App Store previews from a screen recording

Short answer: store preview videos are short (15–30s on the App Store), portrait-first, and must show the real app. The workflow that works: capture genuine footage on the device or simulator, then edit like a pro, reframe to 9:16, add restrained zooms on the moments that matter, title overlays for each beat, and export at the store's resolution. Polish is allowed; fakery isn't.

Know the rules before the edit

• Apple App Previews: 15–30 seconds, device-appropriate resolution, footage must reflect the actual app experience (no hands-holding-phone mockups). Verify current specs in App Store Connect, they change by device generation.
• Google Play: more lenient, a YouTube promo video slot plus screenshots; portrait demo footage still converts best.

The edit that converts browsers to installs

1. Beat sheet first: 4–6 beats × ~4 seconds, open on the single strongest moment, not the splash screen.
2. Zoom with restraint: store viewers are on the target device already; zooms should emphasise taps, not compensate for tiny text. Straight zooms read cleaner than 3D tilt at phone size.
3. Text overlays as beat titles: three words max, scoped per section ("Track every trade").
4. Design for mute, store previews autoplay silent. Captions if there's speech; otherwise let overlays carry the story.
5. Export per device class and upload, expect a review pass on the video itself.

Where a desktop tool fits honestly

Capture happens on the device; the craft happens on the desktop. Reframing, zoom timing, overlay typography, caption burn-in, that's editor work, and it's identical to demo-video craft. If your app also has a web version, you can of course record that directly and the whole pipeline is one tool.

Frequently asked questions