How does the AppScreens designer work?

The AppScreens designer is where you create and customise store-ready screenshot designs.

You can edit text, devices, images, shapes, backgrounds, layouts and positioning for each screenshot. The designer lets you make quick visual changes directly on the canvas, or use Exact Dimensions when you need more precise control.

Your raw app screenshots are managed separately in App Screens and can be placed inside device elements. When you export, AppScreens creates the final store-ready screenshot assets from your design screens.


The main parts of the designer

The AppScreens designer has a few main areas you’ll use when building your screenshot set.

Project Setup

Project Setup is where you manage the main settings for your project, app and screenshot set.

Use this area when you need to configure the project before designing, such as choosing app details, store setup or project-level settings.

Canvas

The canvas is the main workspace where your design screens appear.

Click a design screen on the canvas to open its edit panel. You can also select elements, move items around and preview how your design screens look together.

Edit panel

The edit panel opens when you click a design screen.

It contains the editable settings for the selected design screen, such as:

  • Layouts & Elements

  • Background

  • Image - elements for uploaded images, SVGs, icons, badges, backgrounds, scribbles and doodles

  • Title & Subtitle - element for captions

  • Device - element for phone or tablet frames

  • Shape - element for editable rectangles, squares, circles, ellipses, triangles and lines

Clicking an element directly on the design screen opens the matching section in the edit panel. For example, clicking a device opens the Device section, while clicking title text opens Title & Subtitle.

Layouts & Elements

Layouts & Elements is the section inside the edit panel where you manage the selected design screen’s elements and layers. Elements sit inside layers. Layers control how elements are grouped and stacked in the design.

Use it to:

  • see all elements on the selected design screen

  • add a new element

  • paste a copied element

  • copy, duplicate or delete elements

  • enter drag-and-drop mode

  • open Exact Dimensions

  • pick a preset

  • save the current design screen layout as a preset

An element in a higher layer can appear above elements in lower layers. This is useful when placing captions, badges, shapes, callouts or decorative graphics over other parts of the design.

App Screens

App Screens is where you manage the raw app screenshots used inside your designs. Use this area to upload, replace, reorder or manage the app UI screenshots that appear inside device elements.

AppScreens does not edit the contents of these raw app screenshots. You customise the design around them.

Localize / Languages

The Localize or Languages area is where you manage localised versions of your screenshot set. Use this when you want to create, edit or manage different language versions of your design screens.

Preview & Export

Preview & Export is where you check and output your finished screenshot assets.

This area can include:

  • previewing your final screenshot set

  • checking App Store and Google Play listing previews

  • downloading a zip file

  • uploading to app stores

  • running Screenshot Review

  • viewing export history

  • checking global warnings before export

Screenshot Review reviews the current store-preview outputs before export. It does not edit your raw app screenshots.


Two ways to adjust your design

There are two main ways to adjust layouts and element positions in AppScreens: drag-and-drop and Exact Dimensions.

Drag-and-drop

Use drag-and-drop when you want to move or resize elements visually on the canvas.

This is the easiest option for most design changes. You can drag elements into position, resize them and use alignment guides to line them up with other elements.

You can enter drag-and-drop mode in several ways:

  • hover over an element on the canvas and click the move icon

  • click the move icon from the element toolbar

  • open Layouts & Elements and click the move icon

  • click Drag and drop in the Layouts & Elements section

  • open the element’s dimensions popover and click Drag & drop

  • on Mac, use ⌘ + K

When you are finished, click Save positions, click the green tick, or press Enter.

Exact Dimensions

Use Exact Dimensions when you need precise control over position, size, spacing, layers or padding.

You can open Exact Dimensions in two ways:

  • click the right-angle ruler icon beside an individual element

  • click Exact Dimensions inside Layouts & Elements

The individual element Exact Dimensions popout lets you adjust values such as X position, Y position, width, height and spacing.

The full Exact Dimensions view is percentage-based and helps you adjust the selected design screen’s layout structure, layers, padding and element placement.


Which area should I use?

What you want to do

Where to go

Set up your app or project

Project Setup

Edit a design screen

Click the design screen on the canvas

Edit a specific element

Click the element on the design screen

Manage layers and elements

Layouts & Elements

Upload or replace raw app screenshots

App Screens

Manage translations or languages

Localize / Languages

Move or resize something visually

Drag-and-drop

Set exact position, size or spacing

Exact Dimensions

Preview, download or upload final assets

Preview & Export


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