User Guide

Project Name:

Click the project name field to rename your design. Changes save automatically.

Format Selection:

• Ebook: Front cover only, standard digital dimensions
• Audiobook: Square format for audio platforms
• Paperback: Full wrap with spine calculation
• Hardcover (Case): Board book style with spine
• Hardcover (Dust Jacket): Wrap with adjustable flaps

Trim Size:

Select from KDP preset sizes (e.g., 6" × 9") or create custom dimensions. Unit toggle switches between inches, centimeters, and pixels.

Page Count & Paper Type:

For print formats, enter your book's page count (24-828) and select paper type (white, cream, color). The Smart Spine Calculator automatically adjusts your cover width.

Overlay Toggles:

• Bleed: Shows the 0.125" bleed zone (red tint)
• Trim: Shows where the book will be cut (dashed line)
• Safe Zone: Shows the safe area for text/important elements (blue line)
• Guides: Shows custom alignment guides (cyan lines)

Preview Mode (Cmd/Ctrl + ;):

Hides all overlays for a clean preview of your final design.

Undo/Redo:

Navigate your design history with undo/redo buttons or keyboard shortcuts (Cmd/Ctrl + Z / Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z).

Help Menu:

Access the help menu (? icon) for guided tours and this user guide. Options include:

• Take Tour: Interactive walkthrough of the Design Studio features
• User Guide: Opens this comprehensive guide in a new tab

Elara - AI Assistant:

Click the sparkle icon to access Elara, your AI design consultant, for real-time design suggestions and guidance.

Account Menu:

Access your profile settings and account options via your avatar in the top-right corner:

• Account Settings: Update profile, change password, manage account
• Contact Us: Send messages to the BookCoverly support team
• Log Out: Sign out of your account

Load:

Load a previously saved project file (.bc format) from your local computer.

Clear:

Clear the entire canvas to start fresh. This action cannot be undone, so use with caution.

Save Menu:

Multiple save options to preserve your work:

• Save Project: Download project to your computer as a .bc file
• Save as Template: Save current design as a reusable template
• Publish as Global Template: (Admin only) Share template with all users

Export Menu:

Export your finished design in various formats:

• PNG (Print Ready): 300 DPI, RGB format
• JPG (Print Ready): 300 DPI, RGB format
• PDF (Print Ready): 300 DPI with bleed for professional printing
• PDF (Web / Ebook): 72 DPI, trim size only for digital use
• Front Cover Only: Isolated front cover for marketing materials

Generate complete book cover concepts powered by AI. Simply describe your book, and the AI will provide:

• Visual Concepts: Detailed descriptions of cover designs tailored to your book
• Color Palettes: Harmonious color schemes with hex codes you can copy
• Typography Suggestions: Font pairing recommendations for titles and text
• Mood & Genre Notes: Guidance on visual tone and genre conventions
• AI-Generated Images: Four unique visual concepts rendered as images you can drag directly onto your canvas

Tip: Click any generated image to add it to your canvas, or use the color palette hex codes to match the suggested scheme.

Set your canvas background color using the color picker. Supports solid colors or transparent backgrounds (checkerboard pattern).

• Genre Templates: Pre-designed starting points for Romance, Thriller, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Non-Fiction, and Memoir
• User Templates: Your saved custom templates
• Global Templates: Community-shared professional templates

Note: Templates designed for print formats auto-adapt when loaded into ebook/audiobook projects.

Access curated, categorized images designed by our own studio, perfect for book covers. Organize uploaded images into custom folders for easy access.

Add text elements with one click. Includes:

• Predefined styles (Title, Subtitle, Author, Body)
• Access to 100+ Google Fonts
• Custom font upload support (.ttf, .otf, .woff, .woff2)

Search millions of high-resolution images from three sources:

• Pexels: Free commercial-use stock photos
• Pixabay: Royalty-free images and graphics
• Met Museum: Public domain historical art and paintings from The Metropolitan Museum of Art collection

Draw shapes directly on the canvas. Available shapes include rectangles, circles, ellipses, triangles, diamonds, stars, hexagons, octagons, hearts, arrows, and lines.

Tip: Hold Shift while drawing to constrain proportions. Hold Alt to draw from center.

Generate EAN-13 barcodes for print covers. Enter your 13-digit ISBN and optional 5-digit price code (e.g., 51999 for $19.99 USD, or 90000 for no price).

Upload your own images, logos, or graphics. Drag and drop files or click to browse. Organize uploads into folders for better management.

Properties Tab

Edit attributes of selected elements. Properties change based on element type:

Layers Tab

Manage your design's layer order (z-index). Features include:

• Drag and drop to reorder layers
• Eye icon to toggle visibility
• Lock icon to prevent accidental edits
• Quick layer selection

Layout Tab (Dust Jackets Only)

For hardcover dust jackets, control flap dimensions:

• Left flap width (default 3.0")
• Right flap width (default 3.0")
• Link/unlink flaps for synchronized adjustment
• Visual fold line indicators on canvas

Select any image on the canvas and use the Right Panel to apply:

• Color Filters: Invert, hue rotation, saturation, and brightness adjustments
• Tint: Apply a color overlay with adjustable opacity
• Blend Modes: Multiply, screen, overlay, darken, lighten, color-dodge, color-burn, difference, exclusion, and more

• Scroll wheel to zoom in/out
• Hold Shift + drag to pan
• Hold Space + drag to pan
• Use zoom controls at bottom of canvas
• Click "Fit to Screen" to center your design

Horizontal and vertical rulers help with precise placement:

• Drag from rulers to create alignment guides
• Drag existing guides to reposition them
• Drag guides back to ruler to delete them
• Elements snap to guides automatically (10px threshold)
• Switch ruler units between inches, cm, and pixels

Press Cmd/Ctrl + ; to toggle preview mode. This hides all overlays, guides, and selection handles for a clean view of your final design.

Element Manipulation

• Select: Click an element to select it
• Multi-select: Hold Ctrl/Cmd and click additional elements
• Move: Drag selected elements to reposition
• Resize: Drag corner handles (hold Shift to maintain aspect ratio)
• Rotate: Use rotation input in Properties panel
• Duplicate: Alt + drag or Cmd/Ctrl + D
• Delete: Press Delete or Backspace key

Text Editing

Double-click any text element to edit it directly on the canvas. The text editor supports:

• Multi-line text with line breaks
• Click positioning for cursor placement
• Press Escape to finish editing
• Auto-wrap based on text box width

Auto-Save to Cloud:

Your work is automatically saved to your account as you design. No manual save required for cloud storage.

Save Locally (.bc file):

1. Click "Save" in the top bar
2. Choose a location on your computer
3. File saves as [ProjectName].bc format

Tip: Local saves preserve your project state including canvas data, guides, and all settings.

Load from File:

1. Click "Load" in the top bar
2. Select a .bc file from your computer
3. Project opens with all elements intact

Save as Template:

Turn any design into a reusable template:

1. Click "Save as Template" in the top bar
2. Name your template
3. Choose a category
4. Access it later from the Templates tab

Export Formats:

• PDF (Print): High-resolution 300 DPI with full bleed for print-on-demand services
• PDF (Web): Optimized 72 DPI for digital distribution and previews
• JPG: Standard image format for web use and social media
• PNG: Lossless format with transparency support
• Front Only (JPG): Exports just the front cover, cropped to trim size

Export Process:

1. Click "Export" in the top bar
2. Select your desired format and quality
3. File downloads automatically to your default folder

Note: PDF exports include embedded ISBN barcodes as vector graphics for perfect print quality.

Print-Ready Guidelines:

• Always use PDF (Print) at 300 DPI for professional printing
• Ensure all important text/graphics are within the safe zone
• Extend background elements into the bleed area
• Double-check ISBN barcode accuracy before printing
• Review final PDF at 100% zoom for quality assurance

Platform-Specific Tips:

• Amazon KDP: Use PDF (Print) format, upload full wrap file
• IngramSpark: Use PDF (Print) at 300 DPI with embedded barcode
• Social Media: Export Front Only as JPG for quick sharing
• Website Preview: Use PDF (Web) or JPG for faster loading

Q: My text isn't wrapping correctly

A: Adjust the text box width in the Properties panel. Text wraps based on the width setting. For better control, manually insert line breaks by pressing Enter.

Q: How do I ensure my spine text is readable?

A: Keep spine text within the yellow safe zone guides. For books under 79 pages, the spine may be too narrow for text—focus on front and back covers instead.

Q: Can I use the same design for ebook and print?

A: Yes! When you load a print template into an ebook project, BookCoverly automatically crops to show only the front cover. You can also manually export "Front Only" from any design.

Q: My barcode isn't generating

A: Ensure your ISBN is exactly 13 digits (remove hyphens). The price code is optional but must be exactly 5 digits if included. Example price codes: 51999 = $19.99 USD, 90000 = no price printed.

Q: How do I match my ebook cover to my print cover?

A: Create your print cover first, then save it as a template. Load that template into an ebook format project—it will automatically extract the front cover portion.

Q: Where are my exported files saved?

A: Exported files (PDF, JPG, PNG) download directly to your browser's default download folder. The Downloads Library (accessible from the Top Bar help menu) also keeps a history of your exports within BookCoverly for easy access across sessions.

Q: Why won't my file export?

A: Export requires a stable internet connection and may take a few moments for high-resolution print files (300 DPI). If an export seems stuck, try refreshing the page and exporting again. Also check that your canvas contains at least one element — an empty canvas cannot be exported.

Q: What's the difference between Save and Export?

A: Save creates a .bc project file that preserves all layers, guides, and editable elements — perfect for continuing work later. Export creates a final flattened image file (PDF, JPG, or PNG) ready for publishing or printing. Think of Save as your working file and Export as your finished product.

Q: What if I need help or have a feature request?

A: Your feedback shapes our roadmap. Reach out through the contact information provided in your welcome email or use the Contact Us option in your Account Settings.