A first time author has written his first novel - "epic science fiction" - and wants it to go on Apple Books as an e-book. He had an image he liked bearing a Google Gemini watermark, and wanted BriarsBooks  to create a front cover from it because he didn't know how to. 

The original image

His first instructions to me were that he wanted a "human" to make the cover because of the mounting backlash against AI generated content in the sci-fi community. He preferred me to work with old photos of him in his "younger years" dressed as a combatant, but leave the face because it looked like him. 

I explained that I  would probably have to combine a number of images and colorise them and refit them to his body, which may cost him anything from 5-10 times more than using AI. What he had given me was good enough and it would be much cheaper for him.

I also said I did not generate full covers with AI but only used AI to help me create portions of an image  to be integrated into a larger image by "human hand".

This seemed to settle him down. 

The cover image he gave me was the wrong aspect ratio to fit the AppleBooks specs so needed to be trimmed. However this lopped off the muzzle of the gun and an elbow. The only solution was to extend the image both upwards and outwards using generative expand in Photoshop. This made room for the title and sub-title at the top and cleared the muzzle. 

Initially he wanted the title to have fire in it. I created what he wanted using AI. He didn't like it but was ambivalent about what he did want.