How to Save a Reusable Screenshot Template (and Share It as a .appshotstpl File)

The problem

Consistent screenshots are part of a brand, but every release or every new app starts a design from scratch. Over a year the look drifts: slightly different margins, different font sizes, a gradient you can’t quite recreate. If you manage several apps, they stop looking like they come from the same studio.

What a template does

A template freezes the decisions you’ve already made: layout, device frame placement, background, fonts, colours. Start a new project from it and the style comes along. You replace the screenshots and the words.

Steps

1. Finish a project in the style you want to keep.
2. Save it as your own template and name it for the brand or the use.
3. For the next app or release, create a project from that template.
4. Swap in the screenshots and captions.
5. When your style changes, update the template and use it from then on.

Share with a teammate

Templates export as .appshotstpl files and import the same way, so a designer’s template can be used by a developer without rebuilding it.

Or start from a built-in one

If you don’t have a style yet, start from one of the 31 built-in templates.

Habits

• One template per brand or product line.
• Include sample text of the right length, so the slots show how much copy fits.
• Don’t edit a template mid-project. Change the template, then apply it again if needed.

FAQ

Can I share a template? Yes. Export it as a .appshotstpl file and import it on another Mac.

Does a template include my screenshots and text? It keeps the layout, styling and structure. You add new screenshots and captions.

Where do saved templates live? In the app’s local library on your Mac.