Frequently asked questions

Yes. Ondine used to have paid plans: now both tools are completely free. You can save and export as many covers and images as you like.

Yes, a free account: it keeps your projects saved on our server, so you can come back and change them whenever you want. Register with your email address directly from the creator.

If you saved designs in the creator, your account is still there with all your work: sign in with the same email using "Forgot your password?" to choose a new password. The other old accounts have been closed: just register again, it takes a minute.

Just send them the address of this site, ondine.omniteca.it. Thank you!

The first thing to do is to choose your format: a paper book or an ebook for the cover, or the social network format for a storytelling image. Click on Settings, in the upper menu, to select it.

Then you can start to make your image. You can choose among the images already in our library or upload your own. Browse the Themes to find an existing design to change, or start from scratch with your own ideas. All the items are in the upper, black menu.

To start with your own image, choose a background picture if you wish, then add shapes, images and texts and personalize them as you like. There is no auto-save: every time you finish working on your project, go to File and click on Save. Your project will appear on the board every time you open the creator; to open other projects go to File and select Open.

When your cover or image is complete, go to File and click on Export. It may take a while depending on the size of the file; then you can download your JPEG image.

Of course: that's why there is the Themes menu, on the upper left side of the screen. There you find covers and images to use as starting points. If one fits your book perfectly, you can even keep it as it is and change only title and author. Just choose a design that fits the format you are going to use.

It may depend on your browser: use an up-to-date version of Firefox, Chrome, Edge or Safari. For any other problem, let us know.

Yes. Save your project first, in case you change your mind later, then go to File and select Clean: a new blank space will appear.

Yes, but be careful: changing the format changes the size of your picture. The background may become too small or too big, a border may be cut off together with some images, shapes and texts are scaled to the new proportions.

Every time you change the format, check that everything is in the right place inside the borders. It is better to choose the format at the beginning, or at the end when you want, for example, a paper version of the same cover. Save your project before changing the format, otherwise it will be overwritten.

You can choose a background from our library or upload one of yours. Click inside the image board: the borders are marked in green and the contextual toolbar shows the options. "Background" selects an image from the library, already configured to fit every format; "Colour" selects a plain colour; "Textures" offers many patterns. You can change or delete the background at any time without losing the other items.

If you upload your own picture, mind the resolution: backgrounds should be at least 1280×1080 pixels. If an image cannot be stretched to fit the borders, a message warns you that the resolution is too low. Upload only images that are yours or free of copyright.

Yes: select all the items you want to edit and a bigger square including all of them appears. You can then change size or opacity, rotate them together, or clone the whole group.

On the right side of the contextual toolbar: Forward and Backward move the object one level at a time, To the front and To the back move it all the way.

Select the item and use the little green squares that appear around it: the eight around it change the size, the one at the top rotates it. You can change the colour (or pick one from another item, or use a texture or a gradient), except for images, change the opacity, add borders and shadows. Texts can be resized at any time and there are dozens of fonts. You can also clone an item, which is useful for repeated or decorative elements.

Select the items keeping the Shift key pressed, then release it and move them.

Use gradients: select the item, click on Gradient and choose two colours and the direction of the shade. The effect appears in real time; add a shadow for an even more three-dimensional look.

Turn on the Grid in the upper menu: it helps with balanced and symmetric designs. You can also move the selected items with the arrow keys of your keyboard, almost pixel by pixel.

Yes. Click on the "Pick a color from the canvas" button on the right side of the contextual toolbar, then click on the part of the image with the colour you want. Select the item to change and choose the picked colour.

Click on "Deselect" on the right side of the contextual toolbar: the hidden item appears again and you can select it with the mouse.

Stores like Amazon or Barnes & Noble show your cover as a small thumbnail, so it should have few, big and clear items. Before exporting, zoom out as much as possible: that is what a customer will see in the store. If everything is clear, it's fine; otherwise some changes are needed.