Make a CD cover by hand. Need to create a CD cover? Programs for creating disc covers. GIMP Lesson

The Internet gives us the opportunity not to buy CDs and DVDs, and download the necessary films, games, music.
Sometimes we simply store all the information on the computer, or we can burn it to disks. The discs themselves can be stored in special envelopes, or in boxes - it’s more reliable and beautiful.

You can make beautiful covers for CD and DVD boxes, firstly, for beauty, and, secondly, for ease of finding the desired disc.

There are several ways to create covers for CD and DVD boxes.

Internet.

The easiest way is to download the cover from the Internet. You can find a lot of CD and DVD box covers on the Internet. Download, print, calculate the size, cut and put in a CD or DVD box.
In order not to waste time on marking and calculating the size of the cover, you can use the program UnderCoverXP. It's very easy to use.
Step 1. Download the program.
Step 2. Select the type of box.
Step 3. Upload a pre-downloaded image from the Internet.
Step 4. Print.

As a result, on a sheet of paper we see a picture and dotted cutting lines, along which we cut out the cover for the box.

However, if you want some kind of unique, unusual cover, you won’t find it here; you’ll have to make it yourself.

Photoshop.

The first way to create covers for CDs and DVDs is Photoshop. Its main drawback is that if you do not know how to work in this program, then you will not be able to make a cover.
But I would like to note that Photoshop opens up such limitless possibilities! If you spend time and effort learning to work in Photoshop program(by the way, there are a lot of video tutorials on the Internet), you can make any cover from any picture, from any photograph.

Nero Cover Designer.

Nero Cover Designer is much easier to learn than Photoshop.
Step 1. Launch the Nero Cover Designer program.
Step 2. Select the type of box: standard, DVD case, Multi box, Maxi, Slim Pack, Mini CD.
Step 3. Create the cover. You can create a text cover; you can upload a painting or photograph; You can combine text and pictures.
Step 4. Save and print.

That's all - quite simple and fast! By the way, the Nero Cover Designer program makes it possible to create round pictures the size of a CD. You can buy special round CD stickers, create a round picture in Nero Cover Designer, print it on the sticker and stick it on the CD.

It's 2014. DVD and Blu-ray the discs will soon sink into oblivion, but still ALL of my customers ask for not only files with the film, but also discs that have to be processed. This will be relevant for another five years.
When you know well Photoshop, to make good covers takes about an hour.

A beautifully designed disc is a big plus to your credibility in such a short time.

First, let's decide on the size. We are interested in the inside under the cellophane. A standard DVD box measures 274x184 mm. Be sure to make the end separately - 15x184 mm. Drag it to cover. The workpiece is ready.

In my understanding, on cover In addition to the background, decorating elements, the name of the event and the date, there must be photographs depicting the content of the film. The more, the better. Not only quantity, but also size. Background is minor, can be closed useful information almost completely.

Photos on the background can be placed manually, or you can use the program DgFotoArt, which very quickly makes professional collages on any topic. You can take a look. This program deserves a separate discussion and therefore I will talk about it in the next lesson.

The combination of background color, text and photographs is considered important. Pastel colors are not suitable for the background. Especially pink ones. Too dark and tacky too. The background should not be distracting, it should be in harmony with the images and text. You need to experiment and leave the most successful option.

To make text beautiful, you need to apply one of the styles to it, which is located in the Styles palette. Your good styles in Photoshop no, so you'll have to look for them on the Internet. After downloading, place the styles in a separate folder (they will come in handy more than once later) and, having selected several at once, press Enter. Will open Photoshop and the styles will fall into the palette of the same name. Then they can be applied not only to text, but also to various layers. You can't go to the background.

For the background I usually use the company's products Digital Juice. They have plenty of this stuff. You can also search for PSD sources and scrub kits on the Internet.

For wedding covers There are special sets of backgrounds and elements. Some are theirs covers I did it with their help. I can send it to anyone who needs it.

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Creating your own CD covers to display your recordings and information, or to replace old, worn-out covers, gives you plenty of room for creativity. You can print your computer-generated cover to the size you need, or make it by hand. You can even learn how to create your own envelopes. With some effort and a little time, you can bring almost any idea to life.

Steps

Cover printing

Select software. Today there are many computer programs, which allow you to create and print custom CD covers, most of which are free. You can edit your own photos, add text, and make them the size you need. different types boxes. Any of the following programs will do the job perfectly:

Adobe Illustrator
CD Label Designer
CD & DVD Label Maker
CD Cover Creator
Print Master Gold

Choose your size. In some programs, the size of the future cover is selected immediately after launch, but when using universal programs like Illustrator, you will have to determine the size manually. The cover is square and measures 120 x 120mm, so please enter these numbers in the appropriate box.
- You can also change the background color to dark gray or any other color in accordance with the base color scheme of the future cover.
- If you also want to create a back cover, then the dimensions will be 150 x 118 mm, as this will allow space for the fold line. When creating the back cover, follow the same steps as for the front cover.
Create new layer and import your cover photo. For the purposes of this article, we'll assume you're using a program like Illustrator, but you should be guided by own program. Typically you need to create a new layer on top of the base layer and then select a suitable cover image.
- Look through your saved photos or search for images online. Usually, the simpler the picture, the better. If necessary, you can later change your background color scheme so that it matches the selected image.
- Select Import Image, resizing it to your template if necessary. Typically this action is performed by dragging the image.
- If you want to replace a lost cover, you can find and save such an image from the Internet, and then import it into the program. In this case, skip the following steps and go straight to printing.
Add text. Add another layer on top of the image and create a text box on the cover. Use additional fonts, select the size and color scheme to match your image. Typically, text is added only for the album name and artist, or you can make it even simpler by writing “Cool remix from Seryoga” on a disc with your own music. You can do without text at all to make the cover look as artistic as possible.

Watch your boundaries. During printing and cutting to size, there is a chance that the edges of the cover will get a little damaged, so it is better to place the important elements of the cover closer to the middle. Try not to place anything important closer than 5mm from the edge.

Print the cover. Please ensure that the cover dimensions you require are met when printing. Select Print Preview to ensure all dimensions are correct before making a physical copy.
Print on special, durable paper. Such paper can be purchased at art stores or in the office. The cover paper is perforated on the edges to make it easier for you to separate the front and back covers.
- You may need to reconfigure your printer.
- You can also use regular printing paper if you intend to place the cover in a box that is sturdy enough. She will look good enough.
Making covers with your own hands
1. Prepare the box. If you want to make a new cover for your CD box, remove the old cover and prepare the box. Remove stickers, fingerprints and other marks with a clean rag and a small amount of isopropyl alcohol.
  - You can also buy a new box for your disc. Boxes can be full-size, with space for a back cover, or thin, with only a front cover. They are usually sold in bulk. Since they deteriorate over time, it would be a good idea to buy new boxes.
2. Use quality cardboard. Select cardboard that is strong but thin enough to fit inside the box, cut to size. Use the following numbers as a guide:
  - Front cover: 120 x 120 mm
  - Back cover: 150 x 118 mm
3. Plan your cover. The image you create can be as simple or complex as you wish. Considering the songs on the disc and the images they may evoke, start looking through old magazines, textbooks, photographs, and other materials for your collage. We recommend that you first outline the boundaries of the location of different elements on the cover with a pencil as a template, but you don’t have to do this and just improvise.
  - Old textbooks can be an excellent source of the most unexpected images and drawings, which will become an excellent basis for the cover. You can buy old textbooks at a flea market or pick up discarded materials from the library
  - Try combining completely different elements to create a whimsical cover. A picture on an oatmeal box might look surprisingly cool on a punk rock CD if you cut out the eyes of everyone in the picture.
  - Having collected all the images, start gluing them with a regular glue stick. It may seem too simple, but a quality pencil or rubber cement usually works best for gluing elements to the base.
4. Decide what to do with the text. You can write out the outline of the text by hand using a pencil and then outline it with a dark marker, or you can type out individual words and glue them along with images for a more homemade look.
  - You can use stencils to create text. Stock up on stencils and stamps at your local art store.
  - Do you want a really punk version? Write a ransom note. Cut out individual letters from newspapers and magazines so you can use them to create the name of the album and band. It will look really unconventional.
5. Scan the finished image. To reproduce your homemade cover, it is best to scan the finished version, save it on your computer, and follow the instructions above. This will be much easier than trying to reproduce the finished result manually.
  - If you want to make a 3D image that includes collage and hand-crafted elements, then it is also better to scan it and print it in 2D for the box.

REVIEW OF PROGRAMS FOR CREATING DISC COVERS.

Cover-expert program

Cover-expert- one of the simplest programs (Figure 1). Download the program for free Cover Expert 1.7.237 Portable Rus It’s best to follow the link here, just by clicking on the program name Cover-expert. The specified version of Cover Expert does not require installation and installation, which does not load the system. To set the interface language to Russian, you need to go to: Options ->Language ->Russian.

Figure 1. Cover-expert program

ProgramQuick 3 DCover

The program is distinguished by the fact that it allows you to create many design options for book covers, CD boxes, discs, even placing images on the screen of a monitor, phone, etc. In addition, you can create very high-quality large 3 D images from high resolution, suitable even for printing. The program interface and work in it are intuitive and do not cause any difficulties (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Quick 3D Cover main page

REVIEW OF PROGRAMS FOR CREATING DISC COVERS.

Cover-expert program

Figure 1. Cover-expert program

ProgramQuick 3 DCover

The program is distinguished by the fact that it allows you to create many design options for book covers, CD boxes, discs, even placing images on the screen of a monitor, phone, etc. In addition, you can create very high-quality large 3 D High resolution images, even suitable for printing. The program interface and work in it are intuitive and do not cause any difficulties (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Quick 3D Cover main page

Review

Steps

Cover printing

Making covers with your own hands

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