Creating Product Cover Photos -what tools are you using?

[MissPaperFarm]

For the designers who are creating original or unique cover photos, what apps or platforms are you using?

Does anyone do their own photography of their products? 

I have photographed my own products before for cover photos, but recently I started using AI to generate backgrounds although it still sometimes requires some manipulation in Photoshop. I have been using a paid version of an app called Photoleap. Are there any others that tend to produce nice images or maybe make it easier to implement the product? 

please share! 

[MOM]

@MissPaperFarm  Excellent post - thanks so much for this discussion. Creating mock-ups usually takes me way longer than the product design it self. I don't know Photoleap but I will check it out tonight - thanks for letting us know about it. Should you be an affiliate of Photoleap let us know too so we can shoot something your way in case we will sign up.

I my self use a combination of tools which I have listed at https://sanfrancisco.zone/resources/ under AI & Such… - some are affiliate links but certainly not all of them. I wished I could just take photos of all the products I list on Zazzle but I'm missing the funds and mostly the space to do that because my housing situation is tiny - literally.

[MissPaperFarm]

Thanks so much! I wish I had an affiliate with Photoleap, but it doesn’t appear they offer that unfortunately. I can relate to not having a budget to buy all the products I sell haha! I also like using backgrounds with fall leaves, however, I live in southern CA. We are not known for fall foliage and that is how AI became my friend 😆

[KeegansCreation]

For mockups with people: PlaceIt (requires subscription).

For mockups where I generate an AI background: Midjourney (requires subscription).

[Mariholly]

I create my mockups with Freepik's AI, with a subscription, and I do the assembly with Corel Draw (I'm old school). The AI has retouching and manipulation tools, so it usually doesn't require using other programs. I've had the subscriptions for as long as I can remember, so I consider that expense necessary, although with the current low sales, I sometimes doubt all the things that generate high costs. However, it's also true that the free options I try don't offer much quality, so I prefer not to use them.

[NigelSutherland]

I highly recommend Affinity Photo as an alternative to Photoshop. It's incredibly powerful, and not a subscription model - you own it. They have a free 6 month trial period available at the moment. 

[MissPaperFarm]

I have looked into Affinity before briefly and it has been on my radar. Do you know if pre-existing psd files can be opened up in Affinity? 

[NigelSutherland]

Yes, you can open pre-existing .psd files. 
Incidentally, Affinity is also offering its full suite of apps for a special price - that includes Photo, Designer, and Publisher, for desktop platforms as well as iPads. https://affinity.serif.com/en-gb/ Also 6 months free trial.

[Jadendreamer13]

I use Photoshop, PlaceIt, CreativeFabrica, and ClipArt.com. I’m considering getting a subscription to Kittl as well. All of these tools require subscriptions.

[Marblewave]

Canva works well IMHO