A flat cover image looks like a file. A rendered book looks like a product, which is why the plugin ships a mockup renderer.
How to get one:
- Make sure the project has cover art and run Build Export Files. The export writes the front only cover image the mockup needs.
- The mockup canvas on the Publish tab picks that image up automatically and draws the book.
- Click Download Mockup PNG to save it.
What the renderer draws:
The front cover image is skewed into perspective, given a spine panel down the side, page edges along the opposite side, a soft contact shadow underneath, and a subtle sheen and edge highlight across the cover so it reads as a physical object rather than a pasted rectangle. It is all drawn in your browser from the cover image, with nothing uploaded anywhere.
Where to use it:
Product shots outperform flat screenshots on social posts, marketplace listings, your author page and anywhere you are promoting the book outside the store that already shows the cover.
Why is the canvas empty?
The mockup needs the front cover image that the cover build produces. If the project has no approved cover art, the cover step is skipped during export, no front cover image is written, and the canvas shows its hint text instead. Add cover art to the project and export again.
The download is a PNG at the canvas resolution, which is sized for web use rather than for print. For print you want the cover PDF, not the mockup.