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Option #1 - Complete Do-It-Yourself

You can make a box-shot yourself using a decent photo-editing program, one that has a "skewing" feature. For exact, detailed instructions on how you can do this, click here to read through a full tutorial on how to make your own software boxshot or ebook cover.

To be realistic, this is not a very good option and few people do it.

 
Option #2 - Using Box-Making Software

Another way to make your boxshot is to purchase boxshot making software. You still need to be able to design and create the front, side and top of your box, but the box-making software allows you to very easily turn your 2D images into a 3D box (or in some cases into a book or CD cover as well), along with special lighting effects, shadow and/or reflections. It's definitely a vast improvement over option #1, and there are some pretty good software products out there. We have actually tried and tested most of them (there actually aren't all that many) and have written detailed reviews for each. Go to the BoxShot Software area of our Product Department to take a look at the different programs available.

Pros:		Low cost ($30-$100); Easy to turn your 2D designs into quality 3D boxes; Complete control over the look of the finished product.
Cons:		You still need to have a bit of an artistic flair and skill to design the 2D front, side and top of your box. It's still time-consuming (though not so much as option #1). Quality of results depends on the quality of your 2D images.

This is a good option if you:

• have image editing skills and a bit of an artistic flair
• don't mind spending a bit of time creating the 2D images.
• want complete control over the finished boxhot image.
• need boxshots for more than 2 or 3 products.

 If you think this option is for you, don't forget to check out our product reviews.

Option #3 - Professional Services

Hire a professional. There are numerous professionals offering such a service on the web. But they don't come cheap. The average going rate for a single boxshot image is around $100 US! If you have several products this can add up quite fast.

Pros:		No work on your part; and professional quality boxshot that really enhances your product; it will probably also be very original.
Cons:		Expensive. You lose some control over what the finished product looks like. However, most professionals can do a better job at making boxshots then we can.

This is a good option if cost is not a concern for you.

Option #4 - Using Our Services

Check out our own BoxShot-Making Service. Our average boxshot price is just $25. Why are our boxshots so much cheaper? Well, it's because we do not attempt to create original artwork for you. What we do is we take appropriate images and text from your own website and/or product screens, add a little creativity and flair (and perhaps some royalty-free images if your website contains very few images), and the end result is high-quality boxshot. By avoiding the time-consuming work of trying to produce original artwork, we can offer such an economical price! And the quality of the work. Well, click here to see some examples that we have created for other software developers (the image at the top of this page is an example of our work). 

We save you both time and money and the boxshot is totally suited for your product since the images come from your website and/or from screenshots of your product! And if you do not like the resulting boxshot, you don't have to pay for it! We send you the boxshot with a water-mark over it. If you like it, you pay $25 and we remove the watermark.

Pros:		Low-cost; good quality, no work on your part!
Cons:		None (that we can think of).

For people who like doing their own work and are good at it, option #2 (the box-making software) is probably the best option. For others, we think we offer a service that can't be beat!