T
trax
New member
How do you make a cd cover?
T
TimOBrien
New member
With an art program like Photoshop or Illustrator. Some of the duplicating companies even have template files for you to use to get the layout and sizes right.
The rest is up to your skill and imagination.
The rest is up to your skill and imagination.
K
kevin45
New member
Adding to the last reply
It helps if you have a decent printer and glossy paper. Digdgital photo equipmemt helps too. Or, take all your stuiff to a copiers store.
TimOBrien said:
It helps if you have a decent printer and glossy paper. Digdgital photo equipmemt helps too. Or, take all your stuiff to a copiers store.
FattMusiek
New member
After you design it, I would take it to a music store like Guitar Center for their CD duplicating deals.
Rimshot
New member
There are SO MANY ways that you can do it. I am a visual artist by trade by day and a "mad drummer" home-rec'er by night.
You can of course create an entire cd cover on one of the Adobe programs digitally. There are some wonderful type and text options on Photoshop. These programs are somewhat mindless but require a certain amount of training a a little bit of skill to work effectively.
If you have a bit of creativity and skill, you can create an actual painting, collage, photo montage, drawing, etc. to scale (I recccmmend 200%) then do a laser scan and reduce it to size.
It is always better for clarity and definition to work much larger and reduce when you're working by hand. You can also scan it into your computer and bring it up as a backgound and then arrange your titles and text from here. Or you can do it the old fashioned way of cut and paste (actually cutting and pasting with scizzors and rubber cement. That's where the current term comes from. That's how we used to do it over 25 years ago.) Or if you want hand lettering, you can do it directly on your original.
Depending on how many you want done, you can either run them yourself on a color copier (slow and expensive) you can run them on coated stock through your printer (slower and more expensive) you can have it done in bulk at a processing lab, or you can go to a large commercial print house and have a short run (500 copies) done in 4 color separation (about $200 if you negotiate) The commercial printing house will trim to correct size and fold for you for a small additional fee.
You can also buy a package at a dub house which will dub all of your cd's provide jewel boxes, print on the cd and produce the graphics and printing of the insert (cover). You pay for all of that, but when you buy the package it is more reasonable. You can cut costs a bit by providing repro ready graphics and text art.
You can of course create an entire cd cover on one of the Adobe programs digitally. There are some wonderful type and text options on Photoshop. These programs are somewhat mindless but require a certain amount of training a a little bit of skill to work effectively.
If you have a bit of creativity and skill, you can create an actual painting, collage, photo montage, drawing, etc. to scale (I recccmmend 200%) then do a laser scan and reduce it to size.
It is always better for clarity and definition to work much larger and reduce when you're working by hand. You can also scan it into your computer and bring it up as a backgound and then arrange your titles and text from here. Or you can do it the old fashioned way of cut and paste (actually cutting and pasting with scizzors and rubber cement. That's where the current term comes from. That's how we used to do it over 25 years ago.) Or if you want hand lettering, you can do it directly on your original.
Depending on how many you want done, you can either run them yourself on a color copier (slow and expensive) you can run them on coated stock through your printer (slower and more expensive) you can have it done in bulk at a processing lab, or you can go to a large commercial print house and have a short run (500 copies) done in 4 color separation (about $200 if you negotiate) The commercial printing house will trim to correct size and fold for you for a small additional fee.
You can also buy a package at a dub house which will dub all of your cd's provide jewel boxes, print on the cd and produce the graphics and printing of the insert (cover). You pay for all of that, but when you buy the package it is more reasonable. You can cut costs a bit by providing repro ready graphics and text art.
EddieRay
#?
I've had good luck with MediaFACE by NEATO. It lets you create covers, inserts and labels using templates. You can find labels and inserts at most computer stores. I think downloaded the MediaFACE software. Try www.neato.com
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
The CD burning software usually has a cd cover layout, [plus disc label], section.
Like, f/i, Adaptec Easy CD Creator,... has all that.
You use the software to lay out the design of the cover, text & graphics, then print to heavy paper, [I use 67lb cover-stock], then cut out with an exacto knife and a ruler/straight-edge, on a plastic cutting board.
If you want inside and outside cover art/text, then you'd make two layouts, and print the same cover stock twice, [er,... uh,... print once & flip it over, & print the second side].
Cutting the cover out of the cover stock is easy, and you'd want to 'score' the center spine of the cd cover, so it folds in half nice & neat as can be, with a crisp, straight folded edge.
That sounds easy, eh?
Like, f/i, Adaptec Easy CD Creator,... has all that.
You use the software to lay out the design of the cover, text & graphics, then print to heavy paper, [I use 67lb cover-stock], then cut out with an exacto knife and a ruler/straight-edge, on a plastic cutting board.
If you want inside and outside cover art/text, then you'd make two layouts, and print the same cover stock twice, [er,... uh,... print once & flip it over, & print the second side].
Cutting the cover out of the cover stock is easy, and you'd want to 'score' the center spine of the cd cover, so it folds in half nice & neat as can be, with a crisp, straight folded edge.
That sounds easy, eh?
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Stealthtech
LOGIC ABUSER
I've been using Sure Thing CD Labeler for years. And if you have a digital camera the possibilities are endless.
Seanmorse79
New member
I'd use an image program for your images, and a layout program for the layout - you'll have less problems if you use the right tools for the job. I've used Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop for image work, and Pagemaker 7 for the layout - especially if you're sending it out for printing. ....The printing press won't be able to print registration marks, crop marks, calibration bars, knockouts, etc... if you give them a MS Word file to work with.
dobro
Well-known member
Like Reel, I use Adaptec EZ CD Creator for the cover. That bit's easy (although I didn't figure out how to do that flip-it-over-and-print-it-on-both-sides thing he mentioned, cuz I couldn't figure how to get the damn thing centred correctly so that the overlap was exact).
I use NEATO for the CD labels. That bit's easy but it's the most expensive part.
I use an old wordprocessing program for the lyric insert that goes inside the cover. That's the finicky bit. I had to figure out how to rotate text and juggle margins so that the flip-and-print-on-both-sides thing would work.
I printed everything out on my printer. Cheap.
It would be nice if there was one program that did it all: covers, inserts, labels. I don't think there is one, is there?
I use NEATO for the CD labels. That bit's easy but it's the most expensive part.
I use an old wordprocessing program for the lyric insert that goes inside the cover. That's the finicky bit. I had to figure out how to rotate text and juggle margins so that the flip-and-print-on-both-sides thing would work.
I printed everything out on my printer. Cheap.
It would be nice if there was one program that did it all: covers, inserts, labels. I don't think there is one, is there?
tjohnston
New member
If your music is top notch audio quality why not go for a top notch look. A real graphic artist with professional equipment can do a better job. I found a graphic artist that said, "I can do it for 800 dollars." I think that she misjudged my social class. Anyway I found one that will do it for 100. By the way somebody should post some samples of their artwork!
Seanmorse79
New member
Here's one I did.
http://www.thealligators.com/
The CD's titled "Ain't Nothin' But Love"
The cover's simple, but that's what they wanted.
I've done 2 others, but don't have the images or links handy.
http://www.thealligators.com/
The CD's titled "Ain't Nothin' But Love"
The cover's simple, but that's what they wanted.
I've done 2 others, but don't have the images or links handy.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Gosh, you had to ask! Well, here goes nothin'!
These were all done on Adaptec Easy CD Creator, [now known as "Roxio...]. It handles text, images, layout & printing, all, right out of the box.
dobro- Pls PM me after viewing this thread. Thx/DA.
====================
OKAY, Here's what became known as
"The Davemania Collection: Dave Anthology CD1",
aka "Davemania", ca. 2001/2.
100 copies/ea, handmade.
====================
HOLY BAD FOCUS!
Note: Whatever blurriness you see in the following images, it's in the photo reduction-to-web, and not the original cover image.
Trust me. /DA
These were all done on Adaptec Easy CD Creator, [now known as "Roxio...]. It handles text, images, layout & printing, all, right out of the box.
dobro- Pls PM me after viewing this thread. Thx/DA.
====================
OKAY, Here's what became known as
"The Davemania Collection: Dave Anthology CD1",
aka "Davemania", ca. 2001/2.
100 copies/ea, handmade.
====================
HOLY BAD FOCUS!
Note: Whatever blurriness you see in the following images, it's in the photo reduction-to-web, and not the original cover image.
Trust me.
/DAAttachments
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Need I say, that there were 100/ea of these CD4's!
Remember,...
I shot out OVER 400 CDs, that's OVER 100 of these 4-CD sets,
WORLDWIDE, BABY!
==============
Okay, here's the CD4 INSIDE cover art.
Note: Like dobro said, when you flip and print the other side, the registration is almost never exact, but it works for me.
Remember,...
I shot out OVER 400 CDs, that's OVER 100 of these 4-CD sets,
WORLDWIDE, BABY!
==============
Okay, here's the CD4 INSIDE cover art.
Note: Like dobro said, when you flip and print the other side, the registration is almost never exact, but it works for me.
Attachments
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
UNRELEASED: Title is self explanatory. Would be a 4th CD addition to the prev 3CD set
... believe it or not!
PS: The UNRELEASED 4-cd set of 2003, [Alt-Anth & NBT!], was intended to parallel the first 4-cd set of 2001/2, in overall design.
... believe it or not!
PS: The UNRELEASED 4-cd set of 2003, [Alt-Anth & NBT!], was intended to parallel the first 4-cd set of 2001/2, in overall design.
Attachments
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