[cover on top]
Step 1: Open a canvas of dimensions 512x800.
Step 2: From the texture pack provided [click on the external link] open up the first fabric texture and resize it to fill up the whole canvas.
Step 3: Next, create a new empty layer. Now, open up the two paint splatter PNGs provided in the pack [NOT AS A LAYER, BUT SEPARATELY]. Then, go to Edit - Select Pixels. Once you do that, you'll see dotted lines all over the image outline. Then, click on Edit - Define Brush. Do this for both the paint splatter PNGs. Now, if you click on the brush tool and go to the box where you can choose your brush size and stuff (on the top left hand corner), then you'll see that both these paint splatters too have been included in that box. Click on one of them and change the colour of the colour palette to any colour of your choice. In my case, I used the colour codes cc7c97 and 7cc8cf.
Step 4: Come to the new empty layer you just created and, after adjusting the splatter brush size to your liking, just press the brush somewhere in the middle of the canvas. You'll see that the splatter effect has been created. Do this how many ever times you want; mix and match colours, brushes, etc.
Step 5: After this, open your model onto your canvas as a layer. I've lost the original model I used, so I suggest you use your own. Resize the model if needed and place him/her in the middle of the canvas, on top of the paint splatters. After this, in the layers panel, right click on the layer of the model and select 'Add layer mask'. The entire picture of the model will now disappear.
Step 6: Open the 'X' symbol PNG from the pack, SEPARATELY, AND NOT AS A LAYER and do the same steps mentioned in Step 3.
Step 7: After this, make sure that you're still on the layer of the model, a press this X brush onto the place where your model was once seen. You'll see that part of the model can be seen and that the 'X' shape is sort of embedded into the model. Make sure that your model's face is seen, if not, undo the action and do it again.
(I hope that the above step made sense; I kind of had trouble putting the instructions to words >.<)
Step 8: Once you're happy with everything, add the text. Make sure that you text suits the colour scheme you picked. I used Coolvetica for 'colors' and Futura for the subtitle and author name.
Step 9: I haven't added a lighting texture to this one, but you can if you like. [Although I highly suggest you don't; it doesn't suit the look of the cover.]
That's it; you're done! :D
Also, now that this tutorial is over, I would just like to mention something really important.
Now, as much as I love posting these tutorials and helping you guys out, I've seen some people copy these tutorials word to word and then sell it to other people claiming it as their own imaginative work. Now, don't get me wrong. These tutorials are made for you guys to try out and improve your cover skills and you have every right to copy these and sell it to other people. You can even claim it as a cover you made yourself but, please do not claim these as your own imaginative work. I've seen certain people do this and it kind of makes me sad because I put a lot of time and effort into thinking these out, making them, and then finally typing it out for you guys. You are 100% free to try these out, sell the covers you made from these tutorials to others, and say that you made them yourself. But please, do not claim that the idea was yours. You can take inspiration from my covers and then make a whole new different looking cover and say that it was your idea but please, don't copy my tutorials word to word and then say that it was your idea. I know that this makes me sound really mean and bitchy and stuff, but I really put in a lot of effort into these so it kinda hurts when people claim the ideas as their own. I just really needed to get this off my head.
Thank you and I hope you liked this tutorial! :)
