In the Spotlight
Tips for preparing your tale for submission:
You may have always wanted to create a children’s book or comic book, and maybe you’ve even written or drawn some parts of it already – but how can you get it from there to being finished and ready for publishing as an e-book on Everytales.com?
Here are some suggestions:
If your images are already digital, then you’re already way ahead of the game. Just add text to them (see tips for how to do this below) then save them out as JPGs, GIFs or PNGs, and submit them!
But how do I get my images into the computer if I’ve drawn them on paper?
1 - Scan it in with a digital scanner that will save the image file to your computer (or bring it to a place like Kinkos where they can do this for you, or find a friend with a scanner!). Digital scanners are available for as little as $50 and are easy to install. The scans don’t need to be hi-quality since it’s just for web anyway: 72 dpi will be fine, and this will keep the file size down too. However, if it’s something you’d like to get printed later you might want to scan it at a higher quality, like 300 dpi.
Or
2 - Photograph it with a digital camera then import the photos to your computer. You may have to do some experimenting with your photo settings to get it looking good. For best results try to photograph it in bright even lighting, without a flash. Also, you may want to try a “macro” setting (usually a flower symbol on the camera) if you are focusing in close up.
How do I add text to the images and prepare them for uploading to everytales.com?
Once you have the images on your computer, you may still want to add text to them. Ideally you would want to use an image editing program (see below for more about this) but it is also possible to prepare your tale with everyday office programs:
Follow these links for a step-by-step process for preparing your tale for Everytales using:
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
What image editing software do I need to edit/add text to existing images, or create new digital images directly on the computer?
There are 2 basic types of image editing software: Raster and Vector. If you’ve photographed or scanned your images in then you’ll most likely want to use one of the raster based programs for editing it.
On the other hand, if you plan to draw it digitally on the computer, the program you use may depend on your drawing style. If your style uses bold, simple cartoon-ish or graphic shapes, (like Powerpuff Girls) then a vector based program will likely be best for you. If your drawing is more organic, realistic or painterly in style (Like Winnie the Pooh) you’ll probably want to use a raster based program.
Click here for a list of image editing programs.
If you are prepared to make an investment, and want to draw in a painterly style on the computer, then I highly recommend using and wacom pen and tablet in conjunction with Corel Painter or Adobe Photoshop. The tablet is pressure sensitive, and the pen allows for more natural hand movements, like real painting.
NOTE: Remember that even though you upload each page separately, Everytales will display the pages side-by-side in pairs, except for the first page you upload, which is used as the cover.
This means that you could easily save your text pages from one program, such as word, then supply images from another source, such as photos from your camera. Just upload them in alternating order, for example the left side page could always be text and the right side page could be image. (Though don’t forget the first page you upload becomes a cover that stands alone).
Now what are you waiting for? Go get started!
PS - If you have any feedback or additional info you think this article needs I welcome your comments.
OTHER SPOTLIGHT ARTICLES
Tips for preparing your tale for submission
How to prepare your tale using Microsoft Powerpoint
How to prepare your tale using Microsoft Word
Image Editing Programs
Making Stories Short and Cute
Share your tale and be eligible to win $500!
Paola Opal, Creator of Everytales
You may have always wanted to create a children’s book or comic book, and maybe you’ve even written or drawn some parts of it already – but how can you get it from there to being finished and ready for publishing as an e-book on Everytales.com?
Here are some suggestions:
If your images are already digital, then you’re already way ahead of the game. Just add text to them (see tips for how to do this below) then save them out as JPGs, GIFs or PNGs, and submit them!
But how do I get my images into the computer if I’ve drawn them on paper?
1 - Scan it in with a digital scanner that will save the image file to your computer (or bring it to a place like Kinkos where they can do this for you, or find a friend with a scanner!). Digital scanners are available for as little as $50 and are easy to install. The scans don’t need to be hi-quality since it’s just for web anyway: 72 dpi will be fine, and this will keep the file size down too. However, if it’s something you’d like to get printed later you might want to scan it at a higher quality, like 300 dpi.
Or
2 - Photograph it with a digital camera then import the photos to your computer. You may have to do some experimenting with your photo settings to get it looking good. For best results try to photograph it in bright even lighting, without a flash. Also, you may want to try a “macro” setting (usually a flower symbol on the camera) if you are focusing in close up.
How do I add text to the images and prepare them for uploading to everytales.com?
Once you have the images on your computer, you may still want to add text to them. Ideally you would want to use an image editing program (see below for more about this) but it is also possible to prepare your tale with everyday office programs:
Follow these links for a step-by-step process for preparing your tale for Everytales using:
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
What image editing software do I need to edit/add text to existing images, or create new digital images directly on the computer?
There are 2 basic types of image editing software: Raster and Vector. If you’ve photographed or scanned your images in then you’ll most likely want to use one of the raster based programs for editing it.
On the other hand, if you plan to draw it digitally on the computer, the program you use may depend on your drawing style. If your style uses bold, simple cartoon-ish or graphic shapes, (like Powerpuff Girls) then a vector based program will likely be best for you. If your drawing is more organic, realistic or painterly in style (Like Winnie the Pooh) you’ll probably want to use a raster based program.
Click here for a list of image editing programs.
If you are prepared to make an investment, and want to draw in a painterly style on the computer, then I highly recommend using and wacom pen and tablet in conjunction with Corel Painter or Adobe Photoshop. The tablet is pressure sensitive, and the pen allows for more natural hand movements, like real painting.
NOTE: Remember that even though you upload each page separately, Everytales will display the pages side-by-side in pairs, except for the first page you upload, which is used as the cover.
This means that you could easily save your text pages from one program, such as word, then supply images from another source, such as photos from your camera. Just upload them in alternating order, for example the left side page could always be text and the right side page could be image. (Though don’t forget the first page you upload becomes a cover that stands alone).
Now what are you waiting for? Go get started!
PS - If you have any feedback or additional info you think this article needs I welcome your comments.
OTHER SPOTLIGHT ARTICLES
Tips for preparing your tale for submission
How to prepare your tale using Microsoft Powerpoint
How to prepare your tale using Microsoft Word
Image Editing Programs
Making Stories Short and Cute
Share your tale and be eligible to win $500!
Paola Opal, Creator of Everytales
http://everytales.com/inthespotlight.php?ID=29
