For a free book mockup with no design software, use the free 3D Book Cover Creator on DIY Book Covers: you upload your front cover as a JPG or PNG, add the spine if you need it, and download the result. Mediamodifier also has a free book mockup generator with paperback, hardcover and open book scenes, and if you've downloaded a PSD mockup, Photopea opens it free in your browser.
A book mockup is the picture of your book as an object: standing on a table, open on a desk, stacked beside a coffee. It's what makes a cover reveal look like a launch rather than a file. Authors, coaches with a lead magnet and anyone selling a workbook use them, and you don't need to pay a designer for one.
Here's where to get free book mockups, in no particular order, and the licence detail that decides whether you can use them in an ad.
Where to get free book mockups
DIY Book Covers 3D Book Cover Creator
DIY Book Covers runs a free 3D Book Cover Creator built for indie authors. You browse and upload your cover design as a JPG or PNG, front only, with the spine if needed, select your book's genre, and download your files when the mockup is ready. The same site offers free book cover templates and a free online cover maker, so you can make the flat cover and the mockup in one place.
Mediamodifier
Mediamodifier has a book mockup generator page billed as free, with scenes that include a standing softcover, a square paperback for indie author branding, open book pages on cloth, and an open book with a hard cover for presentations. It works in the browser, so you drop your cover in and export.
Renderforest
Renderforest offers printing mockups for books, magazines, documents, postcards and flyers, and describes them as high resolution. It's useful if you're mocking up a book alongside other printed material for the same launch.
Book Brush
Book Brush is built for authors and lists 200+ 3D book template options, instant mockups that put your cover in a scene or make it 3D in a click, plus cover reveal, Kindle Vella and animated mockups. Check its plans page for what the free tier includes before you plan a whole launch around it.
PSD mockup files plus Photopea
Many free book mockups come as Photoshop PSD files. You don't need Photoshop to use them. Photopea is a free browser photo editor that opens and saves PSD as its main format, and it says files open on your own device and never leave it, which is handy for a cover you haven't revealed yet.
Free book mockup options compared
| Option | Type | Best for | Needs design software? |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIY Book Covers 3D creator | Free online generator | Quick 3D cover shots | No |
| Mediamodifier | Online generator | Paperback, hardcover and open book scenes | No |
| Renderforest | Printing mockup packs | Books with other printed items | No |
| Book Brush | Author mockup tool | Cover reveals and animated mockups | No |
| PSD file + Photopea | Downloaded template | Full control over the scene | Photopea, free in a browser |
The licence catch: free to download isn't free to advertise with
This is where authors get caught. Freepik's terms of use say that, unless otherwise indicated, using its content is free of charge only on condition that you credit the website and, where relevant, the contributor; dropping the credit needs a paid plan. The same terms limit content marked for editorial use to editorial use only.
Mockuuups Studio is even clearer about its free tier: new accounts get 5 free exports from its full library, but free and trial exports are for personal use only, while its paid exports include a commercial licence. Mockuuups is mostly device mockups, but the pattern holds across mockup sites. Before you use a free mockup in a book ad, on a sales page or in a paid course, read the licence for that exact file and keep a copy.
A script title can lift a cover, and cursive fonts are listed here.
Your mockup isn't your cover file
Don't upload a mockup to Amazon as your cover. A mockup is marketing. KDP's cover help says cover files are image files such as JPG, TIFF or PNG with a minimum resolution of 300 DPI, and flags low DPI images under 300 as a problem. Start from that high resolution flat cover, and the same file will make a sharper mockup too.
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Need a clean typeface for the cover text? See sans serif fonts.
How to make a free book mockup
- Export your flat front cover as a high resolution JPG or PNG, at 300 DPI if you can.
- Export the spine separately if you want a 3D shot that shows it.
- Pick a generator, or download a PSD mockup and open it in Photopea.
- Upload or place your cover in the template's smart object or upload box.
- Check the edges and the spine text at full size before downloading.
- Save the licence page or credit line with the image if the file needs attribution.
Publishing on Amazon? My guides to Amazon KDP in the UK and Amazon KDP in Canada cover the setup side, and if you're mocking up an app or a website instead, this piece on website design mockup software is the better starting point.
Which mockup to use where
- Cover reveal on social: a single 3D cover on a clean background, so the cover itself does the talking.
- Sales page: an open book or a paperback in a real-looking scene, so buyers picture holding it.
- Lead magnet or workbook: an open book or document mockup, so a PDF feels like something solid.
- Ads: only a mockup whose licence clearly covers commercial use.
My advice
Use the DIY Book Covers 3D creator for your first mockup, because it's free, it's built for authors and it takes a few minutes. Move to a PSD file in Photopea when you want a lifestyle scene. Whatever you use, start from a sharp, high resolution flat cover, and check the licence before a mockup goes anywhere near an ad or a sales page. A credit line you forgot is a small thing to fix now and an awkward one to fix after launch.
Featured spots and reviews on this page are paid partnerships, never free listings. Do you make mockup or book design tools? Tool makers can ask about a featured place here.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I get free book mockups?
The DIY Book Covers 3D Book Cover Creator is free and only needs your cover as a JPG or PNG. Mediamodifier has a free book mockup generator, and free PSD mockups open in Photopea, a free browser editor.
Can I make a book mockup without Photoshop?
Yes. Online generators such as DIY Book Covers and Mediamodifier work in the browser, and Photopea opens and saves PSD mockup files for free.
Can I use free book mockups in ads?
Only if the licence allows commercial use. Freepik's terms make free use conditional on attribution, and Mockuuups says its free exports are for personal use only.
Can I upload a book mockup as my Amazon cover?
No. A mockup is for marketing. KDP wants a flat cover image file such as JPG, TIFF or PNG at a minimum of 300 DPI.
What file do I need to make a book mockup?
A high resolution flat front cover as a JPG or PNG, plus the spine as a separate image if you want a 3D shot that shows it.
