This tutorial on making DVD ecovers in Cover Actions Premium will cover not so much about the how, but to highlight to you how to choose your ecover software template or actions wisely. We always see a lot of marketers out there trying to sell off standard ecovers which after sometime, we become so immune that it has become a norm. However, to make your online product more tangible, highly valued and highly sought after, we ought to always find ways to present our online products better. Here is where Cover Actions Premium is at its best and can give you very unique solutions. Let us look at an example:

So you find anything special? To me it is unique, unlike any other standard ecover packs that offer on the market. If you are looking for unique and fresh ways to present your product better, you should consider Cover Actions Premium. To examine further, let us explore the files that comes with this particular ecover template in Photoshop. Well, basically when your install the action in the Actions panel, it is listed as OpenDVDcase-4discs.atn Upon playing the starter template, you will get this file made:

Once Step 1 of this action completes, this particular template pops up a message to give you further instructions to follow:

As a Cover Actions Premium user, I found this kind of feature to be very informative and helpful.

In addition, every DIY ecover template download package comes standard with a preview jpg, actions template file and a psd file as well.  You can choose to work from this template, or open the psd that comes with the package.

As one finishes Step 2 of the action, the action script actually prompts one to check whether one likes to add a DVD case in addition to the 4 DVDs already created. This is very cool! The script actually gives you more options to give you different results.

Next, looking at the Layers panel of this psd file, you can find that most layers are labelled properly, filed neatly into folders and color-coded. What I just need to edit is going into each layer of the folder to change the existing graphics and text to my liking and preference.

Again, this is a bonus to me as this helps with my work productivity and time. So if I have to create DVD eCovers quickly and effectively with minimum time spent, this will be a great tool to utilize fully.

Another great feature about this action is that the graphics are created with high-res (300dpi) and they are detailed enough to be printed on paper.

I find that the graphics quality are of a reputation and upon close examination, I am able to see details! I must say that they are beautifully done. And for this particular DVD, I really like it very much. It got a beautiful angle and perspective of the product, which is different from the norms. By using such unique actions, I am confident that my product can stand out a great deal. And that can be one of the factors why customers feel that I am delivering a high-quality product.

As you can see here, there aren’t any disadvantages not to use Cover Actions Premium. If you are seriously looking to create ecovers at the speed at which you can feel it’s as fast as lightning, then this is a serious contender against the rest. The best part is there are always ecover actions created every month.

If you are keen to explore more of these actions, check out Cover Actions Premium as there’s promotion offer currently ON for only $39.95. Just click here to check out “Plans And Pricing” on the top menu, and choose Option #3. Go and give it a try! You won’t regret that you did.

The true fact is that book writing can be challenging, especially a good one. In contrast to the skills of selling one’s books, however it loses in that the author will not have a clientele base unless one adopts a proper strategy. A thing to note when it comes to ebooks or books, is that they need have to be written in fiction. You can instead write about other themes or subjects that relate to self-help guides or manuals. If that’s the case, one should be very concerned particularly with the concept of the ebook cover design.

This ebook cover design shouldn’t be complicated though, however it has to be better presented than your own D-I-Y job. In the event if customers observe that you’re not trying hard enough to create the cover, then why should they trust you putting effort on writing your book well? Being a writer, one has to know that the cover has no relation to the book itself, however many individuals do assess a book by its cover, and by this observation you’ll need to ensure they make a good judgment.

Hence, how you one plans for an ebook cover design? That’s an issue faced by many people, but there are graphic experts readily available to provide the solution for you out there. You’ll encounter an issue which is going to be the pricing. Graphics professionals are talented at what they are at, and you could usually pay for their service at about $50-$100 per cover. One will be probably be fine with selling one book, however if one has lots of books to sell, it’ll become a problem since all these costs of production can be significant.

Still, Photoshop actions can be inevitably become essential if you are looking to make a cover which is well affordable and memory lasting. Nonetheless, Photoshop can be costly to own, but investing a one time fee for it will definitely be better than paying every time for a new cover job.

With that said, it is a better way to search for various types of Photoshop actions and evaluate what the software program can work for you. Some point worth noting is that while the cover created by you may not be good enough in terms of your standards, yet Photoshop can virtually does a nice job of utilizing effects through blurring, adding stained glass, photo grains and so forth. Many various types of effects are achievable through Photoshop, and for that one should examine into, thereby this will be a good opportunity to play with Photoshop choices and decide what works best for one’s publishing needs.

One should take note that one should take time to learn and master Photoshop software, however when one has mastered enough, it will become relatively easy to work with and time saving. That being the case, now is the ripe time to begin looking out for the different types of Photoshop actions software. That high quality cover for your book can be found in the next corner, and all you need to do is to create it!

Creating an ebook can look like the simple component after you begin the actual distribution. The catch is that individuals really do evaluate an ebook by simply it’s cover, and understanding that being the truth, you need to develop a cover that isn’t just great looking, but one which comes up skilled. One of the primary concerns that writers could have is making a cover it doesn’t appear to be a do-it-yourself effort. Honestly speaking, very few people can be that artistic talented. Despite this, there may be a need for one to engage a graphic artist, yet one should be aware that hiring an artist can be costly. Should you be only planning to publish one book with a cover, then that’s absolutely fine but if you intend to do with numerous ebooks, the prices to pay can be fairly high, and that will leave you with a much lighter wallet in the end.

However, book cover design software can come in very useful in your business as it can assist you generate book covers and also improve the existing one as well. Typically, you should not expect too much from it. For example, ebook cover design software will not be capable enough to create a Twilight cover without a number of creative input and direction, yet it can offer you some basic graphic assistance in your distribution online.

You will always face competition no matter what you will be writing, and hence you got to make sure that you stay ahead of your rivalries all the time. Even so, the best option is to select the correct book cover design software on the internet. One thing to note is that when you have the appropriate cover and subtitles, you will be able to go ahead and get your prospective buyers.

You can even get more buyers ultimately by letting them read a section of your book, which you can include this as part of your book cover. This sample can form a small part of your cover art, or you can separate them, but doing this can greatly leads into the subtitle. Your subtitle of the book will not reveal much about the whole book, however it can offer your readers enough to entice them to read on further. This is also true should you be composing fiction that is something you should bear in mind.

Probably, the single most challenging aspect of publishing an ebook cover will be selling it to people. Exactly why? Well, the simple fact that people are always too busy doing their own things in their present lives, and having the extra time in the day or night to read a book may not usually be the easiest thing to do for most people. You should create their curiosity and still provide them good reason to discover, as well as a excellent ebook cover can perform this really appropriately for everyone.

Producing your own ebook covers won’t have to become tough, specifically if you have the proper software application. You’ll have the original expenses definitely, nevertheless don’t you think greater to spend a bit in advance rather than become expenditure gouged on creating ecovers afterwards?

This is a second in a series of DIY eCover tutorials on how to quickly generate a magazine ecover using Photoshop Action Scripts. This will be a short tutorial as I’ve covered most of the basics of handling photoshop actions in earlier written tutorials. Hopefully, you would have master some of these basics by now and can quickly move on to advanced techniques and tips. Enjoy!

How to Make a Professional Magazine Cover using Photoshop Action Scripts

For more information on Photoshop Action Scripts, check out the link here.

Greetings! This is my first time doing a tutorial on video. This video/audio combination will definitely give you a better understanding and interesting learning experience. Pardon me if it sounds a bit stiff on the instructions. Hope to improve as time goes by. Have fun and time learning and sharing with me. Click either on the text link or the image below to play the video. Enjoy! : )

Boxshot 3D: How To Create An iPhone For eBook Cover

For more information on Boxhot3D, check out the link here.

Many people like to think that authoring a book is the most difficult aspect of all the process of book creation, in fact, the hardest part is not writing but selling it. The critical thing to remember when making an ebook cover is that it has to be outstanding, and unless you’re not selling it, you’ll face a tough job.

Firstly, before one starts to create an ebook cover, he has to think of a proper title for the book. That title will be appearing on the cover, and its main purpose is to attract eye-balls and bring customers. The key issue here is no doubt how to pull customers into it. Ultimately, the discussion is about different individuals who had their own lives and leisure tastes, and some may not be keen to experiment new things.

A writer’s job in making an ebook cover will be to construct a title that appeals and attract customers to an extent that they’re ready to change their daily routines and purchase a new book to read it.. Certainly this is not an easy task to do, however it can accomplished by knowing one’s audience well.

With that mentioned, focusing your attention on your targeted group of audience will be very important. One needs to discover the targeted group’s likes and dislikes and relate these characteristics to one’s new book cover. This definitely needs some solid researching on the market, but the final results can be invaluable. Once the research is done, a few things will still need to be done so as to make an ebook cover more effectively.

Once you’re prepared to make a book cover, you’ll need to question the ability of doing it yourself. Unless you’re confident doing it, you may outsource the creation of the cover art of the book to a graphic designer. Well, it can be costly to do it this way, but if you can look far ahead, you’ll not want to end up with lousy cover art that looks like it’s done at home. By spending more effort in your cover, your customers will most likely be more impressed with your book.

Having a great subtitle for one’s book is also vital! Indeed, the title should be the first thing to implement, but adding a subtitle is good at getting readers to understand better what they be reading. Many times, the main title should come in 1 to 2 words in the book cover, whereas the subtitle helps to reinforce the reader’s mind through better description. Therefore, one requires to put some thought to this.

In order to get attention to one’s book, it’s usually a better idea for one to invite some individuals to do some testimonials on the book, especially renounced people who can put some good comments on the cover. This is much sought-after tip that has been utilized for years, and it has resulted in many books sold in this manner. As one can observe, there’s no hard and fast rule for selling books, however the process can be perfected by practicing it. When it comes to making a book cover, put your total effort into it, particularly if you’re making an intangible ebook.

Hi, this is a short post to notify that I have new tutorials up at DIYeCoverSoftware.com

Both Thrillive.com and DIYeCoverSoftware.com will have different and varied post content on new tutorials. Do check it out!

In this eCover tutorial, we’re going to touch on some basics of handling an eBook Cover, by way of a 3D spiral ring book or report in Boxshot 3D, and recreating a new eCover in Photoshop. If you can recall in the last post, we talked about the differences between Boxshot 3D and Photoshop. Hopefully, you can remember their differences and discover the ways of combining these 2 useful and powerful software for manipulating graphics and 3D. Please note that 3/4 of this eCover tutorial will be focused on Boxshot 3D and the remainder on Photoshop, as the objective here is on eCover tutorials which is more than just learning Photoshop. To learn more of Photoshop, you can google and easily find plenty of DIY resources online that teaches you how to use Photoshop.

If you have purchased these software, you can go ahead and open up the software. Let’s look at Boxhot 3D first.

To recap, this is the interface of Boxshot 3D, recently being updated to version 3.5. Really, it’s exciting to keep up with the frequent updates on this software, as the interface has been streamlined and improved with better features – which makes editing a breeze!

Click to view larger image

Step 1:

As can see, you can do most of the changes or tweaking on the right, whereas one also can click on the image on the left, and drag to make changes. First, let’s select Spiral Bounded Book from the Add button under Shapes tab. A Add New Shape dialog box will appear next. This basically allows you to choose your eCover shape and type and tweak from there. Scroll down and select the 2nd last item labelled as Spiral Bounded Book and click OK.

Step 2:

If you have noticed, the spiral book with default rounded corners, which you can turn the feature off. Look to the right of the interface, you’ll spot a check box for Rounded corners at the end under the sub-tab Shapes > Parameters. Check to unselect it. Notice that the sample image on the left immediately updates. (I’m suggesting no rounded corners, but it’s up to your preference to have it or not) Boxshot 3D’s interface and workings are actually made with the user in mind. Much of the tweaking is simply done using number inputs, drag-and-drop lists and scale drags. You can also change the width, height and depth of the image on the left either by inputting values next to the description or clicking the down arrow next to it. The drop-down will display a horizontal lever scroll for you to change the values.

Step 3:

Next, try scaling up the eCover image clicking on the sub-tab named Transformation.

Click to view larger image

Here you will be able to change more settings such as the location of your eCover image – left, right or towards or further away from the view shown, by using the Offset X, Y and Z settings. You also can rotate the eCover using the Rotate X, Y and Z as well.  Enter these values respectively for Offset and Rotate functions as follows:

Offset Y: -10 (Don’t change the rest)
Rotate  X: 10
Rotate Y: -10
Rotate Z: 5

To scale the image, just go to the Scale settings, check on Complex scale option and enter these values as shown on the screen capture for scaling:

Scale X and Scale Y: 120
Scale Z: 100 (default)

Click to view larger image

You should get the result as shown above. However, I advocate not to spend too much time on these settings, but rather to get a sense of how they work, and come back later to fully tweak once you understand the concept of using Boxshot 3D better.

Step 4:

Save your work NOW by going to the top menu, File > Save or File > Save As… Label whatever name you want. It pays to save your hard work regularly.

Click to view larger image

Step 5:

Moving on, select the Images tab now. We”re going to change the default image given by Boxshot 3D. This is where we will need either Photoshop or other image manipulation software to extend our needs. Boxshot 3D only lets you change the image but does not allow you to create within the software itself. (Remember we talk about it in my previous post?) Under the Images tab, this is the most important thing that you need to take note.

Click to view larger image

You will see Front, Back, Leaves and Spiral (only 4 listed). These are for you to select and change each setting like Color, Transformation (Rotation of the image, not the eCover!), Crop and Fit Shape to Images. Make sure you select this option FIRST before starting to alter the rest of the settings below, or else you’re going to get undesirable results. So check out the screen captures to get a better feel.

For the Color, you can see that the default is based on Windows default color palette. You can utilize more colors by clicking on More Colors as shown. Another dialog box will pop up to allow you to choose more colors. Try that out.

For the Transformation of the image, select Rotate 90 deg CW (clockwise). Note that this change is unnecessary but for you to understand that you can tweak in such a manner in Boxshot 3D. You can readily do that in Photoshop as well. You can experiment with other options.

Reload – simply allows to refresh your selected image, in case you have messed the settings and the result is not what you want.

Crop – gives you the feature of cropping away unwanted portion of your original image. Use this if you need to experiment further to see how your image will look after a crop off. (Can do it here but the end result may not be perfect for your liking, though)

Fit Shape To Images – simply gives the option to force the shape to conform to your image. Again, results differ. Use it with discretion.

The last 3 options are additional ones, which you may leave them as default. No need to tweak if you don’t want to.

Let us look at the Image field, where we can change the default image. Click on the button (3 dotted square box) next to the image link of the Image. A pop box will display next, showing the default images that Boxshot 3D has given. If you can’t find them, they can be traced back to Boxshot > images sub-folder in your computer.

At this point, we are going to pause working in Boxhot 3D and cross over to Photoshop to recreate a new eCover.

Step 6:

Next, look for the file BookCover.png – open this file to check on the dimensions. Because we need to know them in order to create a new eCover based on the old dimensions. Hence, the result will be similar. This is what it is when the file is opened in Photoshop, and the image size as shown:

To alter the image, we just need to create another new one with the same dimensions and resolution. This can be done easily in Photoshop. Save this file with a new filename. Create a new layer on top of the base image. Start experimenting with your own design. Note that we’ll not be going into the details of how to do it in Photoshop, as this will need another different tutorial. Once, you’ve a complete new eCover image created, import back to Boxshot 3D by going to Images section and click on the 3 dotted square box.

Step 7:

For me, I have already had a new image created in Photoshop as follows:

Go back to Boxshot 3D and update the new image for Front AND Back part of the image. You need to repeat this particular step twice – change to the new image for both Front AND Back in order to see the updated image as shown:

Step 8:

Just to highlight here that for the rest of the tabs on top, namely Camera, Lighting and Scene tabs, we can safely ignore as they are not particularly important at this point. Of course, if you’re adventurous enough, please go ahead and tweak them to your liking. But remember to save often in case you need to revert if you’ve made a mistake. The Render tab however needs more attention as it affects how the render 2D image we are getting for final use.

On the Render tab options, this is where you can define your final output format and dimensions needed for the rendered image to be used for Print (high-res 300dpi), Web (low-res online 72dpi) or other options. (not important at this point to take note) This is also where ray-tracing rendering is used by the software to render the final image. It can give you various options of drafts or finer rendering results.

We can set using the preset dimensions given such as 320 x 240 pixels by default, or customized it by inputting values in the width and height field inputs respectively.

When comes to Quality, we need to consider our purpose of outputting this image. Are we using for printing on brochures, press ads or magazines? If this is the case, then Print or High-End should be selected. Note that for High-End option, it will require long rendering time. So be prepared to wait longer if you’re expecting very smooth rendered results. Else, the standard Print or Web option will suffice.

The Render safe border option actually is a safeguard to prevent shadows of the eCover image from abruptly cropped off, thereby causing an apparent cut off if viewed especially on a white background. Leave the default as checked.

Once you determine your choice, click on the big green arrow button to start rendering the image.

A Render Scene dialog box will appear and start rendering the new image. You should get this:

Note that the dimensions of this particular image is custom set at 550 x 450 pixels, using Print option. As the image renders, time will be calculated and shown on the top of the image box. Once completed, the message will display as Rendering Done. We can then chooose Copy to Clipboard (for other application use), Save Image (to hard disk) and Done (close the render scene box).

Since we just need the image for printing or web use, select Save Image. The next dialog box shown on the left will appear, asking you what format to save. For some of you, it can be puzzling. No worries.

PNG – choose this if you need your background to be transparent, because you need to composite with other images.
JPEG – choose this as the standard for web use or for draft visuals that need not be too detailed specific.
TIFF – choose this if you require to send out for high-res external printing. (not required for your home printing though)
BMP – choose this for alternative format for use with other older software. This format is still popular as it retains compatibility with certain window-based software, such as Windows Paint program.

Bravo, your eCover is DONE! 8 Steps to A New eCover. Easy? Yes, it will be over time.

P.S. You may observe that the rendering is actually much smoother and refined than that of a typical eCover we’ve come across on the web. That’s because it uses ray-tracing, a popular rendering technique in today’s 3D software. Although the rendering time can be a minus factor, but consider the result you eventually get actually pays off. If you look at the shadows and reflections, they are indeed more subtle and natural. That, Photoshop can’t achieve it without more tips and tricks needed. In comparison, Boxshot 3D is really good at achieving such a result. Try it, you’ll be amazed indeed!

Good day, I would like you to check out my mini-site on DIY eCovers Reviews. I have written an exclusive but more detailed reviews on the software I am using. Hope this can give you a fresh perspective on what you need for your business or personal needs. Please note that these reviews are written based on my personal experiences with the software, so it’s not conclusive and for your information only. However, if you need to ask me questions pertaining on the aspect of eCover software reviews or/and tutorials, I’ll be glad to help answer your queries. So enjoy the reviews.

UPDATE: Alternatively, you can subscribe to my feed links as below:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/DiyeCoverSoftwareReviews

http://feeds.feedblitz.com/thrillive-diyecovers

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Hello! I am puzzled that some of you are having problems subscribing to my RSS Feed. In order to clear the greyish “cloud” once and for all, I will show you by doing a tutorial on this.

Alright, kindly follow these few steps and the screen capture. You should be able to receive the feed through your email after subscribing to it. Cheers!

STEP 1: Look to the right side of this site and click on this logo:

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