App Store screenshots from a screen recording.

1. Record the app

On an iPhone, open Control Centre and tap the screen record button, then walk through the app for up to two minutes. On a Mac, record the Simulator with the record button in its toolbar or with QuickTime. Either gives an .mp4 or .mov, which is what the studio takes.

Pause on each screen. A second of stillness on every screen you want in the set gives clean frames. Fast scrolling gives blur. Use real-looking data: a listing full of "Test item 1" is the most common reason a set has to be redone.

2. Drop it in the studio

Open the studio and drop the file. Frames are pulled from the video by code running in your browser. The recording itself is not uploaded, which also means there is no wait for a two-minute file to reach a server.

Give the app a name and one line on what it does if you like. Both are optional. The model reads the screens themselves, and the name only keeps the headlines from guessing at it.

3. Pick the screens

You get a grid of frames. Untick anything that should not be in a listing: sign-in forms, empty states, a screen mid-transition. Only the frames you leave ticked are sent, and only as small images. From those, the best three are chosen. With credits a set can hold up to seven.

Which screens sell an app. The first screenshot is seen by everyone and the fourth by almost no one. Put the screen that shows the outcome first, not the home screen. Show a populated state, never an empty one.

4. Choose a style

A style is a saved set of layout decisions: where the device sits, how big the headline is, whether there is a drawn frame or a photographed one. Pick up to three and get a set for each. Switching later is free. The style pages show every one at size.

5. Download and upload

The set downloads as a zip of PNGs at 1320 × 2868 for iPhone or 2064 × 2752 for iPad. Those are the two sizes App Store Connect requires. The rest it scales from these. See the full size table if you need a smaller size on purpose.

In App Store Connect open the version, scroll to the iPhone 6.9-inch display, and drop the files in the order you want them shown. The order is the argument for the app, so lead with the outcome.

What this costs

The first set each day is free: the hero screenshot in full, the others blurred until unlocked. One credit unlocks the set in every style you picked, and packs start at $9 for 20 credits. See pricing.