screenshot-to-code

Screenshot to Code

Recreate the UI in the image as clean, responsive, accessible code, then check the render against the image.

Workflow

1. Pick the target stack. If the user is inside a project, match it: read package.json for React/Next/Vue and the Tailwind version, and reuse existing components, tokens, and icon libraries. Do not ask when the repo already answers it. With no project:

• Single screen or quick prototype: one self-contained index.html (Tailwind via the browser build, see references/stack-setup.md).
• App or multi-screen: React + TypeScript + Tailwind v4 on Vite.
• User mentions Next.js, SSR, or routing: Next.js App Router.

1. Write a short spec before coding. Looking at the image, note:

• Layout regions top to bottom (nav, hero, sidebar, grid, footer) and the grid or flex structure of each
• Design tokens: 3-6 colors as hex, font family guess and the type scale, spacing rhythm (usually multiples of 4px), corner radius, shadow style
• Repeated components (cards, list rows, buttons) that should be one component with props
• What the image cannot show: hover and focus states, mobile layout, real data, content below the fold

Estimate sizes from the image resolution. If the screenshot is 2x (a Retina capture 2880px wide is a 1440px layout), halve the pixel measurements.

1. Build. Use semantic elements (header, nav, main, section, button, a), extract repeated pieces into components, and put tokens in one place (Tailwind v4 @theme or CSS custom properties) rather than scattering hex codes. Use real text from the image, not lorem ipsum. For images and logos you cannot extract, use sized placeholders with descriptive alt text. Use an icon library the project already has (default: lucide-react), not hand-drawn SVGs or emoji.

1. Make it responsive. Build for the screenshot's viewport first, then define how it collapses: multi-column grids stack, navs become a menu button, and type scales down with clamp() or responsive utilities. If the screenshot is mobile, go the other direction.

1. Render and compare. If you can run a browser (Playwright, a headless browser, or a browser tool), screenshot the result at the source image's viewport width and compare side by side. See references/visual-check.md. Fix the largest differences first: layout and alignment, then spacing, then type size and weight, then color. Two or three passes is usually enough; stop when remaining differences are at the level of font rendering.

1. Deliver. Provide the files, how to run them, and a short list of assumptions (fonts guessed, states invented, content inferred). Name anything that needs real assets.

Stack notes

• React 19: function components with TypeScript prop types. propTypes checks were removed from React 19; do not add them. forwardRef is not needed for passing ref to function components.
• Tailwind CSS v4: configuration lives in CSS. Use @import "tailwindcss"; and @theme { --color-brand: #...; }, not a tailwind.config.js and not the v3 @tailwind base/components/utilities directives. Custom tokens become utilities automatically (bg-brand).
• Next.js (App Router): pages in app/, components are Server Components by default. Add "use client" only to components that use state, effects, or event handlers.
• Create React App is deprecated. Use Vite for plain React.

Setup commands for each stack are in references/stack-setup.md.

Worked example

Input: a 1440px-wide screenshot of a pricing section - centered heading, three plan cards with the middle one highlighted, feature checklists, and a button per card.

Spec:

• Regions: heading block, then a 3-column card grid, max width about 1100px, 24px gap
• Tokens: background #0B1220, card #111A2E, accent #3B82F6, text #E5E7EB, muted #94A3B8; Inter-like sans; radius 12px
• Components: PlanCard with name, price, features[], highlighted, cta
• Unknowns: hover states, monthly/annual toggle behavior, mobile layout

Build: PricingSection.tsx mapping a plans array into PlanCard; highlighted adds an accent border and a "Most popular" label; grid-cols-1 md:grid-cols-3. Check icons from lucide-react.

Compare: the first render has cards 40px too tall because of button padding, and the heading weight is 600 against a 700 in the image. Fix both, re-render, and deliver with an assumptions list: toggle not built, font assumed Inter.

Failure modes

• Guessing the stack when the repo already defines it, or mixing Tailwind v3 config into a v4 project.
• Absolute positioning to force a pixel match. It breaks on the first resize. Use flex and grid, and accept small differences.
• One giant component. Anything that repeats three times is a component with props.
• Invisible states. Buttons and links need hover and focus-visible styles even though the screenshot cannot show them. Inputs need labels.
• Color drift. Sample colors from flat areas of the image, not anti-aliased edges or gradients, and check text contrast meets WCAG AA (4.5:1 for body text).
• Claiming a match without looking. If you could not render the result, say the comparison was not done.