Create Your Own Custom Pillow Mockups in Photoshop!
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Pillow mockups in Photoshop let you place any logo or design on a photo of a pillow so it picks up the fabric’s shadows and texture.
In this quick tutorial, you will learn to use blending modes and layer masks to create a realistic pillow mockup in Photoshop.
The technique solves a common problem. A logo pasted on top of a photo looks flat and fake, because it hides the folds and the fabric underneath.
It is for designers, small business owners and anyone who wants to show a design on a product before it gets printed.
By the end, you will be able to confine a design to the pillow, blend it into the fabric and bend it to follow the pillow’s shape.
The video was recorded in Photoshop 2021. Every tool it uses works the same way in the current version.
Download the tutorial files here to follow along with the same pillow and logo.
Key Takeaways
- A layer mask on a group controls every layer inside that group, so you only need one mask for the whole design.
- The Multiply blending mode keeps the design’s colors but lets the shadows from the layer below show through.
- Multiply works best on a white or nearly white surface. On a white pillow, white disappears and only the darker folds come through.
- Change the blending mode of the group, not each layer, so the logo and the background color blend as one design.
- A logo that stays perfectly straight looks fake. A small Warp that follows the pillow’s curves sells the effect.
- The same steps work for clothing and other fabric surfaces, not just pillows.
Table of contents
- What You Will Learn
- Requirements
- Keyboard Shortcuts
- Step 1: Select the Pillow in Photoshop With the Quick Selection Tool
- Step 2: Create a Design Group With a Layer Mask
- Step 3: Add a Background Color to the Pillow Mockup
- Step 4: Blend the Pillow Mockup With Multiply
- Step 5: Warp the Logo to Fit the Pillow in Photoshop
- Why Pillow Mockups in Photoshop Look So Realistic
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusion
- Related Links
What You Will Learn
- How to select a pillow quickly with the Quick Selection Tool.
- How to add a layer mask to a group so everything inside it stays on the pillow.
- How to sample a color with the Eyedropper Tool and turn it into a Solid Color fill layer.
- How to blend a design into fabric with the Multiply blending mode.
- How to bend a logo to the pillow’s contours with Warp.
Requirements
Before you start
- Photoshop 2021 (version 22.0 or later) or the current version
- A photo of a white or light-colored pillow
- A logo or design on its own layer
- The practice files (optional), linked in the introduction
Keyboard Shortcuts
| Action | Windows | macOS |
|---|---|---|
| Free Transform | Ctrl T | Command T |
| Commit the transformation | Enter | Return |
Step 1: Select the Pillow in Photoshop With the Quick Selection Tool
Open the background image. In the practice file, the background is simply a photo of a white pillow.
The Photoshop logo sits on its own layer on top of that photo. This is the design you will place on the pillow.
The first step is to isolate the area where the pillow is. Select the Quick Selection Tool from the toolbar.
Click and drag over the pillow to select it. Photoshop finds the edges of the pillow as you drag.
The selection does not need to be perfect. It only needs to cover the pillow so the design stays on the fabric and off the background.
Note: If your own logo sits on a white background, remove the white first. Learn how to remove a white background from logos in Photoshop.
Step 2: Create a Design Group With a Layer Mask
Create a group by clicking the Create a New Group icon at the bottom of the Layers panel.
Name the group Design, because this is where your pillow design will go.
With the pillow selection still active, click the Add Layer Mask icon at the bottom of the Layers panel. Photoshop adds a layer mask to the group in the shape of your selection.
Place the logo layer inside the group. Anything that goes into that group will be confined to the layer mask.
You will add a color fill layer to this group next, and the same mask will keep it on the pillow too.
Tip: Want to try another design later? Drop it into the same group and the mask clips it to the pillow right away.
Step 3: Add a Background Color to the Pillow Mockup
Before you do anything else, create the background color for the design. In this example, the background color is a light blue.
Select the Eyedropper Tool and click the light blue you are going for to sample it. The color becomes your foreground color.
Click the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Solid Color.
Photoshop opens the Color Picker with that blue already loaded. Press OK to create a Solid Color fill layer.
Drag the fill layer below the logo inside the group. The blue now fills the pillow, and the logo sits on top of it.
Next, select the logo layer and press CtrlT (Windows) or CommandT (macOS) to Free Transform.
Click and drag a corner handle to scale the logo up until it fills the pillow the way you want. Press Enter (Windows) or Return (macOS) or click the checkmark in the Options Bar to commit.
Note: Since Photoshop 2019, dragging a corner handle scales the logo proportionally by default. Hold Shift only if you want to stretch it out of proportion. If you turned on Use Legacy Free Transform in Preferences > General, it works the other way: hold Shift to keep the proportions.
Step 4: Blend the Pillow Mockup With Multiply
Collapse the Design group in the Layers panel. This next step is very important.
You will change the blending mode of the group so the design blends with the pillow. That lets you see the texture of the pillow through the design.
With the group selected, open the blending mode menu at the top of the Layers panel and choose Multiply.
As soon as you change it to Multiply, the darker areas that create the shadows come through.
Zoom in and you will see that the texture of the pillow comes through as well. The design now looks printed on the fabric instead of floating on top.
This works because the pillow is white, or pretty much white. Multiply hides white and keeps everything darker, so only the folds and the weave show through the design.
To learn exactly what Multiply does to each pixel, read blending modes explained.
Warning: On a dark or strongly colored pillow, Multiply darkens your design too much. Start with a white or very light pillow photo for this technique.
Step 5: Warp the Logo to Fit the Pillow in Photoshop
Open the Design group again and select the logo layer.
Press CtrlT (Windows) or CommandT (macOS) to Free Transform again.
Right-click inside the transform box and select Warp. A warp grid appears over the logo.
Drag the corner handles to distort the logo so it matches the contours of the pillow a little better. Follow the way the pillow curves away from you at the edges.
Keep the distortion subtle. The logo would not look realistic if it were completely straight, but too much bending looks fake as well.
Click the checkmark in the Options Bar to commit the changes.
Compare the before and after. The flat pillow now carries the logo, with its shadows and texture intact.
Tip: The same Warp idea works on harder curved surfaces. See how to place a logo onto a bottle in Photoshop.
Why Pillow Mockups in Photoshop Look So Realistic
This was a simple example, but it teaches two powerful things you can use in any mockup.
First, a layer mask on a group is more efficient than applying a layer mask to multiple layers. One layer mask controls everything in that group, so the logo and the background color always stay on the pillow.
Second, the Multiply blending mode makes a design look like it sits on a surface. It works best when the surface is white or close to white.
The colors of the design are applied, but the shadows from the layer below come through. That combination is what makes the result look real.
This is a fantastic way of applying designs onto pillows or clothing. Once you understand the two ideas, you can build pillow mockups in Photoshop for any design in a few minutes.
For a mockup that also needs shadows and a reusable layout, try building book cover mockups in Photoshop.
Frequently Asked Questions
Select the pillow with the Quick Selection Tool and add that selection as a layer mask on a group. Put your design and a Solid Color fill layer inside the group. Set the group’s blending mode to Multiply, then use Warp to bend the logo to the pillow’s shape.
A logo on a normal layer covers the shadows and texture of the fabric. Change the group’s blending mode to Multiply so the darker folds show through the design. A small Warp that follows the pillow’s curves also helps.
Multiply is the blending mode to use. White areas of the surface drop out, so only the darker shadows and the texture of the fabric show through the design. It gives the best result on a white or very light surface.
A layer mask on a group controls every layer inside it. You only make the mask once, and any layer you add to the group is confined to the pillow. That saves time when the design has several layers.
Select the logo layer and press Ctrl T on Windows or Command T on macOS to open Free Transform. Right-click inside the box and choose Warp. Drag the corner handles until the logo follows the curves of the surface, then commit the change.
Not well. Multiply always darkens, so a dark or strongly colored pillow makes the design muddy. Use a photo of a white or nearly white pillow for the cleanest result.
Yes. The layer mask on a group and the Multiply blending mode work the same way on a shirt or any other fabric. Select the area of the garment instead of the pillow, then follow the same steps.
Conclusion
You built a pillow mockup by masking a group to the pillow, filling it with a sampled color, blending it with Multiply and warping the logo to the fabric.
None of these steps are advanced. Once you have done it once, you can swap in any design and have a realistic mockup in a few minutes.
Watch the full video above to see each step in action, and comment on the video to let me know what you think about this technique.
Selections and Masking Mastery
Complete course includes 2.5 hours of step-by-step lessons, 6 structured modules, downloadable practice files, and custom Photoshop brushes. Everything you need to master selections and masks in one place.
Keep going
Next, learn how to Place a Logo Onto a Bottle in Photoshop.
Related Links
Final Image
Drag the slider to see before and after
