Using Fading to Make Your Book Cover Better

Using Fading to Make Your Book Cover Better

One of the best tricks to use to create your book cover design is fading. Fading is when you merge two different pictures together or you merge a particular color background with a picture. This is a simple trick to learn, but it can make your covers exponentially better in quality. In this tutorial, we will look at step-by-step instructions on how to use fading.

Step One: Create Your Book Cover Template

The first thing you have to do is create your book cover template. You have to have the right dimensions for your book cover. Most people are designing for the Kindle cover. Since the dimensions change all the time, we will not be including the exact dimensions here. Instead, use a search engine like Google to search for current Kindle cover dimensions.

Step Two: Import Your Image

The second thing you have to do is import your image. The easiest way to do this is by using the file and open commands in Photoshop, opening your image into a brand-new document, and then copying the entire picture and pacing and and whatever cover template you have. Expand it or shrink it using the edit and free transform to get it to fit whatever cover template you happen to have.

Step Three: Import Secondary Image or Create Background

The third thing you have to do is import secondary image or create a color background. You can double-click on the background the comes included with every new document and it will transform it into a layer automatically when you press okay. Then, use the fill tool and choose a color from your swatches and then fill that background with that color.

Step Four: Create a Layer Mask

The next thing that you are going to want to do is create a layer mask. Click on your primary image, the one that you are planning to fade, and then find the layer mask button below the layer. It is a box with a circle in it. Once you click the button, there should be an extra icon next your layer to denote the layer mask.

Step Five: Use the Gradient Tool to Create a Fade

Your last step is to use the gradient tool to create a fade. You simply start at the outside of your image and then drag your gradient tool inward a slight distance to create a fade. The further you drag it inwards, the further in the fade is going to be. You can do this from any side that you want.

Step Six: Repeat as Much as Necessary

You will have to repeat this several times in order to get the fade that you want. Even if you’re only using one side, you are still probably going to have to do the fade five or six times in order to get the result of the want. It depends upon how much fade you want from your image and what background layer you have.

For more information on designing a cover, check out Reedsy

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