Should I use a template or start from scratch in Screenshots Pro?

Updated

Use a template if you want a finished-looking App Store or Google Play screenshot set in minutes and your app fits a common layout. Start from scratch if your brand has strict visual rules, your screenshots need a layout no template covers, or you are generating screenshots through the API and want full control over every layer. Templates in Screenshots Pro load directly into the editor, so the practical middle path is: start from a template, then edit it — you are not locked into the template's original design.

What each path actually gives you

Dimension Template From scratch
Starting point Pre-built layout you click to load into the editor Blank canvas in the drag-and-drop editor
Time to first result Fastest — the site describes going "from idea to professional screenshots in 2 minutes" Longer, since you build every element yourself
Customization ceiling High, because loaded templates stay editable Full control over layout, frames, and text
Best for Common screenshot layouts, tight deadlines, first-time users Unusual layouts, strict brand systems, automated pipelines
Device output Multi-device export resizes automatically for App Store and Google Play sizes Same export engine, but you define the design
Localization Built-in translation support applies to your design Same, once your design exists

The site's own framing supports this split: templates are described as "the quickest way to get started," while the editor is described as fully drag-and-drop, so editing a template and building from scratch use the same toolset.

When a template is the better choice

  • You need screenshots today. Templates remove the blank-page problem, and the site positions the whole flow as a 2-minute job.
  • Your app fits a standard store layout — a hero shot, a few feature callouts, a device frame.
  • You are new to the editor. Loading a template shows you how layers, frames, and text are structured before you commit to your own design.
  • You are producing many variants. If you need portrait and landscape, or several device sizes, starting from one template and letting multi-device export resize it is faster than rebuilding each size.

When starting from scratch is the better choice

  • Your brand guidelines fix fonts, colors, and spacing in ways a template will fight against.
  • Your screenshots need a composition no template matches — for example, a side-by-side before/after flow, or a custom diagram.
  • You are automating through the REST API. The site describes CI/CD automation and generating screenshots "on the fly," which implies you control the design definition rather than clicking a template.
  • You are localizing into many languages and want text layers placed deliberately rather than adjusted after the fact.

The hybrid approach most teams should use

The site explicitly says templates are loaded into the editor when clicked, which means the template is a starting state, not a fixed product. A workable sequence:

  1. Browse templates and load the one closest to your intended layout.
  2. Replace the placeholder screenshots with your own app captures.
  3. Swap the device frame — the site offers 23 pixel-perfect devices including iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPad M4, and Google Pixel 8, in clay or real frames and any color.
  4. Adjust orientation (portrait or landscape) and, if you want a premium look, apply a 3D angle.
  5. Edit text and translate it if you are distributing in multiple regions.
  6. Export for every device size at once.

This gets you the speed of a template with most of the control of a from-scratch build. Only skip the template step if your design language is far enough from every available template that editing costs more time than building.

What to check before deciding

  • Time budget: if you have hours, not days, start from a template.
  • Brand strictness: if a designer must approve exact typography and spacing, plan for from-scratch or heavy template editing.
  • Volume: one app with one layout favors from-scratch; many apps or many languages favor templates plus automated export.
  • Workflow: manual editing favors templates; API-driven pipelines favor a defined design you control.

No account is needed to create screenshots according to the site, so you can test both paths — load a template, then try a blank canvas — before committing to either.