I am a newish published author. End of 2023 I published my first book. Once I had the book in hand, or even before though, I wanted to generate some images that looked life like and gave the book an in-hands feel. With some simple prompts to describe the vibe you want and some clear images to upload, I was able to get some great mock-ups.
For these samples, I am using Copilot. It’s free with Microsoft so I am not running out of monthly credits.
Here is the prompt I provided. “Here is a picture of my book, can you put it into a themed setting related to homeschooling.” I also uploaded this basic image.
The nice thing about AI is it will also write up a description for the end result and you can use it or modify it for any posting you might want to do. (disclaimer and assurance here, unless otherwise specified, the content of my blog is written by me, not AI; I just want to assure you all that as a writer, I do write my own stuff.)
Here is the initial image I got back. A little plain.
Oh and you will notice at times that it will take your image and give it a makeover. This can be with words, imagery, etc. So ALWAYS, ALWAYS double check the outcome. And you will see our blocks don’t say “Homeschool” – whoops. AI likes to make up nonsense words too. You can always take an idea though and drop it into another platform like Canva, for example, and mock up a fresh idea with the layout as a kickstart to your creativity.
And the AI description: Here’s your planner in a warm homeschooling setting! The scene places your High School Planner at the center of a cozy desk surrounded by classic homeschool touches—alphabet blocks spelling “Homeschool,” a chalkboard with ABCs, colorful number posters, pencils, and even an apple for that timeless school vibe. It feels inviting, family-centered, and perfectly aligned with the homeschooling theme you wanted.
Would you like me to create a few variations—like one with kids’ workbooks open beside it, or another with a globe and maps for a more “learning at home adventure” feel? That way you’d have options for different moods in your product previews.
But yes, I do want some more pizazz! So I am going to keep going.
My next prompt took this a little too far out there. “yes please do some variations of a kid’s home school workstation, give it an out of this world feel, but this is for high school aged kids”
The result is not what I am going for. This is where re-prompting comes in! You can see here that we are now selling a “Kigh School Planher” (laugh out loud here!)
Re-prompt! “That was not quite what I wanted. I would like the environment to be more real life looking for a high school student. Add a laptop, globe, other school books, etc. And keep my original image in tact as the planner for the kid’s education.”
Here it is. I am still not a fan of the blocks for this age group. So I let it be known.
And here is the after. With blocks removed.
But hey, it suggested a seasonal them. Since people equate back to school with fall, I asked for a seasonal version. I actually like this version. I don’t know what courses this student is learning, but the planner is front and center.
Take a stab at creating your mockups and let me know in the comments what you think! Are you getting the results you want? And you can check out this actual planner for sale on Amazon.