();
+      setIsTracking(false);
+    }
+  }, [tracker]);
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    return () => {
+      if (tracker) {
+        tracker.stop();
+      }
+    };
+  }, [tracker]);
+
+  return {
+    progress,
+    isTracking,
+    startTracking,
+    stopTracking
+  };
+}