1. Start with a clean screenshot
The screenshot decides more about the result than anything else. A blurry image ruins the best 3D scene.
- Capture on the device or in the simulator at full resolution. For an iPhone 17 Pro that's around 1206 × 2622 pixels.
- Clean up the status bar. The Xcode simulator can show 9:41 and a full battery; Android's demo mode does the same.
- Use realistic content. Lorem ipsum and empty lists make a mockup look unfinished.
For a website, capture the first screen rather than the full page, since the device only shows the visible part anyway.
2. Decide what you're making
The same screenshot can become three different things, and which one you want changes the next steps:
- A still image (App Store, website, slides)
- A short video (launch, Reels, App Store preview)
- Your design inside a real photograph (social posts, portfolio)
Doing these in three separate tools is slow. We built Mockup Center so all three happen in the same app.
3. Pick the device and the scene
When you open Mockup Center you can either pick a device and set up the scene yourself, or open a ready template.
Pick the device your app really runs on. An iOS app shown on an Android phone is a small mistake, and people spot it. Mockup Center has 65 devices, including iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, iPad, MacBook, iMac and Apple Watch, all without logos.
Templates come with the light, camera angle and motion set. If you want something quick, start there and change what you don't like.
4. Drop the screenshot in
Drag the image onto the device and it fills the screen. Drop several at once and each lands on the same device in the same scene, which saves a lot of time when you're preparing six App Store screenshots.
For video, drop a screen recording the same way. It plays on the screen while the device moves.
5. Angle, light and background
Small changes here make a big difference:
- Angle: a slight turn looks livelier than a flat front view. Somewhere between 15 and 25 degrees usually works.
- Light: turn the key light and the shadow turns with it. A shadow falling behind and below the device looks the most natural.
- Background: a single colour or a soft gradient doesn't fight the screen. A light tint of your brand colour usually works.
6. Add motion (for video)
Pick animations from the menu; each new one starts where the last one ended. To shorten a clip, drag its edge on the timeline. If the presets aren't enough, set your own keyframes on the device and the camera.
Use a 9:16 frame for Reels and TikTok and 16:9 for YouTube and your website. You can export both from one project.
7. Export
- App Store and Google Play: PNG or JPEG with a background. The stores reject transparent images.
- Websites and slides: transparent PNG, so the device sits right on the page.
- Video: MP4. If it's going into an editor, use transparent ProRes 4444 or WebM.
Mockup Center exports up to 8K and downloads several images as one ZIP file.
