When I create mock-ups I want them to tell a story with a bit of cinematic quality. This scene started with a basic free fabric rolls mock-up (via pixpine.com). I added 6 elements (yay free photosites) to create the scene.

For me, there are 5 things that see a scene apart from a basic mock-up:

1. Lighting
2. Perspective/Scale
3. Blending/Transparency
4. Image Quality/Atmosphere
5. Foreground/Background

Plain fabric roll mock-ups (especially the free ones) tend to be a bit overplayed.

It takes some practice, but you can train your eye to see how different elements can work together to set a scene. Then you can create a completely unique mock-up to show off your designs.

Like so:

credits: Scene and Patterns Aimee McEwen, Fabric Rolls Mock-up pixpine.com, Hutch, Garland, Oranges, Angel Ornament, Angel Figure, Gifts Pexels.com, Music freestockmusic.com, Scene created with Adobe Photoshop