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Comments
Definitely better! Nice cover there. :)
It looks great!
Thanks! Made some final adjustments:
I think I'm done with the ebook cover. Now for the print version. I'm finding that's confusing as heck, but gotta learn.
*Prepares for tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth*
TIP: Thumbnails in Photoshop
Working on something that you also need to see in a smaller version while in Photoshop?
Go to Window->Navigator to turn on the Navigator, then dock it somewhere useful. I like to keep mine in the upper lefthand corner. i've seen digital painters use this to navigate with just the tablet pen and keyboard shortcuts. Works well as a preview of a bookcover thumbnail too.
Playing with Topaz Star Effects for my twin energy shifters in the Black Kat series. Can't quite get the effect I want yet, but getting closer. The character is @DarwinsMishaps 's wonderful Iain for Michael 7, an incredibly versatile character!
Ooh, figured out how to make them more glowy. This trick is a very good way to simulate rim lighting in Photoshop. (Though I'd still prefer @Marshian 's Rim Light Rig!)
Those Topaz Star Effects are kind of tricky though. They don't always recognize the light sources and it's hard to move them to get the look I want. You can copy just the effects as a separate layer and then manipulate them, which is what I did here.
It came out SO GOOD! Wonderful work! :)
I like how the cover turned out. I've never tried doing print covers, yet, just digital. That tip about the thumbnail is nice.
Love the twins! I like the glowy effects.
The cover is really well done, I agree! And I, too, like the twins-great idea and thank you for using Iain for them!
I'm glad you all like those. I'm having a lot of fun with them. I tried applying that rim light/glowing effect to the angel cover, just to see how it would look. Not sure which way I like better yet:
Digital Paper as Backgrounds
I'm continuing to play with backgrounds and backdrops in Photoshop. Sometimes you don't need a whole set, just a texture or something behind the subject. I've found that many of the textures in our DAZ libraries work well since they're seamless tiles already. It's easy to make them into a pattern to apply to anything.
I used a background from one of Ron's packs for the twins above, and there's an entire thread dedicated to free backgrounds here.
Another option is digital paper. There's a ton of them out there, some free, some not. I found some wonderful ones on Etsy for very affordable prices with commercial licenses. Many are for scrapbooking but work great for portraits and I think would work well as elements on book covers too. Often the same stores are much more expensive at Creative Market, not sure why. So if you find an artist on one, check to see if they're on the other. And see if they have a Facebook page. Often they'll offer really good discount codes and coupons there.
Here's a render with a seamless grungle fabric tile from Origin Digital Curio. She's got a wide variety of digital papers in her Etsy store and great coupons on her Facebook page. I put the entire image through an aged painting effect in Topaz Impressionist just for fun. I'll post some more examples soon.
The title is looking a little faded in the middle. I'd keep the title on the top layer that way it doesn't get partially obscured by any effects that you add to the image. Other than that it looks really good! Beautiful work, Llynara!
The guy looks really realistic in that render. What character is that?
Thanks, Diva! It was easily fixed. I've looked at it so many times, I forgot to check to see if it got faded. I appreciate the reminder!
I'm working on the guy and gal for a cover called "The Rogue", still playing with ideas. He's Nico for M4 with some Shimuzu head morphs. She's default V4 shape with MRL Nevara skin (Rendo). NGS Anagenesis 2 works great on Generation 4. Sometimes it makes them a tad red, but adjustments to the skin settiings in DAZ and in Photoshop can fix that.
From Dimension-Z:
Sometimes there's nothing left to reduce, so using some cool filters in Photoshop and taking the saturation down slightly helps too.
I really like the fact that the sword is going through the curl on the last letter (don't ask me why I focused on that, I have no idea lol). But I really like it. The Ian twins look awesome!
Thanks, IceDragon!
Anagord Characters
FYI- Anagord's store is on sale for 60% off over at Rendo. She has some great and unusual characters, as well as gorgeous textures for some of the more popular outfits from DAZ and Rendo. I think I now own 24 of her gals. She does take coupons, so if you're a Prime member, you can get many of her best characters for under $5. They all work with DAZ. She has G8F, G3F and V4s. Many of the V4s come with Iray and Superfly mats, making them wonderful versatile across programs. Here's a few of them I've rendered. I've got so many more that I need to do. Click and zoom in for more details.
Famke for G3F/V7
She has some crazy makeup options that are very dramatic and downright spooky. She'd be great for Gothic and Halloween renders. Here she is with just her basics on. I was testing PhilW's hair shaders and decided to use her. Her body is a bit exaggerated, but definitely a fun character!
Rania for G3F
I love her features. She makes a perfect Snow White type.
Audrianna for G8F
Great features and makeup options
Rachel for V4
I love her doll-like appearance, plus the fact that I can render her in Iray or Superfly. The lighting is a bit flat in this one. Was testing DM's set, Sancturio as well as an older spellcaster outfit (can't remember the name of it at the moment.)
And this is Anna for G3F, once of my favorite characters. I've used her a few times now.
Here she is on a book cover mockup:
I love the title font, but it's not as readable as I would like. Will probably change it out.
I just picked up her Stefania character for G8F the other day. I had a coupon, and a $5 gift certificate so she was just under $2.50. She does have gorgeous characters.
I haven't grabbed that one yet. She comes out with so many, I'm amazed at her speed. Keep an eye out, about once a week or so, at least one of her characters goes into Prime Flash for $3.75. I've picked up quite a few that way.
I will do that. There is another vendor who does a lot of Prime who has gorgeous characters too. I have picked up a lot of hers especially V4 for $3.50. I will have to look and see who it is. They have some fabulous make up lol.
Edited - one of them Maddelirium the other Seven
I love both of those vendors and have a lot of their characters. You really can't beat the price, and with Cayman's products, their unique skins can be used on newer generations. GenX2 will get most of their morphs over as well.
Here's another cover I'm working on. I like how it's coming out, though I worry it's too simple, like it's missing something. Not sure what else to add yet.
That's beautiful Llynara. I don't know, somtimes, simple is what's needed. It really focuses on the characters.
Agreed-I like this version.
Thank you both so much for your feedback. Sometimes I'm second guessing myself as I find my way through this process. I've always had a strong voice when I write, but finding it artistically, especially when the work is being sold, is new to me.
Another one done and my new watermark. My goal was to get three ready to put up, then work on the print versions. I'm there! Woohoo!
Wow your covers are just breathtaking! Love the last one.
Thanks, xmasrose! It's both terrifying and exciting at the same time, LOL
These are SO GOOD! You're getting better and better! Your covers are so lovely!
Thank you, Diva! I've got them up on my site here: http://www.llynara.com/product-category/premade/
But now I have to switch from art to techie and go tweak some of the webstore stuff. Ugh, brain's gonna hurt going from one side to the other like that, LOL