kinslayeur
Journeyman
Would like your thoughts on this. Goal is to publish towards the end of the year.
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Cover for The Messenger's Quest
- Thread starter kinslayeur
- Start date
Would like your thoughts on this. Goal is to publish towards the end of the year.
FifthView
Dark Lord
My first quick impression is that it looks great. Image fits the title very well.
I'm not an expert on book covers, so take this with a grain of salt. Something about the author's name seems off, maybe font, spacing, placement, or size...I don't know. (For placement, maybe moved up just the smallest amount?) The space between "Th" and "e" in the book's title kinda stands out also.
I'm not an expert on book covers, so take this with a grain of salt. Something about the author's name seems off, maybe font, spacing, placement, or size...I don't know. (For placement, maybe moved up just the smallest amount?) The space between "Th" and "e" in the book's title kinda stands out also.
- Thread starter
- #3
kinslayeur
Journeyman
the space on "The" is actually the font which was weird. Tried about 20 other fonts and they didn't look much better. The Author and the subtitle are the same font. I didn't want too go too high on the Author name to get it into the bleed section of the cover when it is created on a book. I think I'll keep playing with the font for the main title which is all one font. I just didn't find another "Q" I liked in another font. Thank you for the suggestions and for looking!
What you need is a properly kerned font. Failing that, you could put the "Th" as one text element, and the "e" in a second, then move it over by hand until it looked right.
- Thread starter
- #5
kinslayeur
Journeyman
Gah! Why didn't I think of doing that? (note after work to do it) Thank you skip.knox!
psychotick
Dark Lord
Hi,
For me the background is a little busy. On the one side you have this sun shining down through a forest on a cliff, and on the other a fog and dead tree, and the two don't go together well. They don't seem to be either one image or two.
I think you need to clarify your thought about the cover. What is the key idea you're trying to get across? Is he riding into fog or through an enchanted forest etc? Pick one. Remember often the simplest ideas work best.
Other than that I like it. And while I agree about the "e" in the "the" I wouldn't have noticed it if someone hadn't mentioned it.
Cheers, Greg.
For me the background is a little busy. On the one side you have this sun shining down through a forest on a cliff, and on the other a fog and dead tree, and the two don't go together well. They don't seem to be either one image or two.
I think you need to clarify your thought about the cover. What is the key idea you're trying to get across? Is he riding into fog or through an enchanted forest etc? Pick one. Remember often the simplest ideas work best.
Other than that I like it. And while I agree about the "e" in the "the" I wouldn't have noticed it if someone hadn't mentioned it.
Cheers, Greg.
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Foah
Lore Master
Some suggestions:
You're using three pictures here right? When it comes to composition I'm not entirely sold on the far right picture's placement (tree's fitted way low compared to the perspective given by the far left and center images, and there's something about the birds)
Regarding the combination of the three pictures as a whole you should work a bit on color correction and adjustments, which is easier to do before you throw them all into the same document. There are plenty of tutorials on how to do it, and it won't take days to learn, so I highly recommend it
This is to make sure that the color space is shared, that blacks aren't tinted inbetween pictures etc (The darkest blacks on the horseman are R4, G16, B12 which is a blueish green tint, while the far left picture has R1 G1 B1 as the darkest black). Once all pictures use the same colors, it is a much easier task to merge them and make it look more professional.
One important thing is also to have a look at the horseman's shadow. You have one major source of light, and perhaps a second (far right picture near horse's head?) The horseman's shadow seems to be quite small, suggesting a higher sun or source of light than is portrayed. It's sort of illusion breaking, and you'll notice an amazing difference if you can correct this.
Others have covered things on the font, and their advice is sound. All in all, I really like the concept of the cover, and I think it will make a great cover with some more work and polish Good luck!
You're using three pictures here right? When it comes to composition I'm not entirely sold on the far right picture's placement (tree's fitted way low compared to the perspective given by the far left and center images, and there's something about the birds)
Regarding the combination of the three pictures as a whole you should work a bit on color correction and adjustments, which is easier to do before you throw them all into the same document. There are plenty of tutorials on how to do it, and it won't take days to learn, so I highly recommend it
This is to make sure that the color space is shared, that blacks aren't tinted inbetween pictures etc (The darkest blacks on the horseman are R4, G16, B12 which is a blueish green tint, while the far left picture has R1 G1 B1 as the darkest black). Once all pictures use the same colors, it is a much easier task to merge them and make it look more professional.One important thing is also to have a look at the horseman's shadow. You have one major source of light, and perhaps a second (far right picture near horse's head?) The horseman's shadow seems to be quite small, suggesting a higher sun or source of light than is portrayed. It's sort of illusion breaking, and you'll notice an amazing difference if you can correct this.
Others have covered things on the font, and their advice is sound. All in all, I really like the concept of the cover, and I think it will make a great cover with some more work and polish
Good luck!
Ronald T.
Lore Master
I agree with the point about the "e" in "The", Kinslayer. And even considering what others have said, I find the cover interesting and thought provoking. It has a powerful impact that suggests a mythical land with endless dangers ahead. It also hints at the existence of an assassin's involvement, but that's probably just my take on the horseback rider.
But it is a great cover with endless potential. Well done. I hope you have it just the way you want in a very short time.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
But it is a great cover with endless potential. Well done. I hope you have it just the way you want in a very short time.
Thanks for sharing it with us.
Addison
Dark Lord
The cover is beautiful. My only critique is that it seems flat. The colors are so similar there's no dimension, so everything runs together. The fonts for the author name and title runs with the color palate. So changing the printed font, or just the color, could help set it apart from the artwork.
Eric Hawke
Apprentice
I think maybe the guy's face could be pretty much submerged in shadow, to make him more mysterious/interesting? Also, the strong lighting from behind the trees seem to draw attention away from him. I don't like the color and font of the title. Assuming this is adult fiction, the font's pretty rounded/soft. And a more golden color might be more appropriate for fantasy.