What Are Mockups & How To Create One In Less Than 5 Minutes
- By Frank Morrison
- June 28, 2021
- 10:00 am
- No Comments
Mockups are visual illustrations, that demonstrate the design of a particular product, app, or website.
They are static, and non-interactive, unlike prototypes, that come with dynamic elements.
The overall layout of a mockup is based on the wireframe, which is essentially a sketch that represents the structure, and functionality.
Mockups are a great way of communicating your ideas to clients, shareholders, or investors.
We’ll discuss how to create mockups, what to pay attention to, and which tools are the best on the market.
Types of Mockups
App Mockups
App mockups help visualize the design and the hierarchy of a mobile app. They contain branded elements, such as customized fonts, color schemes, and logos.
To make them even more effective, make the buttons and other elements touchable or clickable.
Website Mockups
Website mockups are a hi-fi (high-fidelity) representation of a particular website. They give an overview of the final look of the website. In most cases, the elements of the website aren’t functioning, and they are only there for visual purposes.
If everything is perfect and no issues are spotted, the shareholders and investors will give the project a green light, and the prototyping phase can start, which is just before the final release.
Product Mockups
The purpose of product mockups is to showcase the look and the overall design of a certain product. They are often presented to clients, managers, and/or shareholders to discuss additional improvements and final touches before the product gets into the market.
5 Ways to Create Mockups
Using a graphic design software
These softwares are widely used by designers and developers, and since they are already comfortable with them, they don’t want to switch and experiment with new software. Luckily, they don’t have to, because graphic design softwares such as Illustrator, Photoshop, or Affinity Photo allow users to create mockups and prototypes, even though it’s not their main feature.
The drawback is that is it takes some time and effort to get familiar with those apps and they are typically not the cheapest options on the market.
With that said, if you don’t have any previous experience, we suggest opting for a solution like Placeit, that generates mockups in an instant.
Mockup-Specific Tools
Mockup-specific SaaS apps are a bit similar to conventional graphic design softwares. They offer advanced functionalities as well, but the main focus is, on the mockup creation process, and some tools come with built-in wireframing and prototyping functionalities
Usually, switching from Photoshop to mockup apps is not that difficult, given that they have many similarities both in terms of features and interface.
With Online Mockup Generators
Utilizing an online mockup generator may be the most beginner-friendly and time-efficient way of creating a mockup. You just simply have to upload your image, and your mockup will be ready. Later, in this guide, we’ll explain how to use these tools and show you some free and premium solutions.
Coding
Yes, you can code mockups as well. Typically it’s done in HTML and CSS, and if you’re experienced enough, you can cut down on costs and development time significantly.
However, coding mockups is something we would not recommend, unless, you know the ins and outs of programming.
Hiring A Freelancer
If you have clients expecting a mockup that’s professional and you don’t have the time, energy, or experience to create it, you can hire a freelancer and outsource it. On Upwork, you can hire experienced designers who charge an hourly rate to create your mockup, whereas on Fiverr, you’ll pay a one-time price and your order will be delivered within days.
That being said, delegating the task of creating mockups can be costly, if you’re looking for high-end service.
In most cases, however, using an online tool or a mockup generator serves just as well.
The Process of Making Mockups with Online Generators
Placeit (In Less Than 5 Minutes)
Placeit is a simple tool that allows you to create mockups, logos, illustrations, and more.
Here’s how to do it.
Head on over to placeit.net and select “mockups”.
You’ll see thousands of templates in many different categories, all you have to do is pick one. Then, you’ll need to upload a picture of the design, and based on that, Placeit will generate a mockup.
The final step is to customize additional details such as color schemes and the background, save the mockup and download it.
Sidenote: unless you’re using free templates, you can either pay a one-time price for the mockup, which costs around $7, or get a subscription for $12.95 a month.
Mediamodifier
Go to Mediamodifier.com, navigate to “mockups” and click on it.
Pick a category and simply choose a pre-made template.
From then on, you can upload your picture and make your mockup your own. Compared to Placeit, Mediamodifer comes with more in-depth customization options, such as shadows and highlights.
After you’re done with the design, it’s time to download your artwork. Mockups created in the free version will be watermarked. if that’s something you’d like to change, you’ll have to upgrade to the premium version for $9 a month.
Sidenote: The source file of the templates on Mediamodifier are available in PSD format. With the Pro plan, you’ll have unlimited PSD download files included.
Mockups in Canva
Canva is a versatile tool, that comes with many useful features. They recently integrated Smartmockups, which means you have the option to transform your designs into professional mockups with just one click. It is available both for free and premium users.
We’ll show you how to do it – we are going to use our Powell Webinar Templates as an example.
First, select your design and click on “Effects”.
Then, hover over to Smartmockups and click on “See All”.
Here, you’ll have a selection of mockups available for you. Click on whichever you like, and, your mockup will be ready.
Where to Find PSD Mockups
PSD mockups are formatted specifically for photoshop. PSD stands for Photoshop Document, a file format that was developed by Adobe, meant to use in Photoshop, however, you can use other programs to edit PSD files as well.
There are multiple different platforms where you can find these mockups, both free and premium. Here is a couple.
Designmodo market (premium)
Creative Market (premium)
Lstore graphics (free and premium)
Craftwork.design (free and premium)
Freepik (free and premium)
Psdmockups.com (free)
Mockupworld (free)
Freedesignresources.net (free)
Free-psd-templates.com (free)
Additional Platforms to check out
Apart from what we mentioned previously, we collected some additional options that can help you out.
Renderforest – a branding platform that offers features such as mockup generation, a slideshow maker, a landing page builder, and more.
Mockup.photos – a unique tool that generates mockups from Unsplash stock photos. It offers hundreds of layouts and it is available for free.
Smartmockups -Smartmockups can be used separately from Canva to create eye-catching product mockups in just a few seconds.
Artboard.studio -Artboard Studio has an Adobe-like interface and it is a more complex mockup tool in general.
Mockuuups – a Figma & Sketch integrated drag-and-drop mockup generator that comes with 900+ pre-made layouts and scenes.
Mockupbro – Mockupbro is a free forever platform that has hundreds of high-quality mockups without watermarks or any branding.
Conclusion
Presenting mockups is a great way to win over your managers and shareholders.
The visually attractive look and the subtle details are going to convince them that your project is worth the costs and the resources.
If you are a freelancer or an entrepreneur selling products online, you will need to have professional product images. Placeit’s easy-to-use interface will enable you to generate the mockups you want, so you can start making sales.
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