A good cover tool will not make you a designer, but the right one makes it far easier to produce a clean, professional cover, or to build the marketing graphics that go with one. Here are ten tools self-published authors use, from free beginner options to professional software, with an honest note on what each does well and where it falls short.
The Ten Tools at a Glance
| Tool | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Canva | Free, plus paid Pro | Beginners and simple, type-led covers |
| Affinity by Canva | Free | Professional design without a subscription |
| Adobe Photoshop | Subscription | Photo-based and illustrated covers |
| Adobe Express | Free, plus paid plan | Quick designs from templates |
| GIMP | Free, open source | Photo editing on a zero budget |
| Inkscape | Free, open source | Vector graphics and title lettering |
| Photopea | Free in the browser, optional paid upgrade | Photoshop-style editing without installing anything |
| Book Brush | Free tier, plus paid plans | 3D mockups and book marketing graphics |
| KDP Cover Creator | Free inside KDP | A basic cover for a KDP-only book |
| Adobe Illustrator | Subscription | Professional vector type and illustration |
The Tools in Detail
1. Canva
Canva is the easiest place for most authors to start. It has templates, a large photo and graphics library and simple tools for type. You can set custom dimensions for an ebook cover or a full paperback wraparound, and its PDF Print download supports a print bleed. Canva's license allows its content in products you sell if the design is your own original work. Its weakness is that popular templates and stock images appear on many books, so customize heavily.
2. Affinity by Canva
Affinity, now owned by Canva, combines the former Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher into one free app for Mac and Windows. It offers professional-level vector design, photo editing and layout, which makes it a strong alternative to Adobe's subscriptions. It requires a free Canva account, and some AI features need a paid Canva plan. The learning curve is steeper than Canva's.
3. Adobe Photoshop
Photoshop is the industry standard for photo manipulation, which many fiction covers rely on: blending images, adjusting light and color and building atmospheric scenes. It is sold by subscription and takes time to learn. Most professional cover designers use it or something similar, which is a good sign of what it can do.
4. Adobe Express
Adobe Express is Adobe's simpler, template-based design tool, with a free plan and a paid upgrade. It suits quick designs and marketing graphics more than detailed cover art. Think of it as Adobe's answer to Canva.
5. GIMP
GIMP is a free, open-source image editor for Windows, Mac and Linux. It handles layers, masks and photo editing, so a patient author can build a capable photo-based cover with it. Its interface feels less polished than commercial tools, and some workflows take more steps.
6. Inkscape
Inkscape is a free, open-source vector graphics program. Vector tools are ideal for clean, scalable designs and custom title lettering, which matters for type-led covers in nonfiction and some genres. Many authors pair it with a photo editor for covers that combine images and type.
7. Photopea
Photopea runs in a web browser and works much like Photoshop, including opening layered PSD files. It is free with ads, with an optional paid upgrade. It is useful if you want Photoshop-style editing without installing software, or if you need to adjust a layered file a designer sent you.
8. Book Brush
Book Brush is built for authors. It is strongest for marketing rather than the cover itself: 3D book mockups, social graphics and ad images with genre-specific templates. It has a free tier with a limited number of downloads and paid plans that unlock more features. Use it once you have a finished cover and need images for launch.
9. KDP Cover Creator
KDP Cover Creator is built into Amazon KDP. It offers basic templates and images and produces a cover that meets KDP's requirements, which makes it a reasonable emergency option for a simple book sold only on Amazon. The designs are generic, so it rarely produces a cover that competes well in a crowded category.
10. Adobe Illustrator
Illustrator is Adobe's professional vector design program, sold by subscription. Designers use it for custom title lettering, logos for series and imprints, and illustrated covers built from shapes and lines rather than photos. Vector artwork scales to any size without losing sharpness, which suits type-led covers. Like Photoshop, it takes time to learn, and many designers use the two together.
How to Choose
| If you... | Try |
|---|---|
| Are a complete beginner | Canva |
| Want professional software without a subscription | Affinity by Canva |
| Need photo manipulation for a fiction cover | Photoshop, Affinity or GIMP |
| Want custom type and clean vector designs | Inkscape or Affinity |
| Already have a cover and need marketing images | Book Brush or Canva |
| Need something quick for a KDP-only book | KDP Cover Creator |
Whichever tool you choose, the setup for a print cover is the same: exact dimensions from your printer's calculator, a spine sized to your final page count and bleed around the edges. Our guide to designing a book cover in Canva walks through those steps in detail, and they apply in any software.
I can design your ebook and paperback cover to fit your genre and print correctly on KDP and beyond.
When a Tool Is Not Enough
Tools give you the means to make a cover; they do not give you the eye for one. A professional designer brings knowledge of genre conventions, typography and composition that takes years to build. That knowledge is most valuable when:
- You plan to spend money on ads, which send readers straight to the cover.
- Your genre relies on custom illustration, such as fantasy or children's books.
- You are launching a series that needs a consistent, recognizable look.
- You have tried a few versions yourself and none feel competitive.
A premade cover, designed by a professional and customized with your title, sits between the two options and suits many genre fiction authors. It costs less than a custom design but still carries a designer's understanding of what sells in your category.
Tips for Any Tool
- Study the bestsellers in your category before you start, and note their fonts, colors and layouts.
- Make the title readable as a thumbnail, since that is how most shoppers first see it.
- Use high-resolution images and check the license for every one before you build around it.
- Limit yourself to one or two fonts, and give the title clear priority over everything else.
- Get feedback from target readers, not just friends and family, who tend to be kind rather than candid.
- Order a printed proof to check colors, sharpness and the spine before you launch.
What Your Tool Must Be Able to Export
Before you commit to a tool, check that it can produce both files you need:
- An ebook cover image, usually a high-quality JPG. KDP recommends 2,560 by 1,600 pixels.
- A print cover PDF at exact dimensions in inches, including the spine and 0.125 inches of bleed on every outside edge, with fonts embedded and images at high resolution.
Most of the tools above can do both, but some make the print PDF easier than others. Test an export early, before you spend hours on the design, so you know the final file will be accepted by your printer.
Licensing Images and Fonts
Every image and font on your cover needs a license that allows commercial use. Free tools often include libraries with their own terms, and some fonts are free for personal use only. Keep a record of where each element came from and its license, which saves trouble if a question ever comes up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Canva is the easiest for beginners, and Affinity by Canva is a powerful free option for those willing to learn professional software. GIMP and Inkscape are free open-source alternatives.
Yes. Affinity, now part of Canva, is a free app for Mac and Windows that combines design, photo editing and layout. It requires a free Canva account, and some AI features need a paid Canva plan.
Yes, for a book sold on KDP. It is free and meets KDP's requirements, but its designs are basic, so it rarely competes well in busy categories.
Book Brush is strongest for marketing graphics and 3D mockups once you have a cover, rather than for designing the cover itself.
No. Many authors use Canva, Affinity, GIMP or Photopea. Photoshop is most useful for complex photo-based covers and is the tool many professional designers use.
If the cover will carry advertising, needs illustration or anchors a series, a professional or premade cover is usually worth it. Design tools suit simple covers and tight budgets.