How do I create spines for covers?

[Megatron]

OK, this may be answered somewhere else, but I haven;t found it yet.

How do I make spines for covers, specifically get the game's title on there?  I am new to making covers.  Using the templates and photoshop I can get the front and back looking decent, but I have no idea how to get the title onto the spine.  I have tried the lasso tool, but that always leaves unwanted excess color or image around the title.  I then spend a few hours cleaning that up.  There must be an easier way.  I fully acknowledge that I am new to photoshop and barely have a clue what I'm doing, so if anyone can direct me to helpful info it would be most appreciated.

Thanks!   

[Arseen]

The magic tool helps picking up the crap, them hit delete.
then manually delete the rest.

That's how I usually do it.

[Azarkhel]

Learn to use the pen tool, google some tutorials. It's utterly integral to doing clean work.

[kaysow]

yeah i mean it's supposed to take a while when you're starting out. but anything technical you want to do, just google it to learn new techniques and your speed will eventually improve. i'll usually vectorize the logo in illustrator so i can use it anywhere i like; it's def not a quick solution but it looks great.

[sheep2001]

it's also worth googling for the logo on its own first, as chances are, someone has already done the hard work for you, or at least got it on a plain background which is easier to work with.

If not, then all of the above.  Zoom right in on the logo, and just do it little by little.

[Megatron]

Thanks for the tips so far.  It isn't the time that bugs me, it's that I didn't know the right tools.  I will try out some of the suggestions above and see how it goes.

[Megatron]

Thanks again for all the help.  Here is my first attempt using some of the above tips.  It's clearly not up to TCP standards, but everyone's gotta start somewhere.  Basically I used the genesis case template (for genesis sized cases) and cropped images from the cover on the site.  I like the pen tool and magic eraser a lot better than the other things I was using.  I still have some trouble getting all the color removed around the logo on the spine, but that will come with practice I suppose.  Also, I am not sure why, but the template has a red border around the image on the back and not the front.



Thanks again for all the help!

[kaysow]

i'll use the eraser for more complex shapes, but for logos with this blocky geometry the polygonal lasso is both faster and produces the best results.
another tip when using selection tools is to use the "select" drop-down menu. 'invert' is useful when you'd rather be selecting backwards, and 'similar' with an adjustable threshold for getting all the colors around what you're trying to single out. wouldn't work with that complex image on the front here tho.