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Create realistic mockups

Create mockups for brand identity and apparel designs by placing artwork on images of real-life objects.

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Create a mockup in a few simple steps.

With Mockup, you can easily create high-quality mockups of art on objects like product packaging, mugs, and T-shirts. When you apply vector art on a raster object, Illustrator will automatically adjust the art to fit the curves and edges of the object.  

Create a mockup

You can use either your own raster image or any of the free curated image templates from the Mockup panel to create mockups.

Create art mockups on images of apparel, digital devices, or packaging.

Create a mockup with your own image

  1. Open Window > Mockup. The Mockup panel appears.

  2. Use the Selection   tool to select the vector art and the image together, and then select Create Mockup in the Mockup panel. The vector art gets applied to the image, creating mockup.

    You'll also see a preview of your vector art on the free image templates of the Mockup panel. To work with any of them instead of your own image, drag it to the canvas.

  3. On the canvas, drag the vector art and place it in the desired location on the image. The art will auto-adjust according to the geometry of the object.

  4. Click outside the image to fix the art in its current location. To move the art again, select the art, and then select Edit Content   in the Properties panel.

Save mockup as a template for later use

To save your mockup as a template, select it, and then select   in the Mockup panel. You'll find the added template in Your Mockups in the panel drop-down. The template shows a placeholder indicating the position where you had the vector art. You can use your template just like any other curated template.

You can add up to 20 mockup templates to Your Mockups. They are accessible across Illustrator documents on your computer.

You can't directly add a mockup created in Illustrator 28.5 or earlier versions to Your Mockups. You have to release the mockup and create it again.

Create a mockup with a free image template

  1. Open Window > Mockup. The Mockup panel appears.

  2. Use the Selection   tool to select the vector art and then select Preview Mockup in the Mockup panel. You'll see a preview of your vector art on the free image templates of the panel.

  3. Select the template category for your specific application from the panel drop-down.

  4. Once you find a suitable template, drag it to the canvas to create mockup.

  5. On the canvas, drag the vector art and place it in the desired location on the image. The art will auto-adjust according to the geometry of the object.

  6. Click outside the image to fix the art in its current location. To move the art again, select the art, and then select Edit Content   in the Properties panel.

If you select another vector object on the canvas at any time during the Mockup workflow, the preview in the Mockup panel will be reset.

Edit a mockup

You can edit a mockup as a whole, or edit the image or vector art on its own.

  1. Select the mockup.

  2. In the Properties panel, select Edit Mockup Group  Edit Image   , or Edit Content   .

Edit vector art as a symbol

Once you create a mockup, the vector art turns into a symbol, giving you more editing options. Double-click the mockup group to enter the isolation mode, and then double-click the art to edit the symbol. Learn more about symbols.

Release a mockup

  1. Select the mockup.

  2. In the Mockup panel, select Release.

Current limitations

  • Elements such as mesh, graph, gradient mesh, freeform gradient, placed art, non-native art, raster, or raster effects aren't supported as mockup art. For unsupported elements, Object > Mockup > Preview Mockup / Create Mockup will be greyed out or a warning message will appear indicating that Mockup will lead to an appearance mismatch. 
  • Vector art containing a clip group or expanding to a clip group such as pattern isn't supported as mockup art.
  • You can't create a mockup inside a mockup.
  • Quality issues can occur with reflective surfaces, small grooves, and images of the sky.
  • You can't directly apply vector effects from the Effect menu on vector art within a mockup group. Switch to symbol editing mode to apply vector effects.
  • Linked Illustrator files aren't supported. Embed the files to use them in mockups.
  • You can't create a mockup with multiple images.
  • GPU is required in your computer for Mockup to work.
  • You can't add mockups contaning multiple vector objects to Your Mockups.
  • You can't directly add mockups created in Illustrator 28.5 and earlier versions to Your Mockups.

Provide feedback

Select Like it   or Dislike it   in the Mockup panel. To share detailed feedback, select Share Feedback

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