Covermakers Chat Thread

Non-reading activities need your help too!
Lion24
Posts: 98
Joined: August 9th, 2019, 1:54 am

Post by Lion24 »

Basquetteur wrote: February 26th, 2021, 2:23 am I think that google image search needs some added parameters in order for it to search only in librivox or archive.org.
In the search bar you can type site:librivox.org or site:archive.org and it will narrow down the research; it should work even uploading a picture for the similar picture research. Was that what you were looking for?
Basquetteur
Posts: 597
Joined: January 23rd, 2016, 1:17 am
Location: Belgium - Bélgica - Belgique- België
Contact:

Post by Basquetteur »

Lion24 wrote: March 5th, 2021, 1:44 pm
Basquetteur wrote: February 26th, 2021, 2:23 am I think that google image search needs some added parameters in order for it to search only in librivox or archive.org.
In the search bar you can type site:librivox.org or site:archive.org and it will narrow down the research; it should work even uploading a picture for the similar picture research. Was that what you were looking for?
Yes. I had tried something along those lies in google images, but i must have done something wrong because it returned images from outside librivox.org and archive.org

Thanks!

Basquetteur
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

HannaPonomarenko wrote: March 5th, 2021, 10:23 am You know Wolfy, this cover has already brought us the first reader!
Thank you :D
:clap:
one of the reasons why it is good, that we have this sort of volunteer works, too...
8-)
thank you!


for covermakers, i want to hint at: https://www.nypl.org/research/collections/digital-collections/public-domain
Did you know that more than 180,000 of the items in our Digital Collections are in the public domain?
That means everyone has the freedom to enjoy and reuse these materials in almost limitless ways. The Library now makes it possible to download such items in the highest resolution available directly from the Digital Collections website.
the link to the coleltions is: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/
lots of book artworks and printed and written pages and unique books and foto arts and..
wonderful!
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

annise wrote: March 7th, 2021, 3:50 pm Most of us are not able to readily type things that are not part of the character set for the language of their country - and which may not even be available in the font they are using. So although we do our best, things will often be in Roman characters. I do often copy and paste but that is also risky as I am always reminded of a story I heard many years ago -probably not true but still.. A new restaurant was opening and the owner thought it would be cool to have the signs for the washrooms in as many languages as possible so the signwriter agreed and copied some Chinese characters he found. A party of Chinese arrived one night and found it difficult to restrain their mirth. It turned out the signwriter had copied them from food parcels being sent during a famine - and they translated as "Chinese Relief"

Anne
on youtube, there are videos of people, translating "chinese" writings of love/horoscope signs/whatever messages tattooes.
i fear, that situation you described is very real...

cheers,
wolfi
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
annise
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 38542
Joined: April 3rd, 2008, 3:55 am
Location: Melbourne,Australia

Post by annise »

I was looking at this page https://archive.org/search.php?query=%28collection%3Alibrivoxaudio+OR+mediatype%3Alibrivoxaudio%29+AND+-mediatype%3Acollection+AND+-format%3A%28LibriVox+Apple+Audiobook%29+AND+-collection%3A%28librivoxaudiocovers%29&sort=-date
Yes it's a long url but it is the one showing projects I haven't made M4Bs for yet - I add an image to them so it tends to show the latest covers we have made, and wondering how others managed something that I often find difficult - the size image showing is about that which is displayed most, the pdfs are rarely displayed I think (but don't really know)
I like the title to be readable at the size - at least sufficiently to be recognisable but sometimes it is difficult because of the image used or the amazingly long title used .
So do other makers have any tricks ?

Anne
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

annise wrote: March 11th, 2021, 9:00 pm
I like the title to be readable at the size - at least sufficiently to be recognisable but sometimes it is difficult because of the image used or the amazingly long title used .
So do other makers have any tricks ?

Anne
well, been there, asked myself that.
there are some possibilities for sure, and i try to decide from case to case - by feeling, not by rational thought:
shorten the title or the author, or make the cover text only (with different sizes?), or don't put them there at all, or make it tiny to catch the attention, or use different types of letters, or... try to change colors and contrasts, maybe, try to make a background or contour (black on white will always be very readable, i was told on some random website, which was dealing with comics i think. or was it black contour?)..
then, i included the text as part of the optical concept several times - most times, it is not helping the easyness to read it.

...most of these solutions won't respect the aspects you are aiming for...

bythe way: i had the opposite rules made up for myself: a readable title is useless, since most of the times there is the title beneath the cover (in apps, on archive, in our catalogue, etc). i gave up on this soon, but... well, thank you for reminding me :-)
Last edited by schrm on March 12th, 2021, 6:52 am, edited 3 times in total.
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
TriciaG
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 60512
Joined: June 15th, 2008, 10:30 pm
Location: Toronto, ON (but Minnesotan to age 32)

Post by TriciaG »

When making a cover, in the program I use (GIMP), I reduce the zoom level to 50 or 25% so I can see how the cover looks small. I do try to make the titles legible to at least 50%.

I try to use the tools given me - shadows, colors, sometimes blurring what's behind the text - to make them stand out a little more.
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
msfry
Posts: 11628
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

Choosing the right font is the first and main step, then sizing it properly. The WinFontsView that Tricia shared awhile back, which can be downloaded here, is excellent for comparing the boldness of fonts, plus the line space they take up. Photoshop allows infinitely small increments of kerning (squeezing or widening the spaces between letters), as well as making fonts taller or shorter, and adjustment of space between lines.
Choosing an image that accommodates the desired text to begin with, or that won't suffer if certain aspects of it are removed, obscured, lightened or darkened, is important.
Putting image and text together to convey the essence of the book is what makes cover making a fun challenge for me.
I would never consider a cover that did not include the book title, though I have on one occasion left off the author on grounds that the author's name appears under the cover and on the CD case. I have felt bad about it ever since! I never leave off the soloist's name either, considering it a tribute they richly deserve. I've had my name left off of an early solo cover (before I started making them) and did not like it, not one bit, and presume other soloists might feel likewise.
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

msfry wrote: March 12th, 2021, 8:03 am I've had my name left off of an early solo cover (before I started making them) and did not like it, not one bit, and presume other soloists might feel likewise.
while i understand that...
and i did mention most solists on he cover, i think..

nope.
my own covers for my solos never show the reader.
i don't want that at all.
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
msfry
Posts: 11628
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

schrm wrote: March 12th, 2021, 8:47 am
nope.
my own covers for my solos never show the reader.
i don't want that at all.
As they say, different stokes for different folks. Maybe we should ask before presuming what someone else wants. :)
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

schrm wrote: March 12th, 2021, 8:47 am
variability in the covers
wolfi
That is what I love - the variability. :D :D
vive la difference
or maybe
Vive la Unterschied
- well that is what google says :D
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
annise
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 38542
Joined: April 3rd, 2008, 3:55 am
Location: Melbourne,Australia

Post by annise »

oops - looks like I edited the post instead of answering it - sorry Wolfi :oops:

anne
schrm
Posts: 4210
Joined: February 10th, 2018, 11:02 am
Location: Austria

Post by schrm »

i hope michele has read it :)

in case, that was not possible:
please, michele, rather a thank you is necessary here - it is absolutely positive, that this little exchange of opinions brings us to a wider understanding of differences!

perfect answers anne :-)
cheers
wolfi
reader/12275
Availle
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 22422
Joined: August 1st, 2009, 11:30 pm
Contact:

Post by Availle »

Anne, just wanted to say that I LOVE your design for the 39 Steps. So simple - and so powerful. Color is everything! :lol: :clap: :clap:

(And yes of course I counted the steps...)
Cheers, Ava.
Resident witch of LibriVox, channelling
Granny Weatherwax: "I ain't Nice."

--
AvailleAudio.com
msfry
Posts: 11628
Joined: June 4th, 2013, 9:09 am
Location: Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Contact:

Post by msfry »

This cover, by philiasfogg, is a good illustration of how the pure black we designate as 000000, differs from the black screens on IA. This really irks me as it messes with covers where I want one or more edges to blend in with the black background so the cover doesn't look like a square, or the letters appear to hang off the edges.

https://archive.org/details/el_crimen_de_gramercy_park_2103_librivox

Here, the cover black is darker than the black background (first link under the thumbnail)
https://ia801500.us.archive.org/34/items/el_crimen_de_gramercy_park_2103_librivox/gramercypark_2103.jpg

Here, the cover black is lighter than the black background (link to IA project page).
https://archive.org/details/el_crimen_de_gramercy_park_2103_librivox

Do you see the same thing? Does anyone have any suggestions as to why this could be?
Post Reply