How To Guide.
NOTE: You must have Photoshop to use/edit the digital mockups. If you don’t have photoshop, please refer to FAQ for alternatives.
1. Download PSD file
2. Open PSD file in Photoshop
3. There are two types of layers that you will be dealing with:
b) Once you’ve decided which part of the mockup you want to change, double click the smart object (indicated just below) next to the it. EG The layer called Sleeve will alter the artwork on the sleeve.
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c) This will open a new tab/file in photoshop. In this tab, insert your artwork. Make sure your artwork reaches the edges. For example, for the sleeve artwork, your artwork must reach the ends of the square so there are no blank/white spaces. If you’re working on the vinyl labels which are round, make sure the edges of the circle touch the edges of the square. Once you’ve fitted the artwork, hit control (Windows) or command (Mac) + s to save the work.
d) Return to the original file by clicking the tab of the original file and your should appear on the mockup.
NOTE: For mockups that have the spine showing, you will have to include both the front cover artwork and the spine.
NOTE: If the sleeve has shrinkwrap or a polybag around it, you may want to play with the opacity of the sleeve. This will make it feel more realistic. In the reflection layer (which is the refletion of the sleeve in the disc), you may again want to play with the opacity to make it look as realistic as possible.
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NOTE: You will want to play around with the blend modes on all artwork to see which works best. This will change how the artwork is applied to the mockup. Here is what the blend mode bar looks like:
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Here are a list of all the different type of blend modes
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c) This will open the color picker. Match the color of the vinyl to the color you want and press ok. You can see the color change in real time as you start to pick your color.
NOTE #1: Transparent Vinyl - When dealing with transparent vinyl on top of a sleeve/poster/insert/etc, if you want to adjust the amount that you can or can’t see the layer below it, toggle the opacity % of the layer called Transparency. We usually set it around 20-30% depending on the mockup to keep it as realistic as possible.
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NOTE #2: Black Vinyl - If you want to choose black as the color of your vinyl, we recommend that you pick a color closer to grey so that you get the grooves and reflections to be accurate
NOTE #3: Background Color - If you want to experiment further with the background color, click on the the blend mode ( which is usually set to multiply, color burn or soft light by default as shown below) and try all the different modes.
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b) In most of our mockups, the vinyl disc will be on top of another material EG The disc is lying flat on top of the vinyl sleeve and the background texture in this photo:
c) As a result, you will need to go into both the Sleeve folder and the Background Color folder and look for the folder entitled “FOR TRANSPARENT DISCS”. Turn on those folders.
d) On the Background Color layer, adjust the color to suit the background. You can also play around with the opacity % to adjust how much the background color comes through.
e) Another example can be seen in the Sleeve folder. This time you will need to drop in your artwork again (if the PSD doesn’t do it automatically). The folder looks like this:
The results look like this:
e) You can again toggle the opacity to allow the artwork to come through as much as you prefer. Here is what the opacity button looks like:
b) Look for the folder entitled “TURN ON TO ADD DOWNLOAD CARD” and switch off this folder.
c) From there, you will need to go into the Background Color folder, turn off the layer entitled “With Download Card” and turn on “Without Download Card”
d) This will remove the download card as you can see below. MAGIC!
1. Download PSD file
2. Open PSD file in Photoshop
3. There are two types of layers that you will be dealing with:
- #1 Artwork Layer: Sleeves, Labels, Inserts, etc
- #2 Color Layers: Vinyl Color, Background Color
#1 INSERTING ARTWORK ONTO A SLEEVE/LABEL/INSERT/ETC
a) When you open the Photoshop file, each layer will indicate the part of the vinyl which they will affect EG Sleeve Artwork will be for the vinyl sleeve, label artwork will be for the vinyl labels, etc b) Once you’ve decided which part of the mockup you want to change, double click the smart object (indicated just below) next to the it. EG The layer called Sleeve will alter the artwork on the sleeve.
c) This will open a new tab/file in photoshop. In this tab, insert your artwork. Make sure your artwork reaches the edges. For example, for the sleeve artwork, your artwork must reach the ends of the square so there are no blank/white spaces. If you’re working on the vinyl labels which are round, make sure the edges of the circle touch the edges of the square. Once you’ve fitted the artwork, hit control (Windows) or command (Mac) + s to save the work.
d) Return to the original file by clicking the tab of the original file and your should appear on the mockup.
NOTE: For mockups that have the spine showing, you will have to include both the front cover artwork and the spine.
NOTE: If the sleeve has shrinkwrap or a polybag around it, you may want to play with the opacity of the sleeve. This will make it feel more realistic. In the reflection layer (which is the refletion of the sleeve in the disc), you may again want to play with the opacity to make it look as realistic as possible.
NOTE: You will want to play around with the blend modes on all artwork to see which works best. This will change how the artwork is applied to the mockup. Here is what the blend mode bar looks like:
Here are a list of all the different type of blend modes
#2 CHANGING THE COLOR OF THE VINYL/BACKGROUND/INNER SLEEVE/ETC
a) When altering the color of the vinyl, double click on the solid color icon (indicated below)
c) This will open the color picker. Match the color of the vinyl to the color you want and press ok. You can see the color change in real time as you start to pick your color.
NOTE #1: Transparent Vinyl - When dealing with transparent vinyl on top of a sleeve/poster/insert/etc, if you want to adjust the amount that you can or can’t see the layer below it, toggle the opacity % of the layer called Transparency. We usually set it around 20-30% depending on the mockup to keep it as realistic as possible.
NOTE #2: Black Vinyl - If you want to choose black as the color of your vinyl, we recommend that you pick a color closer to grey so that you get the grooves and reflections to be accurate
NOTE #3: Background Color - If you want to experiment further with the background color, click on the the blend mode ( which is usually set to multiply, color burn or soft light by default as shown below) and try all the different modes.
#3 HOW TO CHANGE THE VINYL MOCKUP DISC FROM OPAQUE TO TRANSPARENT
a) Our mockups allow you to change the vinyl disc from Opaque to Transparent. In our mockups, you’ll see that there is a folder called “TURN ON TO ENABLE TRANSPARENT DISC”. Turn on this folder/the layers inside.b) In most of our mockups, the vinyl disc will be on top of another material EG The disc is lying flat on top of the vinyl sleeve and the background texture in this photo:
c) As a result, you will need to go into both the Sleeve folder and the Background Color folder and look for the folder entitled “FOR TRANSPARENT DISCS”. Turn on those folders.
d) On the Background Color layer, adjust the color to suit the background. You can also play around with the opacity % to adjust how much the background color comes through.
e) Another example can be seen in the Sleeve folder. This time you will need to drop in your artwork again (if the PSD doesn’t do it automatically). The folder looks like this:
The results look like this:
e) You can again toggle the opacity to allow the artwork to come through as much as you prefer. Here is what the opacity button looks like:
#4 HOW TO REMOVE THE DOWNLOAD CARD FROM YOUR MOCKUP
a) We realize that not everybody manufactures download cards for their vinyl. Therefore, if the mockup you purchase has a download card, you now have the ability to remove that download card from the mockup!b) Look for the folder entitled “TURN ON TO ADD DOWNLOAD CARD” and switch off this folder.
c) From there, you will need to go into the Background Color folder, turn off the layer entitled “With Download Card” and turn on “Without Download Card”
d) This will remove the download card as you can see below. MAGIC!