Exploring Indie Life: Reducing Friction When Creating App Store Screenshots

One major reason I have not shipped much in the past five years is that I hate through the dreadful process of creating App Store screenshots.

I know it is a lie I like to keep consoling myself with, but for the scope of this post, we assume it is the truth.

But why? Why is it so difficult to cross this barrier of creating screenshots? Is it all in the head, or is it a problem?

Last night, I shipped an app in roughly ten hours and spent half an hour on the screenshots. Not just plain screenshots, but a bit prettier with large titles.

As I transition into a fix-things mindset or somehow find a workaround if it cannot be fixed, I talk about reducing friction when creating App Store screenshots.

WWDC 2024: Only One Set of Screenshots

Before I discuss this further, Apple has finally heard us and will soon require us to create only one set of screenshots for iOS and one set for iPadOS. I do not know when this change will go live, but it is a welcome addition nonetheless.

It was funny that there are no devices with a 5.5" screen running iOS 17, but you must provide one. There is some friction to resize it. It would have been funnier if that continued for iOS 18, so I assume this new change will go live next week when Xcode 16 RC is out for the developers.

Screenshot for 5.5" Requirement

But for now, we still have screenshots for 5.5" devices. You can either comment out code that is iOS 17+ and take screenshots, create a mock UI for it, or just play down the screenshots from 6.7" devices.

I rarely send updates with new features because I would have to create screenshots for them—at least, that is what I tell myself.

Until.

I realised I could delegate this work to services out there.

Screenshot Generator Apps

There are many screenshot-generator apps out there, and while I have not tried them, I stumbled upon this app by Sarun called Screenshot Studio (no affiliation):

I instantly got the subscription for a simple reason: it automatically did the part for 5.5" screenshots from the screenshot I provided from my iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The template for the "zig-zag" look was something I had not tried before, so it was fun to play around with it. When I worked on the iPad screenshots, I could directly copy the data and design from the iPhone version, which also reduced a good amount of friction.

Overcoming the Mental Block

After I sent the app for review, I spent some time introspecting: why does creating screenshots feel like such a massive hurdle?

Perfectionism? Yes, I wanted the screenshots to look as flawless as the top charting apps, even though I know they have a dedicated team working on marketing and promotions.

Context switching? Yes. It is jarring to go from bashing the keyboard and writing SwiftUI code and prompts to Claude, to using my creative brain.

Finally, the truth is procrastination. I did not enjoy creating screenshots until now. This app made it fun to do so, and after overcoming the mental barrier of avoiding them for years, I know I can do it again.

Also, because I wanted to ship the app by morning at any cost, which I did, I had to time limit myself. While it hurt a bit, I prevented perfectionism from taking over.

To reduce friction further, find an app that you would love to use for creating screenshots. The app should support saving the project so you can duplicate it and easily modify it for each update.

Moving Forward

With Apple's announcement that it will require only one set of screenshots for iOS and iPadOS, the future looks brighter. I hope it lands with the iOS 18 update so we can quickly create beautiful, mesmerizing screenshots.

Well-done screenshots are still important to your app's marketing. They are often the first thing potential users see when browsing the App Store. So, while the process may become less time-consuming, put some effort into creating popping visuals!

But remember, good enough is often better than not shipping at all.

Happy screenshotting!