diff --git a/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/ext/thumbnails.js b/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/ext/thumbnails.js
index b66238c4..6c385c54 100644
--- a/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/ext/thumbnails.js
+++ b/src/_h5ai/client/js/inc/ext/thumbnails.js
@@ -10,13 +10,12 @@ modulejs.define('ext/thumbnails', ['_', 'core/settings', 'core/event', 'core/ser
         }, allsettings.thumbnails);
 
 
-    function requestThumb(type, href, mode, ratio, callback) {
+    function requestThumb(type, href, ratio, callback) {
 
         server.request({
             action: 'getThumbHref',
             type: type,
             href: href,
-            mode: mode,
             width: settings.size * ratio,
             height: settings.size
         }, function (json) {
@@ -41,7 +40,7 @@ modulejs.define('ext/thumbnails', ['_', 'core/settings', 'core/event', 'core/ser
             if (item.thumbSquare) {
                 item.$view.find('.icon.square img').addClass('thumb').attr('src', item.thumbSquare);
             } else {
-                requestThumb(type, item.absHref, 'square', 1, function (src) {
+                requestThumb(type, item.absHref, 1, function (src) {
 
                     if (src && item.$view) {
                         item.thumbSquare = src;
@@ -52,7 +51,7 @@ modulejs.define('ext/thumbnails', ['_', 'core/settings', 'core/event', 'core/ser
             if (item.thumbRational) {
                 item.$view.find('.icon.rational img').addClass('thumb').attr('src', item.thumbRational);
             } else {
-                requestThumb(type, item.absHref, 'rational', 2, function (src) {
+                requestThumb(type, item.absHref, 4/3, function (src) {
 
                     if (src && item.$view) {
                         item.thumbRational = src;
diff --git a/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-api.php b/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-api.php
index f83c785f..6eae03f3 100644
--- a/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-api.php
+++ b/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-api.php
@@ -117,12 +117,11 @@ class Api {
 
         $type = Util::use_request_param("type");
         $src_url = Util::use_request_param("href");
-        $mode = Util::use_request_param("mode");
         $width = Util::use_request_param("width");
         $height = Util::use_request_param("height");
 
         $thumb = new Thumb($this->app);
-        $thumb_url = $thumb->thumb($type, $src_url, $mode, $width, $height);
+        $thumb_url = $thumb->thumb($type, $src_url, $width, $height);
         Util::json_fail(3, "thumbnail creation failed", $thumb_url === null);
 
         Util::json_exit(array("absHref" => $thumb_url));
diff --git a/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-thumb.php b/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-thumb.php
index 4508366f..1c409a7e 100644
--- a/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-thumb.php
+++ b/src/_h5ai/server/php/inc/class-thumb.php
@@ -23,13 +23,14 @@ class Thumb {
     }
 
 
-    public function thumb($type, $source_url, $mode, $width, $height) {
+    public function thumb($type, $source_url, $width, $height) {
 
         $source_path = $this->app->to_path($source_url);
         if (!file_exists($source_path) || Util::starts_with($source_path, CACHE_PATH)) {
             return null;
         }
 
+        $capture_path = $source_path;
         if ($type === "img") {
             $capture_path = $source_path;
         } else if ($type === "mov") {
@@ -42,17 +43,17 @@ class Thumb {
             $capture_path = $this->capture(Thumb::$CONVERT_CMDV, $source_path);
         }
 
-        return $this->thumb_href($capture_path, $mode, $width, $height);
+        return $this->thumb_href($capture_path, $width, $height);
     }
 
 
-    private function thumb_href($source_path, $mode, $width, $height) {
+    private function thumb_href($source_path, $width, $height) {
 
         if (!file_exists($source_path)) {
             return null;
         }
 
-        $name = "thumb-" . sha1("$source_path-$width-$height-$mode") . ".jpg";
+        $name = "thumb-" . sha1("$source_path-$width-$height") . ".jpg";
         $thumb_path = $this->thumbs_path . "/" . $name;
         $thumb_url = $this->thumbs_href . "/" . $name;
 
@@ -73,7 +74,7 @@ class Thumb {
                 $image->set_source($source_path);
             }
 
-            $image->thumb($mode, $width, $height);
+            $image->thumb($width, $height);
             $image->save_dest_jpeg($thumb_path, 80);
         }
 
@@ -164,15 +165,6 @@ class Image {
     }
 
 
-    public function save_dest_png($filename, $quality = 9) {
-
-        if (!is_null($this->dest)) {
-            @imagepng($this->dest, $filename, $quality);
-            @chmod($filename, 0775);
-        }
-    }
-
-
     public function release_dest() {
 
         if (!is_null($this->dest)) {
@@ -195,133 +187,33 @@ class Image {
     }
 
 
-    private function magic($dest_x, $dest_y, $src_x, $src_y, $dest_width, $dest_height, $src_width, $src_height, $can_width = null, $can_height = null, $color = null) {
+    public function thumb($width, $height) {
 
         if (is_null($this->source)) {
             return;
         }
 
-        if ($can_width === 0) {
-            $can_width = 1;
-        }
-        if ($can_height === 0) {
-            $can_height = 1;
-        }
-        if ($dest_width === 0) {
-            $dest_width = 1;
-        }
-        if ($dest_height === 0) {
-            $dest_height = 1;
-        }
+        $ratio = 1.0 * $width / $height;
+        $src_r = 1.0 * $this->width / $this->height;
 
-        if (!is_null($can_width) && !is_null($can_height)) {
-            $this->dest = imagecreatetruecolor($can_width, $can_height);
+        if ($src_r <= $ratio) {
+            $src_w = $this->width;
+            $src_h = $src_w / $ratio;
+            $src_x = 0;
         } else {
-            $this->dest = imagecreatetruecolor($dest_width, $dest_height);
+            $src_h = $this->height;
+            $src_w = $src_h * $ratio;
+            $src_x = 0.5 * ($this->width - $src_w);
         }
 
-        if (is_null($color)) {
-            $color = array(255, 255, 255);
-        }
-        $icol = imagecolorallocate($this->dest, $color[0], $color[1], $color[2]);
+        $src_x = intval($src_x);
+        $src_w = intval($src_w);
+        $src_h = intval($src_h);
+
+        $this->dest = imagecreatetruecolor($width, $height);
+        $icol = imagecolorallocate($this->dest, 255, 255, 255);
         imagefill($this->dest, 0, 0, $icol);
-
-        imagecopyresampled($this->dest, $this->source, $dest_x, $dest_y, $src_x, $src_y, $dest_width, $dest_height, $src_width, $src_height);
-    }
-
-
-    public function thumb($mode, $width, $height = null, $color = null) {
-
-        if ($height === null) {
-            $height = $width;
-        }
-        if ($mode === "square") {
-            $this->square_thumb($width);
-        } elseif ($mode === "rational") {
-            $this->rational_thumb($width, $height);
-        } elseif ($mode === "center") {
-            $this->center_thumb($width, $height, $color);
-        } else {
-            $this->free_thumb($width, $height);
-        }
-    }
-
-
-    public function square_thumb($width) {
-
-        if (is_null($this->source)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        $a = min($this->width, $this->height);
-        $x = intval(($this->width - $a) / 2);
-        $y = intval(($this->height - $a) / 2);
-
-        $this->magic(0, 0, $x, $y, $width, $width, $a, $a);
-    }
-
-
-    public function rational_thumb($width, $height) {
-
-        if (is_null($this->source)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        $r = 1.0 * $this->width / $this->height;
-
-        $h = $height;
-        $w = $r * $h;
-
-        if ($w > $width) {
-
-            $w = $width;
-            $h = 1.0 / $r * $w;
-        }
-
-        $w = intval($w);
-        $h = intval($h);
-
-        $this->magic(0, 0, 0, 0, $w, $h, $this->width, $this->height);
-    }
-
-
-    public function center_thumb($width, $height, $color = null) {
-
-        if (is_null($this->source)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        $r = 1.0 * $this->width / $this->height;
-
-        $h = $height;
-        $w = $r * $h;
-
-        if ($w > $width) {
-
-            $w = $width;
-            $h = 1.0 / $r * $w;
-        }
-
-        $w = intval($w);
-        $h = intval($h);
-
-        $x = intval(($width - $w) / 2);
-        $y = intval(($height - $h) / 2);
-
-        $this->magic($x, $y, 0, 0, $w, $h, $this->width, $this->height, $width, $height, $color);
-    }
-
-
-    public function free_thumb($width, $height) {
-
-        if (is_null($this->source)) {
-            return;
-        }
-
-        $w = intval($width);
-        $h = intval($height);
-
-        $this->magic(0, 0, 0, 0, $w, $h, $this->width, $this->height);
+        imagecopyresampled($this->dest, $this->source, 0, 0, $src_x, 0, $width, $height, $src_w, $src_h);
     }