Help

What you are doing in this step:

In this step you'll create your book cover. If you feel more comfortable with the old cover creator click the 'use the old cover designer' link at the top of the page. If you want some help with your cover check out the Lulu services! Click here if you need help with our "old" Lulu Cover Designer.

Changing Background Color

1. Click the 'Background' tab, coloring options will appear.
   
2. To the left of the color boxes are thumbnails of the front, spine, and back cover. Click the thumbnail for the cover part you wish to edit.
   
3. Change the background by clicking a color box, using the color eyedropper to pull a color from an image or choose from the color themes.
   

Choosing a Theme

1. Click the 'Themes' tab, available themes will be displayed.
   
2. Choose a theme by clicking on its thumbnail. Your cover will automatically update and the thumbnail will be highlighted in orange.
   

Choosing a Layout

1. Click the 'Layouts' Tab, available themes will be displayed.
   
2. Click the front or back cover and layouts for that cover part will display.
   
3. Click the layout thumbnail you want to use and your cover will update.
   

Adding Pictures to your Project Images

1. Click the 'Add Images' button, options for adding images will appear.
   
2. Upload images from your computer by clicking the 'Upload' button. A window will appear to select images from your computer.
   
3. Choose the image you would like to use and click 'Select', image(s) will appear in the project images box.
   
4. Upload images from one of the available photo sites by clicking on the logo for that site.
   
5. Click the 'Authorize' button on the popup and sign into your account for that site.
   
6. Allow Lulu access to your images and close that window.
   
7. Click the finish button, available images will be displayed in sets/albums.
   
8. A set can be added by drag and dropping the set thumbnail into the 'Project Images' box.
   
9. Click on a set's thumbnail to view all the images in that set.
   
10. To view an image click on the thumbnail for that image.
    
11. Click the 'Add to Project Images' button to add an image.
    
12. Click 'Back to Images' to return to the other images.
    
13. Click the 'Close Image Browser' button to return to your cover.
    

Adding Pictures to Your Cover

1. An image can be added to any part of the cover with a gray camera.
   
2. An image can also be added to the background by dragging and dropping it onto the background.
   
3. Clicking on an image will allow you to rotate, mirror, zoom, or reposition the image.
   
4. Remove an image fromyour cover by draggin and dropping it off of the cover.
   

Adding and Editing Text

1. Editable text areas highlight when you move your cursor over them.
   
2. Click in the highlighted area and the cover creator will zoom in on the text and a toolbar will appear.
   
3. Select the text you want to edit and change the font, font size, font color, bold, italics, underline and whether it is centered, right, or left justified.
   

Other Tools and Options

1. Save your progress at any time by clicking the 'Save' button.
   
2. Undo and redo actions by clicking the 'Undo' and 'Redo' buttons.
   
3. Zoom in or out, by clicking the zoom button and clicking the plus or minus magnifying glass. Fit the cover back to the original size by clicking fit.
   
4. The part of the cover that will be trimmed in the printing process has a transparent white layer over it. To remove this click the 'Hide Crop' button.
   
5. Click the 'Preview' button to view your cover before making a print-ready file.
   
6. When you are happy with the way your cover looks and are ready to move on to other steps in the publishing process click the 'Make Print-Ready Cover' button.
   
7. Lulu will make your print-ready file. You can navigate away from this page at any time and the cover will continue to convert.
   
8. Download your cover to review it by clicking the page with the green arrow on it.
   
9. Click 'Save & Continue' to move on to the next step.
   

Upload Your One-Piece Cover

1. Click the 'One-piece cover (advanced)' button.
   
2. Create your cover to the specifications listed above the upload form.
   
3. Select your file from your computer or select a file from 'My Lulu Files'.
   
4. When the file has been added to your project, an image of your cover will appear above the file specifications.
   
5. Click the 'Save & Continue' button to finish and go to the next step.
   

Advice

We've found that the more customized a cover is the better the book sells. We recommend customizing your cover in a way that reflects your book and distinguishes it from other books.

Barcodes

Lulu adds barcodes to some covers. Click here for more info.

Last updated: 2009-11-18 09:50:38 | Back to top

What are you doing in this step?

In this step you'll set up the cover of your book. This step is broken into three tabs, Themes, Backgrounds & Pictures, and Text. For full control of your cover click the 'One-Piece Cover (advanced)' button to create and upload a PDF to the specifications found on that page. If you want some help your cover check out the Lulu services! Click here if you need help with our "new" Lulu Cover Wizard.

Selecting a Theme

1. Click the 'Themes' tab, available themes will be displayed.
   
2. Choose a theme by clicking on its thumbnail. A pop-up will appear confirming that you want to apply the theme. Click 'Accept' to apply the theme to your cover.
   

Changing your background color

1. In the 'Backgrounds & Pictures' tab click on the square next to 'Color:' at the top of the tab. A color picker will pop up.
   
2. Choose a color by selecting a hue (color) from the ring and a brightness from the square. Then click 'Accept'.
   
3. To independently change the color of the front, back, and spine of your cover, uncheck 'Use a Single Color' on the left side of the color box.
   
4. The box will then split into individual color boxes for the front, back and spine of your cover. Coil and saddle books do not have spines.
   

Changing your background pictures

Background images will cover up background color.

Upload an image

1. Click the 'Edit Picture' icon corresponding to the part of the cover you want to change.
   
2. Add an image from your computer by clicking the 'Upload A File' button.
   
3. Click 'Browse' to select a file from your computer, then click 'Upload'.
   
4. To use the image click 'Accept.
   
5. To upload a different image click the 'Use A Different File' button.
   

Use a stock image

1. Click 'Browse the Lulu Gallery' and the Lulu Image Gallery will appear. (By default you see covers that are an appropriate size and shape (tall, square, or wide) for your project.)
   
2. Choose an image by clicking on the thumbnail. A larger thumbnail and details about the image will replace the gallery.
   
3. To use the image click 'Accept.
   
4. To select a different image click the 'Use A Different File' button.
   

Changing Text

1. Click the 'text' tab to edit how the Title, Author name, and Description appear on the cover.
   
2. Click the tab for the part of the cover (Front Cover, Back Cover and Spine (if Perfect Bound) you want to edit.
   
3. Click in the box with the text you want to edit. Type. Click outside of that box and the cover will update.
   
4. Select a font from the drop-down menu at the top of the tab and your cover automatically updates.
   
5. Click on the color box next to the font drop-down. Choose a color by selecting a hue (color) on the wheel and a brightness on the square.
   
6. Change the font and font color for each block of text on your cover by clicking the 'Use a Single Font & Text Color' checkbox.
   
7. Select a font or font color from beneath each text area.
   
8. When you've gotten your cover looking the way you want,click the 'Make Print-Ready Cover' button.
   
9. Click the 'Save & Continue' button to finish and go to the next step.
   

Upload Your One-Piece Cover

1. Click the 'One-piece cover (advanced)' button.
   
2. Create your cover to the specifications listed above the upload form.
   
3. Select your file from your computer or select a file from 'My Lulu Files'.
   
4. When the file has been added to your project, an image of your cover will appear above the file specifications.
   
5. Click the 'Save & Continue' button to finish and go to the next step.
   

If you are using Publisher Grade paper, Lulu will add a barcode to your book (do not add your own).

Advice

We've found that the more customized a cover is the better the book sells. We recommend customizing your cover in a way that reflects your book and distinguishes it from other books.

Common problems

• Images must be 300dpi (dots per inch) to print well. If the image you upload does not have a high enough resolution we'll let you know.
• Full Bleed/Trimming - Make sure that you provide enough Margin/Safety area so that something important doesn't get cut off because covers are trimmed after they are printed. We recommend .25 inches from the edges of the cover and spine.
• Files without embedded fonts or images - For Lulu to print the cover as you designed it you need to give us the fonts and images you want us to use. You can do that by embedding fonts in your document. See embedding fonts help for more details.
• Files with transparencies - Transparencies in PDFs cause washed out colors or white blocks. Flatten all layers before converting to a PDF or set compatibility mode to Acrobat 4 when converting to PDF.
• Barcode - Lulu adds barcodes to some covers. Click here for more info.

Last updated: 2009-11-18 09:48:11 | Back to top