Create DVD/VHS covers and labels

[MrTemplar]

Hello!

I'm not sure if this is the proper category for posting this sort of question.

I want to scan old VHS covers and then process, adapt and print them to use as DVD covers. Can anyone tell me if there are any dedicated software or any other multi-purpose software suitable for this task?

I own a Canon Canoscan 9000F scanner which is bundled with Scangear, Silverfast SE and Elements 8 and I also noted that Nero 10 has a feature for creating media covers/inserts. But I haven't got the time to explore every possible software available so I thought I'd look in this forum to see if anyone's got any ideas on how to procede.

Has anyone used any of the above mentioned softwares for this purpose?

Cheers!

[guns1inger]

Cover XP Pro has been around for ages and does the job

[hech54]

Since the end spline on a VHS cover is at least twice as wide as the end spline on a DVD cover...you WILL need to edit (cut, crop paste etc etc)the VHS cover scan to get a DVD cover. So if you can't do that....you cannot accomplish what you want to do.

[MrTemplar]

Yes, I realize that could be an issue. Do you think Coverxp Pro has features to solve this problem?

[hech54]

I've used stuff like UnderCoverXP and MultiCoverPrint to print....but never saw any kind of editing features in them. You are not going to find some magic button to convert a VHS cover to a DVD cover for you. You will need to make your own from pieces of the original VHS cover.
There are templates out there that you can use as a base....then you can paste stuff over top of the template...but as i said that will require knowledge of cutting, cropping and pasting in photo editing software. There is no way around it......and you probably already have basic photo editing software on your computer right now.

[MrTemplar]

You're right; I have Elements 8, Silverfast SE and Canon's Scangear installed. Don't know if I can scan the covers directly into either Silverfast or Elements and then process the images.

I briefly tried to scan a cover using scangear, but I wasn't satisified with the way the colours where reproduced.

I haven't been able to familiarize myself with these softwares enough to get a grip of all features, though.

I think I will use the trial period to evaulate coverxp pro...

[likwid8]

I think CoverXP is perfect for when you want to have it printed to the right dimensions all around. If you want to make it ready for DVD from the scan, your best bet is to find a dvd cover with guidelines, then edit the front and back from the VHS scan and paste it to the front and back of the template, crop the spine and resize it.

Upload your scan to a webhost and pm me the link, I will do a sample and send it back to you and you tell me if it works out good for you. If so, I'll show you exactly how easy it is to do it manually but fast and efficient

[lordsmurf]

This DVD Storage > Create DVD Cases in Photoshop
and this: DVD Case Artwork Blank Templates for Photoshop [DOWNLOADS]

CoverXP is crap.
Use any version of Photoshop for best quality editing. It has a trial, too.

A "make VHS to DVD" simplistic filter would distort an image, as the aspects are too different.
You see homemade bootlegs like that on ioffer/eBay a lot, and it truly looks like shit.
Reminds me of watching 4:3 content stretched to "fill the screen" on an HDTV. So stupid.

Yes, you can scan directly into all Photoshop via TWAIN. Easy.