Covermakers Chat Thread

msfry · Post by **msfry** » January 15th, 2019, 11:51 am

Thought I'd share that on IA's (archive.org) black background, a lighter line on the outermost edges of your cover, will make it pop. A black border will simply make your cover look smaller. On LV it's the opposite, with it's almost white background. So a medium color, if you are going to add a border, is a good compromise both ways.

Also, it is well to consider how our covers will render on various podcast platforms designed for phones, which usually have white backgrounds. Alas, for some reason our covers don't render at all on the iTunes Podcast Ap or on their online platform (except once in a great while, one will), and that is still a total mystery.

Post by **annise** » January 15th, 2019, 4:44 pm

It's good point. I've not really noticed with black as I don't tend to use it but white does not always display well. There are a number of ways I've found that can keep it looking white but make it display better
Give it a frame
Add a layer above your background do something (see following for some ideas) then reduce the opacity of the layer till you are happy
Following
a. Fill with white and another colour pattern,
b, Make a fame a bit smaller than your image size and try different effects like blurring and fragmenting
c. Find something like trees or clouds or parchment or old newspaper, anything that's relevant or pretty, add it

By the time you have reduced the opacity, it's amazing what will work. Remember dead white paper has only existed for a little while and that nice notepaper and artists paper is never dead white.

Anne
I apologise to non-native speakers - I have no idea how to convey dead white, I'm hoping it's understandable

msfry · Post by **msfry** » January 15th, 2019, 5:24 pm

In Photoshop, you create a duplicate of your background layer, then use the Edit/Stroke function to create your border around the inside edge, however many pixels wide you want it. You can stack strokes too for a contoured frame effect, stroking an ever decreasing width, 10px, then 7px, then 4px, then 2px for example, (the most recent stroke tops the previous ones.) Just be sure your outermost line is neither black nor white).

Don't know how the stroke function works on other platforms.

Post by **annise** » January 15th, 2019, 5:32 pm

I tried to be general, my early covers were photoshop and I've tried Gimp but I now use Windows free paintnet. They seem almost to work on the same principles, it's just the words that vary.

I don't duplicate the background, I make a new layer so that it is empty and only what I add shows on the background - I don't only do it for white or black, sometimes the finished cover looks best with some sort of frame - artists don't frame their pictures for fun

but the frame can be very unobtrusive and still make it look finished to my eyes

However if people like that look this is completely OK by me - this is just for ideas not rules , I love them all being different.
Hurray for this
https://archive.org/details/librivoxaudio?sort=titleSorter

schrm · Post by **schrm** » January 20th, 2019, 10:09 am

classicsforever wrote: ↑January 20th, 2019, 9:14 am Claimed: https://librivox.org/heroines-of-fiction-by-william-dean-howells/

It will be my first cover I've read through the how-tos and it seems pretty straight forward.

it is

but to add it: i misunderstood many details and had to upload my first cover several times...
which was additional work for anne, i fear..

ps: i'm thankful, that you were very patient with me, anne

bluechien · Post by **bluechien** » January 20th, 2019, 5:04 pm

This cover made my week

https://ia601500.us.archive.org/33/items/on_the_parts_of_animals_1901_librivox/partsofanimals_1901.pdf

Post by **annise** » January 20th, 2019, 6:46 pm

Always interesting to see the different images we come up with

Anne

classicsforever · Post by **classicsforever** » January 23rd, 2019, 12:03 am

Is there any guidance on how to handle VERY long titles on the CD jewel case spines? For example: "The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides with Samuel Johnson - James Boswell". I can make the font size tiny, but that rather defeats the purpose.

I was thinking of leaving off the "with Samuel Johnson" , or maybe "The Journal of a", but I'm not sure if that's acceptable either?

Post by **annise** » January 23rd, 2019, 1:39 am

I just shorten it , Boswell and Johnson are so well known together that almost anything would be OK
You could leave either of then out on the spine or be original like

Boswell - Tour of the Hebrides with Johnson

I notice that commercial book covers often do not have full titles on their covers.

Anne

msfry · Post by **msfry** » January 24th, 2019, 7:41 am

Posted the below message yesterday in the Covers thread and was asked to re-post it over here. Since then, Snowy Evening has been removed, but now Flatland appears twice, so my name appears 3 times on the board again. I presume the Flatland project had a change made to its name so a duplicate appeared, like happened a few days back with Jeckyl and Hyde? I'm not complaining, mind you, I just would like to understand the process.

Thanks for putting me in for Short Story 77.

I'd like to claim the Short Story Collection 77 cover, but cant since my name hasn't been removed from the Claims Board for Snowy Evening, which was "caught and linked" two days ago. I don't quite understand the process, Anne. I presume this is not automated, but could you please explain how our names are removed.

msfry · Post by **msfry** » February 3rd, 2019, 8:18 am

Are we allowed to use images with the CC3 attribution provided we follow the rules given below?

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Post by **annise** » February 3rd, 2019, 1:20 pm

I'd like to claim the Short Story Collection 77 cover, but can't since my name hasn't been removed from the Claims Board for Snowy Evening, which was "caught and linked" two days ago. I don't quite understand the process, Anne. I presume this is not automated, but could you please explain how our names are removed.

I really know very little about the finer points of the claims system but it's on a personal server and does not update instantly, I think it's set at about 4 hours but this can vary.
There is no automation about the 2 only claims so if the cover is still showing after you have uploaded it you can pick another.

Anne

Post by **annise** » February 3rd, 2019, 1:36 pm

msfry wrote: ↑February 3rd, 2019, 8:18 am Are we allowed to use images with the CC3 attribution provided we follow the rules given below?

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's safer for all not to - my qualifications in international intellectual rights law is very limited, and any country may come up with a different interpretation. A court deciding we had breached copyright laws could lead to our site being unable to be used by its citizens. There are plenty of images out there, we've all been tempted when we find just what we visualise not PD without strings, but that's life
We can attribute the maker on the CD cover but our images are used everywhere and they have no acknowledgement possibility, so let's not take chances.

Anne

msfry · Post by **msfry** » February 3rd, 2019, 4:55 pm

annise wrote: ↑February 3rd, 2019, 1:36 pm
msfry wrote: ↑February 3rd, 2019, 8:18 am Are we allowed to use images with the CC3 attribution provided we follow the rules given below?

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
It's safer for all not to - my qualifications in international intellectual rights law is very limited, and any country may come up with a different interpretation. A court deciding we had breached copyright laws could lead to our site being unable to be used by its citizens. There are plenty of images out there, we've all been tempted when we find just what we visualise not PD without strings, but that's life
We can attribute the maker on the CD cover but our images are used everywhere and they have no acknowledgement possibility, so let's not take chances.

Anne

I sort of knew that, but the image is so delicious and relevant to this particular topic, IT IS PAINFUL TO LET IT GO. I'll keep looking, of course, but I know I can never find anything quite as perfect

.

msfry · Post by **msfry** » February 3rd, 2019, 5:15 pm

annise wrote: ↑February 3rd, 2019, 1:20 pm
]
I really know very little about the finer points of the claims system but it's on a personal server and does not update instantly, I think it's set at about 4 hours but this can vary.
There is no automation about the 2 only claims so if the cover is still showing after you have uploaded it you can pick another.

Anne
I don't want to be a hog about claiming covers, limit of 2 at any one time is good, but there have been a few occasions when my name still shows on the board a few days after I've uploaded it. Perhaps this is because it hasn't been "caught and linked" yet. In any case, it is good to know I could claim another one in such circumstances.