Gift box mockup - there are a lot of them around, but most mockups are 3D models. I'm not knocking 3D models, but you can kind of tell, or I can, they are just too perfect. And as I keep saying—perfection is overrated.
Gift Box but with Real Photography
My aim here was to photograph a real gift box mockup in perspective. But I wanted all the sides of the gift box, the surfaces to be smart object enabled. So that you could just edit a few smart objects and add in your pattern design.
That sounds quite simple, but smart objects are only easy when the sides of the object are perfectly flat. Here I was dealing with real wrapping paper, with all the creases and crumples that involves. You can only edit a smart object with 4 points i.e. square or rectangle. At first, I had 5 smart objects for each side, meaning that you would have to edit each of the objects and paste in your pattern. This was too complex. I needed a more simple solution.
Craft Stores Are Strange Places
I took a visit to my local Haberdashery store in Balham High Road. Looking at all the professional crafters, I knew I was out of my depth. I had old grannies looking at me with eyes that said: "You don't belong here." They were like a pack of wolves, circling their prey.
They were right; I'm no crafter. I quickly grabbed a basket and threw some double-sided sticky tape in—a cunning ploy to throw them off the scent. I scoured the shop for ribbons; I'm sure they thought I was going to steal something—eyes everywhere.
I decided to ask the shop assistant for help. She pointed me in the right direction and even helped me tie a bow! I think she felt sorry for me as she smelled the fear of a novice crafter.