Shipshot guide
App Store Screenshot Templates vs a Blank Canvas
The first decision in Shipshot is not which caption font to use. It is whether the opening draft should arrive as a complete page sequence or as a single empty page. A template set is a counted layout you can replace. A blank canvas is a page you build. Neither path publishes to App Store Connect or Google Play Console, and neither one is a conversion tactic. Choose the start that gets a reviewable set onto the selected export target with the least leftover sample material.
What a template set actually gives you
Shipshot ships 223 template sets covering 1,784 pages. Applying a set replaces the active target's pages with that sequence, then scales the native 6.9-inch layout to the target you are editing. You still replace example screens, rewrite captions, and review each size. The value is a shared rhythm: headline placement, device pose, and page count are already decided, so the first review is about product truth rather than empty composition.
- Pick a set whose page count matches the story you can actually prove, not the longest gallery in the library.
- Replace every sample screen before you treat the set as a release candidate.
- Switch the active export target and confirm the same story still fits iPhone 6.9", iPhone 6.5", iPad 13", Android phone, and Android 10" tablet as needed.
When a blank canvas is the clearer start
Blank start keeps one empty page on the active target. Use it when the listing already has a brand system, an unusual crop, or a sequence that would fight a pre-built gallery. You add pages as the story earns them. That is slower to a first full set and faster to a layout that does not carry leftover template chrome. It is the better start when you would spend more time deleting sample pages than writing captions.
- Write the job of page one before you add page two.
- Add a page only when it answers a new product question, not to fill a store maximum.
- Keep device pose, background, and type sizes consistent as you grow the set, or the blank start becomes a pile of unrelated frames.
How to move between the two without throwing away the story
You can apply a template after a blank start, and you can blank the active set after a template. Shipshot keeps per-target page sets, so a change on iPhone 6.9" does not silently rewrite Android tablet. Still treat a template apply as a replacement of the active set, not a merge. Export remains a zip of target-size PNG or JPEG files with no alpha channel and an embedded sRGB profile. You upload those files yourself.
- If a template is close, apply it, then delete pages that repeat the same product job.
- If the layout is wrong, blank the active set rather than fighting every layer.
- Run Store checks before Premiere export: leftover samples, missing headlines, and over-count warnings are cheaper to fix in the workspace than in App Store Connect.
Review checklist
Questions to ask before handoff
Does starting from a template improve App Store conversion?
This guide does not claim that. A template is a faster first draft of layout and page count. Conversion depends on the product, the listing, and review. Treat templates as composition, not performance evidence.
Can I keep some template pages and some blank pages?
Yes, if the remaining pages still tell one sequence. Delete sample pages you are not replacing. A mixed set that still contains demo screens will fail Store checks and should not be exported.
Do I need a different template for every store size?
No. Apply the set on the target you are editing; Shipshot scales that sequence to the active size and keeps other targets isolated. You still open each required size and check cropping, type, and device frames before export.
