Gimp & EBook Covers - Any shortcuts?

by Caren
34 replies
Hi All

I've just spent literally a whole day creating my first 3D EBook cover for my new product which I hope to launch in the next week. I've never used Gimp before and I'm dreading having to use it again which I will need to in order to create some covers for some other reports I'll be creating.

Can anyone give me some advice, tips or shortcuts on how to make this process doable in an under an hour rather than in a day? :confused:

I want to continue using Gimp as it's free which is fantastic but I'm no graphic designer so if anyone can help me out for the next time, I would appreciate it!

Thanks
Caren
#covers #ebook #ebook cover #ebook design #gimp #shortcuts
  • Profile picture of the author QuinNguyen
    Outsource it perhaps? You can find some pretty good outsource service for $20-$50.
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  • Profile picture of the author Caren
    I'm new here - what's up with using 'shortcut'?
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    • Profile picture of the author QuinNguyen
      Originally Posted by Caren View Post

      I'm new here - what's up with using 'shortcut'?
      There is nothing wrong with it but with IM, shortcut = outsource = expense :p
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  • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
    Hi caren.nothing wrong with wanting a shortcut to save time don't worry about that.
    check this lady out she uses gimp and teaches some stuff concerning it
    Adrienne Lee Marketing

    Hope that can help you. Also you could google creating ecovers with gimp the easy way or something like that I am sure there are tutorials out there to help make it easier
    cheers
    -WD
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    "As a man thinks in his heart so is he-Proverbs 23:7"

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    • Profile picture of the author Caren
      Perfect WD - thanks for this. I appreciate it. A great help.

      Caren
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      • Profile picture of the author WD Mino
        Originally Posted by Caren View Post

        Perfect WD - thanks for this. I appreciate it. A great help.

        Caren
        No worries we are all in this together
        cheers
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        "As a man thinks in his heart so is he-Proverbs 23:7"

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  • Profile picture of the author Lambert Klein
    There is an eBook report out there on how to create an ebook cover using Gimp. I can't recall the name, but a Google search should help. I thinks it may be on Amazon as well.

    Lambert

    Found it:
    http://www.makeebookcovers.com/
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  • Profile picture of the author Joshua Rigley
    Banned
    Just use eBook Cover Creator - eCover Design Online Free, they provide some free templates you can use, and you can buy individual templates for a really cheap price (something like $4).

    It's both cheaper and faster than an outsourcer. It's very easy to make ecovers with it.
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    • Profile picture of the author QuinNguyen
      Originally Posted by Joshua Rigley View Post

      Just use eBook Cover Creator - eCover Design Online Free, they provide some free templates you can use, and you can buy individual templates for a really cheap price (something like $4).

      It's both cheaper and faster than an outsourcer. It's very easy to make ecovers with it.
      Nice, I have been paying quite a bit for ecover. Only if I saw this post sooner lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Nate Simms
    Outsource on Fiverr for $5 and you can get it in five different formats.

    Look for the user: Sevgraph

    He does GREAT work.
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  • Profile picture of the author e-mail2u
    The hardest part is creating the front and side graphics, compiling the cover is not all that hard. Most and im not saying all e-cover designers using photoshop use those scripts that compile the cover for them. Now have you noticed how they all look alike. By using gimp you can create original looking covers.

    I dont have a video on doing this yet but i am working on it currently working on it as i have a lot of projects going on at the moment. But if you are interested i do have one on creating a simple e-box cover. Use the link in my sign for free gimp help then go to admins tutorials 'videos'.

    Hope it helps some what ebook are done in a similar fashion.
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  • Profile picture of the author FrankieTP2
    I make professional eCovers for only $17. And I include every size you want without any extra fees.
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  • Profile picture of the author Elkinton
    Originally Posted by Caren View Post

    Hi All

    I've just spent literally a whole day creating my first 3D EBook cover for my new product which I hope to launch in the next week. I've never used Gimp before and I'm dreading having to use it again which I will need to in order to create some covers for some other reports I'll be creating.

    Can anyone give me some advice, tips or shortcuts on how to make this process doable in an under an hour rather than in a day? :confused:

    I want to continue using Gimp as it's free which is fantastic but I'm no graphic designer so if anyone can help me out for the next time, I would appreciate it!

    Thanks
    Caren
    Yes, there are at least twenty eight (28) tutorials for GIMP on YouTube, several with running times extending beyond ten minutes.
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  • Profile picture of the author iuditg
    Found this for you http://ezinearticles.com/?Free-EBook...f-2&id=1708699

    How to Make an eBook Cover | GIMP Tutorials

    Also if you dont have time or dont wanna waste time making them you can always outsource it.

    I do ecover designing at pretty low rate and if there are bulk order I give special discounts on those one. Hit me a PM if you need to outsource any
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  • Profile picture of the author UMS
    I was going to suggest ecover design - design it yourself online like a lot of people have already done. I can create a reasonable looking ecover in about 2 mins.

    Here's one I prepared earlier



    Another alternative if you create the graphics in GIMP and want a method to generate the 3d cover, then you can try:

    3D-box maker » 3d-box & package on-line for free
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  • Profile picture of the author munstersg01
    You can easily create ecovers using gimp using templates and the perspective tool.

    Danny
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  • Profile picture of the author MJ Collins
    I use Gimp with Ubuntu.

    I downloaded ebook cover plugin:
    Ebook Plugins | GIMP Plugin Registry

    All Things GIMP: GIMP: How To Install Scripts & Plug-ins To Gimp (Beginners)

    Then installed in my gimp plugin directory. The plugin shows up under filters.
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    attracted to shiny objects
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  • Profile picture of the author thedanbrown
    Ya I would definitely suggest outsourcing on fiverr. Personally I hate editing images and it's not my strong suit at all so I outsource any graphics I need usually to Fiverr.
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  • Profile picture of the author GDW
    Yes i would also recommend Fiverr
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    • Profile picture of the author LilBlackDress
      There are also very good eBook Cover Creators that are easy to work with and very affordable. I use one for all of my covers
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Wells
    How much is your time worth?

    I'll bet that you believe you are worth at least $18.00 per hour right?

    If you want an ecover that does not look like everyone elses that use the free ecover creators, then........

    My best suggestion would be to hire a professional ecover designer... that way
    you save lots of time and money, and they do a professional job for you, at a reasonable rate...

    There are a small handful of very talented eCover designers on this forum.... take a look around, it may save you time and a headache.
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    • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
      There are two components:

      * Cover artwork (cover)
      * Packaging / book render.

      I can only assume that you want to do both?

      In which case, there's no shortcut for the artwork. It takes as long as it takes and the quality of it depends upon your own skill as a designer / artist.

      The packaging / book render.....I wouldn't use GIMP for that as the tutorials that exist show a very poor quality output.

      I suggest designing the cover and using: ecover design - design it yourself online to render. This would qualify as a shortcut to a better quality image.



      Daniel
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  • Profile picture of the author Steven Roberts
    Here's another quick link for doing the 3D bit:

    3D-box maker » 3d-box & package on-line for free

    I'm collecting links like this on my homepage: im.home-page.us - Home
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  • Profile picture of the author Paul Clark
    Fiverr as mentioned above is a great option. I think I would ask one of my kids to do it. They will happily play for hours with graphics packages and some of their work can be really innovative. I'd rather give them $5 than a stranger!
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  • Profile picture of the author TimothyTorrents
    Originally Posted by Caren View Post

    Hi All

    I've just spent literally a whole day creating my first 3D EBook cover for my new product which I hope to launch in the next week. I've never used Gimp before and I'm dreading having to use it again which I will need to in order to create some covers for some other reports I'll be creating.

    Can anyone give me some advice, tips or shortcuts on how to make this process doable in an under an hour rather than in a day? :confused:

    I want to continue using Gimp as it's free which is fantastic but I'm no graphic designer so if anyone can help me out for the next time, I would appreciate it!

    Thanks
    Caren
    You can make 3D eBook covers using this tool 3D-box maker » 3d-box & package on-line for free just upload the images for each side of the book then take a snapshot of the 3D model. It works great!

    Alternatively, I am sure you can find someone who would be happy to design a eBook cover for you for a small fee. Check fiverr.
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  • Profile picture of the author Romeo90
    To be honest, I would rather pay somebody to create this for me.

    You have spent all day trying to create something, and are now spending more time looking for solutions and software - and you have said yourself, you are no graphic designer.

    I concentrate on the things I am good at, and can get done in an acceptable time - how much is your time worth?

    Imagine if you had paid $5, $10, $17 (get mine done for £17 on warriors for hire), but then used the rest of the day to do something you can do, like get your sales page ready or whatever?

    The other thing is this: I have tried the DIY eCover maker myself as well - yes it took me about an hour and still cost me $4 - but it looked nowhere near good enough - nowhere near what a pro could produce. If you are planning to sell the eBook, then eye candy IS important in making a site visitor want to buy your product. It has to be shiny. End of.

    Part of IM is weighing up the time spent trying to achieve something VS benefits of paying someone else to do it.

    Good luck with your project :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author TycoonRob
    Gimp was always a little hard for me to pick up. It's free, sure, but it's powerful - maybe too powerful because there IS a learning curve.

    I use Inkscape (also free) to make my covers. It's much easier to learn and does just as good at making covers. I've used Inkscape for ALL of my covers and I'm very happy with it.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adie
    You can't learn Gimp in one day especially if you are looking for a better result. Quality takes time.... and extra effort.... So do not hope for any shortcut..
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  • Profile picture of the author Gary Ning Lo
    One all day???

    You can get good covers for $5 on Fiverr.

    Always outsource stuff that you don't know how to do and can get for cheap

    Cheers,

    Gary
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  • Profile picture of the author Dragone
    I guess it depends what type of book it is. If it's very high quality that you expect to make thousands of sales then spend some money but if not then maybe a simple wizard with some cool looking graphics will do the trick.
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  • Profile picture of the author mert
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