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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteRun your local app, open it with Playwright at a fixed viewport, and capture both stills and video from the same browser context. Use page.screenshot() for the current view, fullPage: true for a complete scrollable page, and locator.screenshot() for one component. Record the workflow with Playwright Test video or a context configured with recordVideo, then await the context close so the video is finalized. The complete setup below uses Node.js and can be adapted to any localhost port.
1. Start the app and choose a stable capture frame
Start the application with its normal development command, then verify the exact URL and port in a browser. A typical local address is http://localhost:3000, but use the port your app actually reports. Keep the route, viewport, and video dimensions constant throughout the recording so still images and motion footage have the same framing.
- Start the app, for example with your framework’s usual
npm run devcommand. - Open the local URL manually and confirm that the workflow reaches the intended starting state.
- Choose a viewport such as 1280×720 for a widescreen screencast. Playwright’s documented video output is scaled to fit 800×800 by default, so explicitly setting both the viewport and video size prevents unexpected framing. See the Playwright video documentation.
- Use the same browser context for the stills and the video when you need them to show identical state.
Install Playwright
npm install -D playwright
npx playwright installThe second command downloads the browser binaries used by the script. If your project already has Playwright, check the installed version before using newer APIs.
2. A complete script for screenshots and a workflow video
The following script captures the initial viewport, a full-page image, and an optional component image while recording the interactions in the same context. Replace the URL and the example data-testid with selectors from your application.
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import { chromium } from 'playwright';
const browser = await chromium.launch();
const context = await browser.newContext({
viewport: { width: 1280, height: 720 },
recordVideo: {
dir: 'artifacts/videos',
size: { width: 1280, height: 720 }
}
});
const page = await context.newPage();
await page.goto('http://localhost:3000', { waitUntil: 'networkidle' });
// Still image of the visible viewport.
await page.screenshot({ path: 'artifacts/step-01.png' });
// Give viewers time to see the starting state.
await page.waitForTimeout(700);
// Capture one component if it exists in this app.
const primaryAction = page.locator('[data-testid="primary-action"]');
if (await primaryAction.count()) {
await primaryAction.screenshot({ path: 'artifacts/primary-action.png' });
await primaryAction.click();
await page.waitForTimeout(700);
await page.screenshot({ path: 'artifacts/step-02.png' });
}
// One image containing the entire scrollable page.
await page.screenshot({
path: 'artifacts/full-page.png',
fullPage: true
});
// Closing the context finalizes the video file.
await context.close();
await browser.close();Run it as an ES module (for example, save it as capture.mjs and run node capture.mjs). The video is written under artifacts/videos after context.close() completes. Playwright’s video guide documents the available recording modes and the requirement to close the page or context before the file is available.
3. Pick the right screenshot scope
Use the smallest capture that communicates the step. A full-page image is useful for a page overview, while a locator image is usually clearer for a single control or result.
| Goal | Playwright call | What it contains |
|---|---|---|
| Visible browser page | await page.screenshot({ path: 'step.png' }) |
The current viewport at the configured size. |
| Entire scrollable page | await page.screenshot({ path: 'page.png', fullPage: true }) |
One potentially very tall image containing the page from top to bottom. |
| One component | await page.locator('.result').screenshot({ path: 'result.png' }) |
The element’s rendered bounds, without unrelated page chrome. |
| Image bytes for processing | const bytes = await page.screenshot() |
A buffer you can pass to an image pipeline instead of writing immediately. |
These forms and options are documented in the Playwright screenshots documentation. A locator screenshot fails if the selector does not resolve, so use stable attributes such as data-testid rather than presentation-only class names.
4. Record with Playwright Test when the workflow is repeatable
For a test-driven screencast, put the workflow in a Playwright Test and configure video in the project configuration. This makes the capture reproducible and lets you choose when videos are retained.
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- What You Get: Anker USB-C Hub (5-in-1, 4K HDMI), welcome guide, 18-month warranty, and our friendly customer service.
// playwright.config.js
import { defineConfig } from '@playwright/test';
export default defineConfig({
use: {
baseURL: 'http://localhost:3000',
viewport: { width: 1280, height: 720 },
video: 'on'
}
});// workflow.spec.js
import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';
test('checkout workflow screencast', async ({ page }) => {
await page.goto('/');
await page.screenshot({ path: 'artifacts/checkout-start.png' });
await page.getByRole('link', { name: 'Get started' }).click();
await expect(page.getByRole('heading', { name: 'Checkout' })).toBeVisible();
await page.waitForTimeout(800);
await page.screenshot({ path: 'artifacts/checkout-end.png' });
});npx playwright test workflow.spec.jsPlaywright Test supports video: 'on', 'retain-on-failure', and 'on-first-retry'. Use 'on' for an editorial deliverable, or one of the retention modes when videos are mainly diagnostic. The resulting file is finalized when the test’s browser context closes. See the video options and lifecycle details.
5. Use the newer screencast API when your version supports it
Playwright v1.59 release notes introduce page.screencast.start() and page.screencast.stop(), together with action callouts, chapter cards, overlays, and real-time frame callbacks. These methods are version-dependent; check your installation first:
npx playwright --versionIf the installed browser API exposes the screencast methods, they can provide a more presentation-oriented recording than a raw test video. The release notes and browser API reference describe the available controls: Playwright v1.59 release notes and Browser API reference. Do not assume those methods exist on an older project lockfile; upgrade deliberately and verify the output format before rebuilding the capture workflow.
6. Make the screencast understandable
Keep one state transition per scene
Pause briefly after navigation, a click, or a result appearing. A fast automated sequence may be correct but unreadable. Capture a still immediately before or after the same transition shown in the video, rather than changing data between the still run and the recording.
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Use labels and chapters for explanation
For a narrated-feeling walkthrough without voice audio, add an action callout or chapter card at the moment the viewer needs context. The v1.59 screencast features are designed for this purpose; otherwise, add title cards during editing and keep the browser viewport free of temporary debug overlays.
Make asynchronous content deterministic
- Wait for a meaningful selector, such as a completed result or visible heading, instead of relying only on an arbitrary delay.
- Use a short delay after the selector appears when the viewer needs time to read it.
- Load lazy images before taking a full-page screenshot by scrolling or waiting for the image elements you need.
- For pages that keep WebSocket connections open, prefer a selector wait or bounded delay over an unlimited
networkidlewait. - Disable animations temporarily with a capture-only stylesheet when motion makes still images inconsistent.
7. Troubleshoot common capture failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
ERR_CONNECTION_REFUSED |
The development server is stopped, or the port is wrong. | Start the app, copy its reported URL, and update both baseURL and page.goto(). |
| Navigation times out | The app is still compiling, a request never settles, or the wait condition is too strict. | Wait for a visible app selector, increase the timeout for this route, or replace networkidle with a bounded readiness check. |
| Screenshot is blank | The capture ran before the application rendered, or a route redirected to an error page. | Check the final URL, wait for a distinctive heading, and capture after that element is visible. |
| Element screenshot says the locator is not found | The selector is app-specific, changed between builds, or appears only after an interaction. | Inspect the rendered DOM and use a stable role or data-testid; wait for the element before calling screenshot(). |
| Video file is missing or incomplete | The page or browser context was not closed. | Always await context.close() (or let Playwright Test finish) before reading or moving the video. |
| Video is tiny, stretched, or letterboxed | The viewport and explicit video size do not match, or the default 800×800 scaling was used. | Set matching width and height in both viewport and recordVideo.size. |
| Images are absent from a full-page shot | Lazy loading has not been triggered yet. | Scroll through the page or wait for the relevant image locators before taking the full-page capture. |
| Browser executable is missing | Playwright was installed without its browser binaries. | Run npx playwright install and repeat the script. |
8. Reliability, performance, and file planning
- Reuse one context for one scene. It keeps cookies, local storage, viewport, and video framing consistent. Start a fresh context when you need a clean login or independent recording.
- Capture only what you publish. Full-page images can be extremely tall; use a locator image for documentation of a single result and reserve full-page output for overviews.
- Separate artifacts from source code. Store stills under an artifacts directory and keep generated videos out of version control unless the repository intentionally distributes them.
- Review before publishing. Check that text is readable, controls are not covered by popups, and each screenshot shows the same application state as the corresponding video scene.
- Keep the environment repeatable. Use a fixed seed or fixture data where possible, pin the Playwright version in the project lockfile, and record the localhost route used for each scene.
Or skip the browser setup
If the page you need is reachable from the internet (for example, a deployed preview rather than a private localhost address), ScreenshotNeo is the first hosted screenshot API to try: it removes common page clutter before capture, bills only clean shots, and its paid entry plan is $5 for 3,000 shots.
Use the same one-call endpoint for a PNG, JPEG, WebP, or PDF response. The parameter names used by many screenshot APIs also work, which eases migration. Full-page capture, CSS-selector element capture, dark mode, device presets, custom viewports, retina scale, PDF paper settings, custom CSS and JavaScript, pre-capture clicks, selector/delay/network-idle waits, request blocking, headers, cookies, user agents, authorization, timezone, geolocation, transparent backgrounds, resizing, TTL caching, signed links, asynchronous jobs with signed webhooks, bulk capture of up to 100 URLs per call, usage reporting, and an OpenAPI specification are available options.
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for the option names and response headers. Before the shot, ScreenshotNeo accepts cookie or consent banners like a visitor and removes more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each cleanup step can be disabled. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and every response identifies the page verdict and billing status with X-Page-Verdict and X-Billed headers. It also provides an MCP server for AI clients with take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools.
Recommended Free Tools
import requests
r = requests.get(
"https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot",
params={"access_key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "url": "https://stripe.com"},
timeout=90,
)
open("shot.webp", "wb").write(r.content)const q = new URLSearchParams({ access_key: 'YOUR_API_KEY', url: 'https://stripe.com' });
const res = await fetch(`https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot?${q}`);Replace the example URL with a publicly reachable preview URL. A private localhost address is not reachable by a hosted service unless you provide a secure, temporary public endpoint.
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| Plan | Included shots | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 1,000 per month | $0, no card |
| Starter | 3,000 | $5 |
| Growth | 15,000 | $15 |
| Pro | 60,000 | $39 |
| Scale | 250,000 | $99 |
| Business | 1,000,000 | $249 |
Yearly billing gives two months free, and every feature is included on every plan. Start with 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Frequently asked questions
Does a Playwright page screenshot include the browser toolbar?
No. The screenshot APIs capture the web page rendered in the page viewport or the selected element, not the surrounding desktop browser controls. Record the desktop separately if your tutorial specifically needs browser chrome.
Can I save several workflow scenes in one run?
Yes. Save each still with a distinct path and keep the interactions in one ordered script. If scenes require different cookies, permissions, or starting data, create separate contexts so one scene cannot contaminate another.
Where can I verify newer screencast features?
Check the installed Playwright version and the v1.59 release notes before using Page.screencast, annotations, or chapter controls; these APIs are not guaranteed in older installations.
Best Value
- 5-in-1 Connectivity: Equipped with a 4K HDMI port, a 5 Gbps USB-C data port, two 5 Gbps USB-A ports, and a USB C 100W PD-IN port. Note: The USB C 100W PD-IN port supports only charging and does not support data transfer devices such as headphones or speakers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Playwright page screenshot include the browser toolbar?
No. It captures the rendered page viewport or selected element, not desktop browser controls.
Can I save several workflow scenes in one run?
Yes. Give each still a unique path and use separate contexts when scenes need isolated cookies or starting data.
Where can I verify newer screencast features?
Check your installed Playwright version and the v1.59 release notes before using Page.screencast or its annotation controls.
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