How to Create an E-book Cover Using Adobe Photoshop CS3
With more and more writers choosing to self-publish e-books, cover design is a service in demand far beyond the confines of marketing agencies. However, the cover has to sell the book, plain and simple. At the same time, the cover has to accurately represent the genre and story within. As a designer, you may be challenged by having very little information up-front. If possible, it is important to connect with the author to obtain an excerpt and to best understand who the book really needs to reach.
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Instructions
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Create a new document by clicking on "File > New." Choose the "U.S. Paper" preset and make sure the resolution is set to 300 pixels per inch. Select "CMYK Color" and "16 bit" from the color mode drop-down menus. Click "OK" when done.
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Click on "View" and make sure "Rulers" has a checkmark next to it. If not, click to select it and the rulers will appear. Left-click on the left-hand ruler and drag a blue guideline to the third marker from the left edge (the point-three-inch marker.) Drag a second guideline to the third marker from the right edge. Repeat to set guidelines point-three inches from the top and bottom edges to create your safety margin. This margin helps ensure no text falls off the edges of your design if printed.
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Click on the Paint Bucket Tool, then select a color from the color palette on the right. Left-click the document to fill the background with the base color for your design.
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Create a new layer by clicking "Layer > New" and name it "Artwork." You can use shapes or paint brushes, or place photos and graphics into the artwork to compose the cover design. Successful book covers use eye-catching color and contrast and avoid overly busy backgrounds in order for the title and author text to stand out. Use additional layers to take advantage of overlay effects or masks, which you can learn more about through Photoshop's Help menu.
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Create another layer for your text. Click on the Text Tool and use the left mouse button to drag a text-box where you want the title to appear. Select the desired font, size and color from the Character palette on the right side, then type the title. A good title size to start with is "108 pt." (Since the selection menu only goes up to 72, you will need to type higher values manually.) Use clean, non-decorative fonts that have a medium-to-heavy weight. The title should be readable when the image is re-sized down to a preview image, for example --- when displayed on a Web shop or ad graphic.
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Add a slight edge to your text by double-clicking on the text layer to bring up the layer style window. Check "Drop Shadow" and click the color swatch located to the right of the Blend Mode menu to choose a color slightly lighter than your text color. Enter "3" in the Distance field, and "0" in the Size field. Click "OK" when finished. Repeat the text step to add text boxes for the author name and any additional elements you desire such as a testimonial or byline.
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Save your project in its current form by clicking on "File > Save" and choosing "PSD" from the Format menu prior to clicking "Save." This allows you to edit the design later or use it as a template for a different book cover. Create your PDF version by clicking on "File > Save As" and choosing "PDF" from the Format menu. The "Save As PDF" dialog will appear, where you will need to prepare the design so it is compatible with the finished e-book file.
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Ensure the first three boxes under "Options" in the Save As PDF dialog are unchecked. Click on "Save As PDF" when finished. The design will appear in Adobe Reader or Adobe Acrobat. To add this cover to the e-book, open the e-book in Adobe Acrobat and choose "Document > Insert Pages" to load the cover PDF, or choose "File > Create PDF > From Multiple Files" and choose the files to combine.
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Tips & Warnings
You can adjust the text-box size in Photoshop by left-clicking to drag the handles located around the text-box frame. To move the text, click on the Move Tool at the very top of your left-hand toolbar and then drag the text using your left mouse button.
Use the PSD file to "Place" the cover design into the first page when building an e-book in Adobe InDesign.
You must use high resolution photos and graphic elements when designing a book cover. Images with fewer than 300 dots per inch (DPI), or those with small dimensions, will render extremely pixelated when the book is zoomed in or printed. For best results, use "View > Actual Pixels" often while designing to get an idea of how your cover looks at full size.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
