A flat label can look good on screen. Put it on a realistic can and it starts to feel like a finished drinks brand. This soda can mockup lets you drop in your artwork and create five polished product shots directly in Photoshop. Use them for a presentation, portfolio, online shop or your own drinks launch. You can swap flavours, change the background and see how the design wraps around the can. I made the mockup from photographs of a real 330ml aluminium can, so the lighting and reflections already look right.
Why I started with a real can
I could have built the can from scratch in 3D, but photographing a real one was quicker and gave me a more convincing result. The shape, lighting and reflections were already there. I could concentrate on making the label easy to edit.
Why I photographed five different views
I shot five slightly different views so I could test the same artwork from several positions. One shows the front clearly. The others reveal more of the sides, the curve and the way the main elements disappear around the can. Together they give a much more honest idea of how the design will behave. You can also show different designs on different views or background colours.
Cutting out the can and keeping the shadow separate
After the photography, I removed the original background and cleaned the edge of the can carefully. The can sits on transparency rather than being welded to one particular backdrop.
I kept the shadow on its own layer. That sounds like a small detail, but it changes how useful the file is. You can move the can, change the background colour, place it into a larger composition or remove the shadow entirely.
Turning the label into an editable 3D surface
The photograph supplied the can. Photoshop’s 3D tools supplied the editable label. I built the label as a texture that wraps around the cylindrical surface, which means the artwork follows the curve instead of being flattened across the front.
The useful bit is the diffuse texture map. That is where the flat label artwork lives. Open it, add your design, save the texture and Photoshop updates the can. You can move or scale the artwork inside the texture file until the front, sides and seam sit where you want them.
How I use the finished mockup
- Open one of the five layered Photoshop files.
- Find the 3D can-label layer.
- Open its diffuse texture map.
- Paste in the flat label artwork and scale it into position.
- Save the texture file and return to the main mockup.
- Check the front, sides and wrap before exporting the image.
Once the first label is in place, I repeat the process across the other views. It is quicker than setting up another photo shoot every time the client changes their mind.
Adjusting light without messing up the design
The original photography already contains the main lighting, but different label designs need different treatment. A pale design can disappear under a strong reflection. A dark design can lose detail in the shadow side of the can.
I separated the highlights and shadows into adjustable layers so I can raise or lower their opacity without changing the original artwork. The aim is not to remove every reflection.
What I check before exporting
Before I send a presentation or export an image, I check:
- whether the brand name reads quickly at can size;
- how far the main artwork wraps around the sides;
- whether small copy gets lost in shadows or reflections;
- if the colours still hold up against the aluminium highlights;
- whether the design feels consistent across all five views;
- and whether the background supports the packaging rather than shouting over it.
Why I still prefer real photography
A completely digital render can look immaculate, but packaging is rarely immaculate in real life. The small irregularities in the photograph make the result believable before you have consciously worked out why.
That is why I built this mockup as a hybrid: real photography for the can and lighting, editable digital artwork for the label. It gives me the realism of a studio photograph with the speed of a reusable Photoshop file.
You can see the five-view Soda can mockup here. It includes high-resolution 6000 × 4000 pixel files, editable backgrounds, separate shadows and adjustable highlights.
Compatibility note: the mockup uses Photoshop’s legacy 3D workflow. Check that your Photoshop setup supports those tools before buying.
Written by Simon Stratford, type designer and graphic designer. These are my opinions, reached after too little sleep and too much coffee. You can also follow my antics on @itsmesimonok, or leave a comment below. Despite all the opinions, I’m actually quite nice.