AgentGoodspeed

MJW, that makes a lot of sense. Thanks! I guess my problem was that I was working only with text on an otherwise empty layer. But using an entire image really showed me what I was missing. So now I'm off to experiment

I've downloaded/installed this yesterday and played around a little. However, I'm sad to say that… I don't get it. Could somebody please give me a hint about how to use this? I mean, should it be used on the layer with your text? Or above it? Underneath it? I've figured out that you need to copy your image/texture on the clipboard but I can't get any of these cool result. At best I got the outline of my text with the clipboard image as a background Any tip would be appreciated!

Thanks, both of you! You've given me a lot of great avenues to explore and it's making a lot of sense I shall get to work forthwith!

I hope I'm posting in the correct section of the forum. And I realize this is more a general question about graphic design than specifically about PDN, but I'm trying to improve my skills. So I'm wondering what are good tricks of the trade to visually represent movement and action. I don't want to go with the comic book route of lines and trailing, but I wonder if there are basic principles I can follow for this. Thanks!

I'm finally playing around with this plug-in and it's great! Good job, I see many potential masterpieces with this

I'm not sure, you should ask in the plug-in thread for more precise advice; I haven't really played with this plug-in to its full potential. I will say that playing with the angles as well as Opacity and Diffusion Factor will give you different effects. I think it also helps when your object is right at the bottom of the canvas (note my example above) otherwise the shadow goes pretty much underneath.

I have version 4.0.5 and the latest version of the plug-in I linked to above as well and it works for me. As I said, if your image is large it is going to take some time so you have to be patient and let the plug-in do its thing. Also, the object you want to apply a shadow to must be on its own layer, this is very important. If it isn't, it won't work. Play with the settings to make sure the shadow moves to where you want it to be.

Try the Shadow Effect plug-in. It's a little slow on large images but it does a great job. http://forums.getpaint.net/index.php?/topic/1900-shadow-effect-plugin-updated-for-40-on-2015-03-23/

The actually is easiest way would be to draw black rectangles (fill mode) over the text you want to remove. Do it on another layer just to make sure, in case you don't get the result you were expecting. So, step-by-step it would be: 1- Create a new layer. 2- Click the Shapes tool. 3- Click Fill Mode, just to the right of where it says Rectangle on top (to the left of brush width). 4- Making sure your primary color is black, draw a rectangle over unwanted text. Repeat as needed. 5- Flatten and save.

I offer a heartfelt thank you for these two plug-ins! I was frustrated beyond words that I had to rely on a third party program to do this (pixlr) but I've played with these plug-ins last night and they do exactly what I want in PDN

I think it's because your watermark layer is much bigger than the image you want to paste it on. Resize your watermark much smaller and paste it on a second later again.

no, it's part of the basic package. Just thought it was a quick way to do it without any special plug-ins.

I feel stupid suggesting this because it sounds almost too easy, but what about the following? Using Line/Curve, make a thick line (holding the shift key to make sure it's straight), and make sure that on top (next to the pixel size) you select ROUNDED for the edges.

Sure thing, Renee. PM me your email address and I'll send you the PDN file so you can add your name to the document, or whatever else you want to add.

Once upon a time, like 15 years ago, I was using a piece of software that was bundled with a printer I'd bought. I think it was called Adobe Photo Essentials or something. I was using it to make very low-tech collages. A few years later, I switched computers and operating systems and suddenly the software didn't work anymore. I went on the prowl for a replacement and came across PDN. And I absolutely hated it! I couldn't get used to how different it was and gave up almost instantly. Fast forward to 2011 when I began self-publishing. I bought my very first cover but at $400 a pop it wasn't a sustainable business plan so I dusted off my copy of PDN and gave it another shot. This time I actually made an effort to learn not only the software but the basics of design now I enjoy it a lot.

Désolé Sorry if I offended you, definitely wasn't my intention. The important thing is that you are happy with the cover you end up going with. Good luck with your project.

Was that the concept you were going for? Is it supposed to be retro or something for kids? If it is, fine. Otherwise, if it's supposed to be a serious book (we talked about Dan Brown in another thread), well the amateurism shows. I was a new author at one point and my early covers were really terrible. But I want to stress that the importance of the cover cannot be understated. People do judge your book by its cover. There are many designers available and some have premade covers available for as low as $25. I don't want to be brutal or impolite but this is something I wished someone had told me when I started publishing. Here are two great links, great primers for designing book covers: http://www.creativindie.com/8-cover-design-secrets-publishers-use-to-manipulate-readers-into-buying-books/ http://www.jasongurley.com/blog/?category=DIY+book+cover+design In the meantime, I've whipped up a little something in under 30 minutes just to give you an idea of how you can turn your concept into something more dramatic and striking.

Look at Dan Brown covers for inspiration, there's a similar vibe.

Thanks! Just noticed there is an introduction thread, I'll make a post!

Thank you, EER! Are you sure Ms. Scarlet didn't have anything to do with it? There are rumors… I love doing these tutorials; they spur me to improve my book covers. Did one today which is probably among my better ones. Perhaps one day I'll share

I just wanted to drop in to say thanks to Ed for this plug-in pack. I've been using Paint.Net for several years but I specifically signed up to the forum today because I needed the search function to see what was going on with some of the effects like color tint. Now all is well

Hello everyone! This is my first post (I looked to see if there was a requirement to make a formal introduction to the forum but I couldn't find anything). Anyhow, since I like following tutorials in my free time I thought I would show the results of one as a way to introduce myself. Please let me know if I've made a faux pas. PS: Nice tutorial, FotoFactory!