BEST MOODBOARD MAKER

As a creative manager for various fashion shows, I use an easy moodboard maker to build cohesive looks tying together clothing, venue decor, and the overall vibe I wanted to capture in promo images. Mood boards help me create a unified experience by managing the fashion pieces, interior design elements of the venue, and the styling of the photoshoot.

OS: web, iOS, Android

Adobe Express is a perfectly balanced solution suitable for complicated tasks and non-professional designers as well.

Besides, it is quite affordable. The program supports drag-and-drop functionality, allows changing layouts, and adding text or logos worry-free. Such flexibility is crucial for balancing multiple creative elements for a presentation.

I used Adobe Express to plan a summer fashion show last year. It came in handy when I needed to combine the collection’s key samples. The soft lighting helped me convey the appropriate mood and the florals were the same as we planned to use in the venue’s design.

I shared the project with venue designers and stylists, and everyone was on the same wave, which eliminated the need to discuss the project by sending tons of emails.

Its cloud-based nature is another huge plus. The ability to create mood boards virtually from any device is a considerable benefit, especially for those who need to travel a lot. The tool also appeals to me with a huge collection of templates, which is my source of inspiration for creating quick designs. It is easy to find the assets that I can adjust to match the mood of my project.

Why to choose Adobe Express:

• Allows starting from scratch
• Multiple templates designed for mood boards
• Drag-and-drop UI
• Adjusts layouts automatically
• Teams can edit and comment in real-time
• Exporting in different formats for trouble-free sharing

Pricing: Adobe Express free plan, from $9.99/month

OS: web, iOS, Android

Pinterest is the best way to make a moodboard for those who need to gather inspiration, organize ideas, and collaborate. Although this solution is not as customizable as other popular platforms, it is versatile, free, and user-friendly. For me, Pinterest is indispensable at the brainstorming stage, so I can easily kickstart the creative process and explore ideas.

Another option I really like about this social media for photographers is that its functionality is similar to a massive visual search engine. So, no matter whether I need to work on a vintage or bohemian fashion show, I can search for the needed keywords, and get the full collection of images to work with.

The ability to discover related content with ease is another essential feature for me. After discovering the pic that fits the mood of my project, Pinterest’s algorithm does an excellent job of suggesting similar images. When developing a mood board for a high-energy streetwear collection, I ran into a photo of a neon-lit backdrop that I liked, and then the platform offered me more neon, urban-inspired pics.

Why to choose Pinterest:

• Pinning images (saving pics from the web or importing their own)
• Ability to generate multiple boards
• Organization by sections
• Collaboration options
• Sharing publicly or privately

Pricing: free

OS: web, iOS, Android

Whether you are looking for a tool to make a fashion moodboard or a moodboard for interior design, Canva is one of the greatest solutions available today. Its ease of use, professional design tools, and collaboration features create a perfect combination for pros like me who need to balance multiple projects and deadlines.

It offers an amazing range of templates, so you should only plug your pics into and adjust the layouts to match the aesthetics of your project.

The drag-and-drop functionality is another strong side of Canva. Besides, I had no trouble adjusting the color scheme. For example, Canva’s color palette generator came in handy for creating assets for my spring shows. With it, I managed to achieve a consistent look across the board combining all the pieces with shades that matched the collection’s main pieces.

Canva also boasts a great variety of collaborative features. The platform allows sharing a mood board with a customer or a teammate to let them view or tweak the design. In some situations, a client wants to adjust some aspects, and this vision board app enables them to jump in and make the needed edits without any additional software.

Why to choose Canva:

• A wide selection of customizable mood board templates
• Drag-and-drop options
• Tons of stock pics, icons, and illustrations
• Importing your own fonts and colors to achieve brand consistency
• Magic Resize Tool makes mood boards suitable for various formats and platforms

Pricing: Free plan, from $12.99/month

OS: web, iOS, Android

Milanote is a free moodboard maker, which is not only about arranging images. With it, I can easily organize creative elements and the ideas behind them.

The platform was indispensable when I needed to develop a high-concept fashion show with many abstract themes. It allowed me to collect pics of clothing, interior design presentation, styling ideas, as well as sketches, written ideas, and links.

Another aspect I really appreciate about Milanote is its freeform canvas. The structure is not rigid and I can add pics, text, arrows, and notes virtually anywhere I want. Besides, this is a perfect tool for collaboration. When developing a project, we discussed several lighting setups, and Milanote simplified the decision-making process by letting every member of the team add their ideas to the same board.

One more selling point of this mood board maker is its compatibility with different file formats. It allows keeping photos, PDFs, and videos in one place, which is a great bonus. Using it, I could store video references of lighting effects and moving fabric for the recent runaway show, highlighting the dynamic elements of the event.

Why to choose Milanote:

• A selection of mood board templates that can be adjusted to fit a specific mood
• Allows adding links to products, websites, etc. right to the mood board
• Real-time editing, commenting, and sharing of mood boards
• Mood boards can be downloaded as PDFs, images, or other files

Pricing: Free plan, from $9.99/month

OS: Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, web extension

Evernote might not be the best moodboard maker, but it is probably one of the greatest solutions for organizing ideas beyond just visuals. With the help of this app for fashion designers, I optimized my work on a fashion show with cultural elements by gathering images, researching articles quotes, and even sound files to create the proper overall mood.

The ability to search and tag through notes is what makes Evernote so special. To keep the mood boards clear and well-structured, I can tag my notes with keywords like “lighting,” “set design,” or “outfit inspiration,” to easily browse my ideas later.

Seamless synchronization across the devices is another appealing feature. I can start making a moodboard on MacBook and continue working on my phone without any hassle. Sharing ideas with clients and teammates does not cause any trouble as well.

Why to choose Evernote:

• Creates notes for various elements of the mood board, such as images, color palettes, and text
• Handy tagging and powerful search functionality
• Collaboration options

Pricing: Free plan, from $9.99/month

OS: web

StudioBinder comes in handy when I need to design projects with a cinematic feel. One of the greatest features for me is the ability to connect the mood board to the shot list and functions of the storyboard software without any trouble.

I used this solution when planning a dramatic runway show. With StudioBinder, I could not only collect pics of the outfits and set design but also link them to shots and camera angles we wanted to capture. Thus, coordination with the camera crew did not cause any problems at all.

This Adobe Story alternative offers a collaborative workflow. So, I can easily share the board with my team members and let them add their own notes or pics to enhance the project.

Why to choose StudioBinder:

• Storyboard and Shot List features
• Allows editing and commenting in real-time
• Task management, calendars, and media libraries
• Mood board templates are easy to adjust

Pricing: Free plan, from $29/month

OS: web

GoMoodBoard is one of the most intuitive mood board apps that I’ve ever used to arrange visuals and convey the project’s vibe. The platform came in handy for organizing a winter-themed event. I managed to create a board with icy blues, silver decor, and examples of winter fashion in minutes setting the mood for the project with ease.

GoMoodBoard is one of the greatest websites to make moodboards for designers working with clients or teammates who are not familiar with more complex design tools. Although GoMoodBoard lacks advanced features or customization options, it is an ideal option for ordering ideas fast and without any hassle. But when it comes to more detailed planning, there are more functional options you can try.

Why to choose GoMoodBoard:

• Drag-and-drop UI
• Uses the device URL to upload pics
• Board sharing via a link
• Easy-to-adjust layouts
• Export options

Pricing: Free plan, from $10/month

OS: web

InVision is a great aesthetic moodboard maker, which is not only visually impressive but also highly collaborative. It stands out among InVision alternatives with its ability to seamlessly blend design with feedback. The platform came in handy when I was collaborating with multiple stakeholders like designers, stylists, and venue planners on a fashion show project.

InVision provides a high level of organization, so this platform is ideal for categorizing different elements like wardrobe ideas, lighting setups, and even ideas for hair and makeup. All this info is presented in separate sections of the same board.

To make a fashion moodboard in InVision, you can take advantage of its ability to integrate with other design tools. I often use Photoshop and Sketch in my workflow, so being able to import the files from these tools without losing quality or changing their format is crucial for every designer.

Why to choose InVision:

• Excellent mood board creation features
• Collaboration and sharing options
• Presentation mode
• Manages assets effectively

Pricing: $99/month

OS: web

This platform heavily relies on AI technology, which speeds up the process and is really beneficial for those who have tight deadlines. For one of my recent photo sessions, I needed to make a fashion photoshoot moodboard for a 70s-inspired theme.

After providing several keywords like "bold colors," "vintage fashion," and "studio lighting," the AI pulls all the related images together to build a board that showcases my ideas.

This is probably the most intuitive AI interior design app, as it only requires a little manual curation, fulfilling most of the tasks automatically. My only job was to adjust the final result.

Trouble-free collaboration is another huge plus of this automatic moodboard maker. Once the board is ready, I can share it with teammates or clients to find out what they think about it. The only drawback is that the output is a bit generic, so it is necessary to add a personal touch or tweak the board according to the project specifications during the final stage of board generation.

Why to choose AI Mood Board Generator:

• Customizing colors, layouts, and other elements to personalize the result
• Integration with different online stores to search for and add products
• A link for sharing and the ability to export in different formats

Pricing: Free plan, from $9/month

OS: web

Niice is definitely one of my go-to solutions for creating eye-grabbing and professional mood boards. It provides excellent features for organizing content enabling users to categorize pics by theme or concept, like wardrobe inspiration, set design, and lighting.

Advanced collaboration is another aspect I like about this productivity app. With it, it is easy to present mood boards to clients and get their feedback.

Thanks to the drag-and-drop functionality, content management was a no-brainer, whereas the ability to gather images, videos, and even GIFs from multiple sources was a pleasant bonus. This was especially beneficial for a campaign where we needed to add moving visuals to the output to better present the overall tone we were aiming at.

Why to choose Niice:

• Ensures brand consistency across mood boards
• Allows adding assets from Adobe XD, Figma, Loom, Giphy, Canva, etc.
• Worry-free management of users’ access to boards and their permissions
• Organizational features

Pricing: Free plan, from $15/month

OS: web

If you are wondering how to make the best digital moodboard for free, you should definitely turn your attention to FigJam. This solution is ideal for projects that involve a lot of brainstorming and require a speedy generation of ideas. I especially like FigJam’s freeform canvas.

The platform’s collaborative nature is another winning aspect for me. I leveraged this tool when working on a branding project where we were developing the style and look of a new clothing line. Collaborating with a designer and a stylist sharing ideas and commenting in real time made me feel like we were working in the same room.

Moreover, this note taking app integrates with Figma. To generate my recent mood board, which was devoted to typography and layout, I took advantage of some of my Figma designs placing them next to color inspirations and visuals.

Why to choose FigJam:

• Pre-made adjustable mood board templates
• Allows attaching sticky notes to the mood board
• Freehand drawing
• Collaboration tools for inviting teammates and clients to view or edit the mood board, leave comments, and see real-time updates
• Allows adding Figma designs

Pricing: Free plan, from $8/editor/month

First of all, I need to define the overall concept or theme. Then I select images, fabric swatches, and appropriate colors and come up with inspirational ideas to bring this vision to life. After neatly arranging all these assets on a board, I fine-tune the layout until it fully meets the cohesive look and feel I want to achieve.

However, each industry has its specifics, which I gradually discovered.

When creating a mood board for interior design, it is important to create an ideal combination of textures and colors. This is why I use fabric swatches, flooring materials, and paint samples to demonstrate how they work together in different lighting scenarios. So, to get a final polished look, making sure that every asset complements each other is crucial.

An interior designer should take into account how the space will evolve at different times of the year. One of the most effective tricks to ensure that the design will be in trend in all seasons is to include versatile elements, which are easy to update, to it. By integrating digital visuals and physical materials into the design, it is easier to demonstrate how colors and textures interact in real life.

Lighting is the most crucial aspect to consider when creating a mood board for a photoshoot. Using photo collage apps, I include different lighting references in my mood boards. By doing so, I make sure that the lighting setup (soft, ethereal, bold, or dramatic) contributes to the mood we want to convey.

In fashion, the movement of the garment is as important as its look. This is why my mood boards usually contain pose references and composition ideas to give a photographer and a model a clear vision of how to present the clothing.

Besides, it is important to ensure that the props and wardrobe pieces match each other and that the colors, styles, and textures complement the setting.

The creation of a fashion mood board is about telling a story. I select reference modeling photos, fabric swatches, and color palettes that match the theme, making certain that the collection is cohesive from the runway to the promotional photos.

The movement is just as important as the look of the clothes. This is why I always do my best to capture the flow and drape of fabrics in my mood boards, visualizing its movement during the show. The venue also influences the way people perceive the collection. I integrate pics of the venue, making sure that the clothing, decor, and overall atmosphere create a perfect combination.