How to make App Store screenshots (step by step)

Why App Store screenshots matter for conversion

The App Store and Google Play are highly visual platforms. When users search for an app, the first three screenshots dominate the screen. Over 70% of users make their download decision based entirely on these images. If your screenshots look unprofessional or fail to explain what the app does, users will bounce to a competitor.

Good screenshots do more than just show the UI—they tell a story, highlight key benefits, and build trust before the app is even opened.

Understand Apple and Google requirements

Before designing, it is crucial to understand the rules. Both stores have strict requirements for dimensions, formats, and aspect ratios. For example, Apple requires the 6.9″ iPhone size, while Google Play is more flexible but strict on aspect ratio. For a complete list of required dimensions, check out our app store screenshot sizes guide.

Generally, design for the largest required size (like 1320 × 2868 for iOS) and let the stores or your export tool scale them down for older devices.

Step 1: Capture your best screens

Start by taking clean, high-resolution screenshots of your app’s most important features. Avoid cluttered screens or deep settings menus. Instead, focus on the "aha moments"—the screens where your app delivers the most value.

Make sure to hide the status bar (time, battery, signal) or use a clean status bar tool, as messy notifications look unprofessional. Consider whether light or dark mode suits your brand better, and stick to one theme consistently across the set.

Step 2: Choose a device frame

Raw, flat screenshots rarely convert as well as framed ones. Placing your UI inside a device frame provides context and makes the app look tangible. 3D device mockups are particularly effective because they add depth, premium lighting, and dynamic angles that flat vector frames cannot match.

Tools like Ecranify allow you to drop your UI into high-quality 3D iPhone and Android models, instantly elevating the perceived value of your app without requiring complex 3D software.

Step 3: Add headlines and backgrounds

Do not rely on your UI to explain itself. Add a short, bold headline above or below the device in each frame. The golden rule of copywriting here is: focus on benefits, not features. Instead of "Advanced Task Filtering," write "Find what matters, faster."

Use contrasting background colors to make the device and text pop. A subtle gradient or a solid brand color works best. Ensure the text is large enough to read easily on a small mobile screen.

Step 4: Design a carousel flow

Modern store listings often use a connected carousel design, where a single background or a 3D device spans across multiple screenshot frames. This encourages users to swipe through the gallery, increasing engagement and the chance of a download.

By telling a continuous story across the frames, you keep the user interested. If you use Figma for UI design, you can read our Figma workflow guide on how to integrate your designs into a seamless carousel strip.

Step 5: Export in all required sizes

Manually resizing your design for the 6.9″ iPhone, 6.5″ iPhone, iPad, and various Android tablet sizes is tedious. The final step is exporting your composition into the exact dimensions required by the App Store and Google Play.

Ecranify simplifies this with built-in multi-size export presets. Design your layout once, select the required devices, and export a complete, store-ready package in a single click.

Common mistakes to avoid

When you create app store screenshots, watch out for these conversion-killers:

• Using raw UI screenshots with no text or device frame context.
• Writing long, small paragraphs of text that are impossible to read on mobile.
• Forgetting to update the screenshots when the app’s UI drastically changes.
• Cluttered status bars showing low battery or irrelevant notifications.
• Placing important text at the very edges where it might get cropped by smaller screens.

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