Very nice, Bill. Not that I HAVE photoshop. But your explanations are good. I bookmarked it. May get photoshop someday...sigh...no way soon,for sure, :)
I'm glad you found it useful. This was a spontaneous response to problems some of my friends were having, but you never know--I might create others in the future.
I'm glad you found it useful. (It would be a much harder job, except that graphics programs typically follow the same general pattern, even if they don't all have the same exact features.)
Thanks for this, Bill. This is a terrific video. I had my first cover rejected. Now, after this, I feel more confident that I'll get past the review board. Jim
The same basic strategy works for other programs as well. When I get a chance, perhaps I need to do a video based on a more economical program, like the Corel alternative.
Bill, this is a great video, thanks for taking the time to post it. I am trying a book but I get stuck in the cover design because the program will not allow me to go on stating that I have not completed my cover design. Any help would be appreciated.
Tom, I'm not clear on what program you are using. If it's Cover Creator, I've never used it. However, there are a lot of people who have. I would suggesting going here: www.createspace.com/Special/Help/Tools/CoverCreatorBooks.jsp Then follow the link to the community forums on the bottom. People who have used it will probably have already encountered your issue and solved it.
Why is it when I upload my template to Photoshop it smaller than yours? It doubts stretch out to the edges of the canvas like yours. I finished my cover and uploaded it to create space and it was smaller than the space they provide! HELP
D_Lambily , I'm not sure. I didn't do anything special; I just opened the template in Photoshop and went to work. That said, if it doesn't work the way it should, have you tried fixing the problem by changing the image size? Once the PDF is open and you've made any kind of change, Photoshop should treat it as an image and allow you to change the size. If you can determine about how far off you are, it shouldn't be that hard to re-size the template appropriately. This might also be a question for CS support. I've never had the problem, so I can't really be sure what's causing it.
Anthony Franck, here's the link: www.createspace.com/Help/Book/Artwork.do. I thought there was a link somewhere in a CS project itself, but apparently not. Anyway, as soon as you input a little detail about your book's format, you can generate and download a template from that link.
Thanks for the video! The 8x10"cover template I downloaded has a lot of white space beyond the pink borders and I'm unsure if it should be cropped or not :(
Mimi Bondi I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. I've never seen what looked like excessive white space to me on the templates, but there is some space. Remember that CS wants the color to extend beyond the actual cover to make sure that the cover doesn't end up with a white line around it.
It's been quite a while since I did my own covers, but the size depended a little on whether or not I was working around graphics. I think my current designer uses 24 point, but he's only dealing with a background graphic. No, actually I just went and looked, and he seems to be using more like 24 for headlines and 12 for the rest of the text. It's very spread out, though, with lots of space between paragraphs. I would say don't go too big, but that also depends upon how much text you have. A simple teaser won't be very long, but if you want to quote editorial review snippets or something like that, you might want to go with somewhat smaller print to ensure you have room. I think when I was doing my own designing I tested a bit with the text I wanted to use and adjusted size as needed to fit the space but still look good.
I suppose it's possible to avoid, but you'll spend less time fiddling with borders if you have a solid color layer and then put your image over that. Remember that the color needs to bleed beyond the edge just to be sure you don't end up with an uncolored border. You don't want to do that with part of your actual image, though, because then part of the image will be cut off.
I recently paid someone to create my book cover. They used photoshop and I am not familiar with it at all. I would like to change the width of my book's spine. How do I edit the spine?
Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've done my own covers, and when I was doing them, as you might be able to tell from the video, I was using the CS template as the back layer. If the designer gave you the PSD file, and it has a CS or other template as its back layer, you should be able to insert a different template and then use that as a guide to resizing the actual spine (figure out where the new spine boundaries are and resize the text accordingly). All of that said, if you aren't familiar with PS, it takes a while to get proficient with resizing things. Did you approach the designer? A lot of them would be willing to do a quick resize for no additional charge, or perhaps a small fee--worth it if it saves you a lot of time.
hello, i created a same size cover and then i saved it as a pdf file, the problem is when i upload it to kdp paper book, it says that there is a problem with the pdf file, can you tell me how to save it correctly in the pdf format?
I apologize for not replying earlier. It's been a while since I checked back. Anyway, I haven't used KDP print, so I don't know what kind of PDF they want. Here are the directions KDP gives: kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-templates. Is it possible you didn't flatten the PDF when saving or didn't save in high enough quality. Those would be the two things that would occur to me first.
My apologies for not replying sooner. It's been a while since I've checked back. Anyway, in Photoshop there is an icon right beneath the menu bar that shows which tool is selected. If you select text the text tool, the icon that appears immediately to the right of the T (for text tool) in that bar below the menu is a T with arrows going in two different directions. Clicking that icon toggles the text orientation.
You start too far along in the process. When I downloaded the stock cover from createaspace, i had a bunch of other colored areas outside template. Furthermore, i couldn't crop down to just include the template. I was lost from the beginning.
Nathan Wall It's been some time since I have gone through the process. I don't remember having to crop the template at all. Perhaps the process has changed. I have a new release coming up, so I will have to go through the process again pretty soon. If I gain any new insight, I will certainly pass it on to you.
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Very nice, Bill. Not that I HAVE photoshop. But your explanations are good. I bookmarked it. May get photoshop someday...sigh...no way soon,for sure, :)
I'm glad you found it useful. This was a spontaneous response to problems some of my friends were having, but you never know--I might create others in the future.
Bill, thank you for this helpful tutorial. Also, compliments on your stunning cover image.
Brian Bees Thanks, but most of the credit on the cover should really go to the photographer, Pavel L Photo and Video.
I'm glad you found it useful!
Thanks because I did not understand but now I do and not even using the same program but u break it down so easy
I'm glad you found it useful. (It would be a much harder job, except that graphics programs typically follow the same general pattern, even if they don't all have the same exact features.)
Thank you so much for doing this video! It was short and to the point, and a huge help.
I'm glad it was useful to you!
Thanks for this, Bill. This is a terrific video. I had my first cover rejected. Now, after this, I feel more confident that I'll get past the review board. Jim
Thank you very much this was very helpful.
The same basic strategy works for other programs as well. When I get a chance, perhaps I need to do a video based on a more economical program, like the Corel alternative.
Bill, this is a great video, thanks for taking the time to post it. I am trying a book but I get stuck in the cover design because the program will not allow me to go on stating that I have not completed my cover design. Any help would be appreciated.
Tom, I'm not clear on what program you are using. If it's Cover Creator, I've never used it. However, there are a lot of people who have. I would suggesting going here: www.createspace.com/Special/Help/Tools/CoverCreatorBooks.jsp Then follow the link to the community forums on the bottom. People who have used it will probably have already encountered your issue and solved it.
Bill, thanks for the tip.
Thank you for your tips!
You're welcome!
Wonderfully clear. Thank you.
Why is it when I upload my template to Photoshop it smaller than yours? It doubts stretch out to the edges of the canvas like yours. I finished my cover and uploaded it to create space and it was smaller than the space they provide! HELP
D_Lambily , I'm not sure. I didn't do anything special; I just opened the template in Photoshop and went to work. That said, if it doesn't work the way it should, have you tried fixing the problem by changing the image size? Once the PDF is open and you've made any kind of change, Photoshop should treat it as an image and allow you to change the size. If you can determine about how far off you are, it shouldn't be that hard to re-size the template appropriately.
This might also be a question for CS support. I've never had the problem, so I can't really be sure what's causing it.
B Hiatt
I fixed the issue. It came out great! Thanks for your help!
D_Lambily Great!
At last I understand this. I've been using Quark Express but get error messages from CreateSpace. This is much easier.
Cathy Wilson I'm glad it was useful to you.
How do you get the Create Space template onto GIMP? I downloaded the template, but GIMP refuses to open it.
drake i I don't know. GIMP claims it works with PDF files, but I've never tried it myself.
Can I get a link to where you get the template in your description? Or in the comments? Thanks in advance
Anthony Franck, here's the link: www.createspace.com/Help/Book/Artwork.do. I thought there was a link somewhere in a CS project itself, but apparently not. Anyway, as soon as you input a little detail about your book's format, you can generate and download a template from that link.
Thanks for the video! The 8x10"cover template I downloaded has a lot of white space beyond the pink borders and I'm unsure if it should be cropped or not :(
Mimi Bondi I'm sorry I didn't see this sooner. I've never seen what looked like excessive white space to me on the templates, but there is some space. Remember that CS wants the color to extend beyond the actual cover to make sure that the cover doesn't end up with a white line around it.
What size font did you use on the back of your book?
even when your adding your own image a solid colour should be there under the image?
It's been quite a while since I did my own covers, but the size depended a little on whether or not I was working around graphics. I think my current designer uses 24 point, but he's only dealing with a background graphic. No, actually I just went and looked, and he seems to be using more like 24 for headlines and 12 for the rest of the text. It's very spread out, though, with lots of space between paragraphs. I would say don't go too big, but that also depends upon how much text you have. A simple teaser won't be very long, but if you want to quote editorial review snippets or something like that, you might want to go with somewhat smaller print to ensure you have room. I think when I was doing my own designing I tested a bit with the text I wanted to use and adjusted size as needed to fit the space but still look good.
I suppose it's possible to avoid, but you'll spend less time fiddling with borders if you have a solid color layer and then put your image over that. Remember that the color needs to bleed beyond the edge just to be sure you don't end up with an uncolored border. You don't want to do that with part of your actual image, though, because then part of the image will be cut off.
B Hiatt thank you so much
I recently paid someone to create my book cover. They used photoshop and I am not familiar with it at all. I would like to change the width of my book's spine. How do I edit the spine?
Unfortunately, it's been a long time since I've done my own covers, and when I was doing them, as you might be able to tell from the video, I was using the CS template as the back layer. If the designer gave you the PSD file, and it has a CS or other template as its back layer, you should be able to insert a different template and then use that as a guide to resizing the actual spine (figure out where the new spine boundaries are and resize the text accordingly).
All of that said, if you aren't familiar with PS, it takes a while to get proficient with resizing things. Did you approach the designer? A lot of them would be willing to do a quick resize for no additional charge, or perhaps a small fee--worth it if it saves you a lot of time.
hello, i created a same size cover and then i saved it as a pdf file, the problem is when i upload it to kdp paper book, it says that there is a problem with the pdf file, can you tell me how to save it correctly in the pdf format?
I apologize for not replying earlier. It's been a while since I checked back. Anyway, I haven't used KDP print, so I don't know what kind of PDF they want. Here are the directions KDP gives: kdp.amazon.com/en_US/cover-templates. Is it possible you didn't flatten the PDF when saving or didn't save in high enough quality. Those would be the two things that would occur to me first.
how do you get the text on spine to change direction?
My apologies for not replying sooner. It's been a while since I've checked back. Anyway, in Photoshop there is an icon right beneath the menu bar that shows which tool is selected. If you select text the text tool, the icon that appears immediately to the right of the T (for text tool) in that bar below the menu is a T with arrows going in two different directions. Clicking that icon toggles the text orientation.
Can you make a video explaining how to use a createspace CD template?
Unfortunately, I have never used the CD template, so I really don't know. If I ever do, I will make a video, but until then, there's not much point.
Thank you
You start too far along in the process.
When I downloaded the stock cover from createaspace, i had a bunch of other colored areas outside template. Furthermore, i couldn't crop down to just include the template.
I was lost from the beginning.
Nathan Wall It's been some time since I have gone through the process. I don't remember having to crop the template at all. Perhaps the process has changed. I have a new release coming up, so I will have to go through the process again pretty soon. If I gain any new insight, I will certainly pass it on to you.