Locate the Step That Removes the Text
Compare three images: the original, the file prepared for upload, and the actual publishing preview. Distinguish incorrect lettering, type too small to read, and complete characters cut off at an edge. Fix spelling as spelling and crop loss as layout; there is no need to change the book’s genre for a crop problem.
| Location | Response |
|---|---|
| Text is incomplete in the original | Revise the lettering area, composition, or exact text for another version. A text-free background with separate lettering is also an author-selected option |
| Original is complete; exported file is cropped | Check whether export filled the canvas and cropped its edges, along with target dimensions and actual text positions |
| Upload file is complete; interface preview is cropped | Check the confirmed upload requirement and current preview frame. Revise the version for that use and inspect the real preview rather than relying on the original |
Use the creator’s confirmed delivery dimensions or official requirements at publication time. Different uses may need different versions. An unconfirmed target cannot be replaced with the skill’s default image ratio as a universal platform standard.
Why a Safe-Area Prompt Can Still Fail
story-cover requests an aspect ratio and safe lettering area in its prompt. When fixed upload pixels are needed, it also exports a resized, center-cropped upload version. Returned dimensions may differ, and lettering may not occupy the requested area. Requesting a safe area and preserving the final text are two different facts.
Filling proportionally preserves shape but crops content extending beyond the target canvas. Direct stretching can meet dimensions while distorting people and letterforms. Correct file dimensions alone do not establish a usable cover.
Inspect the region the target ratio will actually retain. Keep the title, byline, and essential subject inside it with readable space. The skill’s central safe-area instruction is a starting point; verify actual character positions rather than treating one percentage as safe for every target.
Worked Size Example: A Complete Original Can Produce a Cropped Export
This is a paper geometry exercise, with no generated image or real upload. The exercise requires a 600×800 upload file from a 1200×1800 original. These are given dimensions, not a claim about a platform’s current requirements.
Proportional filling first scales the original to 600×900, then center-crops 50 pixels from both top and bottom. A title near the original top or byline near the bottom can fall in those removed areas. Requested margins cannot substitute for checking actual positions.
| Candidate fix | Tradeoff and check |
|---|---|
| Keep the art and lay out lettering again | With a text-free background or separately editable type, move exact title and byline inside the retained region. Check for leftover old lettering. A flattened image does not provide movable type layers automatically |
| Revise composition and canvas | Specify the given 3:4 target, preserve the story’s main subject, and place lettering in an actually readable area. Check dimensions and every character again |
| Make a padded layout | If the creator accepts padding and the intended use allows it, fit the whole picture and unify background and type. This is a deliberate layout alternative; the current skill’s center-fill export does not adopt it automatically |
Save a separate upload file without overwriting the original. Inspect title, byline, and subject in the actual 600×800 version, then at the intended thumbnail size. The thumbnail should identify the title and main image; the byline must remain complete and meet the delivery need. If text is still missing, return to the step that removed it.
Preserve the Original and Check a Separate Upload Version
Identify the generated original and each size-specific export, preserving its prompt and revision notes. The skill saves numbered versions and a separate upload export. Intact text in the original does not replace checking the export.
A useful sequence is exact title and byline, dimensions and ratio, cropped edges, subject–text overlap, thumbnail recognition, and the actual upload preview. When the preview changes, inspect the version now in use instead of relying on an old screenshot.
Before generation or upload, describe the layout or export as proposed. Report complete lettering only after inspecting the actual file and current preview.
FAQ
Does a correctly sized cover guarantee the title will not be cropped?
No. An export can have the correct dimensions after already cropping lettering, and a preview can use a different frame. Check the original, upload file, and preview separately for exact text, ratio, and actual margins.
Do it with the skill
Use /story-cover in Claude Code or $story-cover in Codex with the exact title, byline, intended use, confirmed upload dimensions, output directory, and original or reference image. Identify where cropping occurs and preserve the original while saving a revised/upload version. Place lettering within the retained area, then check exact text, thumbnail appearance, and the actual upload preview. Before upload, report file checks separately from preview checks still pending.
Read the method: Safe area, upload export, and quality review · Lettering and visual style