AI mockup generators. Top 4 tools | AI in business #43

What is a mockup and how works AI mockup generator?

A mockup is not just an image that shows the appearance of a designed product. It is a strategy for its creation. Before a programmer writes the first line of code, before a marketer develops a promotional strategy, a mockup shows a vision of the final product. It is a visual representation that can take the form of a simple graphic, or an advanced 3D model.

However, the purpose of a mockup remains the same. It’s a model to show how something will look and function, used in many areas such as:

• Graphics and design – to present designs for websites, applications, corporate identity, packaging,
• Engineering and architecture – as construction or urban planning models,
• Fashion – presentation of clothing designs before making prototypes,
• Advertising – showing how advertising will look on billboards or digital media.

Take, for example, a technology start-up that plans to create a fitness app. Presenting investors with a detailed mockup of the user interface before it is built is like inviting them into the virtual reality of the idea, where they can “touch” the product’s potential. That’s what a mockup is – the ability to “sell” an idea before it becomes a reality.

What is the mockup used for?

Mockup as a tool defines the path from concept to real product, providing a bridge between vision and reality allowing:

• verification of ideas – the mockup generator allows quick evaluation and iteration of the project, which speeds up the decision-making process,
• communication – through mockups created effortlessly with a mockup generator, projects become understandable to investors, clients and teams,
• presentation – thanks to the mockup generator, products can be attractively presented, increasing their market potential,
• education – mockup generator as a teaching tool allows us to demonstrate not only the appearance but also the functionality of products in practice.

With a mockup generator, we quickly move from a simple sketch to advanced visualizations.

How can AI tools help with mockups?

Creating a mockup often begins with a sketch on paper. However, thanks to modern technology and mockup generators, this process is becoming faster allowing even laymen to legibly annotate their idea.

Artificial intelligence is breaking new ground in mockup design, offering tools that automate and improve the creative process. AI can generate design suggestions based on text descriptions, automate the layout of elements on a page, or adapt designs to predetermined branding guidelines. With AI tools, designers can iterate and experiment more quickly, speeding up the design process and allowing faster changes based on feedback.

Which AI mockup generator should you choose for your business?

When deciding on an AI tool for generating mockups, it is worth considering the specific needs of the company. Is speed a priority, the variety of templates, or perhaps the degree of personalization?

Fotor AI

Based on Stable Diffusion, Fotor AI Mockup Generator is an online tool to create high-resolution mockups for different types of products. We can start with a text prompt – a prompt describing the mockup we want. However, the Fotor mockup generator also allows us to start with an existing sketch or image that we want to be inspired by. Thus, even a sketch of the interface made on a napkin can be handy.

Source: Fotor (https://www.fotor.com/images/create)

Once you have created a satisfactory print design, you can place it on the 3D model using:

• two-dimensional templates (https://www.fotor.com/features/ai-mockup-generator) – for business cards, posters, or social media publications, or
• three-dimensional (https://www.fotor.com/features/3d-mockup-generator/) – for products such as T-shirts, posters, mugs, books, etc.

Fotor can generate a few images for free, but to take advantage of the full capabilities of the mockup generator, you need to purchase access to the Pro version (about $40 per year).

Mockey.ai

Mockey is a free browser-based tool that uses advanced artificial intelligence to produce realistic mockups of clothing, accessories and various other products. Its biggest advantages are its simplicity of operation and a large selection of templates.

This is because Mockey offers more than 1,000 templates and allows you to customize many details to get the desired result. Creating a mockup is easy. All you need is:

1. Submit your logo or lettering design.
2. Select the template on which the project will be displayed.
3. Customize backgrounds, model design or product placement as needed.
4. Download image.

Mockey also offers a mobile app for Android users available on the PlayStore. so you can create a mockup even on a smartphone or tablet.

Source: mockey.ai (https://mockey.ai)

Figma from ls. graphics

Ls.graphics is one of the mockup generator plugins for Figma. And by the way, it is one of the most advanced tools of its kind. It offers a wide range of templates to present our design on various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops.

Source: ls.graphics (https://products.ls.graphics/mockup-plugin/index.html#surfaces)

Still, putting your design on various devices is not the end of the ls.graphics plugin’s possibilities. It also allows you to use the creativity of AI – after attaching a company logo, choosing a shape and text, you can generate many fresh and surprising interpretations.

You can also modify a previously created mockup, for example, by changing the perspective in which it is presented. And also use the mockup generator to create your company logo in the selected material.

Source: ls.graphics (https://products.ls.graphics/mockup-plugin/index.html#surfaces)

Ideogram

An ideogram is not a typical mockup generator. However, the ability to insert captions into the generated images makes this artificial intelligence image generation tool work well in this role as well. Especially if we are on the lookout for a visual or functional concept.

Source: Ideogram (https://ideogram.ai/)

Summary

To conclude the discussion of AI mockup generator tools, two breakthrough aspects are worth highlighting. First, the impact of artificial intelligence on simplifying the design visualization process, which is now becoming more intuitive and accessible. This is a breakthrough, especially for those who are new to design.

Second, the increasing possibilities for personalization and interactivity in tools such as Figma with the ls.graphics plugin point to an exciting future in design. AI not only makes it easier to present designs in realistic scenarios but also paves the way for more advanced prototypes that can define new standards in visual communication and product development.

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