Creating book covers gimp

How to make a pdf cover for your createspace book lit. Browse the topics below to learn about creating an ebook cover. Set up and design book covers in gimp using layer masks and blend modes to create interesting effects. You will then see a small box display that asks you the image size.

The cover must attempt to represent the four books contained in it by merging their covers in some way. Create prolevel video animation with magic move duration. The course uses the creation of book covers for selfpublishing as the basis for demonstrating the use of the program. The create a new image text box will appear on your screen. However, if you didnt create a solid book cover, youll go to gimp and use the color picker tool to obtain the background color for your spine by clicking on the back cover background. The first thing you do is to go to page setup and set up the size of your cover.

To see the hex color code, youll need to go to windows at the top, click on dockable dialogs, and select colors. The hard cover book 3d template added june 2nd, 2017. Create an ebook cover amazon kindle direct publishing. Opening your book cover in gimp and setting up the workspace go to file, open to locate the book template you downloaded from our website. Once you find the correct folder, the file is going to be something that says at the very end of it, front. Ill be using the book cover i created in my 2d book cover class in this demonstration. How to design a book cover if you are not a designer a great article on getting the design right. It certainly terrified me to begin with and i only very recently updated my covers from the originals i made using the createspace online cover creator. Here is a step by step guide for how to design a book cover in gimp. Dont worry, you can still create amazing images for the web and beyond using the basics of the gimp. Put your cursor over the transform option in the dropdown. Now its time to create a matching cover that whets your readers imaginations. When i first tried creating my own ebook covers, i could find plenty of tutorials for free using photoshop, which i couldnt afford. I will tell you the simplest way to make a cover with your word processor.

When youre ready to have your book printed with createspace and youre planning on tackling the cover on your own it can seem rather daunting. In this tutorial we walk you through how to design a book cover in gimp, using one our diy templates. The book cover design is one of the most critical factors in a book s success. After youve created amazing content, its time to market it. Make a book cover spine with gimp select the text tool. Make a book cover spine with gimp selfpublishing with dale. Everything depends on your skills and knowhows for example, the book cover below and its mockups are created completely in powerpoint. Your cover creation workflow should be that the template. Once youve located the xcf file, open it up and you should see the front cover. I include how to add photos, text, and eyecatching gradient backgrounds. How to make an e book cover with gimp part 1 and how to make an e book cover with gimp part 2.

The cover image you upload will appear on your amazon detail page. Similarly, like photoshop, adobe illustrator, canva, gimp or whatever you can create a crappy book cover with photoshop and amazing one with powerp oint. Restart gimp before you export your final cover pdf. Make your own free book covers with gimp the kindle publishing series 2 kindle edition by timo hofstee author visit amazons timo hofstee page. Top 5 free book cover makersdont break the bank, create your. I cant adobe can save as pdf since they own the format or something like that. Even though weve all been told since childhood to never judge a book by its cover, the fact is that book cover design does attract readers. The thin book 3d template added september 22nd 2016. We are going to create a simple cover that includes an image, title, author and a few special effects.

I suppose the artwork was the same as what was displayed in that. Design book cover for free with online templates adobe spark. That is, do not create a new file from scratch, and do not start with the template pdf file. When you publish or republish your ebook, well automatically add your cover image to the inside. Create logos, graphics, and book covers using gimp 2. Note that this is a fairly advanced class so you should be familiar with the gimp. Please browse and upload the jpg or png file for your book cover design. If you have an apple computer you use pages program. Change the dialogue box to read inches rather than pixels. Excellent course with detailed explanations on how to use gimp to create fabulous book covers. Smashwords how to make an ebook cover with gimp part 1. Work out the specifications for a paperback book cover or generate one in createspace, and then design your cover in canva with a little image manipulating in gimp.

Creating your createspace paperback cover using gimp. An introduction to creating an ebook cover with gimp. Design book covers with canvas free book cover maker. Creating a diy book cover with gimp doing your own artwork although i signed with a great publisher for my ebook, i opted out of print, deciding to selfpublish a paperback edition of my novel. Open gimp by doubleclicking on the gimp icon on your desktop.

The goal of this exercise isnt to teach you all there is to know about gimp, but to show you enough so that you can try things on your own. Upload your own photos or choose from over 1 million stock. In this class we create a book cover for a bundle of books. This video discusses how to make a book cover in gimp. This graphic design tutorial is perfect for beginners wanting to learn gimp and to empower themselves by designing their own book covers. Free ebook covers how to create yours for free with gimp. I have seen many online ebook sellers who market their ebooks without a cover image, but most professionals these days use 3d image even if its a free ebook. Are you looking to create an attention grabbing book cover without breaking. Smashwords how to make an ebook cover with gimp part 2. This tutorial does not rely on adobe photoshop at all. In this gimp for beginners class, youll learn how to use the gnu image manipulation program gimp to create a 3d book cover. A complete guide to 3d book covers and bundle covers. Gimp can now save as pdf, but i like doing it this way better. Besides, you only need to know the fundamentals of using the gimp to produce book covers.

This will create a new file thats your working file. Diy book covers free book design templates and tutorials. The video is a little poor in quality because this is not my usual video production. I found that it was a good program but a little complicated. Before you start creating your cover, make sure you have all rights necessary for the content of your cover image and that it complies with our content guidelines. In this course ill show you how to use the gnu image manipulation program gimp, a free photoshop like program, to produce professional looking, high quality graphics on a budget.

Combining gimp with the createspace cover template allowed me to overcome the hurdle of creating a cover for my latest book, and editing and redesigning the photoshop generated covers of my previously published books. Save your 3d image as a jpg, or transparent png if you want to change the background. Choose from our library of professionally designed layouts. Gimp is the open source program from sourceforge team that can be used to create stunning e book covers. How to create a free print book cover for kdp freedom to. So on the picture on the cover im really sitting with my pants open. I noticed that restarting gimp seemed to avoid the size problem. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. How to make a book cover spine with gimp createspace. Canvas wattpad cover maker makes it especially easy for anyone to design their own creationseven for those with little to no design experience. To promote and sell digital content, you need to design book covers that readers will find irresistible.

Free ebook covers how to create yours for free with gimp part 1 of 2. They recognise the authors name and liked their earlier work. Due to the large size of this e book i had to break it into 2 parts. Highlight the text then change the font and size in the small bar above your text box. An eyecatching design can make the difference between a book that sells and one that stalls, so dont let your future bestseller get passed over due to a soso cover design. Browsing book covers in stores, i came away with a different sense of vision. This writeup explains the steps to be followed to create covers for your e books. So this was an opportunity i didnt want to pass on. The course benefits from having a specific focus and im the most familiar with using the gimp to create book covers. Downloaded it and found it to be very helpful and easy to follow, so part 1 was purchased. The easiest way would be to use adobe photoshop, but thats assuming you can afford it. In addition to the free templates, youll learn how to create your own custom graphics, logo, flyers, brochures and more. Whittakers part 2 of how to make a e book cover with gimp. After all, i dont get to be on book covers that often.