This is a step-by-step guide to help you set up automation for your product screenshots using LaunchBrightly’s screenshot automation platform.

1. Setting up your account and preferences

Sign up for an Account to get started

You can sign up for a free Account here. 

Add your company email address and password to create an Account. For security reasons, we’ll send a verification to the email address provided to complete your setup. It will arrive in seconds and you’ll be ready to set your Account preferences.

Fill in your name and update your Team Settings

Update your name in the Account Settings section and add your Company as the team name associated with your Account. If you are the first person on your team to sign up, you will automatically be designated an Admin and have a set of Team Settings available in your preferences. 

You are required to provide a name for your root Screenshot folder (this is where all your captured screenshots will be saved to the cloud), which will automatically populate with the team name you provide above. 

The automated screenshot platform will save all screenshots captured in a customizable and easy-to-understand folder structure which will include your team name. 

/ team name / product name / screenshotmode-filename .PNG

We recommend using your company name as the folder structure provides separate folders for each of the different Products you add. You can edit both your team name and the Screenshot folder name at any time by accessing your account preferences from the bottom-left panel of your LaunchBrightly console. 

Note: Although you are able to edit your Screenshot folder name, we do not recommend changing this name once it has been set. Changing the name associated with your Screenshot folder will result in a change to the naming of your screenshot URLs which, depending on how you set up your screenshot automation, could result in prior links embedded throughout your system breaking. 

Once updated, save your Account and Team settings.

Adding team members 

After saving your initial set of Account preferences you will be able to click on your profile name in the bottom left corner of the LaunchBrightly console to access your Account preferences and add team members under the Team Settings section. We will automatically send an invite to the email address provided and guide your team members through setting up their account.

You will have option to assign the following roles to your team members:

• Admin: your team members will have full access and rights to your LaunchBrightly account, including adding and deleting users, and changing admin rights.
• Editor: this will provide your team members will for access to LaunchBrightly’s functionality, however they will not have access to edit your Account and Team settings
• Viewer: your team members will have access to view your LaunchBrightly account, however will not be able to make changes. (Note: this user role is not currently implemented and coming soon)
• Disabled: team members who have been disabled will no longer have access to your LaunchBrightly account, however we do keep them as disabled users so any logs on actions taken by the disabled user are maintained. 

Editing your Account preferences

You can edit your Account preferences at any time by clicking on your profile name in the bottom left corner of the LaunchBrightly console.

2. Import all existing images in your help center

A great way to take an inventory of all the existing images in your help center, and to help get started setting up the Product Elements you want to automatically capture screenshots of, is to use our Import Help Center feature.

Select the Import Help Center option during account set up

After setting up your account and preferences upon sign up, you will be taken to the home screen in your LaunchBrightly console.

Here you can select the Import Help Center option to import all the existing images from your help center. Simply click the Import Help Center button and enter your help center URL in the input box provided in the right sidebar. 

You will be notified when the import begins and can see the progress in the status bar.

The automated screenshot platform will notify you when the import is complete.

A new Product containing all the images from the import in a single Imported Help Center column will automatically be created on completion of the import. 

The automated screenshot platform allows for a distinct product URL, with separate login details and its own set of screenshot styles to be applied to each Product you set up on the platform. So, in this context, a new Product will automatically be created when running a help center import allowing you to update your product URL and login details in the subsequent steps described below. 

The automated screenshot platform will run a pixel-diff on all the images from your help center and will import each screenshot only once (i.e. duplicate screenshots will not be created within the platform). Each unique image will automatically be created as an individual Product Element within the Imported Help Center column, and will provide a link to the different help article where the screenshot lives. 

Import a help center at any time using the dropdown in your dashboard

You can also use the Import Help Center feature at any time by selecting it from the dropdown.

When selecting the Import Help Center feature from the dropdown you will be taken through the same steps described above to import all the existing images from your help center. 

The automated screenshot platform will notify you when the import is complete. A new Product containing all the images from the new import in a single Imported Help Center column will automatically be created and each image will also automatically be created as an individual Product Element within the Imported Help Center column. 

Note: You cannot import a help center into an existing Product on the platform, it will always create a new Product. The help center import is mostly a tool used as a one-off when setting up your account to take an initial inventory of all your help center images which will subsequently be stored in your LaunchBrightly screenshot repository. 

3. Securely add your login credentials and provide visibility to your demo account

The automated screenshot platform will need visibility into your demo account to successfully take screenshots of your product. 

Update your Product information and App URL

A new Product will automatically be set up as part of the help center import. Click the auto-generated Product name at the top of your LaunchBrightly console to open the Edit Product sidebar. 

Update the name of your Product if necessary and add a brief tagline and description of your product.

Use the toggle to make your Product active and select the App URL and Access dropdown to add the URL for your web application (e.g. app.company.com).

If you have an ungated product, which does not require login credentials and is open to the public, then you can simply select the Open radio button and the automated screenshot platform will access the URL provided without needing to log into that page.

However, most products live behind a login and password gate so you will need to add the login and password details, or an authentication token, for your demo account so the platform has visibility into your demo account to take automated screenshots. 

Provide access with a login and password 

To provide the automated screenshot platform with visibility into your demo account using a login and password select the Login radio button and enter the login URL for your demo account.

Click on the Add Login Sequence and Credentials box to display a Cloud Browser of your web application URL within the LaunchBrightly console. 

The screenshot automation platform will automatically navigate to the Login URL for your web application in the Cloud Browser, however you can also enter the Login URL directly into the replica browser to display your login page should you prefer. 

Note: the Cloud Browser displayed within the LaunchBrightly console is a fully functioning browser that allows you to navigate the page, or update the URL, as you would any normal browser. 

Click Set URL to make this the default page for the automated screenshot platform to navigate to when automatically logging into your demo account to capture automated product screenshots.

Once you set the login URL for your web application the point-and-click Login Wizard will appear allowing you to use your mouse or keypad tracker to hover over your login page and click on the Email or Username input box to select the input element for login. We use this method for two reasons:

1. This approach mimics the experience your actual users would do themselves; and
2. It allows you to securely provide the platform with visibility into your demo account without requiring Engineering support or additional security controls in your system as the platform is logging into the account as any ordinary user would. 

After clicking on the Email or Username input box you can enter the email address associated with your demo account in the field provided on the sidebar to the left and select Set Email. 

The point-and-click Login Wizard will once again appear allowing you to now hover your mouse or keypad tracker over your login page to select the input element for your Password. 

After clicking on the Password input box you can enter the password for your demo account in the field provided on the sidebar to the left and select Set Password. 

The final step is to let the automated screenshot platform know where the login button to submit your username and password is. You can do this by hovering your mouse or keypad tracker over the page and clicking the login button to automatically update the element details for your login button in the left sidebar. Select the Click button option to set these element details. 

Finally, now that your login credentials have been entered and set, click Save from the bottom of the left sidebar to set the login parameters for the automated screenshot platform to access your demo account and take automated product screenshots. 

Provide access with an authentication token

Using an authentication token allows the screenshot automation platform to visit your web application and take screenshots without having to enter login credentials.

If you have an authentication token to log into your demo account you can simply select Token and enter your token ID into the input box:

Select your screenshot modes

After adding your App URL and providing visibility into your demo account, you can then select the screenshot modes you’d like the automated screenshot platform to generate screenshots of your Product Elements. Simply select the Screenshots dropdown and check each of the different modes for your screenshots. 

We initially provide 4 types of screenshots, with "Desktop - Light mode" being a mandatory screenshot type. The screenshot process is fully automated so no need to worry, you can edit these settings at any time to re-run the process and capture your screenshots in a new mode.

Click to Save your Product and login details. 

Managing Editions from your help center import

We use the Editions associated with your Product primarily as a filtering mechanism, allowing you to create multiple Editions to filter and group the different Product Elements you want to take automated screenshots of.

The help center import will automatically create an Imported Help Center Edition which contains all the images from your help center import. It will also automatically create an empty Managed Elements Edition which can be used to move the Product Elements you have set up for screenshot automation into.

You can click on any of these auto-generated Editions to rename, update the details or delete at any time by clicking on the Edition name at the top of your LaunchBrightly to open the Edition sidebar.

You can also add a new Edition at any time by clicking the dropdown in your LaunchBrightly console and selecting the Add Edition option.

4. Add a screenshot sequence for the Product Elements you want to capture

Use the auto-generated Product Elements from your help center import as a quick-start guide for setting up your Product Elements.

Select a Product Element and update the Element details

Click on the auto-generated Product Element card from your Import Help Center column to open the Edit Element sidebar.

Update the name and description of the Product Element, and click the toggle to set it to Active.

Access the support article associated with the Product Element

Scroll to the Support Article Relationships section and click the dropdown arrow to see the title of the article from which the Product Element was imported, and click to open the help article in a new browser window as a helpful reference point when setting up your Product Element. 

Use the Screenshot Setup Wizard to add a screenshot sequence 

Click Add Screenshot Sequence to open the point-and-click Screenshot Setup Wizard and a Cloud Browser of your web application within the LaunchBrightly console.

The platform will automatically log into your web application within the Cloud Browser in your LaunchBrightly console. You will be able to navigate to the page on your web application where the Product Element lives by entering the URL in the Cloud Browser bar or clicking through the page links to navigate to the relevant page. 

Once you have navigated to the page where the Product Element you want to capture lives, select Set URL.

From within the Cloud Browser use the point-and-click Screenshot Setup Wizard to hover your mouse over the page and highlight the Product Element you want to capture screenshots of. The Screenshot Setup Wizard will automatically adjust the Product Element it highlights as you move your mouse across the page.

Once you have highlighted the Product Element you want to capture, select Set element.

Coming Soon! Once you have selected the Product Element you want to capture, you will be able to trigger a set of Enhancements to be applied to the screenshot. For example, you will be able to add annotations such as a red rectangle to highlight specific areas on the Product Element you want to call out, remove unwanted chat bubbles from appearing in a screenshot, and prime the image so the dropdown is showing or the input has illustrative text in it. 

Now you have highlighted the Product Element you want to capture, the URL in your web application where it lives, and triggered a set of Enhancements to be applied, you can select Generate Preview to see a preview of the screenshot of your Product Element before saving. 

Finally, once you have finished reviewing the Preview click to Save your Screenshot Sequence. 

Select the Editions that apply to your Product Element and Save 

We use the Editions associated with your Product primarily as a filtering mechanism, allowing you to create multiple Editions to filter and group the different Product Elements you want to take automated screenshots of. 

Click Save and your Product Element is now set up for automated screenshots.

Repeat the steps in this process as a one-off for all of the Product Elements you want to automate product screenshots for.

Edit a Product Element or Screenshot Sequence at any time

You can edit a Product Element, and a Screenshot Sequence, at any time by clicking into the relevant Product Element card from the Elements page on your LaunchBrightly console which will open the Product Element in the right sidebar.

You can simply change the name or description of your Product Element by editing the text. 

Additionally, you can edit your Screenshot Sequence, and any of the steps within the sequence, by clicking to Edit Sequence.

And you can use the Edit icon to update or edit any of the steps in your Screenshot Sequence.

5. Apply global styling across all of your screenshots

From the Style page on your LaunchBrightly console you can add a set of fully customizable, product-level, enhancements to ensure all of your screenshots are automatically on-brand, and consistent from screenshot to screenshot. 

Adjust the margin and the background color

The primary purpose of your margin settings is to create a space around the outside of your screenshots, allowing your screenshots some room to breathe and ensuring they do not suffocate (or cram-together) the text or other images where your screenshots will be used. 

Use the margin settings to adjust the width of the space around your screenshots to best suit your needs, and add a background color that matches your brand guidelines. You are also able to set a fully transparent background to allow a setting where your screenshots can be used, for example, on a help center that supports both light and dark modes to blend the image perfectly on both. These margins will be applied consistently across all of your screenshots. 

Set the cornering of your screenshots

For a lot of designs rounded corners help draw attention and focus to the center of an image while sharp corners, in contrast, draw the eye away from the center. Use the toggle in the Style bar to adjust the cornering just how you’d like it. 

Apply your shadow settings

Shadows, when done well, provide depth, contrast and clarity to the image and the page where the image is used. You can adjust the blur, color, and offsets to apply your preferred shadow settings. It is an art rather than a science, but we get you started with parameters similar to how MacOS does shadows on manual screenshots.

Tip: Preview images

You can flip through styling preview images using the small double-arrows icon in the Style toolbox header. If you are yet to run the automated screenshot process, we'll show a sample product image.

6. Run the Automated Screenshots Process

From the Screenshots page in your LaunchBrightly console you can see screenshots of all the Product Elements you have set up, and ask for new screenshots to be generated at any time. 

Run the screenshot process to generate screenshots for newly set up Product Elements

Use the camera icon in the top right-hand corner to start generating your screenshots, and see the status of each screenshot being fetched. 

For each of your Product Elements you will be able to see the different screenshot modes you have set up (e.g. desktop and mobile), the imported screenshots if you ran the help center import, and a copy of the RAW screenshots along with your styled versions. You can use the arrows in the bottom panel of your screenshot to toggle between the different versions.

Run the screenshot process for ALL your screenshots at any time

Once you have set up your Product Elements and run the screenshot process, all of your automated, beautifully styled screenshots are stored in the cloud and can be found on the Screenshots page.

However, there may be occasions where you need to re-run the screenshot process for all of your automated screenshots. For example, if there is a change to the navigation of your product, or a change to your app font, all of your product screenshots will need to be refreshed to reflect the changes. Something that really only becomes possible as a machine task. Those hundreds or thousands of screenshots simply become unmanageable when required to be refreshed manually by a human.

You can click the “Reprocess All” button in the upper right-hand corner of your Screenshots page and the automated screenshot platform will re-run the screenshot process and capture the updated product changes with a new set of screenshots saved to the cloud.

Reprocess screenshots for individual Product Elements

To re-run the screenshot process for an individual Product Element, you can hover over any individual screenshot and click the bottom info box. A camera icon will become available which allows you to reprocess this single screenshot and save it to the cloud.

Where are my screenshots saved?

Your screenshots are automatically saved to our CDN (a globally-distributed network of servers that cache your content close to the user). On the first run, you will see your screenshots almost immediately, however, when re-running the screenshot process you might still see the old ones as it can take time to push this to the edge. If you go to the Elements page from your LaunchBrightly console and click on the relevant Product Element, we will show you what we have in our DB and what is in the midst of being pushed to all corners of the world.

7. Sync your screenshots with your help center

You can sync the screenshots captured by the automated screenshot platform directly with your help center to, automatically and continuously, have the products screenshots in your help articles update as your product changes. Screenshot Nirvana.

We provide you with 3 different ways to take advantage of the screenshots you have automated to sync with your help center:

1. Using the platform for the primary purpose of automating your product screenshots and using the screenshot URL copy/paste functionality as, and when, needed.
2. Embed your automated product screenshots by live linking with a screenshot URL or populated <IMG> tag
3. Sync automated product screenshots directly with your help center

1. Screenshot URL copy/paste 

You can use the platform for the primary purpose of automatically generating all of your product screenshots so you always have a fully up-to-date repository of screenshots. Each of the automated screenshots of your Product Elements will have a unique URL attached to the screenshot. You can use this unique URL to take advantage of your automated product screenshot to best suit your needs.

This URL is unique and will not change.The image that lives on this URL will be refreshed and updated when you run the automated screenshot process, however the URL itself will not change. This allows you to copy/paste this link into your help center, and other sources, with the confidence of knowing the URL will not change. 

Copy your screenshot URL

From the Screenshots page in your LaunchBrightly console you can hover over any individual screenshot to open the information box at the bottom of the image. A copy image icon will become available which allows you to copy the URL directly to your clipboard and open the relevant image in a new window on the proper live cloud URL. You can also copy the screenshot URL directly from the URL line in the new window.

Additionally, you can also go to the table view in the Screenshots page, add a filter or sort to make it easier to find your image, and copy the screenshots URL from the "Public URLs" column using the copy icon. 

Screenshot URL formatting 

The full link will be formatted as follows:

https://screenshot.launchbrightly.com/teamname/productname/screenshotmode-filename.PNG

This will provide you with a URL you can paste directly into a browser to see your screenshot.

2. Live linking using a screenshot URL or populated <IMG> tag

Rather than using the screenshot URL above and writing the HTML yourself, the Embed option provides you with a fully populated <IMG> tag for each of your screenshots that you can embed directly into your help center.

To embed a fully populated <IMG> tag for you screenshot directly into your help center navigate to the Embed page in your LaunchBrightly console and follow the below steps:

1. Select the screenshot you want to embed in your help center from the dropdown
2. Copy the Embed Code provided
3. Paste the Embed Code directly into your help center article where you want the screenshot to be placed

Tip: Linking to a screenshot versus uploading a screenshot

We’ve been trained over the years to upload static product images to our Marketing and Support systems using things like drag-and-drop or file explorer. This may serve an immediate need, but it means we are now stuck with a static product image that will slowly grow outdated as inevitable product updates occur. Embedding a link to your screenshots allows you to move beyond static images, and creates a live link back to our automated screenshot platform. Your product images can now be updated automatically and without the need to manually drag-and-drop new screenshots into a help center article every time a product update is made.

3. Sync your automated product screenshots directly with your help center

Run the help center sync from the Sync page in your LaunchBrightly console to automatically refresh the screenshots in your help center with new screenshots reflecting the most current version of your product. Our platform monitors all the images in your help center and automatically replaces outdated images, guaranteeing accurate representations of your current product at all times. 

To sync your automated product screenshots directly with your help center select the Sync dropdown to see a list of help center integrations and select the option that corresponds to your help center.

Once you have selected to Sync with your help center, the platform will automatically crawl all of the screenshots in your help center, identify those screenshots that are outdated and automatically update those screenshots with the latest version. 

The Sync Status allows you to:

• Track the number and update status of the screenshots in each of your support articles
• Track when your screenshots were last updated and when your help center sync was last run
• Identify any support articles that contain unmanaged screenshots (i.e. those screenshots that do not have an automated screenshot process set in LaunchBrightly)

1. Setting up your account and preferences

Sign up for an Account to get started

You can sign up for a free Account here. 

 

Add your company email address and password to create an Account. For security reasons, we’ll send a verification to the email address provided to complete your setup. It will arrive in seconds and you’ll be ready to set your Account preferences.

 

Fill in your name and update your Team Settings

Update your name in the Account Settings section and add your Company as the team name associated with your Account. If you are the first person on your team to sign up, you will automatically be designated an Admin and have a set of Team Settings available in your preferences. 

 

 

You are required to provide a name for your root Screenshot folder (this is where all your captured screenshots will be saved to the cloud), which will automatically populate with the team name you provide above. 

 

The automated screenshot platform will save all screenshots captured in a customizable and easy-to-understand folder structure which will include your team name. 

 

/ team name / product name / screenshotmode-filename .PNG

 

 

We recommend using your company name as the folder structure provides separate folders for each of the different Products you add. You can edit both your team name and the Screenshot folder name at any time by accessing your account preferences from the bottom-left panel of your LaunchBrightly console. 

 

Note: Although you are able to edit your Screenshot folder name, we do not recommend changing this name once it has been set. Changing the name associated with your Screenshot folder will result in a change to the naming of your screenshot URLs which, depending on how you set up your screenshot automation, could result in prior links embedded throughout your system breaking. 

 

Once updated, save your Account and Team settings.

Adding team members 

After saving your initial set of Account preferences you will be able to click on your profile name in the bottom left corner of the LaunchBrightly console to access your Account preferences and add team members under the Team Settings section. We will automatically send an invite to the email address provided and guide your team members through setting up their account.

 

 

You will have option to assign the following roles to your team members:

 

• Admin: your team members will have full access and rights to your LaunchBrightly account, including adding and deleting users, and changing admin rights.
• Editor: this will provide your team members will for access to LaunchBrightly’s functionality, however they will not have access to edit your Account and Team settings
• Viewer: your team members will have access to view your LaunchBrightly account, however will not be able to make changes. (Note: this user role is not currently implemented and coming soon)
• Disabled: team members who have been disabled will no longer have access to your LaunchBrightly account, however we do keep them as disabled users so any logs on actions taken by the disabled user are maintained. 

 

Editing your Account preferences

You can edit your Account preferences at any time by clicking on your profile name in the bottom left corner of the LaunchBrightly console.

 

2. Import all existing images in your help center

A great way to take an inventory of all the existing images in your help center, and to help get started setting up the Product Elements you want to automatically capture screenshots of, is to use our Import Help Center feature.

Select the Import Help Center option during account set up

After setting up your account and preferences upon sign up, you will be taken to the home screen in your LaunchBrightly console.

 

 

Here you can select the Import Help Center option to import all the existing images from your help center. Simply click the Import Help Center button and enter your help center URL in the input box provided in the right sidebar. 

 

 

You will be notified when the import begins and can see the progress in the status bar.

 

 

The automated screenshot platform will notify you when the import is complete.

 

 

A new Product containing all the images from the import in a single Imported Help Center column will automatically be created on completion of the import. 

 

The automated screenshot platform allows for a distinct product URL, with separate login details and its own set of screenshot styles to be applied to each Product you set up on the platform. So, in this context, a new Product will automatically be created when running a help center import allowing you to update your product URL and login details in the subsequent steps described below. 

 

 

The automated screenshot platform will run a pixel-diff on all the images from your help center and will import each screenshot only once (i.e. duplicate screenshots will not be created within the platform). Each unique image will automatically be created as an individual Product Element within the Imported Help Center column, and will provide a link to the different help article where the screenshot lives. 

Import a help center at any time using the dropdown in your dashboard

You can also use the Import Help Center feature at any time by selecting it from the dropdown.

 

 

When selecting the Import Help Center feature from the dropdown you will be taken through the same steps described above to import all the existing images from your help center. 

 

 

The automated screenshot platform will notify you when the import is complete. A new Product containing all the images from the new import in a single Imported Help Center column will automatically be created and each image will also automatically be created as an individual Product Element within the Imported Help Center column. 

 

Note: You cannot import a help center into an existing Product on the platform, it will always create a new Product. The help center import is mostly a tool used as a one-off when setting up your account to take an initial inventory of all your help center images which will subsequently be stored in your LaunchBrightly screenshot repository. 

3. Securely add your login credentials and provide visibility to your demo account

The automated screenshot platform will need visibility into your demo account to successfully take screenshots of your product. 

Update your Product information and App URL

A new Product will automatically be set up as part of the help center import. Click the auto-generated Product name at the top of your LaunchBrightly console to open the Edit Product sidebar. 

 

Update the name of your Product if necessary and add a brief tagline and description of your product.

 

 

Use the toggle to make your Product active and select the App URL and Access dropdown to add the URL for your web application (e.g. app.company.com).

 

 

If you have an ungated product, which does not require login credentials and is open to the public, then you can simply select the Open radio button and the automated screenshot platform will access the URL provided without needing to log into that page.

 

 

However, most products live behind a login and password gate so you will need to add the login and password details, or an authentication token, for your demo account so the platform has visibility into your demo account to take automated screenshots. 

Provide access with a login and password 

To provide the automated screenshot platform with visibility into your demo account using a login and password select the Login radio button and enter the login URL for your demo account.

 

 

Click on the Add Login Sequence and Credentials box to display a Cloud Browser of your web application URL within the LaunchBrightly console. 

 

 

The screenshot automation platform will automatically navigate to the Login URL for your web application in the Cloud Browser, however you can also enter the Login URL directly into the replica browser to display your login page should you prefer. 

 

Note: the Cloud Browser displayed within the LaunchBrightly console is a fully functioning browser that allows you to navigate the page, or update the URL, as you would any normal browser. 

 

 

Click Set URL to make this the default page for the automated screenshot platform to navigate to when automatically logging into your demo account to capture automated product screenshots.

 

 

Once you set the login URL for your web application the point-and-click Login Wizard will appear allowing you to use your mouse or keypad tracker to hover over your login page and click on the Email or Username input box to select the input element for login. We use this method for two reasons:

 

1. This approach mimics the experience your actual users would do themselves; and
2. It allows you to securely provide the platform with visibility into your demo account without requiring Engineering support or additional security controls in your system as the platform is logging into the account as any ordinary user would. 

 

 

After clicking on the Email or Username input box you can enter the email address associated with your demo account in the field provided on the sidebar to the left and select Set Email. 

 

 

The point-and-click Login Wizard will once again appear allowing you to now hover your mouse or keypad tracker over your login page to select the input element for your Password. 

 

 

After clicking on the Password input box you can enter the password for your demo account in the field provided on the sidebar to the left and select Set Password. 

 

 

The final step is to let the automated screenshot platform know where the login button to submit your username and password is. You can do this by hovering your mouse or keypad tracker over the page and clicking the login button to automatically update the element details for your login button in the left sidebar. Select the Click button option to set these element details. 

 

 

Finally, now that your login credentials have been entered and set, click Save from the bottom of the left sidebar to set the login parameters for the automated screenshot platform to access your demo account and take automated product screenshots. 

 

Provide access with an authentication token

Using an authentication token allows the screenshot automation platform to visit your web application and take screenshots without having to enter login credentials.

 

If you have an authentication token to log into your demo account you can simply select Token and enter your token ID into the input box:

 

Select your screenshot modes

After adding your App URL and providing visibility into your demo account, you can then select the screenshot modes you’d like the automated screenshot platform to generate screenshots of your Product Elements. Simply select the Screenshots dropdown and check each of the different modes for your screenshots. 

 

We initially provide 4 types of screenshots, with "Desktop - Light mode" being a mandatory screenshot type. The screenshot process is fully automated so no need to worry, you can edit these settings at any time to re-run the process and capture your screenshots in a new mode.

 

 

Click to Save your Product and login details. 

Managing Editions from your help center import

We use the Editions associated with your Product primarily as a filtering mechanism, allowing you to create multiple Editions to filter and group the different Product Elements you want to take automated screenshots of.

 

The help center import will automatically create an Imported Help Center Edition which contains all the images from your help center import. It will also automatically create an empty Managed Elements Edition which can be used to move the Product Elements you have set up for screenshot automation into.

 

 

You can click on any of these auto-generated Editions to rename, update the details or delete at any time by clicking on the Edition name at the top of your LaunchBrightly to open the Edition sidebar.

 

 

You can also add a new Edition at any time by clicking the dropdown in your LaunchBrightly console and selecting the Add Edition option.

 

4. Add a screenshot sequence for the Product Elements you want to capture

Use the auto-generated Product Elements from your help center import as a quick-start guide for setting up your Product Elements.

Select a Product Element and update the Element details

Click on the auto-generated Product Element card from your Import Help Center column to open the Edit Element sidebar.

 

 

Update the name and description of the Product Element, and click the toggle to set it to Active.

 

Access the support article associated with the Product Element

Scroll to the Support Article Relationships section and click the dropdown arrow to see the title of the article from which the Product Element was imported, and click to open the help article in a new browser window as a helpful reference point when setting up your Product Element. 

 

Use the Screenshot Setup Wizard to add a screenshot sequence 

Click Add Screenshot Sequence to open the point-and-click Screenshot Setup Wizard and a Cloud Browser of your web application within the LaunchBrightly console.

 

 

The platform will automatically log into your web application within the Cloud Browser in your LaunchBrightly console. You will be able to navigate to the page on your web application where the Product Element lives by entering the URL in the Cloud Browser bar or clicking through the page links to navigate to the relevant page. 

 

 

Once you have navigated to the page where the Product Element you want to capture lives, select Set URL.

 

 

From within the Cloud Browser use the point-and-click Screenshot Setup Wizard to hover your mouse over the page and highlight the Product Element you want to capture screenshots of. The Screenshot Setup Wizard will automatically adjust the Product Element it highlights as you move your mouse across the page.

 

 

Once you have highlighted the Product Element you want to capture, select Set element.

 

 

Coming Soon! Once you have selected the Product Element you want to capture, you will be able to trigger a set of Enhancements to be applied to the screenshot. For example, you will be able to add annotations such as a red rectangle to highlight specific areas on the Product Element you want to call out, remove unwanted chat bubbles from appearing in a screenshot, and prime the image so the dropdown is showing or the input has illustrative text in it. 

 

 

Now you have highlighted the Product Element you want to capture, the URL in your web application where it lives, and triggered a set of Enhancements to be applied, you can select Generate Preview to see a preview of the screenshot of your Product Element before saving. 

 

 

 

Finally, once you have finished reviewing the Preview click to Save your Screenshot Sequence. 

 

Select the Editions that apply to your Product Element and Save 

We use the Editions associated with your Product primarily as a filtering mechanism, allowing you to create multiple Editions to filter and group the different Product Elements you want to take automated screenshots of. 

 

 

Click Save and your Product Element is now set up for automated screenshots.

 

Repeat the steps in this process as a one-off for all of the Product Elements you want to automate product screenshots for.

Edit a Product Element or Screenshot Sequence at any time

You can edit a Product Element, and a Screenshot Sequence, at any time by clicking into the relevant Product Element card from the Elements page on your LaunchBrightly console which will open the Product Element in the right sidebar.

 

 

You can simply change the name or description of your Product Element by editing the text. 

 

Additionally, you can edit your Screenshot Sequence, and any of the steps within the sequence, by clicking to Edit Sequence.

 

And you can use the Edit icon to update or edit any of the steps in your Screenshot Sequence.

 

5. Apply global styling across all of your screenshots

From the Style page on your LaunchBrightly console you can add a set of fully customizable, product-level, enhancements to ensure all of your screenshots are automatically on-brand, and consistent from screenshot to screenshot. 

 

Adjust the margin and the background color

The primary purpose of your margin settings is to create a space around the outside of your screenshots, allowing your screenshots some room to breathe and ensuring they do not suffocate (or cram-together) the text or other images where your screenshots will be used. 

 

Use the margin settings to adjust the width of the space around your screenshots to best suit your needs, and add a background color that matches your brand guidelines. You are also able to set a fully transparent background to allow a setting where your screenshots can be used, for example, on a help center that supports both light and dark modes to blend the image perfectly on both. These margins will be applied consistently across all of your screenshots. 

 

Set the cornering of your screenshots

For a lot of designs rounded corners help draw attention and focus to the center of an image while sharp corners, in contrast, draw the eye away from the center. Use the toggle in the Style bar to adjust the cornering just how you’d like it. 

 

Apply your shadow settings

Shadows, when done well, provide depth, contrast and clarity to the image and the page where the image is used. You can adjust the blur, color, and offsets to apply your preferred shadow settings. It is an art rather than a science, but we get you started with parameters similar to how MacOS does shadows on manual screenshots.

 

Tip: Preview images

You can flip through styling preview images using the small double-arrows icon in the Style toolbox header. If you are yet to run the automated screenshot process, we'll show a sample product image.

 

6. Run the Automated Screenshots Process

From the Screenshots page in your LaunchBrightly console you can see screenshots of all the Product Elements you have set up, and ask for new screenshots to be generated at any time. 

 

Run the screenshot process to generate screenshots for newly set up Product Elements

Use the camera icon in the top right-hand corner to start generating your screenshots, and see the status of each screenshot being fetched. 

 

 

For each of your Product Elements you will be able to see the different screenshot modes you have set up (e.g. desktop and mobile), the imported screenshots if you ran the help center import, and a copy of the RAW screenshots along with your styled versions. You can use the arrows in the bottom panel of your screenshot to toggle between the different versions.

 

Run the screenshot process for ALL your screenshots at any time

Once you have set up your Product Elements and run the screenshot process, all of your automated, beautifully styled screenshots are stored in the cloud and can be found on the Screenshots page.

 

However, there may be occasions where you need to re-run the screenshot process for all of your automated screenshots. For example, if there is a change to the navigation of your product, or a change to your app font, all of your product screenshots will need to be refreshed to reflect the changes. Something that really only becomes possible as a machine task. Those hundreds or thousands of screenshots simply become unmanageable when required to be refreshed manually by a human.

 

You can click the “Reprocess All” button in the upper right-hand corner of your Screenshots page and the automated screenshot platform will re-run the screenshot process and capture the updated product changes with a new set of screenshots saved to the cloud.

 

Reprocess screenshots for individual Product Elements

To re-run the screenshot process for an individual Product Element, you can hover over any individual screenshot and click the bottom info box. A camera icon will become available which allows you to reprocess this single screenshot and save it to the cloud.

 

Where are my screenshots saved?

Your screenshots are automatically saved to our CDN (a globally-distributed network of servers that cache your content close to the user). On the first run, you will see your screenshots almost immediately, however, when re-running the screenshot process you might still see the old ones as it can take time to push this to the edge. If you go to the Elements page from your LaunchBrightly console and click on the relevant Product Element, we will show you what we have in our DB and what is in the midst of being pushed to all corners of the world.

7. Sync your screenshots with your help center

You can sync the screenshots captured by the automated screenshot platform directly with your help center to, automatically and continuously, have the products screenshots in your help articles update as your product changes. Screenshot Nirvana.

 

We provide you with 3 different ways to take advantage of the screenshots you have automated to sync with your help center:

 

1. Using the platform for the primary purpose of automating your product screenshots and using the screenshot URL copy/paste functionality as, and when, needed.
2. Embed your automated product screenshots by live linking with a screenshot URL or populated <IMG> tag
3. Sync automated product screenshots directly with your help center

1. Screenshot URL copy/paste 

You can use the platform for the primary purpose of automatically generating all of your product screenshots so you always have a fully up-to-date repository of screenshots. Each of the automated screenshots of your Product Elements will have a unique URL attached to the screenshot. You can use this unique URL to take advantage of your automated product screenshot to best suit your needs.

 

This URL is unique and will not change.The image that lives on this URL will be refreshed and updated when you run the automated screenshot process, however the URL itself will not change. This allows you to copy/paste this link into your help center, and other sources, with the confidence of knowing the URL will not change. 

Copy your screenshot URL

From the Screenshots page in your LaunchBrightly console you can hover over any individual screenshot to open the information box at the bottom of the image. A copy image icon will become available which allows you to copy the URL directly to your clipboard and open the relevant image in a new window on the proper live cloud URL. You can also copy the screenshot URL directly from the URL line in the new window.

 

Additionally, you can also go to the table view in the Screenshots page, add a filter or sort to make it easier to find your image, and copy the screenshots URL from the "Public URLs" column using the copy icon. 

 

Screenshot URL formatting 

The full link will be formatted as follows:

 

https://screenshot.launchbrightly.com/teamname/productname/screenshotmode-filename.PNG

 

This will provide you with a URL you can paste directly into a browser to see your screenshot.

2. Live linking using a screenshot URL or populated <IMG> tag

Rather than using the screenshot URL above and writing the HTML yourself, the Embed option provides you with a fully populated <IMG> tag for each of your screenshots that you can embed directly into your help center.

 

 

To embed a fully populated <IMG> tag for you screenshot directly into your help center navigate to the Embed page in your LaunchBrightly console and follow the below steps:

 

1. Select the screenshot you want to embed in your help center from the dropdown
2. Copy the Embed Code provided
3. Paste the Embed Code directly into your help center article where you want the screenshot to be placed

Tip: Linking to a screenshot versus uploading a screenshot

We’ve been trained over the years to upload static product images to our Marketing and Support systems using things like drag-and-drop or file explorer. This may serve an immediate need, but it means we are now stuck with a static product image that will slowly grow outdated as inevitable product updates occur. Embedding a link to your screenshots allows you to move beyond static images, and creates a live link back to our automated screenshot platform. Your product images can now be updated automatically and without the need to manually drag-and-drop new screenshots into a help center article every time a product update is made.

3. Sync your automated product screenshots directly with your help center

Run the help center sync from the Sync page in your LaunchBrightly console to automatically refresh the screenshots in your help center with new screenshots reflecting the most current version of your product. Our platform monitors all the images in your help center and automatically replaces outdated images, guaranteeing accurate representations of your current product at all times. 

 

To sync your automated product screenshots directly with your help center select the Sync dropdown to see a list of help center integrations and select the option that corresponds to your help center.

 

 

Once you have selected to Sync with your help center, the platform will automatically crawl all of the screenshots in your help center, identify those screenshots that are outdated and automatically update those screenshots with the latest version. 

 

 

The Sync Status allows you to:

• Track the number and update status of the screenshots in each of your support articles
• Track when your screenshots were last updated and when your help center sync was last run
• Identify any support articles that contain unmanaged screenshots (i.e. those screenshots that do not have an automated screenshot process set in LaunchBrightly)

1. Setting up your account and preferences

Sign up for an Account to get started

You can sign up for a free Account here. 

 

Add your company email address and password to create an Account. For security reasons, we’ll send a verification to the email address provided to complete your setup. It will arrive in seconds and you’ll be ready to set your Account preferences.

 

Fill in your name and update your Team Settings

Update your name in the Account Settings section and add your Company as the team name associated with your Account. If you are the first person on your team to sign up, you will automatically be designated an Admin and have a set of Team Settings available in your preferences. 

 

 

You are required to provide a name for your root Screenshot folder (this is where all your captured screenshots will be saved to the cloud), which will automatically populate with the team name you provide above. 

 

The automated screenshot platform will save all screenshots captured in a customizable and easy-to-understand folder structure which will include your team name. 

 

/ team name / product name / screenshotmode-filename .PNG

 

 

We recommend using your company name as the folder structure provides separate folders for each of the different Products you add. You can edit both your team name and the Screenshot folder name at any time by accessing your account preferences from the bottom-left panel of your LaunchBrightly console. 

 

Note: Although you are able to edit your Screenshot folder name, we do not recommend changing this name once it has been set. Changing the name associated with your Screenshot folder will result in a change to the naming of your screenshot URLs which, depending on how you set up your screenshot automation, could result in prior links embedded throughout your system breaking. 

 

Once updated, save your Account and Team settings.

Adding team members 

After saving your initial set of Account preferences you will be able to click on your profile name in the bottom left corner of the LaunchBrightly console to access your Account preferences and add team members under the Team Settings section. We will automatically send an invite to the email address provided and guide your team members through setting up their account.

 

 

You will have option to assign the following roles to your team members:

 

• Admin: your team members will have full access and rights to your LaunchBrightly account, including adding and deleting users, and changing admin rights.
• Editor: this will provide your team members will for access to LaunchBrightly’s functionality, however they will not have access to edit your Account and Team settings
• Viewer: your team members will have access to view your LaunchBrightly account, however will not be able to make changes. (Note: this user role is not currently implemented and coming soon)
• Disabled: team members who have been disabled will no longer have access to your LaunchBrightly account, however we do keep them as disabled users so any logs on actions taken by the disabled user are maintained. 

 

Editing your Account preferences

You can edit your Account preferences at any time by clicking on your profile name in the bottom left corner of the LaunchBrightly console.

 

2. Import all existing images in your help center

A great way to take an inventory of all the existing images in your help center, and to help get started setting up the Product Elements you want to automatically capture screenshots of, is to use our Import Help Center feature.

Select the Import Help Center option during account set up

After setting up your account and preferences upon sign up, you will be taken to the home screen in your LaunchBrightly console.

 

 

Here you can select the Import Help Center option to import all the existing images from your help center. Simply click the Import Help Center button and enter your help center URL in the input box provided in the right sidebar. 

 

 

You will be notified when the import begins and can see the progress in the status bar.

 

 

The automated screenshot platform will notify you when the import is complete.

 

 

A new Product containing all the images from the import in a single Imported Help Center column will automatically be created on completion of the import. 

 

The automated screenshot platform allows for a distinct product URL, with separate login details and its own set of screenshot styles to be applied to each Product you set up on the platform. So, in this context, a new Product will automatically be created when running a help center import allowing you to update your product URL and login details in the subsequent steps described below. 

 

 

The automated screenshot platform will run a pixel-diff on all the images from your help center and will import each screenshot only once (i.e. duplicate screenshots will not be created within the platform). Each unique image will automatically be created as an individual Product Element within the Imported Help Center column, and will provide a link to the different help article where the screenshot lives. 

Import a help center at any time using the dropdown in your dashboard

You can also use the Import Help Center feature at any time by selecting it from the dropdown.

 

 

When selecting the Import Help Center feature from the dropdown you will be taken through the same steps described above to import all the existing images from your help center. 

 

 

The automated screenshot platform will notify you when the import is complete. A new Product containing all the images from the new import in a single Imported Help Center column will automatically be created and each image will also automatically be created as an individual Product Element within the Imported Help Center column. 

 

Note: You cannot import a help center into an existing Product on the platform, it will always create a new Product. The help center import is mostly a tool used as a one-off when setting up your account to take an initial inventory of all your help center images which will subsequently be stored in your LaunchBrightly screenshot repository. 

3. Securely add your login credentials and provide visibility to your demo account

The automated screenshot platform will need visibility into your demo account to successfully take screenshots of your product. 

Update your Product information and App URL

A new Product will automatically be set up as part of the help center import. Click the auto-generated Product name at the top of your LaunchBrightly console to open the Edit Product sidebar. 

 

Update the name of your Product if necessary and add a brief tagline and description of your product.

 

 

Use the toggle to make your Product active and select the App URL and Access dropdown to add the URL for your web application (e.g. app.company.com).

 

 

If you have an ungated product, which does not require login credentials and is open to the public, then you can simply select the Open radio button and the automated screenshot platform will access the URL provided without needing to log into that page.

 

 

However, most products live behind a login and password gate so you will need to add the login and password details, or an authentication token, for your demo account so the platform has visibility into your demo account to take automated screenshots. 

Provide access with a login and password 

To provide the automated screenshot platform with visibility into your demo account using a login and password select the Login radio button and enter the login URL for your demo account.

 

 

Click on the Add Login Sequence and Credentials box to display a Cloud Browser of your web application URL within the LaunchBrightly console. 

 

 

The screenshot automation platform will automatically navigate to the Login URL for your web application in the Cloud Browser, however you can also enter the Login URL directly into the replica browser to display your login page should you prefer. 

 

Note: the Cloud Browser displayed within the LaunchBrightly console is a fully functioning browser that allows you to navigate the page, or update the URL, as you would any normal browser. 

 

 

Click Set URL to make this the default page for the automated screenshot platform to navigate to when automatically logging into your demo account to capture automated product screenshots.

 

 

Once you set the login URL for your web application the point-and-click Login Wizard will appear allowing you to use your mouse or keypad tracker to hover over your login page and click on the Email or Username input box to select the input element for login. We use this method for two reasons:

 

1. This approach mimics the experience your actual users would do themselves; and
2. It allows you to securely provide the platform with visibility into your demo account without requiring Engineering support or additional security controls in your system as the platform is logging into the account as any ordinary user would. 

 

 

After clicking on the Email or Username input box you can enter the email address associated with your demo account in the field provided on the sidebar to the left and select Set Email. 

 

 

The point-and-click Login Wizard will once again appear allowing you to now hover your mouse or keypad tracker over your login page to select the input element for your Password. 

 

 

After clicking on the Password input box you can enter the password for your demo account in the field provided on the sidebar to the left and select Set Password. 

 

 

The final step is to let the automated screenshot platform know where the login button to submit your username and password is. You can do this by hovering your mouse or keypad tracker over the page and clicking the login button to automatically update the element details for your login button in the left sidebar. Select the Click button option to set these element details. 

 

 

Finally, now that your login credentials have been entered and set, click Save from the bottom of the left sidebar to set the login parameters for the automated screenshot platform to access your demo account and take automated product screenshots. 

 

Provide access with an authentication token

Using an authentication token allows the screenshot automation platform to visit your web application and take screenshots without having to enter login credentials.

 

If you have an authentication token to log into your demo account you can simply select Token and enter your token ID into the input box:

 

Select your screenshot modes

After adding your App URL and providing visibility into your demo account, you can then select the screenshot modes you’d like the automated screenshot platform to generate screenshots of your Product Elements. Simply select the Screenshots dropdown and check each of the different modes for your screenshots. 

 

We initially provide 4 types of screenshots, with "Desktop - Light mode" being a mandatory screenshot type. The screenshot process is fully automated so no need to worry, you can edit these settings at any time to re-run the process and capture your screenshots in a new mode.

 

 

Click to Save your Product and login details. 

Managing Editions from your help center import

We use the Editions associated with your Product primarily as a filtering mechanism, allowing you to create multiple Editions to filter and group the different Product Elements you want to take automated screenshots of.

 

The help center import will automatically create an Imported Help Center Edition which contains all the images from your help center import. It will also automatically create an empty Managed Elements Edition which can be used to move the Product Elements you have set up for screenshot automation into.

 

 

You can click on any of these auto-generated Editions to rename, update the details or delete at any time by clicking on the Edition name at the top of your LaunchBrightly to open the Edition sidebar.

 

 

You can also add a new Edition at any time by clicking the dropdown in your LaunchBrightly console and selecting the Add Edition option.

 

4. Add a screenshot sequence for the Product Elements you want to capture

Use the auto-generated Product Elements from your help center import as a quick-start guide for setting up your Product Elements.

Select a Product Element and update the Element details

Click on the auto-generated Product Element card from your Import Help Center column to open the Edit Element sidebar.

 

 

Update the name and description of the Product Element, and click the toggle to set it to Active.

 

Access the support article associated with the Product Element

Scroll to the Support Article Relationships section and click the dropdown arrow to see the title of the article from which the Product Element was imported, and click to open the help article in a new browser window as a helpful reference point when setting up your Product Element. 

 

Use the Screenshot Setup Wizard to add a screenshot sequence 

Click Add Screenshot Sequence to open the point-and-click Screenshot Setup Wizard and a Cloud Browser of your web application within the LaunchBrightly console.

 

 

The platform will automatically log into your web application within the Cloud Browser in your LaunchBrightly console. You will be able to navigate to the page on your web application where the Product Element lives by entering the URL in the Cloud Browser bar or clicking through the page links to navigate to the relevant page. 

 

 

Once you have navigated to the page where the Product Element you want to capture lives, select Set URL.

 

 

From within the Cloud Browser use the point-and-click Screenshot Setup Wizard to hover your mouse over the page and highlight the Product Element you want to capture screenshots of. The Screenshot Setup Wizard will automatically adjust the Product Element it highlights as you move your mouse across the page.

 

 

Once you have highlighted the Product Element you want to capture, select Set element.

 

 

Coming Soon! Once you have selected the Product Element you want to capture, you will be able to trigger a set of Enhancements to be applied to the screenshot. For example, you will be able to add annotations such as a red rectangle to highlight specific areas on the Product Element you want to call out, remove unwanted chat bubbles from appearing in a screenshot, and prime the image so the dropdown is showing or the input has illustrative text in it. 

 

 

Now you have highlighted the Product Element you want to capture, the URL in your web application where it lives, and triggered a set of Enhancements to be applied, you can select Generate Preview to see a preview of the screenshot of your Product Element before saving. 

 

 

 

Finally, once you have finished reviewing the Preview click to Save your Screenshot Sequence. 

 

Select the Editions that apply to your Product Element and Save 

We use the Editions associated with your Product primarily as a filtering mechanism, allowing you to create multiple Editions to filter and group the different Product Elements you want to take automated screenshots of. 

 

 

Click Save and your Product Element is now set up for automated screenshots.

 

Repeat the steps in this process as a one-off for all of the Product Elements you want to automate product screenshots for.

Edit a Product Element or Screenshot Sequence at any time

You can edit a Product Element, and a Screenshot Sequence, at any time by clicking into the relevant Product Element card from the Elements page on your LaunchBrightly console which will open the Product Element in the right sidebar.

 

 

You can simply change the name or description of your Product Element by editing the text. 

 

Additionally, you can edit your Screenshot Sequence, and any of the steps within the sequence, by clicking to Edit Sequence.

 

And you can use the Edit icon to update or edit any of the steps in your Screenshot Sequence.

 

5. Apply global styling across all of your screenshots

From the Style page on your LaunchBrightly console you can add a set of fully customizable, product-level, enhancements to ensure all of your screenshots are automatically on-brand, and consistent from screenshot to screenshot. 

 

Adjust the margin and the background color

The primary purpose of your margin settings is to create a space around the outside of your screenshots, allowing your screenshots some room to breathe and ensuring they do not suffocate (or cram-together) the text or other images where your screenshots will be used. 

 

Use the margin settings to adjust the width of the space around your screenshots to best suit your needs, and add a background color that matches your brand guidelines. You are also able to set a fully transparent background to allow a setting where your screenshots can be used, for example, on a help center that supports both light and dark modes to blend the image perfectly on both. These margins will be applied consistently across all of your screenshots. 

 

Set the cornering of your screenshots

For a lot of designs rounded corners help draw attention and focus to the center of an image while sharp corners, in contrast, draw the eye away from the center. Use the toggle in the Style bar to adjust the cornering just how you’d like it. 

 

Apply your shadow settings

Shadows, when done well, provide depth, contrast and clarity to the image and the page where the image is used. You can adjust the blur, color, and offsets to apply your preferred shadow settings. It is an art rather than a science, but we get you started with parameters similar to how MacOS does shadows on manual screenshots.

 

Tip: Preview images

You can flip through styling preview images using the small double-arrows icon in the Style toolbox header. If you are yet to run the automated screenshot process, we'll show a sample product image.

 

6. Run the Automated Screenshots Process

From the Screenshots page in your LaunchBrightly console you can see screenshots of all the Product Elements you have set up, and ask for new screenshots to be generated at any time. 

 

Run the screenshot process to generate screenshots for newly set up Product Elements

Use the camera icon in the top right-hand corner to start generating your screenshots, and see the status of each screenshot being fetched. 

 

 

For each of your Product Elements you will be able to see the different screenshot modes you have set up (e.g. desktop and mobile), the imported screenshots if you ran the help center import, and a copy of the RAW screenshots along with your styled versions. You can use the arrows in the bottom panel of your screenshot to toggle between the different versions.

 

Run the screenshot process for ALL your screenshots at any time

Once you have set up your Product Elements and run the screenshot process, all of your automated, beautifully styled screenshots are stored in the cloud and can be found on the Screenshots page.

 

However, there may be occasions where you need to re-run the screenshot process for all of your automated screenshots. For example, if there is a change to the navigation of your product, or a change to your app font, all of your product screenshots will need to be refreshed to reflect the changes. Something that really only becomes possible as a machine task. Those hundreds or thousands of screenshots simply become unmanageable when required to be refreshed manually by a human.

 

You can click the “Reprocess All” button in the upper right-hand corner of your Screenshots page and the automated screenshot platform will re-run the screenshot process and capture the updated product changes with a new set of screenshots saved to the cloud.

 

Reprocess screenshots for individual Product Elements

To re-run the screenshot process for an individual Product Element, you can hover over any individual screenshot and click the bottom info box. A camera icon will become available which allows you to reprocess this single screenshot and save it to the cloud.

 

Where are my screenshots saved?

Your screenshots are automatically saved to our CDN (a globally-distributed network of servers that cache your content close to the user). On the first run, you will see your screenshots almost immediately, however, when re-running the screenshot process you might still see the old ones as it can take time to push this to the edge. If you go to the Elements page from your LaunchBrightly console and click on the relevant Product Element, we will show you what we have in our DB and what is in the midst of being pushed to all corners of the world.

7. Sync your screenshots with your help center

You can sync the screenshots captured by the automated screenshot platform directly with your help center to, automatically and continuously, have the products screenshots in your help articles update as your product changes. Screenshot Nirvana.

 

We provide you with 3 different ways to take advantage of the screenshots you have automated to sync with your help center:

 

1. Using the platform for the primary purpose of automating your product screenshots and using the screenshot URL copy/paste functionality as, and when, needed.
2. Embed your automated product screenshots by live linking with a screenshot URL or populated <IMG> tag
3. Sync automated product screenshots directly with your help center

1. Screenshot URL copy/paste 

You can use the platform for the primary purpose of automatically generating all of your product screenshots so you always have a fully up-to-date repository of screenshots. Each of the automated screenshots of your Product Elements will have a unique URL attached to the screenshot. You can use this unique URL to take advantage of your automated product screenshot to best suit your needs.

 

This URL is unique and will not change.The image that lives on this URL will be refreshed and updated when you run the automated screenshot process, however the URL itself will not change. This allows you to copy/paste this link into your help center, and other sources, with the confidence of knowing the URL will not change. 

Copy your screenshot URL

From the Screenshots page in your LaunchBrightly console you can hover over any individual screenshot to open the information box at the bottom of the image. A copy image icon will become available which allows you to copy the URL directly to your clipboard and open the relevant image in a new window on the proper live cloud URL. You can also copy the screenshot URL directly from the URL line in the new window.

 

Additionally, you can also go to the table view in the Screenshots page, add a filter or sort to make it easier to find your image, and copy the screenshots URL from the "Public URLs" column using the copy icon. 

 

Screenshot URL formatting 

The full link will be formatted as follows:

 

https://screenshot.launchbrightly.com/teamname/productname/screenshotmode-filename.PNG

 

This will provide you with a URL you can paste directly into a browser to see your screenshot.

2. Live linking using a screenshot URL or populated <IMG> tag

Rather than using the screenshot URL above and writing the HTML yourself, the Embed option provides you with a fully populated <IMG> tag for each of your screenshots that you can embed directly into your help center.

 

 

To embed a fully populated <IMG> tag for you screenshot directly into your help center navigate to the Embed page in your LaunchBrightly console and follow the below steps:

 

1. Select the screenshot you want to embed in your help center from the dropdown
2. Copy the Embed Code provided
3. Paste the Embed Code directly into your help center article where you want the screenshot to be placed

Tip: Linking to a screenshot versus uploading a screenshot

We’ve been trained over the years to upload static product images to our Marketing and Support systems using things like drag-and-drop or file explorer. This may serve an immediate need, but it means we are now stuck with a static product image that will slowly grow outdated as inevitable product updates occur. Embedding a link to your screenshots allows you to move beyond static images, and creates a live link back to our automated screenshot platform. Your product images can now be updated automatically and without the need to manually drag-and-drop new screenshots into a help center article every time a product update is made.

3. Sync your automated product screenshots directly with your help center

Run the help center sync from the Sync page in your LaunchBrightly console to automatically refresh the screenshots in your help center with new screenshots reflecting the most current version of your product. Our platform monitors all the images in your help center and automatically replaces outdated images, guaranteeing accurate representations of your current product at all times. 

 

To sync your automated product screenshots directly with your help center select the Sync dropdown to see a list of help center integrations and select the option that corresponds to your help center.

 

 

Once you have selected to Sync with your help center, the platform will automatically crawl all of the screenshots in your help center, identify those screenshots that are outdated and automatically update those screenshots with the latest version. 

 

 

The Sync Status allows you to:

• Track the number and update status of the screenshots in each of your support articles
• Track when your screenshots were last updated and when your help center sync was last run
• Identify any support articles that contain unmanaged screenshots (i.e. those screenshots that do not have an automated screenshot process set in LaunchBrightly)