Screenshots are the best way to quickly illustrate how your product/app/service works. We take screenshots all the time and add them to the content we create. Often, these screenshots distract from other messages or do not fit well with the design of our landing page.
It is very common to create simplified versions of screenshots to avoid the problem. What does that mean? Instead of showing the screenshot as it is, you edit it to focus on the core elements you want to highlight.
Imagine showing a screenshot of a complicated sales software. You may want to give a feeling of what the actual product looks like or point to a specific button or feature. There is no need to show the complete detailed screenshot with blocks of text, data, menu bar, etc.
In addition to that, screenshots with lots of text are distracting from other messaging on your landing page. You could blur or pixelate the parts of the screenshots, but that’s not an elegant solution.
Here is an example of a website showing simplified screenshots. Take for example this screenshot of workplace software Quip.
So how can you create such screenshots?
Screenshot software SnagIt comes with a feature called Simplify. That is the exact feature you are looking for if you want to customize your screenshots.
Here is an example: I took a screenshot of the recent edition of our newsletter and simplified parts of it.
As you can see in the screenshot above Snagit automatically detects the color scheme used in the screenshot. You can customize these of course. You can apply quick styles (i.e. block of text, user profile picture, ..) or try the Auto Simplify feature. Go watch the tutorial for Snagit Simplify.
There is a 30day trial of Snagit available, right now Camtasia is providing the software for free until the end of June 2020 in an effort to improve our home office experience with their products. You can request the extended trial on their site by filling out a short form.