The Pain Point
What's most embarrassing about design proposals?
Not "client isn't satisfied" β but you spent three days on a design, client looked for 5 seconds and said "no feeling."
The problem? Your design mockup is isolated. Client can't see "what this logo would look like on a business card" or "how this interface feels on a phone."
So mockup (presentation) images have always been a "required course" for designers β but also a "time-consuming course."
Making one phone mockup: find a template, align, adjust lighting, handle perspective...ζθ Ύεε°ζΆ (fuss around for half an hour).
When GPT Image 2 came out, my first thought was: Can it generate mockups directly?
GPT Image 2's biggest mockup value is "rapidly verifying design directions," not replacing professional mockup tools.
Case 01: Phone Interface Mockup
Music App on iPhone 15
What worked: Mockup generated. Interface placed, perspective and lighting roughly present.
What didn't work: Interface distortion control average β screen edges slightly stretched. Lighting present but compared to real product photography still slightly "fake" β like "3D rendered mockup," not "real photo mockup."
Conclusion: Phone interface mockup: good for "internal discussion" or "rapid proposal drafts." For client final proposals, recommend manual processing with Photoshop + Figma mockup templates.
Case 02: Laptop Interface Mockup
Website Homepage on MacBook Pro
What worked: MacBook mockup generated. Homepage screenshot placed.
What didn't work: Screen content "clarity" not enough β enlarge to PPT, screen interface slightly blurry. Keyboard details (Touch Bar, key curves) AI handled relatively simply, not like "fine model."
Conclusion: Laptop mockup: good for "website proposal display draft." Good enough for clients to see "what the website looks like on a computer." Not enough precision for print brochures.
Case 03: Business Card Mockup
Logo on Business Card Set
What worked: Business cards generated. Logo placed. Two-card display angle variation present.
What didn't work: "Proportional" β AI not fully accurate. Some results logo too large, occupying one-third of card. "Slight texture" β AI did but somewhat templated. Paper white feels like "noise-added smooth material," not real specialty paper texture.
Conclusion: Business card mockup: one of GPT Image 2's most practical mockup scenarios. Quickly shows "what logo looks like on business card," much faster than manually adjusting in Figma.
Case 04: T-Shirt Mockup
Illustration Printed on T-Shirt
What worked: T-shirt mockup generated. Illustration printed on.
What didn't work: "Printed texture" β AI not fully achieved. Illustration looks like "PS pasted image," not "screen printing" or "DTG" texture. T-shirt wrinkles and illustration integration not natural β wrinkles "cut off" by illustration, not realistic "wrinkles under illustration."
Conclusion: T-shirt mockup: good for "e-commerce title page display" inspiration reference. Not realistic enough for "actual t-shirt print effect."
Case 05: Packaging Mockup
Label on Coffee Bag
What worked: Coffee bag mockup generated. Label applied, curved surface present.
What didn't work: "Curved surface" β AI understood superficially. Label still looks "pasted flat surface," not "label deforming with curved surface." Kraft paper texture AI did but somewhat templated.
Conclusion: Packaging mockup: good for "brand proposal inspiration reference," but precision not enough to replace "3D rendered packaging mockups."
Case 06: Magazine Mockup
Poster on Magazine Cover
What worked: Magazine mockup generated. Poster placed on cover. Coffee and glasses beside.
What didn't work: Magazine "thickness" and "spine" AI handled simply β more like "thick folded paper," not real magazine. "Poster on cover" achieved but fusion average β poster edge and magazine cover junction slightly fake.
Conclusion: Magazine mockup: good for "publication proposal display." Not precise enough for "real printed magazine effect."
Case 07: Multi-Device Mockup
Responsive Design on Desktop, Laptop, Tablet, Phone
What worked: 4-device display generated. Same webpage on all 4 screens.
What didn't work: "Device size proportions" β AI not precise. Desktop and laptop size difference sometimes not obvious enough. "Unified lighting" across 4 devices not enough β some devices have heavier shadows, some lighter.
Conclusion: Multi-device mockup: one of GPT Image 2's most valuable mockup directions. One-shot "responsive design display," much faster than manually arranging 4 mockups in Figma.
Case 08: Brand Application Mockup
Logo on Business Card, T-Shirt, Website, Sticker
What worked: 4 scenarios generated. Logo applied.
What didn't work: Biggest problem: logo consistency control. Logo color slightly different across 4 scenarios β business card logo is deep blue, t-shirt logo appears lighter blue. This is the recurring issue: GPT Image 2 excels at single good images but struggles with "multi-image consistency control."
Conclusion: Brand application mockup: good for "brand VI proposal inspiration reference." For "precise VI application display," base on AI-generated inspiration then manually unify details in Figma.
The Verdict
GPT Image 2 cannot fully replace "professional mockup tools," but can compress "mockup time" from 30 minutes to 3 minutes.
Previously, to show "what design looks like in real scenes," you opened Figma, found mockup templates, aligned, adjusted lighting,ζθ Ύεε°ζΆ (fussed for half an hour). Now, spend 30 seconds writing a prompt, see 4 mockup options in 1 minute.
For high-frequency proposal-making designers, this time difference has enormous value.
My recommended workflow: Use GPT Image 2 for rapid mockup inspiration images β Pick the best β If precision is critical (final proposals for clients), manually refine with Photoshop + Figma templates.
Summary Table
| Case | Type | Rating | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Phone Mockup | 3/5 | Internal discussion, rapid proposal drafts |
| 02 | Laptop Mockup | 4/5 | Website proposal display, works well |
| 03 | Business Card | 5/5 | Most practical scenario, strongly recommended |
| 04 | T-Shirt Mockup | 3/5 | E-commerce title page inspiration reference |
| 05 | Packaging Mockup | 3/5 | Brand proposal inspiration, not precise enough |
| 06 | Magazine Mockup | 3/5 | Publication proposal display |
| 07 | Multi-Device | 5/5 | Most valuable direction, recommended |
| 08 | Brand Application | 3/5 | Inspiration reference, consistency needs manual work |