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To convert a live webpage or supplied HTML into an image in Python, use Playwright when you need a real browser to render the page, and use WeasyPrint when its HTML/CSS rendering behavior fits your document. Playwright can save a viewport, a full-page image, or a selected element as PNG, JPEG, or WebP. The right choice depends on whether the page needs browser layout and interaction, what part you need to capture, and how you handle external assets.
Choose the right Python approach
HTML is a description of content and layout, not an image file. A renderer must first interpret it, load any resources, and lay it out before the result can be rasterized. For a webpage or markup that relies on browser behavior, Playwright drives a browser and takes a screenshot. WeasyPrint is an alternative HTML rendering library; its API accepts HTML sources and a base URL for resolving relative resources.
| Need | Better starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Capture a live website using browser layout | Playwright | It drives Chromium, Firefox, or WebKit and exposes page and element screenshot methods. Playwright screenshot guide; browser installation guide. |
| Capture a specific element or the whole scrollable page | Playwright | Use a locator screenshot for an element or full_page=True for full-page capture. Screenshot guide; Page API. |
| Render HTML input with relative files or URLs | WeasyPrint | Its HTML API accepts several input forms and a base_url for resolving relative resources. WeasyPrint API reference. |
| Render content that depends on JavaScript or browser interaction | Playwright is the documented browser-driven option here | The available WeasyPrint documentation does not establish parity with an interactive browser for JavaScript-driven pages. |
For a simple, reproducible screenshot of a webpage or supplied HTML, the examples below use Playwright. The WeasyPrint section explains when to consider the alternative.
Install Playwright and its browser
Install the Python package, then install browser binaries. The browser installation is a separate setup step; installing only the package does not complete the documented setup.
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- Install the package:
python -m pip install playwright. - Install browser binaries:
python -m playwright install. - Save one of the scripts below as a Python file and run it with the same Python environment where Playwright was installed.
Playwright documents both synchronous and asynchronous Python APIs and Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit browser engines. The examples use the synchronous API and Chromium for brevity. See the Playwright Python guide and browser installation guide for setup details and engine options.
Capture a webpage as an image
Save the full scrollable page as PNG
This script opens a URL and writes a PNG containing the full page, rather than just the initially visible viewport:
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
url = "https://example.com"
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto(url)
page.screenshot(path="page.png", full_page=True)
browser.close()Replace the example URL with the page you intend to capture. page.goto navigates the browser to that address; page.screenshot writes the image to the path given. The documented full-page option captures the page’s full scrollable area. For a viewport-only image, omit full_page=True. See the screenshot guide and Page API.
Set a viewport deliberately
The viewport affects line wrapping and layout, so set it to match the intended output rather than relying on an implicit default. For example, create the page with a specified viewport:
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page = browser.new_page(viewport={"width": 1440, "height": 900})This sets the browser viewport dimensions in CSS pixels. A viewport screenshot is limited to that visible area; adding full_page=True expands the capture to the full scrollable page. Playwright’s screenshot API also supports device scale and clip-area options; check the Page API for their precise behavior and available parameters.
Capture one element
When you need a card, chart, or other specific region rather than the entire page, locate the element and call its screenshot method:
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page()
page.goto("https://example.com")
page.locator("main").screenshot(path="main.png")
browser.close()Replace main with a CSS selector that identifies the target on your page. The locator screenshot captures that element; if the selector matches nothing, the capture cannot proceed. See the screenshot guide for element screenshots.
Render supplied HTML instead of a URL
For markup you already have in Python, set the browser page content and then capture it. This example writes a small HTML document and saves its rendered page as an image:
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from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
html = """
<!doctype html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<style>
body { font: 18px sans-serif; margin: 32px; }
.card { padding: 24px; background: #f2f4f7; border-radius: 12px; }
</style>
</head>
<body>
<div class="card">Rendered from Python HTML.</div>
</body>
</html>
"""
with sync_playwright() as p:
browser = p.chromium.launch()
page = browser.new_page(viewport={"width": 900, "height": 500})
page.set_content(html)
page.screenshot(path="html.png", full_page=True)
browser.close()Use page.set_content for markup in memory; use page.goto for a live page. Relative links and image URLs in supplied markup need a usable base or absolute URLs if they are to resolve correctly. For more control over input and page behavior, consult the Page API.
Choose format, scope, and image quality
Playwright’s Page API documents PNG, JPEG, and WebP screenshots. PNG is the straightforward choice for lossless output. JPEG and WebP accept quality controls; PNG does not. Choose the format and scope according to how the image will be used rather than changing formats after capture.
- PNG: suitable when you want the documented lossless screenshot output and do not need a quality setting.
- JPEG or WebP: use when those formats suit the consuming application; set quality where appropriate. The API documents quality controls for these formats.
- Viewport: captures the visible browser area and is useful when a fixed screen-sized image is the goal.
- Full page: use
full_page=Trueto include the scrollable page. - Element: use a locator screenshot when only one component is needed.
Capture bytes in memory by omitting the output path. This is useful if another Python step will process or store the image:
image_bytes = page.screenshot(full_page=True)The Page API returns screenshot bytes when no path is provided. Keep in mind that the in-memory result still occupies memory until released or passed onward. For more screenshot parameters, including format and clip area, see the Page API.
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Consider WeasyPrint for suitable HTML documents
WeasyPrint provides a Python HTML API. It accepts sources such as filenames, URLs, or file objects, and its base_url argument helps resolve relative resources such as image URLs. Consider it when your document fits its supported rendering behavior and output requirements. The available documentation does not establish that it reproduces arbitrary JavaScript-heavy interactive pages like a full browser, so check your specific document before choosing it for such work.
WeasyPrint’s output is a PDF-oriented rendering workflow in the documented API; if your required final artifact is a raster image, confirm the appropriate conversion path for your deployment. Do not assume that an HTML-to-PDF renderer alone produces a PNG. Review the WeasyPrint API reference for current HTML input and base URL behavior.
Security when HTML is untrusted
WeasyPrint warns that untrusted HTML or CSS may introduce security problems. Treat user-supplied markup as untrusted input: assess the risk before rendering it, and do not expose a rendering process or its environment to resources or files that the input should not access. The warning is documented in the WeasyPrint documentation.
Common problems and fixes
- Playwright cannot find a browser executable: the Python package may be installed without its browser binaries. Run
python -m playwright installin the intended environment, as described in the browser installation guide. - The output shows only the first screen: a default screenshot covers the viewport. Add
full_page=Trueto capture the scrollable page, or use a locator screenshot for a specific element. - The page is laid out at unexpected dimensions: set the viewport explicitly when creating the page. The viewport controls browser layout and thus can affect wrapping and element positions.
- An element screenshot fails to find its target: check that the CSS selector matches an element on the loaded page. A locator screenshot requires a target element.
- Images or styles referenced by supplied HTML are missing: relative resources need a resolvable base. Use absolute resource URLs or a rendering approach with a configured base URL; WeasyPrint documents
base_urlfor this purpose. - A JavaScript-driven page is incomplete: allow the page’s relevant content to load before capturing and use a browser-driven workflow. The provided documentation supports browser screenshots but does not prescribe a single wait strategy for every website; select and verify a wait condition appropriate to the page.
- WeasyPrint rendering differs from an interactive browser: the available documentation does not establish browser parity for JavaScript-heavy pages. Test the actual document and prefer browser automation when its behavior is required.
Performance, reliability, and cost considerations
Playwright setup includes browser binaries in addition to the Python package, which affects installation and deployment. The supplied documentation does not establish comparative speed, memory consumption, or benchmark results for these approaches, so test your own pages and runtime rather than relying on a general performance claim. Reuse a browser process thoughtfully when capturing multiple pages in one run, and close it after the work to release browser resources.
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For reliable output, decide in advance whether the deliverable is viewport-sized, full-page, or element-only; fix the viewport where layout matters; and confirm that the resources needed by the page can load in the execution environment. A screenshot can be syntactically successful while still reflecting a blank, partial, or unexpected page if navigation or rendering did not produce the intended content. Validate representative outputs in your application.
Or skip the browser setup
If your goal is to get a website screenshot from Python without installing and operating browser binaries, ScreenshotNeo offers a screenshot API. It accepts a URL in one GET request and can return PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF. See ScreenshotNeo and its API documentation.
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
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Frequently asked questions
Can I capture a page without saving an image file first?
Yes. Playwright returns screenshot bytes when you call page.screenshot() without a path, so you can pass the result to downstream Python code.
Can Playwright use a browser other than Chromium?
Yes. Playwright’s Python documentation lists Chromium, Firefox, and WebKit browser engines. Install and launch the engine you need using the documented browser setup.
Does WeasyPrint render arbitrary JavaScript-based websites like a browser?
The available WeasyPrint documentation does not establish that. For pages whose output depends on browser interaction or JavaScript, use a browser-driven approach or verify the specific page’s output before relying on it.
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