THE FREELANCE LIFE No. 40: HOW TO CREATE MOCKUPS

One of the most frequent questions around here, is about my mockups. I really thought that mockups was an easy thing, something everyone could do and know but turns out it's not. And you guys, have been missing so much!
It's really the best way to present your final work, and most of the times it's a way for me to show my clients that concept and vision i have behind the brand identity. It's a totally different thing to put a logo on a white background and to have the logo on a piece of paper. That's also the reason why i'm always printing the logos i design. You can judge them so much easier when they're seen in real life.
To start with, where you find these mockups. Depending what you're looking for, there are tons of mockups in tons of places. From tshirt mockups, cups, packaging, stationary, posters, iPads you name it!
where to find them
DeviantArt DA, was really the very first social media / community i started on. At that time i didn't have a blog, twitter, Facebook page and Instagram and Pinterest didn't exist. I was inspired by all the amazing designers and my goal was get a Daily Deviation. Once i achieved that i started my blog. Ever since, i keep coming back to find brushes, mockups, wallpapers and mac icons. Although there's a lot of unfiltered crap (sorry people!) you can find some gems if you search a little deeper.
Graphic River It's the place i go when i'm looking for something more than just a mockup. You can find from water bottles, to effects, to even easter eggs (?! for real) The prices vary, but i think it's always a small price to pay since you can use it over and over again.
Pixeden This one's my favourite. Everything is done with so much detail, and always giving you many options. Some of the mockups are for free and with some you have to have a premium account. It's like 10$ a month, worthing every cent of it!
Graphic Burger Can i have everything for freeee? Yes you can! I know, mind blowing right? It's the best place to get started, and one of the best quality mockups to be found! I mean look at the extent of detail and amount of things in this one!
Creative Market I've used CM only once, and it's my least favourite only because it works with credits. AH! Who works with credits these days people? You can dig up one or two good ones here.
Behance I have only just recently discovered that there are mockups on Bechance! And boy, some of the best ones can be found here. Again, for some you have to pay, for others you don't, depending on the designer. But most of the times they're worth it.

how to use them
You gotta have Photoshop. Some are more easy to edit than others, and some have more options and capability than others as well. But with all, you'll see this little icon, that will tell you to place your image here or something like that. Once you double click on it, a second window will open and you'll be able to place your image there. Save, close the window and go back to your mockup. Voila! It's magic :)
create them yourself
If you're up for some challenge and your photoshop skills allow it, you can always work on some mockups yourself. I've been working more and more on those, but of course starting from simple ones, like scanning envelopes, paper and then processing them on photoshop. Adding shadows, editing, changing colours, creating business cards.
It's a bit more effort, but some times it ends up looking more realistic and not only. You really get the proud feeling that you've done them yourself.

Just because there are so many out there, and i bet you'll get super excited at first, i would suggest to do some research. I've categorised pretty much all my mockups and have kept only the very best ones that i found along the way. It really makes it easier to pick one and work with it. When you're not the best at photographing your work, or want to make a presentation concept for your clients, these are definitely the way to go!