[Custom Covers] Blanks, Templates - get them, share them, help to modify and create

[MiniMouse]

Originally Posted by grannyGrumpy

Ah, the Linen ones I really like!

I get text from Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org/) which are in good shape, but no italics or diacritics for non-English languages, and their illustrations are sort of ok, but really compressed. I also get booksfrom the Internet Archive (www.archive.org) which has lots of scans of public domain and Creative Commons books, but the text is in terrible shape. Internet archive often has scans of first editions, so I can get the original illustrations from there. (the illustrations usually need lots of work).

Illustrations that are in public domain or Creative Commons are allowed to be re-worked and re-distributed.

I'm looking forward to more covers from you.

I will check out these sides and see what I can come up with

[MiniMouse]

Hey,

for everyone who wants to use the cover with the 'Generate Cover - Plugin' here is the zip.

The fond I used is the free 'Sherlock Holmes' fond from here. You have to download it before you use it IF you want the same look.

MiniMouse

[Sefiriot]

My only regret is that you can't use two images on the same cover in the Generate Covers plugin: I wanted to make a cover with your Leather Cover 1 as background and an illustration at the bottom superimposed on top, but that didn't work out and I didn't feel like breaking out GIMP for it. Ah well. Either way thank you very much for the linen covers: I've made myself a very nice default cover setting with your Linen Cover 3.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Sefiriot

My only regret is that you can't use two images on the same cover in the Generate Covers plugin: I wanted to make a cover with your Leather Cover 1 as background and an illustration at the bottom superimposed on top, but that didn't work out and I didn't feel like breaking out GIMP for it. Ah well. Either way thank you very much for the linen covers: I've made myself a very nice default cover setting with your Linen Cover 3.

Use an image editor like Paintshop Pro, Gimp , the use that with Generate cover to add the metadata (author, series, title)

[MiniMouse]

Originally Posted by Sefiriot

My only regret is that you can't use two images on the same cover in the Generate Covers plugin: I wanted to make a cover with your Leather Cover 1 as background and an illustration at the bottom superimposed on top, but that didn't work out and I didn't feel like breaking out GIMP for it. Ah well. Either way thank you very much for the linen covers: I've made myself a very nice default cover setting with your Linen Cover 3.

I make all my covers with the online foto editor 'Open Pixlr editor (Advanced)' you can find here. With that you can easy put a picture over mine (trust me, I had no idea what I was doing some month ago).

MiniMouse

[MiniMouse]

Originally Posted by grannyGrumpy

Ah, the Linen ones I really like!

I get text from Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org/) which are in good shape, but no italics or diacritics for non-English languages, and their illustrations are sort of ok, but really compressed. I also get booksfrom the Internet Archive (www.archive.org) which has lots of scans of public domain and Creative Commons books, but the text is in terrible shape. Internet archive often has scans of first editions, so I can get the original illustrations from there. (the illustrations usually need lots of work).

Illustrations that are in public domain or Creative Commons are allowed to be re-worked and re-distributed.

I'm looking forward to more covers from you.

I think you are right. I checked one or two and mostly they seem to be too small. But I decided anyway that I rather like to make my own covers (with own pictures) than work on pictures of others. I think I got hooked on that AND then I can truly say that they are all mine!

I will give you more, free to use pictures when I have made some.

MiniMouse

[Sefiriot]

Originally Posted by MiniMouse

I make all my covers with the online foto editor 'Open Pixlr editor (Advanced)' you can find here. With that you can easy put a picture over mine (trust me, I had no idea what I was doing some month ago).

MiniMouse

Thank you for that link! I'll have to pin that tab; there's loads of covers I've wanted to make but couldn't. Going to have to see if it does transparent overlays as well.

[MiniMouse]

Originally Posted by Sefiriot

Thank you for that link! I'll have to pin that tab; there's loads of covers I've wanted to make but couldn't. Going to have to see if it does transparent overlays as well.

Yes it does. On the right you see a layer window with all the layers, just choose the layer and click beneath on the button with the two darts. It will open and then you can choose the covering power of the layer you picked (to make it more or less transparent). You can also choose different layer-types there and change where the layer is lying by pulling it a layer up or down. Your first layer is normally locked but click on the lock-symbole in the same layer-window and it will unlock then.

When you need any help with the program just let me know. I'm happy to anwer if I can.

MiniMouse

[MiniMouse]

Hey everyone,

made some new covers, totally and completely my own pictures and my own creation (even the ornament!). Feel free to use but give me some feedback.
I want to know what your guys are looking or wish for. I mean more leather like covers or linen, antique looking or more modern, with or without ornaments? LET ME KNOW, pleaseeee!!!!

MiniMouse

[MiniMouse]

Made a little foto tour with my husband today and took pictures of textures and other stuff AND tested them in combination and with different filters in pixlr.

You want to know from what? I tell you:
my leather jacket
concrete (two different kinds)
park bench with peeling off color
shale
colored paper

THEY LOOK SOOOO COOOL I had to show you.
They are without ornaments but I think they don't need them anyway. The first one looks like an really, really antique book, don't you think?
The last one looks more like a paper book cover but there is leather in it too.

These (again) are all my OWN pictures. Nothing taken from anything!!! AND (again) feel free to use.

MiniMouse

[Sefiriot]

Originally Posted by MiniMouse

Made a little foto tour with my husband today and took pictures of textures and other stuff AND tested them in combination and with different filters in pixlr.

You want to know from what? I tell you:
my leather jacket
concrete (two different kinds)
park bench with peeling off color
shale
colored paper

THEY LOOK SOOOO COOOL I had to show you.
They are without ornaments but I think they don't need them anyway. The first one looks like an really, really antique book, don't you think?
The last one looks more like a paper book cover but there is leather in it too.

These (again) are all my OWN pictures. Nothing taken from anything!!! AND (again) feel free to use.

MiniMouse

I do prefer 7 and 8-- but that's because the fine details of the textures don't show as much when I'm staring at it on my reader device, which is where I usually do my reading.

[MiniMouse]

Originally Posted by Sefiriot

I do prefer 7 and 8-- but that's because the fine details of the textures don't show as much when I'm staring at it on my reader device, which is where I usually do my reading.

Thanks for the replay. I love you guys and everyone that has given me feedback so far.

Need to know what works for everyone because I make them just for fun. I'm normally not using them myself because I most of the time read fanfiction and with that I prefer the series-covers I made but I love to make them.

And yeah, I know, when you have an E-Ink reader the fun of the covers get lost some times but with an tablet or in the calibre library I hope they will look great.

BUT I will see if I can come up with some more covers that work in black and white better. I keep that in mind. The last one I uploaded here should already do that.

MiniMouse

[Katsunami]

Thanks for all those generic covers. I love the leather, linen and antique ones with the ornaments. I don't read fan fiction, but I do read public domain works. Often those works have no cover, especially if they were never officially published. As they are old works, those generic covers with some nice scripty-swirly font will look great for them

Some karma for you Maybe I'll create some myself and put them into this thread.

Originally Posted by MiniMouse

And yeah, I know, when you have an E-Ink reader the fun of the covers get lost some times but with an tablet or in the calibre library I hope they will look great.

Oh yeah. You can't imagine how much I like nice covers in Calibre (and also, covers in my music player: all albums HAVE to have a cover). I detest it if there is no good cover. It makes the book or album look unfinished.

[glos]

Uhuu your last 4 are really good (I especially like the last one)!
I've tried a few and I noticed that I'll have to use only those with light/pale colors because even a blue one I thought wasn't dark is too dark on my b/w reader and I can't see the title/author/etc (though I'll try to use a white bold text to see if it changes, but on my calibre library it was great!).

[MiniMouse]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Thanks for all those generic covers. I love the leather, linen and antique ones with the ornaments. I don't read fan fiction, but I do read public domain works. Often those works have no cover, especially if they were never officially published. As they are old works, those generic covers with some nice scripty-swirly font will look great for them

Thanks for the feedback
On my foto tour I took pictures of leaves and blossoms (besides of textures), so I will also experiment with ornaments in my future covers. The feedback showed me though, that it would be a good idea to give an antique and a more modern version from now on if it is possible, so the covers will work on tablet (or calibre) and in black and white on an E-Ink reader. So there should be something for everyone.

Maybe I'll create some myself and put them into this thread.

I would love it when others would put up covers here too.:
It would be nice to have a collection of different styles and ideas for everyone. So go for it! I'm not sure if I should put the covers still in this threat though or if I should start a new threat because it has no longer anything to do with fanfiction.

Oh yeah. You can't imagine how much I like nice covers in Calibre (and also, covers in my music player: all albums HAVE to have a cover). I detest it if there is no good cover. It makes the book or album look unfinished.

Yeah, I need covers for everything too. That's the reason I started this project in the first place (and learned to work with pixlr). Books (or albums) need them, totally agree with you.

Thanks again for your feedback. It helps a lot to know what people like or don't like and which covers work form them.

MiniMouse