Ready-made flow · Glossy covers with a masthead, lead story and cover lines
AI Magazine Cover Maker
Idyllic's AI magazine cover maker turns a magazine name and a cover story into glossy covers: an editorial cover shot, a big masthead, the lead story with a kicker, an issue line and four cover lines down the side. Add a photo to put yourself, or someone who said yes, on the cover. Every word stays editable in Canvas.
- Size
- 1600×2100 px, portrait
- You get
- 3 covers (up to 4) + the cover shots without type
- Image model
- FLUX 3
- Cost
- 36 credits for 3 covers, on Plus
- Kinds
- Fashion, Business, Lifestyle, Travel, Food, Tech, Music, Fitness
Real output · no retouching
One brief.
3 results.
- Magazine name (one short word works best)
- Verve
- Cover star and lead story
- A young chef who turned a food truck into the hottest table in town
- Kind of magazine
- Fashion
How to make it
Four steps, about a minute of your time. These are real screens from the run above.
- 01
Name the magazine
Type the magazine name (one short word works best), describe the cover star and lead story, add a cover star photo if you want a real face on it, pick the kind of magazine and choose up to four covers.
Open the flow
- 02
Watch the issue come together
The AI writer plans a different shot for each cover (pose, wardrobe, backdrop) and writes the lead headline, a kicker, an issue line and four cover lines. FLUX 3 shoots the cover photo, keeping your face if you added one, then Idyllic sets the masthead and every line in type. Preview the plan free.
- 03
Line up the covers
The finished covers sit side by side with the cover shots without type, so you can pick the strongest pose and headline.
- 04
Edit and download
Open a cover in Canvas to rewrite any line, change the masthead font, add a date or swap the accent color. Download a PNG to share, or the Large export at 3200×4200 px to print.
Why it beats
a template
Built like a real cover
The masthead runs across the top, cover lines down the left, and the kicker and lead story sit low over a dark fade, the way newsstand covers are laid out.
You on the cover
Add a photo and FLUX 3 keeps the face while it changes the pose, wardrobe and backdrop for each shot.
Cover lines that fit the magazine
The writer pitches stories that suit your kind of magazine: training plans for fitness, new openings for food, studio sessions for music. It never puts real people's names in them.
A masthead with presence
Display faces like Bodoni Moda, Playfair Display, Abril Fatface and Anton, set as real text so the name is spelled exactly as you typed it.
Gifts, pitches and mockups
Make a birthday cover for a friend, a launch cover for a brand, a school project or a mockup to pitch a new publication.
Every layer editable
144 fonts, text effects, and AI edits on the photo: change the backdrop, erase a detail or expand the frame.
What makes a magazine cover work
- Keep the masthead to one short word. Short names are set biggest.
- Eye contact with the camera makes a cover feel personal.
- Make the lead story the biggest line after the masthead, and keep it to five words.
- Pick one accent color for the kicker and repeat it once elsewhere.
- Proofread every cover line. A typo on a cover is the first thing people see.
- Ask before you put someone else on a cover, and never borrow a real magazine's name.
Magazine cover sizes and specs
| Idyllic cover | 1600×2100 px | Portrait PNG, close to the US magazine shape |
|---|---|---|
| Large export | 3200×4200 px | About 380 ppi at 8.375×10.875 in |
| US standard magazine | 8.375×10.875 in trim | 8.625×11.125 in with 0.125 in bleed |
| US Letter | 8.5×11 in | 2550×3300 px at 300 ppi, for home printing and zines |
| Instagram portrait post | 1080×1350 px (4:5) | The cover is a little taller; fit it with thin side margins |
The cover is slightly taller than a printed magazine, so scale it to the page width and a sliver trims off the top and bottom. Keep the masthead and cover lines about 0.25 in inside the trim.
Steal a brief
Each one opens the flow with the brief filled in. Change anything before you run it.
Atelier, a fashion magazine with a model in a tailored red suit for the autumn style issue
Founders, a business magazine about a potter who grew a garage studio into a national brand
Pulse, a music magazine starring an up-and-coming synth-pop singer on a rooftop at night
Summit, a fitness magazine with a trail runner after her first 100-mile race
Wander, a travel magazine about a sailor who crossed the Atlantic in a tiny boat
Byte, a tech magazine with a teenage robotics champion and her homemade rover
Mia Monthly, a birthday cover with my sister as the cover star, using her photo
Hearth, a lifestyle magazine with a couple who restored a farmhouse by hand
Crumb, a food magazine starring a baker famous for her sourdough at a Saturday market
Questions
Is the AI magazine cover maker free?
You can preview the whole flow free: real AI writing with sample images, so you can check the plan. Running it for real is on Plus ($10.50 a month, billed yearly) and uses 36 credits for three covers. The free plan also includes 3 free images a day in the image studio.
Can I put myself on a magazine cover?
Yes. Add a photo under Cover star photo and the cover shots keep your face while the pose, wardrobe and backdrop change for each cover. A clear, well-lit photo of one person works best.
Do I need a photo?
No. Without one, FLUX 3 creates an original cover star from your description of the story.
Can I make a cover of a friend as a gift?
Yes, with their photo and their OK. Name the magazine after them, describe the story you want to tell, then turn the cover lines into inside jokes in Canvas.
Can I use the name of a real magazine?
Pick an original masthead instead. A real publication's name and logo belong to its owner, and a cover that copies them can mislead people.
What size is a magazine cover?
Most US magazines are 8.375×10.875 in, plus 0.125 in of bleed on each side for print, and US Letter is 8.5×11 in. Idyllic designs in a close shape at 1600×2100 px, and the Large export is 3200×4200 px, about 380 ppi at magazine size.
What should a magazine cover include?
A masthead, a cover image, the lead story, a few cover lines that tease what is inside, and an issue or date line. Idyllic adds all five, plus a kicker over the lead story, and you can add a date in Canvas.
Make something else
Everything you can make
Your turn.
Preview the whole flow free. No credit card.