book 1 finished, created some images for the cover, working towards publishable
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docs/plans/2026-03-09-book1-cover-design.md
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# Book 1 Cover Design — "The Lattice Walker"
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**Date:** 2026-03-09
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**Book:** The Unbreakable Curse (The Shade Series, Book 1)
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**Target:** Amazon KDP (eBook + Print on Demand)
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**Generation Tool:** Stable Diffusion (SDXL recommended)
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---
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## Final Concept
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**"The Lattice Walker"** — A waist-up, three-quarter rear view of a lean man in a worn dark leather coat. He stands before (and partially within) a massive cracked golden runic lattice that floats in the air around him, representing his Flaw Sight ability perceiving the structural weaknesses in magical workings. Behind him, the Drenwick dockside cityscape is visible but blurred — moody, fog-shrouded, lantern-lit. The palette is deep midnight blue with rich gold magical accents and subtle warm highlights from dock lanterns.
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**Why this works at thumbnail:**
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- Strong silhouette (dark figure against glowing gold lattice)
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- High contrast color scheme (deep blue + gold)
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- Simple focal point (one figure, one magical element)
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- Genre-readable at a glance (dark fantasy / urban noir)
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---
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## Final Generation Details
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**Original generation:** `images/book1-cover.jpg` — 3238 x 5181 px (JPEG, sRGB)
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**Expanded (1:1):** `images/book1-cover-expanded.jpg` — 4096 x 4096 px (JPEG, sRGB)
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**Print-ready base:** `images/book1-cover-print.jpg` — 3375 x 5181 px (JPEG, sRGB)
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**Model:** Pro model (platform-selected), **cinematic** style setting
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**Upscale:** Ultimate Upscale (4x)
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**KDP Readiness:**
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- **eBook cover:** Use `book1-cover-expanded.jpg` — crop from 4096x4096 to ~2560x1600 portrait ratio, then add text overlay
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- **Print cover (6x9 with bleed):** Use `book1-cover-print.jpg` — canvas extended 69px per side with matched dark blue (bleed zone), 3375x5181 meets KDP spec. Add text overlay directly
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**Final Positive Prompt Used:**
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```
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A waist-up three-quarter rear view of a lean slim man with an average unremarkable build wearing a weathered matte dark leather coat, creased and travel-worn, standing before a massive cracked geometric runic lattice floating in the air, interconnected runic nodes forming a web-like magical grid with visible fracture lines and stress cracks, glowing golden fault lines, deep midnight blue atmosphere, blurred dockside cityscape in the background with fog and dim lantern light, moody noir lighting, dark fantasy book cover art, cinematic composition, volumetric lighting, golden magical glow illuminating the figure from the front, rich color palette of deep blues and golds, highly detailed, professional fantasy illustration, dramatic atmosphere, painterly style, concept art quality
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```
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**Final Negative Prompt Used:**
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```
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text, title, words, letters, watermark, signature, logo, frame, border, face visible, front-facing, cartoon, anime, chibi, cute, bright colors, pastel, cheerful, daytime, sunny, photorealistic photograph, 3d render, plastic, smooth skin, multiple people, weapons drawn, blood, gore, nudity, deformed hands, extra fingers, mutated, disfigured, blurry subject, low quality, jpeg artifacts, cropped, out of frame, pentagram, pentacle, star of david, hexagram, occult symbol, summoning circle, shiny leather, glossy leather, muscular, bulky, broad shoulders, heroic build, buff
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```
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---
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## Original Prompts (First Iteration)
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The prompts below were the initial versions. See "Final Generation Details" above for the prompts that produced the selected image.
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---
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## Stable Diffusion Prompts (Original)
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### Positive Prompt
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```
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A waist-up three-quarter rear view of a lean man wearing a worn dark leather coat, standing before a massive cracked golden runic lattice floating in the air, glowing magical sigils and runes with visible cracks and fracture lines, deep midnight blue atmosphere, blurred dockside cityscape in the background with fog and dim lantern light, moody noir lighting, dark fantasy book cover art, cinematic composition, volumetric lighting, golden magical glow illuminating the figure from the front, rich color palette of deep blues and golds, highly detailed, professional fantasy illustration, dramatic atmosphere, painterly style, concept art quality
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```
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### Negative Prompt
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```
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text, title, words, letters, watermark, signature, logo, frame, border, face visible, front-facing, cartoon, anime, chibi, cute, bright colors, pastel, cheerful, daytime, sunny, photorealistic photograph, 3d render, plastic, smooth skin, multiple people, weapons drawn, blood, gore, nudity, deformed hands, extra fingers, mutated, disfigured, blurry subject, low quality, jpeg artifacts, cropped, out of frame
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```
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---
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## Recommended Generation Settings
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| Setting | Value | Notes |
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|---------|-------|-------|
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| **Model** | SDXL 1.0 or Juggernaut XL | SDXL models handle composition and lighting better |
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| **Resolution** | 832 x 1216 | Portrait ratio close to 6x9 KDP cover proportions |
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| **CFG Scale** | 7-8 | Balances prompt adherence with artistic freedom |
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| **Sampling Method** | DPM++ 2M Karras | Good for detailed fantasy illustration |
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| **Steps** | 30-40 | Higher steps for finer detail |
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| **Seed** | Random initially | Lock seed once you find a good composition |
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| **Clip Skip** | 2 | Standard for SDXL |
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### KDP Final Dimensions
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After generation, the chosen image will need to be upscaled and formatted:
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- **eBook cover:** 2560 x 1600 px (minimum 1000 x 625 px)
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- **Print cover (6x9 trim):** 3375 x 5175 px at 300 DPI (includes bleed + spine — spine width depends on page count)
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- **Format:** JPEG or TIFF, RGB color space
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---
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## Iteration Tips
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### Composition Adjustments
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- If the figure is too centered, add `rule of thirds composition, off-center subject` to the positive prompt
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- If the lattice is too small, emphasize with `enormous runic lattice filling the frame, intricate magical grid`
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- If the background is too sharp, add `shallow depth of field, bokeh background` to the positive prompt
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- If the coat doesn't look worn enough, try `weathered leather coat, creased, travel-worn`
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### Color & Mood Adjustments
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- For deeper blues: add `prussian blue, indigo shadows, deep navy atmosphere`
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- For warmer gold: add `amber glow, warm golden light, burnished gold runes`
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- For more noir feel: add `film noir lighting, deep shadows, chiaroscuro, high contrast`
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- For more fantasy feel: add `ethereal glow, mystical atmosphere, arcane energy`
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### Lattice / Flaw Sight Adjustments
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- For more visible cracks: `fractured magical barrier, spiderweb cracks in glowing runes, shattered magical grid`
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- For more intricate runes: `complex runic inscriptions, detailed magical symbols, geometric arcane patterns`
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- For the "seeing flaws" effect: `glowing fault lines, stress fractures in magical energy, luminous weak points`
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### Common Issues & Fixes
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- **Face showing (unwanted):** Reinforce `rear view, back turned, looking away from camera` in positive; add `face, portrait, front-facing` to negative
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- **Too many figures:** Add `single figure, solo, one person` to positive
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- **Text appearing in image:** Strengthen `no text, no words, no letters, no title` in negative
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- **Too bright/cheerful:** Add `dark, moody, somber, muted` and remove any warm-toned words that might be pulling the palette
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- **Lattice looks like a cage/prison:** Adjust to `floating runic lattice, open magical grid, translucent glowing framework`
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### Workflow Recommendation
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1. **Batch generate** 8-12 images with the base prompt to find good compositions
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2. **Lock the seed** on the best composition
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3. **Iterate on details** — adjust prompt weights, add/remove descriptors
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4. **Upscale** the final image using an SDXL upscaler or img2img at higher resolution
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5. **Post-process** in image editor: add title text, author name, series branding, and adjust for KDP specs
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---
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## Text Overlay Plan (Post-Generation)
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The generated image is the background only. Title and author text should be added in an image editor (Canva, Photoshop, GIMP, Affinity Designer):
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- **Title:** "THE UNBREAKABLE CURSE" — large, top third of cover
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- **Series tag:** "THE SHADE SERIES" — smaller, above or below title
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- **Author name:** Bottom of cover
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- **Font style:** Clean serif or semi-serif with slight fantasy feel — avoid overly ornate fonts that lose readability at thumbnail size
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- **Text color:** White or light gold with subtle outer glow/shadow for readability against the dark background
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docs/plans/2026-03-09-book1-cover-gimp-overlay.md
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# Book 1 Cover — GIMP Text Overlay Guide
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**Date:** 2026-03-09
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**Related:** `docs/plans/2026-03-09-book1-cover-design.md`
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---
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## Setup
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### Files to Use
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- **Print cover:** `images/book1-cover-print.jpg` (3375 x 5181 px)
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- **eBook cover:** `images/book1-cover-expanded.jpg` (4096 x 4096 px — crop to ~2560 x 3840 portrait first)
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### Fonts to Install (All Free — Google Fonts)
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- **Cinzel** — title font (top pick, bold serif with fantasy/classical feel, readable at thumbnail)
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- **Cinzel Decorative** — optional for series tag if you want slight flourish
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- **Cormorant Garamond** — alternative, more literary feel
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- **EB Garamond** — alternative, classic book feel
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Download from https://fonts.google.com and install system-wide or drop into `~/.fonts/`
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---
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## Layer Structure
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Create layers in this order (top to bottom):
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1. **Author Name** — text layer, bottom of cover
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2. **Series Tag** — text layer, above or below title
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3. **Title** — text layer, top third of cover
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4. **Glow/Shadow Effects** — duplicate text layers with blur for readability
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5. **Cover Image** — base layer (the generated art)
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---
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## Text Placement — Print Cover (3375 x 5181)
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### Title: "THE UNBREAKABLE CURSE"
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- **Font:** Cinzel Bold
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- **Size:** ~200-240px (adjust until it fills ~80% of the width with comfortable margins)
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- **Color:** White (#FFFFFF) or light gold (#F0D48A)
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- **Position:** Centered horizontally, top ~15-20% of the image (y ~600-800px)
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- **Letter spacing:** Slightly expanded (+2 to +5) for authority
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- **Lines:** Can be one line or split as "THE UNBREAKABLE" / "CURSE" — test both
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### Series Tag: "THE SHADE SERIES"
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- **Font:** Cinzel Regular (or Cinzel Decorative)
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- **Size:** ~80-100px
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- **Color:** Gold (#D4A843) or muted warm white (#E8DCC8)
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- **Position:** Centered, just above the title (~50-80px gap)
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- **Letter spacing:** Wide (+5 to +10) for a refined look
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### Author Name
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- **Font:** Cinzel Regular
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- **Size:** ~100-130px
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- **Color:** White or light gold, matching title
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- **Position:** Centered, bottom ~8-12% of image (y ~4600-4800px)
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- **Letter spacing:** Slightly expanded
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---
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## Glow/Shadow for Readability
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The background is dark but has bright lattice elements. Text needs to be readable over both.
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### Method: Drop Shadow + Outer Glow
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1. **Right-click text layer → Alpha to Selection**
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2. **Select → Grow** by 3-5px
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3. **Create new layer below text**, fill selection with black (#000000)
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4. **Filters → Blur → Gaussian Blur** at 8-15px radius
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5. **Set layer opacity** to 60-80%
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6. Repeat with a larger grow (8-12px) and larger blur (20-30px) at 30-40% opacity for a soft outer glow
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### Alternative: Filters → Light and Shadow → Drop Shadow
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- Offset X/Y: 0/0 (centered shadow, not directional)
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- Blur radius: 10-15
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- Color: Black
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- Opacity: 70%
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---
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## eBook Cover Crop
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Before adding text to the eBook version:
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1. Open `book1-cover-expanded.jpg` (4096 x 4096)
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2. **Image → Canvas Size** — set to 2560 x 3840 (or similar ~2:3 ratio)
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3. Center the layer, crop evenly from sides
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4. Flatten, then add text layers as above (adjust font sizes proportionally — roughly 60-75% of print sizes)
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KDP eBook ideal: 2560 x 1600 minimum. A 2560 x 3840 gives you plenty of resolution.
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---
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## Export Settings
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### Print Cover
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- **File → Export As** → JPEG
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- Quality: 95-100%
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- Ensure RGB color space (Image → Mode → RGB)
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- Final: 3375 x 5181 px at 300 DPI (Image → Print Size to set DPI)
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### eBook Cover
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- **File → Export As** → JPEG
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- Quality: 90-95%
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- RGB color space
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- Final dimensions per your crop
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### Save GIMP Project
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- **File → Save As** → `.xcf` format to preserve layers for future edits
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- Save as `images/book1-cover-print.xcf` and `images/book1-cover-ebook.xcf`
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---
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## Thumbnail Test
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Before finalizing, shrink the image to ~150 x 225 px and check:
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- Is the title readable?
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- Does the figure + lattice silhouette still read clearly?
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- Does it look like a fantasy book?
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If the title is hard to read at thumbnail, increase font size or boost the glow/shadow.
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