To render one element as a PNG with dom-to-image, first get the element node, then pass it to domtoimage.toPng(node). The promise resolves to a PNG data URL that you can display, download, or pass to other browser code. This captures a rendered DOM subtree; it is not an operating-system screenshot.
Capture one element as a PNG
Install and import the package in a browser application, select the element, and call toPng. Pass the actual DOM node—not a CSS selector string—to the function.
import domtoimage from 'dom-to-image';
const node = document.getElementById('my-element');
if (!node) {
throw new Error('Element not found');
}
domtoimage.toPng(node)
.then((dataUrl) => {
const image = new Image();
image.src = dataUrl;
document.body.appendChild(image);
})
.catch((error) => {
console.error('Could not render element', error);
});Replace my-element with the target element’s ID. The null check is ordinary defensive DOM code; it is not a special package requirement. The result is a data URL, so the example creates an image and appends it to the document. In an application, you can instead display it in a chosen container or start a download.
Use a selector when the element has no ID
Resolve a selector yourself and pass the returned node:
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const node = document.querySelector('.invoice-card');
if (!node) {
throw new Error('No element matched .invoice-card');
}
const dataUrl = await domtoimage.toPng(node);This example uses await, so place it inside an async function or an async event handler. The package’s top-level rendering functions return promises.
Choose an output format
The package documents several output functions. Choose based on what the next step in your application needs; the documentation does not establish a current measured quality or performance ranking among them.
| Method | Result | Useful when |
|---|---|---|
toPng(node) |
PNG data URL | You want a lossless raster image that is easy to display or store as a data URL. |
toJpeg(node, options) |
JPEG data URL | You want a compressed raster image; set quality from 0 to 1. |
toSvg(node) |
SVG data URL | You prefer the serialized SVG container output. |
toBlob(node) |
Blob | Downstream browser code expects a Blob rather than a data URL. |
toCanvas(node) |
Canvas | You need to continue working with a canvas in browser code. |
toPixelData(node) |
Raw pixel data | You need pixel values for image processing. |
All of these functions accept a DOM node and optional rendering options, and return promises. See the project README for the documented API and examples.
Adjust the render with options
Options are passed as the second argument. Use them to set dimensions or background, alter the target’s rendered style, exclude descendant elements, and handle image fetch failures.
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filter(node)returnstrueto keep a descendant orfalseto exclude it. The filter is not called on the root capture node; excluding a parent also excludes its descendants.bgcolorsets a background color for the output.widthandheightset the rendered node dimensions.styleapplies style overrides to the node before rendering.qualitysets JPEG image quality from 0 to 1.cacheBustappends the current time to resource URLs.imagePlaceholderprovides a data URL to use when an image fetch fails. Without a placeholder, an image failure throws.
Exclude a control from the captured element
For example, this filter removes descendant buttons such as a print control:
function filter(node) {
return node.tagName !== 'BUTTON';
}
const node = document.getElementById('my-element');
if (!node) throw new Error('Element not found');
const dataUrl = await domtoimage.toPng(node, { filter });The filter cannot remove the root node itself. If the button is the root capture target, choose a containing element instead or prepare a different capture target.
Set a background or output size
const dataUrl = await domtoimage.toPng(node, {
bgcolor: '#ffffff',
width: 900,
height: 600
});Use dimensions appropriate to the intended output. Changing the dimensions affects the render; it does not make the result a native screenshot of the browser window.
What dom-to-image does under the hood
The original project describes a rendering pipeline that recursively clones the selected element, copies computed styles, recreates pseudo-elements, embeds web fonts and images, serializes the clone to XML, and wraps it in an SVG foreignObject. For PNG and pixel output, it loads that SVG through an image and draws it to an off-screen canvas. This is why a DOM render can differ from a browser-native capture: resource fetching, SVG foreignObject behavior, canvas security, and browser support all matter. The algorithm is described in the original project documentation.
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Prepare the page and handle common failures
Wait until the target’s layout, stylesheets, fonts, and images are ready before calling the renderer. That is practical guidance based on the clone-and-fetch workflow: if the page is still changing or a resource cannot be fetched, the resulting image can be incomplete or the promise can reject.
The target is missing or the output is empty
- Confirm the selector matches an element at the time the capture runs. A framework may render the target asynchronously.
- Run the capture after the target has been inserted and its layout has settled.
- Check that the element has visible dimensions and is not hidden by the page’s styles.
An image or other remote resource fails
The renderer embeds images and fonts as part of its process, so inaccessible resources can affect completeness. Check that the resource loads in the page and that browser security rules permit it to be fetched for rendering. For an image failure, the documented imagePlaceholder option can provide a fallback data URL; without a placeholder, the failure throws. A placeholder is a fallback, not a way to retrieve a protected remote asset.
The output is tainted or canvas rendering fails
The original README warns that cross-origin content can taint a canvas. Remote images and background images are common sources to investigate. The original documentation also notes a Firefox issue involving some external stylesheets. Check the browser console and test with the specific resource and browser that matter to your application; the project documentation does not establish current browser support for all combinations.
A Safari or Internet Explorer result differs
The original README marks Internet Explorer unsupported because it lacks SVG foreignObject and notes stricter Safari security around foreignObject. Those statements are historical documentation, not recent browser-version verification. Do not treat the README’s old Chrome 49 and Firefox 45 test references as a current compatibility guarantee. Test your actual browser targets and content.
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You are rendering on a server, inside an iframe, or from video
The following limitations are documented by the separate dom-to-image-more fork, and should not be assumed to describe every behavior of the original package: it requires a browser DOM rather than server-only rendering; cross-origin iframe content cannot be accessed; video needs a poster or a caller-created image or canvas representation; and browsers limit canvas dimensions. If you use that fork, test these cases specifically rather than treating them as capabilities of the original package.
When dom-to-image is the right method
Use dom-to-image when your application runs in a browser, the element is part of the page’s DOM, and you want a rendered subtree as an image-like output for client-side display or processing. It is not the same as taking a screenshot of an arbitrary page from a backend service: its rendering depends on the live DOM, accessible resources, browser implementation, and canvas behavior.
For a reliable workflow, select the node explicitly, wait for its contents and styles to load, handle the promise rejection, and test the relevant browser and resource types. No current performance benchmark or universally reliable browser matrix is established in the project documentation.
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If you need a screenshot of a URL rather than a DOM node already in your own page, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server from Yorker Media. Its API can capture an element by CSS selector, along with full-page captures and other page-level options. One GET request returns an image or PDF; the following cURL example saves a WebP capture. See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can dom-to-image capture an element selected by CSS selector directly?
No. Resolve the selector to a DOM node first, then pass that node to the rendering function.
Does toPng return a PNG file?
It resolves to a PNG data URL. Convert or download that result as needed by your application.
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No. The filter is not called on the root capture node; it applies to descendants.
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