Quick Start Guide

1 Open Mockup Studio

Three ways to get there:

• Sign in at tonesmith.makerfoundryco.com and click Mockup Studio in any page's top navigation.
• From inside the halftone editor, finish a separation, click Export, and choose Preview in Mockup Studio — your separation loads directly onto a garment.
• Try the public demo at /mockup-studio-demo — no sign-up required. Exports include a ToneSmith watermark; sign up to remove it.

2 Pick a Garment

The gallery shows all available garments as thumbnail cards. Use the filters on the left to narrow by brand, style, type, or color. Click any card to open it in the editor.

• Brand filter — Bella + Canvas, Next Level, Independent Trading (more being added).
• Type filter — T-Shirt, Hoodie, and more as the library grows.
• Color swatches on each card — show the range available before you open it.

3 Choose Your Garment Color

Open the Layers tab in the right panel. The color picker shows every available color for this garment — 37 to 82+ depending on style.

• Click any swatch to switch colors instantly. Front and back update simultaneously.
• Use the search box at the top of the swatch grid to filter by name (e.g., "Navy", "Forest", "Maroon").
• Scroll down for a Custom color option — pick any hex value and click Apply color. This overlays your chosen color using multiply blending, so lighting and shadow detail are preserved.

4 Upload Your Design

Click the large Upload design zone in the center of the canvas (or use the Upload design button in the toolbar). Accepts PNG, JPG, and WEBP.

• PNG with transparency works best — the garment color shows through transparent areas naturally.
• If your file has a solid-color background, use the Remove Background (AI) button in the Design tab for a cleaner composite preview.
• The design scales automatically to fit the garment. Use the Scale slider in the Design tab to resize, or drag the resize handle (the dot at the bottom-right corner) directly on the canvas.

5 Position and Adjust Your Design

Once uploaded, the design appears on the garment. Use these controls to refine the placement:

• Drag the design to reposition it anywhere on the garment.
• Scale slider (Design tab) — resize from 10% to 250% of shirt width.
• Fit mode — Fit (default), Fill, or Stretch to control how the design fills the placement area.
• Rotation — free-rotate with the slider, or snap to 0° / 90° / 180° / 270° with the quick buttons.
• Opacity — reduce to show the garment color through the design (useful for proofing placement).
• Copy to Back / Copy to Front — button in the top bar above the canvas. Copies your current design with all settings to the other side of the garment.

Use the Front / Back toggle above the canvas to switch views. Both sides are fully independent.

6 Set a Background

Open the BG tab in the right panel to set what's behind the garment in your exported mockup.

• Saved Scenes — curated studio and texture backgrounds always available, no API needed.
• Search Scenes — search the Pexels photo library by keyword (e.g., "marble texture", "grey backdrop"). Results load instantly.
• Solid Color — quick presets or a custom hex picker.
• Custom Image — upload your own background photo.

After selecting an image background, a Crop & Position panel appears below. Drag the mini preview to reposition, and use the Zoom slider to scale in.

7 Add a Watermark or Logo (Optional)

Open the Watermark tab («💧») in the right panel.

• Image logo — upload your shop's logo as a PNG. Control opacity, size, visibility, and invert (for white logos on dark garments). Use snap buttons to position to a corner or center, or drag it directly on the canvas.
• Text stamp — type any text (e.g., "PROOF", your shop name). Choose font, color, opacity, size, and position. Useful for client proof images.

Both watermarks export on all export types including the combined front+back image.

8 Export Your Mockup

Click the Export button in the toolbar (bottom-right of the canvas area). Choose from four options:

• Front only — single PNG of the front view.
• Back only — single PNG of the back view.
• Both separately — front and back downloaded as two individual PNGs.
• Front + Back combined — a single wide PNG with front on the left and back on the right. Ideal for client approval emails — one image tells the whole story.