: How can I make 3D mockups for packaging more realistic? I'm new at making 3D mockups. I have tried making 3D mockups(attached one) but they don't look like a real image. I have used both

@Margaret771

The shadow-thing is already well presented in other writings, but the background should have much less strong details. It catches the eyes.

Another irritating background-thing: Its perspective seems different than the perspective of your box. They simply do not fit. It's like the ceiling or it's a rotated or skewed straight onto face image. (It resembles some of my own trials when I flipped the image without seeing the wrong perspective until some nearly physical education was given by the owner).

Proper backgrounds can be bought or downloaded or they can be synthesized from scratch. If you want use your own real backgrounds, build and photograph them carefully - as carefully as your main target is wanted to be shown. Note: this is a demanding job in terms of skill, talent and equipment, too.

If your target is only a synthetic mockup, then take the picture with proper lights and background with other box that has nearly the same size and form. This is to see how all should fit. Take a photo also without the fake box for the final use. You must make the shadows and the reflections, but you have now a model.

This is unreal, but can still present the product well: Put the box and maybe the packed tools also to levitate in the air - no contact with the background at all.

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@Michele215

Another late reply. Shadows, and shadows.

A 3D mockup should be thought as a Photography.

The original image looks as if someone used the built in flash, which is almost always a bad thing.

Scott, commented it. In photography you use directional lights to cast directional shadows.



There are two types of shadows. Projected (A) and self-cast shadows (B). They are not flat, depends on distances and reflections.

To make the ground less flat, we can also add a gradient (C), which decreases from the lightsource into the horizon.



This shadows are done in Corel, but can be done in Photoshop or inclusive you could prepare a real 3D model with a photorealistic render engine, like Blender, which is my favorite aproach.

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@Murphy569

There's a 'plugin' in Illustrator called Esko, you may use to convert your artwork to 3D view in just two or 1 click based on prepared dieline. :)

Or else, I prefer to use Photoshop to demonstrate the view of the packaging. It's more precise and free to imagine.

Attached my 3D work as reference.

In Photoshop you may use the "Smart Object" to provide an object where you can put your artwork in.

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@Turnbaugh909

Lighting.

You need to add some directional lighting to create more shadows and highlights.

The canned "drop shadow" never works. You should remove that and manually create cast shadows.

I'd use Photoshop, but you can use whatever works for you.

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