SynthMock
Creative software has two things to show: the work and the means of making it. A Duo presentation should give the artwork enough room while retaining the controls that explain why it belongs inside this product.
Try it in SynthMock
Start with a Duo scene.
Use a reusable template as your starting point, then apply the choices in this article.
A paid plan is required to use templates and export.
Let the work lead, then explain the tool
Prepare an original illustration, layout or diagram as the selected document. The cover can show a focused preview or a truthful compact editor state. The open source can retain the same document with room for the relevant tools. Keep the selection and zoom state understandable across the two views.
An empty canvas with a large toolbar rarely explains the product's creative value. A finished artwork with every control removed can look like a generic image viewer. Choose a plausible working state between those extremes: enough progress to show the result, enough interface to identify how someone works on it.
A proposed three-part balance
Use the following roles as a sketching framework, not a requirement to redesign an existing app. If the product lacks a particular panel, do not invent it for a marketing capture.
| Part | Role | Review question |
|---|---|---|
| Canvas | Primary visual and selected document | Is the work recognizable? |
| Active tool | Explain the current creative operation | Can the viewer identify why this control matters? |
| Supporting context | Layers, pages or related items where supported | Does this area help rather than crowd the canvas? |
Use a companion detail for small controls
If the main hero needs to show the whole open device, tiny control labels may not survive the final display size. Provide a separate detail image for the interaction rather than enlarging every control in the source and misrepresenting the interface.
A proposed motion sequence can open into the workspace, hold long enough to establish the document and then use a modest camera adjustment to emphasize the selected tool. Avoid a large turn while a fine drawing action occurs in a source recording. The final handoff should include the original artwork, the source screens and a note about whether the interface is a real product or a concept. That makes the presentation useful without asking the render to prove software behavior it cannot verify.
Final pass
Before you call it finished
- Keep the same selected document across both views.
- Retain enough truthful controls to explain the product.
- Use a detail asset when fine interactions need more space.
Make the next version yours.
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