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Store Listing Assets: Screenshots vs Feature Graphic vs App Preview
“Preview image” is an overloaded phrase. Some teams mean the screenshot strip on an App Store product page, others mean Google Play’s Feature Graphic, and others still mean the App Preview video. When a file lands in the wrong Console field, the error often says only that the asset is invalid—not which asset type you mixed up.
This article does one job: split three slots—static screenshots, Play Feature Graphic, and preview video—and point to tools already on this site. Design craft lives in the preview image design guide; Feature Graphic specs in the Feature Graphic guide; video vs stills in app preview vs screenshots. We do not redo those tutorials here.
Specs checked October 29, 2026: Apple screenshot specifications · Play preview assets.
One table: which file goes where
| File you have | Apple slot | Google Play slot | Typical size / format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait/landscape UI stills (optional caption bar) | Screenshots | Screenshots | iPhone medium often 1206×2622; Play often 1080×1920; JPEG/PNG no alpha |
| 1024×500 banner | No 1:1 required twin (creative assets are separate) | Feature graphic | 1024×500, JPEG/24-bit PNG, no alpha |
| 15–30s on-device footage | App Preview | Preview video (YouTube URL) | Device-specific video specs—not GIF |
| GIF made from 3–6 stills | None of the above | None of the above | Site / README / social via Image to GIF |
Rule of thumb: stills → screenshot slots, banner → Feature Graphic, real device video → preview video, GIF stays off-store.
Three decisions people get wrong
1. Is my “hero preview” actually a Feature Graphic?
| Screenshots | Feature Graphic | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Usually phone portrait | Fixed 1024×500 banner |
| Can you skip it? | iPhone medium set required | Required to publish on Play |
| Focus | Real UI / benefit lines | Brand + core offer; center safe zone |
| Tools here | /en/preview → batch processor | /en/tools/feature-graphic |
Stretching a portrait shot into 1024×500—or cropping a banner into a phone slot—fails on aspect ratio before anyone judges the design.
2. Can a slideshow of screenshots replace App Preview?
No. Apple’s App Preview is video of the app in use; Play’s preview video is a YouTube URL. GIFs and still sequences are the wrong media type. For off-store loops use /en/tools/image-to-gif and label them as marketing demos, not store previews.
3. With only one portrait set finished, what do I ship first?
| Target store | Ship first | Then |
|---|---|---|
| App Store only | iPhone Dynamic Island medium screenshots | iPad 13″ if you support iPad; optional App Preview |
| Play only | ≥2 screenshots + Feature Graphic | Preview video (especially for games) |
| Both | Medium iPhone set + 1080 portrait + Feature Graphic | Video and optional large iPhone sizes |
Workflow on this site (by slot)
- Screenshot stills: /en/preview or /en/google-play-screenshot-generator → /en/tools/batch-processor for multi-size opaque export → /en/tools/screenshot-check.
- Feature Graphic: /en/tools/feature-graphic locked at 1024×500; steps in the online maker article.
- Off-store GIF demo: /en/tools/image-to-gif (never as the store video).
- Size cheat sheet: /en/tools/screenshot-sizes.
- Apple creative assets (header/search sizes): creative assets sizes—do not reuse screenshot files blindly.
Rejection clues that often mean “wrong slot”
| What you see | Likely mix-up | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Wrong dimensions / aspect ratio | Portrait in 1024×500 or banner in phone slot | Re-export with the matching tool |
| Alpha channel rejected | Screenshot or Feature Graphic still has transparency | Batch remove-alpha; Feature Graphic maker exports opaque |
| Preview won’t play / bad format | GIF or stills used as App Preview | Follow official video specs; keep GIF off-store |
| “Doesn’t show the app” | Right slot, wrong content (pure collage) | Lead with real UI in the first frames |
AppShot Maker helps you export and verify locally. Policy wording and privacy review still follow each store’s own docs.
Optional Apple creative assets (do not confuse with screenshots)
On newer iOS product-page surfaces Apple can show separate creative assets (for example product page header and search results art) with their own pixel boxes. Those files are marketing frames, not a replacement for the required screenshot set. If you only have bandwidth for one pass, finish medium iPhone screenshots (and Play Feature Graphic on Android) before investing in creative-asset variants. Size details: creative assets guide.
Pre-upload checklist
- Folders labeled screenshots / Feature Graphic / video—not one vague “previews” pile
- Play has a real 1024×500, not a squeezed portrait
- App Store has the medium iPhone set; optional 6.9″ is not sold as the only required size
- No GIF uploaded as a screenshot or App Preview
- Stills are opaque (solid base + remove-alpha when needed)
Align the nouns first, then design. Picking the slot from the table above beats polishing copy on the wrong canvas.
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