How to Add a Background to a Screenshot

A raw screenshot looks like a raw screenshot. Fine for Slack. Not fine for a launch tweet, a landing page hero, a deck the CEO is presenting, or a feature page on your marketing site.

The fix is small. Drop the screenshot onto a coloured or gradient background, add some padding, round the corners, and put a soft shadow on it. It starts to look like an asset rather than a snapshot.

Here's how we do it in Pixelmatic's free screenshot editor. No install, no Photoshop, just a free account.

The Fast Version

Open the editor and bring in your screenshot.
In the Frame panel, switch the background to Gradient (or Wallpaper, Color, or upload your own image).
Adjust Padding until the screenshot has some breathing room. 32px is generally a good starting point.
Set Rounded corners to taste. 8 to 16px tends to read as a modern app screenshot.
Add a Drop shadow for a bit of depth.
Export the PNG.

[ VIDEO PLACEHOLDER ]
15–25 second clip: paste a raw screenshot of your dashboard →
switch background to a gradient preset → bump padding → add
rounded corners and a soft shadow → export. End frame should be
a dramatic before/after if possible.

Alt text: Styling a raw dashboard screenshot with a gradient
background, padding, rounded corners, and a drop shadow.

When you'd reach for this

Product launch posts. A styled screenshot tends to do better on Twitter and LinkedIn than one that looks like it was Cmd-Shift-4'd in a hurry.
Landing page heroes. The hero screenshot on your marketing site sets the tone for the rest of the visit. Worth the 30 seconds.
Changelog and release notes. Style once, save the settings, ship every release with the same look. It saves a surprising amount of time over a year.
Decks. Slides with raw screenshots feel rushed. Slides with framed, padded screenshots feel a little more considered.

A Few Small Habits

Pick a background that complements your UI, not one that fights it. A bright magenta gradient under a calm cyan dashboard reads as a stock visual. A subtle blue-to-purple gradient under the same screenshot reads as your product.
Don't go heavy on the shadow. A thin, soft shadow says "sitting on a surface". A thick, dark shadow tends to look dated.
Padding above zero, but not huge. 24 to 48px is usually about right. Much more and the screenshot starts to feel small inside its own frame.
Use the inset frame option when you're showing a web app. The automatic browser chrome makes it obvious at a glance that this is a web product.

Custom backgrounds for your brand

If you've got a defined brand, set the background once (solid colour, gradient, or an uploaded image of your own) and use it on every screenshot you ship. Consistency over time is what makes screenshots feel like your screenshots, rather than generic ones. On a paid Pixelmatic plan, an admin can set this org-wide so every teammate's screenshots match without anyone having to remember.

What about device frames?

The inset frame option wraps your screenshot in browser chrome (URL bar, traffic-light buttons) automatically. That covers most web app screenshots heading to a landing page or social. If you need a device-shaped frame (laptop, phone), drop the styled screenshot into your design tool of choice afterwards. The editor focuses on the parts you'll reach for every time.

Try it now in the free screenshot editor →