How to Create New App Store Screenshots for Your iOS App (Step-by-Step)

3 min readSFScreenFast Editorial Team

What you’ll build in this guide

This guide takes you from an App Store link to an export you can review for App Store Connect:

  • A free screenshot audit before checkout; generated designs stay locked until payment
  • 10 design variants to choose from (each variant is a 3‑screen set)
  • An Editor to crop a 3‑up image into 3 separate screenshots
  • Optional Retouch: Enhance → Fix to improve a screen
  • A final export ZIP optimized for App Store Connect Before and after App Store screenshots created with ScreenFast

Before you start (2 minutes)

  • Have your App Store URL ready.
  • Optional (only for Retouch): a short note about what you want to improve.

If your app is not live yet, use the Pre‑launch flow.

Landing page — App Store URL input
Landing page — App Store URL input

Step 1: Paste your App Store URL

  1. Open ScreenFast.
  2. Paste your App Store URL.
  3. Start the project.

ScreenFast fetches your app metadata and screenshots, then prepares a reference canvas for generation.


Step 2: Review your free screenshot audit

Before checkout, ScreenFast shows an audit in the Studio chat: an ASO score, a short summary, and screenshot-specific findings. Expand a finding to read the explanation.

All 10 design directions remain locked at this stage. The free step is an audit of your existing screenshots, not a generated image preview. Generation starts after checkout.

Confirm that the app name and source link are correct. If the audit cannot load your app, correct the input before paying.


Step 3: Pay and generate 10 variants (30 screenshots)

After payment, ScreenFast generates 10 variants. Each variant contains 3 screenshots.

That means you’ll review up to 30 screenshots, pick the best variant, and continue.


Step 4: Studio - pick a variant

Studio is where you choose the variant you like most.

How to pick quickly:

  • Look at screen 1 first: it should be clear in 2–3 seconds.
  • Check readability: headline size, contrast, clean layout.
  • Don’t overthink it. Pick the one that feels most obvious.

Studio — variants grid/list

Step 5: Editor - crop the 3 screens

In the Editor, you crop one 3‑up image into 3 separate screenshots:

  1. Set the crop area for Screen 1
  2. Set the crop area for Screen 2
  3. Set the crop area for Screen 3
  4. Save / Crop

That’s it — no extra steps.

Editor — crop areas for 3 screens

Step 6: Retouch (optional) - Enhance then Fix

If you see a small issue or want to improve a screen:

  1. Write what you want to improve (short and specific). Prompt
  2. (Optional) Click Enhance — ScreenFast rewrites your prompt into a better one.
  3. Click Fix and wait for the updated image. Prompt
  4. Accept if it’s better.

Good prompt examples:

  • “Remove the blurry patch near the top-right corner.”
  • “Make the headline text sharper and aligned to the left.”
  • “Clean up the background texture behind the phone.”
  • “Fix the tiny overlap between the badge and the headline.”

Step 7: Finalize and download

When you’re happy with the result, finalize the project and download the export ZIP.

download ZIP button
download ZIP button

Upload to App Store Connect (iPhone 6.9)

  1. Open App Store Connect → your app.
  2. Go to Previews and Screenshots.
  3. Click View All Sizes in Media Manager.
  4. Upload screenshots into the iPhone 6.9" section. IOS

Important:

  • Match the exported pixel dimensions to the upload slot. See the current screenshot sizes guide before uploading to another device size.
  • Keep the order consistent: Screen 1 → Screen 2 → Screen 3.

If your app is not on the App Store yet:

  1. Upload screenshots from your app.
  2. Write a detailed description (features, audience, what makes it different).
    • The more detail you provide, the better the result.
Pre‑launch upload — screenshots + description field
Pre‑launch upload — screenshots + description field
  1. Review the free analysis, then unlock generation through checkout.
  2. After payment: generate variants → pick one → crop → retouch → finalize.

FAQ

Do I need to prepare copy or brand colors?

No. For the App Store URL flow you only paste the link.

In the pre‑launch flow, your description helps a lot — write as much detail as you can.

Should I always use Retouch?

No. Retouch is only for small fixes or improvements.

Related reading: Previewed vs AppScreens: Which iOS Screenshot Tool Wins in 2026. Honest head-to-head: pricing, features, localization, plus real indie-dev Reddit reviews of both tools.

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Ready to ship better App Store screenshots?

Start with a free screenshot audit, then unlock 10 app-specific design directions for $9.99.

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