Parental advisory labels are intended to make consumers aware of explicit content on music albums. This label needs to stand out from the album cover for easy visual access. The label is easy to create on a home computer with simple image software such as Paint which can be found on most PCs.
Open a document 600 by 800 pixels big in Paint. Adjust the size of the document in Paint by clicking on the 'Re-size' button. Make sure the size ratios are in pixels, not percentages. Un-check the 'Maintain Size Ratio' button so you can manually adjust the pixel size.
Click on the 'Fill with Color' button that looks like a bucket of red paint. Fill the background with a medium gray.
Click on the rectangle shape in the 'Shapes' box which can be found in the middle of the top toolbar. Draw a rectangle about 500 by 300 pixels wide. This will leave a thin gray border around each side of the rectangle. Click on the 'Fill with Color' button and change the color to white.
Repeat step 3 and fill the color to black. Manually adjust the borders of the rectangle by dragging one corner so a slim white border remains between the gray and black areas. This will leave a black box with a border of white and gray.
Click the 'Add Text' tool. This button is in the shape of a capital A and located next to the 'Fill Color' button. Change the font color to white. Type the word 'PARENTAL' in capital letters. Adjust the font to Arial, bold, font size 80 points. Add spacing between the letters if necessary to fit the length of the graphic.
Click off of the text box into a blank area of the image. Click the 'Add Text' tool. Type 'ADVISORY' in capital letters below the word 'PARENTAL' in font Arial, bold size 80 point, white color font. Add spaces between the letters if necessary to fit the length of the graphic.
Click off of the text box into a blank area of the image. Click the 'Add Text' tool. Type 'EXPLICIT CONTENT' in capital letters below the word 'ADVISORY' in font Arial, bold size 60 point, white color font. Add spaces between the letters if necessary to fit the length of the graphic.
Save the image as a .jpg and transfer it to your album cover. Place the advisory label in the bottom right corner of the cover.
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Writer Bio
Erica Gendler has been writing professionally for over six years. Her works were first published in 2004 in her high school quarterly newspaper, "The Warrior." She has written for the weekly college newspaper, "The Snapper," at Millersville University and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from West Chester University in 2010.
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