Available at Creative Market for just $10!
Use this mock-up template to create high-quality mock-ups of your booklet or magazine designs for use in your portfolio or a client presentation — without having to have access to the printed piece or photography equipment.
Background on how I began to create my own templates.
Last year, as I began looking for good mock-up templates to display many of my print pieces, I very quickly came to the conclusion that it would be easier to just start creating my own mock-ups from scratch. I’m not sure why I decided that, exactly, but I’m kind of glad I did. While it was labor-intensive at first, it’s proved to make it a lot easier to add things to my portfolio as I finish them.
Problem was, I created them all at 72dpi at relatively small sizes since I only ever intended to use them in an online setting.
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that these mock-ups could be great for printed portfolios as well, or even client presentations. So, I’ve been revisiting the mock-ups I created last year and updating them to be high-resolution and easy to update.
How I created this mock-up template.
Using smart objects, I’ve created a high-resolution open booklet or magazine template (sized 8.5″ x 11″) that can display an interior spread and front cover. You can even remove the staples if you like (if, for instance, your publication was saddle-stitched or perfect-bound). All you have to do is paste your 300dpi 8.5″ x 11″ page into one of 6 specific smart objects, and you’re good to go for your portfolio or client presentation.
While I’ve locked the layers you shouldn’t need to adjust, you’re absolutely welcome to unlock and play to your heart’s content. Adjust gradients, remove pages if it’s a small publication, adjust shadows to accommodate specific lighting you have in mind – you name it, you can adjust it.
For the spread, there is a smart object each for the visible left and right pages, along with a smart object each for the pages beneath. So rather than having to copy and paste into several pages, you just copy and paste into the first smart object in the “other pages” folder. That way you’ll see all the masthead colors and textures throughout the pages beneath, adding depth and reality to your mockup.