GETTING STARTED
First you will need to set up accounts on stock sites such as dreamstime, fotolia, getty images, and the like. There are many stock photo sites available if you do not take your own stock photos. You will need to pay a fee to download your images, ensuring that you have the rights to use them as you see fit.
It is very important that you use reputable sites and not just blog sites or google images as these are not usually copyright free and essentially you would be stealing someone else's work. Unfortunately so many people on here state they will design you a book cover and are just stealing other people's work and sticking some words on it. Wattpad seem to turn a blind eye unfortunately, but I want to make it quite clear that you could get in serious trouble. You could be prosecuted in a court of law and have to pay horrendously high fines, not to mention the civil suits that could come against you by the owners of the pictures you have stolen, albeit unintentional. So please make sure you go to the right sources for your stock.
Next you will need the right software to manipulate your images. I have heard many people give their favourites and it is really a matter of personal preference. I myself cannot live without my Photoshop. As many of you will know I recently had my computer crash on me and being without my design software near on drove me crazy; luckily I was already completely nuts so there was no lasting damage and I am happy to report I am as mentally stable as I ever was :S
Once you have chosen and paid for your programme(s) you can start looking for applications to upload, such as fonts, brushes, textures, and so on. Again there are numerous sites available for these and many are completely free. When you have found a font, for example, that you like and think would be good for general use, make sure you read the owners rules. Sometimes they will only allow you to use them under certain conditions and you must ensure that you follow these rules to the letter. Many font/brush/texture designers will have free samples of their work and will not stipulate any rules whatsoever - they give away free samples so that you will take a look at their other works which are usually of a higher standard. These better applications will probably have a charge attached to them, but as with stock images, usually once you have paid the fee you are free to use them as you see fit. This will give you unlimited use and you can use them again and again on different book covers. It can be worth purchasing additional applications in this way as so many people just use the regular fonts that come with their computer, this will give your work that extra edge that could make all the difference.
1. Stock image registration
2. Photo-manipulation software
3. Application resources
Now you have accomplished the above three points, you are ready to start searching for the right images for your design. The higher the resolution of the original image, the easier it will be to work with and the better result you will eventually have. However it is important to bear in mind that the better the quality of your stock, the higher the price will usually be. As an amateur designer you will need to decide how much you are willing to spend on an image. If you choose to improve your skills and progress your level of design capability you will most likely conclude that the old addage of spending money to accumulate is more of a necessity; therefore your outlay will increase alongside your skills. But this is not something you need to worry too much about in the beginning.
NOTES
Please feel free to comment below on any of the points mentioned here, so that I may clarify any issues that you may have. Likewise if there are other points that you would like me to address, please say so below. Interacting with me after each chapter may influence the direction that this book takes, so feel free to give your opinions, ask questions, and give feedback in general.
In the next chapter I will be discussing the brief you will be working towards and choosing the best images for that design. Thank you for reading and I will see you all again soon.
YOU ARE READING
A Pinkabelle guide to book cover design.
Non-FictionSo many people have asked me how I design my book covers, how they can do it themselves, where I get my pictures from, and so on. I figured it was about time I answered all those questions in one place. Seeing as this is a literary site, how better...
