Get to know your Graphics Editor

Which graphics editor do you use?

Paint.net? Gimp? Adobe Photoshop?

I use Adobe Photoshop. I occasionally used paint.net, but I l just realized that I can do everything I need to in Adobe Photoshop. I find it straightforward.

Probably you have tried using Adobe but find it quite challenging. I did, at first. But after I spent time with it, I learnt how to use it quite effectively, or at least I get to do what I want.

So that is what you got to do – spend some time with your editor. Play around if you have to. It helps to read the help guidelines. Experiment. Click each little button and see what it does.  

A lot of people seat around saying they don’t have the software for designing their graphics, but that is because they do not know how much they can do with what they already have.

If you already have any of the software I have mentioned above, you already have great tools at your disposal to design brilliant graphics. All you need to do is exploit your software – see what it can really do, test its limit (after all, your software has to do the work for you, not vice versa!).

If professional graphic editors scare you, try starting out with the simpler ones.

The simplest one I’ve ever seen is Microsoft paint. I experimented a while with it and soon realized that I needed to advance higher. Just when I was on the verge of despair because I could not create the high quality graphics I needed, I can across Adobe Photoshop. It was simply amazing. I can now do so much more than I was able to do in Microsoft Paint.

Paint. Net is a good mimic of Adobe Photoshop. Once you are familiar with it, you should be able to make the transition to Adobe Photoshop or any other professional software very simply.  

The first step to using your editor like a professional  is to start off using it like an amateur. Sounds crazy, I know, but all professionals start from somewhere! I started with MSPaint.

So play around with your editor. Use every tool in the toolbox. Draw shapes. Color them. Erase them. Alter them to your hearts content. All this playing around is actually preparing you for the serious stuff; yes the time you set down to create that brilliant cover.

Call it child’s play if you want, but hey, it pays off! So don't feel shy to have a bit of fun with your graphics editor!

As they say, every journey begins with a single step. So even for you, your journey of designing stunning ebook covers begins with knowing your graphics editor.

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