Hello wattpaders! Please remember that these tips are for making simple covers only. If you would like to have more complex and beautiful covers, please visit another cover tutorial, thank you. So, shall we start with the tips? 😉

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[ I c e z ' T i p s ]

1. Apps

[ Pixellab, Picsart, Background eraser, Pinterest ]

- I use PixelLab the most. The simple decorations like border and fonts are edited here. It has a lot of simple functions for beginner editor like me.

- I use Picsart to edit the background pic if I have certain theme that I want. And if you see some sprinkle shiny things on my cover, it comes from PicsArt. It has a lot of functions to edit picture but you need skill. But well, practice makes perfect!

- Before this, I use mr. google to search for pics but Pinterest is a better choice. It has a lot of pictures and nice illustrations to be used as cover. But there are also a not so good quality pictures, so you need to choose carefully

- Background eraser is used to make png images. I use it quite often to make my little decorations like a feather, wings or crown. The cleaning is not so perfect based on the pictures quality. So I would rate this app 4/5. But still, it is easier to make png images using this app.
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2. Background pics

- Do not use bad quality picture. The pictures doesn't have to be hd, but please avoid bad quality pictures. By bad quality, it is the picture pixels or you can call it as a kinda blurry pictures. But most pictures in pinterest are already good quality. So you just need to choose for the suitable ones.

- If you would like to make simple covers without using PicsArt, search for simple pictures. Don't take a chaotic picture if you are not used to organize the fonts colour and position. Chaotic pictures have a lot of small details and it can be hard to combine it with the fonts if you are new in editing art.

[Simple Picture]

(This is a hd and simple picture that I found in Pinterest)

[Chaotic Picture]

(I prefer that you guys try avoid these kind of picture as a beginner. We learn slowly from the bottom okay? 😉)

- Some pictures are hd but for me, it is not suitable to be used as a cover picture. So on this tips, you need to use your instinct. But for those who are pro, they can use those types of pictures as they know how to edit professionally.

- Plus, the size of wattpad cover is 512×800. Please remember this.

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3. Fonts
(I see that some people have a sense of choosing nice picture but a bit lack in choosing the fonts including myself sometimes)

- Do not use stroke function too much. Stroke on the fonts can make your cover looks bad if you are lacking sense of art just like me. If you see most of the novels cover in bookshop which is kinda weird, it is mostly because they are using stroke. Stroke are usually used to make the fonts visible from the background pic. But instead of using stroke, you can use another functions like shadow and emboss. If you still want to use stroke, don't make it too thick.

[With stroke]

[With shadow]

(You can see the difference between these two pictures using two different functions for the font. For me, the first picture looks a bit comical and I don't want that. So I use shadow in the second picture to keep the cover looks hd.)

- Choose the most suitable fonts to match the theme of your cover. Some people make mistakes when they are not choosing the right fonts. You can't just use casual font for a horror story. It doesn't match. You can't use too romantic fonts for a strong fantasy. For this tips, you need a little bit of art sense to know if it is suitable or not. The types of font that you use determined the first impression of your book's theme.

(In Musica, it has a mellow and musical theme. The title font for the first picture doesn't match the theme thus it is not suitable. The second picture's title font has more musical theme and it is not too curly as Musica is a bit deep story)

- Fonts colours. Honestly, I lack a lot on this too so I don't really have a tips for this. But first, please remember to choose a colour that makes your fonts popped out from the background pic. If the background most colour are red, don't use the same kind of red for your title fonts (don't make your cover look bad like my Twins cover hehe). You need to practice a bit to matchmaking the font colours.

- Position. Don't put your title font on too much details section in the picture. Try to put it on an emptier section of the pic.

- Avoid using regular fonts used for a typewriting on your book title.

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4. Decoration

- Ripped paper or faded colour. These two can be used for a chaotic picture or if you don't know where is the suitable position for your title fonts.

[Faded colour? Not sure what it is called.]

(I don't know where to put the title fonts on the original picture but I don't want to change the cover picture. So, I use the faded colour decoration to be make as background place for the book title. For the ripped paper, you can refer to the first cover request redo page. In Exquisite cover, I use both ripped paper and this faded colour if you notice.)

- Shapes can be use to make your cover a bit merrier. Some pictures are empty and if you want to make it merrier, add some shapes.

[ Without decorations ]

[With decorations]

(As it looks a bit empty in the first cover, I add some geometrical shapes to make it look merrier as Tiny Love is a light romance story.)

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I guess, that's all for me in this tips section. If you have any questions, please ask in the comment and if it is too much, I may explain it more in details in the second part. Hope you can understand a little bit of my complex explanation to make simple covers. Hope these tips will help you. The last tips of course will be keep practicing and never give up. Good luck!