How To Create Cool Video Mockups for Instagram In Photoshop

Okay so maybe Photoshop isn’t the best option for creating video, but I’m a scrappy lady and resourceful AF so this is what I came up with on my EPIC QUEST to make awesome scroll-through videos for my website projects. If you do this tutorial please tag me on Instagram (@melanieannelea) so I can see your work and cheer you on!

Here’s a rundown of what you’ll need:

First you need to find a mockup to use. I’m using this one in the video below (it’s free). Mockups are generally Photoshop files so....
Use this link to download a free 7 day trial of Photoshop if you don’t already have the software
You'll also need Quicktime (free! - download here) or something to record your screen
And obviously a website to scroll through!

**This tutorial uses Mac-specific instructions for dragging your screen recording into Photoshop - so if you’re on a PC and run into any issues leave them in the comments so I can try to help you out**

First use Quicktime to record the screen while you scroll through your website. The hardest part for me was getting the correct screen dimensions during the recording since I didn't want the browser tabs and URL block to be included in the mock-up.

To troubleshoot, I took screenshots of my browser at different dimensions then placed them over the mockup to find the best fit. When you find one that fits the mock-up well, you’re ready to record.

Here’s a quick rundown of how to use Quicktime to record your screen:

File > New Screen Recording > click the red button to start recording > use cmd+tab to switch over to your website > click + drag the area you want to record > scroll through your website > click the stop button in the top menu bar of your computer > review your video + save!

Next you’ll open up your mockup in Photoshop and style it however you want. In the video you can see I deleted pretty much everything but the iMac device, then added a pattern in the background to customize the graphic.

To finish prepping your graphic, you’ll wanna size the file down so it isn’t any larger than it needs to be. This tutorial is for an Insta graphic so first I made the image square by going to Image > Canvas Size > set units to pixels > set height + width to 1500x1500 > hit ok.

Then I adjusted the image size by going to Image > Image Size, making sure my resolution was set to 72 and that “Constrain Proportions” was checked. I set the width to 1200px (the height automatically adjusted itself) then clicked “OK”. Boom.

QUICK NOTES:

Canvas size lets you adjust the size of your file without scaling any of the items in the document (so it kept my iMac image the same but brought the edges in closer to it). Image size adjusts the size but also affects the contents of the document.

Save your file constantly because it suuuuucks for a program to crash and to lose all your work.

Now we'll add in the video. Click the Finder app so it’s hovering over your Photoshop window. Look for your video file then click + drag it inside of your mockup. Resize as needed.

**I normally make use of Smart Objects while using mockups, but for this tutorial it’s not really necessary. Just slap that baby right on top of the device and you’re good to go**

Now we’re gonna make ✨ THE MAGIC ✨ happen.

Click Window > Timeline to open up the Timeline window (Timeline = video in PS). Click Create Video Timeline.

You’ll see that the timeline window is arranged by your PS layers (on the left) and the length of time each layer will appear (on the right).

The first thing I did was adjust the screen recording to how long I wanted the final product to be (for instance, if you need to cut out a couple seconds at the end like I did), so I clicked and dragged the ending clip to make it shorter. You can see me doing it in the video instructions at the 2:07 mark.

Then you'll basically just drag each of the other layers to what you just adjusted the screen recording to. If you have a folder you'll need to open the folder (on the left) and drag each individual item.

To play your video just click the play button at the top left in the Timeline window. It might go really slowly (mine does every time but it always saves in normal time) - just make sure to watch it the whole way through so you can ensure all layers lined up correctly.

To save your video go to File > Export > Render video. Make sure the format is H.264, the frame rate is at 30 fps (I believe that's the most optimized speed for Insta) and the range is set to "work area”.

Email or text that baby to yourself (if you’re on a Mac and have an iPhone you can use the Messages app on your computer) then post to Instagram when you’re ready!