Panoramic App Store Screenshots: How to Design Seamless Sets

TL;DR: Panoramic App Store screenshots are designed on one long canvas and then sliced into separate images, so the background and some objects flow from one screenshot into the next. They work when every slice still makes sense alone, seams fall on calm background rather than text or faces, and the first three slices read well together in search results.

The App Store never shows your panorama as one image. It shows individual screenshots, and that shapes every design decision:

• On the product page, screenshots sit in a horizontal row that people swipe through, with a small gap between images. Anything that crosses a seam is cut by that gap.
• In search results, Apple says the first one to three screenshots appear when no app preview is available, depending on orientation. With portrait screenshots, that is typically slices one to three side by side.
• Each upload is independent. App Store Connect treats every slice as a separate file in a separate slot, so the order you upload and keep matters.

The effect you are designing for is continuity during the swipe: as people move from one screenshot to the next, the background and a few bridging elements carry on, which invites them to keep swiping. The danger is a slice that only makes sense with its neighbors, because in many places people will see it alone.

A panorama is a style choice, not a conversion guarantee. If you're unsure, build one alongside a conventional set and compare them with a Product Page Optimization test. For other layout options, see our App Store screenshot examples.

The canvas is simply the slice size multiplied by the number of slices. Using the 6.9″ iPhone size of 1320 × 2868 as an example:

Place a vertical guide at every multiple of 1320 px so you always know where the seams are. Then export each 1320-pixel section as its own file at the exact store size.

iPhone screenshot sizes have nearly identical proportions, so a 6.9″ panorama can usually be scaled to the required 6.3″ size. The iPad 13″ slot has a much wider aspect ratio, so plan a separate iPad panorama that shows your real iPad layout. Exact dimensions for each slot are in the App Store screenshot sizes guide and the iPad sizes page.

If you work in a general design tool, our guide to App Store screenshots in Figma explains how to set up frames and exports.

Seams. Every slice boundary will show a small gap on the store. Never put text, faces, a logo or the important part of a device screen across a seam. Gradients, abstract shapes, landscapes and patterns survive seams well.

Safe zones. Keep each slice's headline and main device well inside its own borders. A margin of roughly 5% of the slice width on each side is a sensible starting point; increase it if your headlines are long. This also keeps text clear of any rounded corners the store applies.

Bridge elements. One or two objects that cross a seam are what make a panorama feel continuous. Good bridges include:

• A tilted device that starts in one slice and ends in the next, as long as the UI that matters stays in one slice.
• A line, path or ribbon that leads the eye from one screenshot to the next.
• A large background shape, such as a circle or wave, split between two slices.
• An illustration or character reaching across the seam.

Use bridges sparingly. If every seam has a bridging object, slices start to look like fragments.

Standalone test. Check every slice on its own. Each one needs a readable headline and real UI, both because people see slices individually and because Guideline 2.3.3 says screenshots should show the app in use, not merely title art. A slice made only of a decorative bridge fails that test.

1. Storyboard 4–6 slices with one message each, and decide which message leads, as you would for any set. Our guide to the first App Store screenshot helps with the opener.
2. Create the canvas at your largest iPhone size and add guides at every seam, plus safe-zone guides inside each slice.
3. Lay down the continuous background first: a gradient, a landscape or a set of large shapes.
4. Place one device or UI crop per slice inside its safe zone.
5. Add one or two bridge elements across chosen seams, keeping important UI out of the gaps.
6. Write a headline for each slice, all at the same position and size.
7. Export each slice at the exact store size as JPEG or PNG without alpha, then confirm sizes with the screenshot size checker.
8. Upload the slices in order, then check the row on a real iPhone, both on the product page and in search results.

Localization. The background stays the same in every language, but headlines change length. Leave extra room inside each slice for German or French, and mirror the flow for right-to-left languages if your bridges point in a direction. Our guide to localized App Store screenshots covers text expansion and RTL.

Reordering. In a conventional set you can move screenshot five to position two in seconds. In a panorama, that breaks the continuity. Decide the order before you design, and if you must reorder, regenerate the panorama rather than shuffling slices.

Tests and variants. A Product Page Optimization treatment or Custom Product Page with a different message needs its own complete panorama. Keep the background as a reusable base so variants mostly mean new headlines and devices.

Finally, a panorama still has to follow the general rules: one message per slice and readable headlines. Run it against our App Store screenshot best practices, and see how to make App Store screenshots for the full workflow from capture to upload.