Cover for freebie novelette - opinions would be welcome

[Graylorne]

I have thought up a cover for a freeby novelette/sample containing a 10k. scene that was cut from my Rhidauna book. All regular book covers will be pro designed, but I found the cost in this case a bit much.

Would this, in your collective opions, be acceptable? It has to combine with covers I posted here before (but the English version, not this one). I think it makes an acceptable thumbnail.

 

[BWFoster78]

I think "novelette" only has a single "l."

My only other comment is that it seems like a lot of text.

 

[Graylorne]

Sorry, missed this one, Brian. mea culpa.

You are right, it's one 'l'.

I can shorten the last 3 lines a bit

http://www.redrunebooks.com/uploads/1/1/7/5/11750183/1363958616.jpg

 

[Devor]

I'm iffy about the effect you're going for. I think you should keep tinkering with it. Maybe try:

- Tone down the watermark so the image is a little more clear
- Experiment with a few colors other than white for the watermark
- Find a less abrupt border transition from image to watermark, like a fade effect or an actual border

Sorry I couldn't be more help.

 

[BWFoster78]

Sorry, missed this one, Brian. mea culpa.

You are right, it's one 'l'.

I can shorten the last 3 lines a bit

http://www.redrunebooks.com/uploads/1/1/7/5/11750183/1363958616.jpg

I like the revision, but (please remember though that I'm not a graphics guy) I don't really like how the title is split up on separate lines. Maybe it would be better if it were three lines. Or could "under" be made small so that it would fit on one?

 

[Graylorne]

Thanks, Devor.

That would be something like this:

yellow, as to contrast with the official Revenaunt-covers, border around image, color like fire reflection by night, background img a firebird, part of original cover

 

[Devor]

Try switching colors between your background and your font.

 

[Graylorne]

The main color has to contrast with my regular covers. This combination is slightly old fashioned, but it is very readable as a tumbnail.

 

[Devor]

That's much better than the yellow and a little better than the white. But the fonts blend way too much with the background.

Did you switch background textures? I distinctly see a ladder.

The shadow effect is less abrupt, but it makes me feel like I'm looking at a crystal ball. Not sure if I like that or not.

I'm still not sure. Maybe someone else will weigh in with some perspective.

 

[Graylorne]

This one then. Other colors. shadow replaced.

Yes, I used another background image. The ladder is in the story.

 

[ThomasCardin]

I think that looks good. Blue, Red, and Gold make a good color triad. Right now it appears that the oval is on top of the background, is that the effect you are seeking, or do you want to have the red background frame an inset of the oval? How legible is your subtext and name at thumbnail resolution?

 

[Graylorne]

I think that looks good. Blue, Red, and Gold make a good color triad. Right now it appears that the oval is on top of the background, is that the effect you are seeking, or do you want to have the red background frame an inset of the oval? How legible is your subtext and name at thumbnail resolution?

The oval is more or less as I wanted it, a bit asymmetrical. The subtext is in a thumbnail not legible, but I'm not sure that matters. Were I to make the letters larger, it would dominate too much. I've changed the size of my name to the same as the book's title, that makes it a bit more clear. Thanks!

 

[AVCortez]

Hello, this is my first post so: Hello .

I'm a graphic designer and I'd be happy to give you some pointers. What program are you using?

 

[Graylorne]

Hello Cortez,

Welcome here!

I use old Photoshop Elements 5, mostly.

 

[CL Frey]

I think one of the biggest problems that says "amateur" for the cover is the font. It's kind of pixellated - meaning the edges are all jagged. You've got a nice enough background and picture happening; since you've got the type placed the way you want it, maybe it would be cheap enough for a designer to just drop a proper font in there? There isn't anything terribly offensive per se with what you have, but it's the very subtle things with fonts that make it look amateur vs. professional.

I don't know about Photoshop Elements, but in Photoshop you've got a choice for how your font smoothing is displayed (anti-aliasing is the technical term). The choices are none, sharp, crisp, strong, and smooth. If you have settings like that for PS Elements, try changing to strong or smooth and see if it fixed the appearance of the fonts a bit?

 

[Graylorne]

I think one of the biggest problems that says "amateur" for the cover is the font. It's kind of pixellated - meaning the edges are all jagged. You've got a nice enough background and picture happening; since you've got the type placed the way you want it, maybe it would be cheap enough for a designer to just drop a proper font in there? There isn't anything terribly offensive per se with what you have, but it's the very subtle things with fonts that make it look amateur vs. professional.

I don't know about Photoshop Elements, but in Photoshop you've got a choice for how your font smoothing is displayed (anti-aliasing is the technical term). The choices are none, sharp, crisp, strong, and smooth. If you have settings like that for PS Elements, try changing to strong or smooth and see if it fixed the appearance of the fonts a bit?

I found 2 choices: anti-aliasing on or off. It was off, so I switched it on and the result is much better. Thanks!

Two new examples, one with firebirds, the other as before. Which of the two would be better?

 

[CL Frey]

I like the one without the firebirds better. They seem a bit out of place and confuse the text.

You could try making Shadows Under a tiny bit smaller, so there's a bit more air around it on the left and right sides, and make Nadril a bit bigger, then close the space a bit between Shadows Under and Nadril. It might not work, but give it a try! Regardless, I'd close up the space between the two lines (and you might need to close it up a lot less if Nadril is bigger). And then I would more or less center Shadows Under Nadril from the top of the page to the subheader line (ie, don't squish it too close to the top).

Hope that helps! With type placement you just have to nudge it around a bit and see where it fits best.

 

[Graylorne]

Something like this, then.

 

[CL Frey]

Yep! Looking not too bad Now I'd put a bit less space between Shadows of Nadril and the subtitle. You might have to keep playing with the overall spacing of the elements, but keep at it til you're happy - and keep different versions so you can compare changes. Good luck!

 

[Graylorne]

Thanks! I'll keep on fiddling for a while, this must be more or less it, then