Mockup Question

[PlayfulPixel]

Can anyone help?
There are several sites where we can use free/paid mock-up images for the more main stream products on Zazzle - T shirts, Mugs, Business cards etc.

But where do folks source their 'more unusual' mock-up images e.g. gift tags, return address labels, envelopes - that is a lot of the popular items that can be found in cross-sell/event collections? Paid or free...
And if you are not able to source the exact type of label etc etc that Zazzle has so don't use a mock-up, does this mean that you will penalized by not showing up in the Zazzle marketplace?

I'm curious 🤔

[PenguinPower]

I do not use any templates.. I download the Z mock-ups, select out the product and drop it onto a new background. It’s more work, but it means I can make one for most products and that my mock-ups will generally be pretty unique. 

[PlayfulPixel]

Thanks @KeegansCreation and @PenguinPower  - that answers my question exactly.

[KeegansCreation · Accepted solution]

When it comes to unusual mockups, Creative Market has a bunch. Prices are in the 10-20$ range. There is one buyer beware note: some of the most awesome mockups (some of the table runners, Christmas tree skirts and others) were made using Photoshop 3D which got deactivated after CC2019. So check the fine print before buying.

If I can't source (or don't want to pay) I use the "isolate and add background" method as described by PenguinPower. For some things that's actually better, like return address labels. All you need is a photo of an envelope and you're good to go. 

Another sort of purchase is the flatlay kit. I have a CreativeFabrica subscription which serves me very well for that but flatlay kits can be had for about the price of full mockups from pretty much any of the graphics-for-sale websites.

When it comes to new backgrounds, the free photo websites work well. But an option I am using a lot now is AI which has become good at faux photos.

The free options will always be the standards: mug/business card/t shirt etc. I have never seen a free mockup for an unusual product.

[GraphicAllusion]

I have a 12 month subscription with Freepik. Not inexpensive (however I did sign up during a sale) but I do find it cheaper than purchasing separate packs of mockups from some of the other graphics sites which I started off doing. It really started to add up after a while as there are only so many times you can use the same mockups, no matter how much you re-color, reverse the image, etc. so I was finding I was going back to the well too many times. The Freepik subscription is working out very well though. They literally have thousands of images to choose from so I rarely have to use the same image more than once. It might be worth keeping an eye out for subscription sales in general during the Black Friday sales coming up. 

[Connie]

@GraphicAllusion I have a freepik subscription, and they do have a lot of good mockups. Unfortunately, though, I'm finding that their search is awful! Do you have any tricks for finding what you need?

[GraphicAllusion]

Ooh, sorry Connie. I'm only discovering your post now (red face!). Ok, so if I'm looking for say, a wedding invitation mockup I'll type those exact words into the search bar at the top and it takes me to the first page of the search results, then I will narrow it down by choosing an image option on the left of the page where it gives you options such as 'Vectors, Photos, PSD' and so on. I usually choose either photos or PSD to avoid getting AI results, as I personally prefer more realistic images. Then below that you can choose a color as well. If that doesn't give me exactly what I want, even after searching through several pages, I'll go back to the search bar and be very specific. For instance, I'll type in 'Elegant gold wedding mockup' or 'Silver silk background'. I usually find something I can use about 90% of the time. I won't always go with an actual mockup, sometimes I'll just choose a background if I'm pushed for time or if it's easier for me to do at the time. Hope that helps. 😊