From Raw Screen Recording to App Store Video: The Complete Workflow

You have a raw screen recording and a deadline. This is the end-to-end workflow we use to turn that file into a preview that clears review and converts, no video editor or motion designer required.

Step 1: Capture clean

Everything downstream is easier when the source is clean. Record on a real device in portrait, with Do Not Disturb on, demo-ready data, and a rehearsed path through the app. Move deliberately and pause on key screens so you have frames to hold.

Step 2: Plan the story before you cut

Decide your hook, your proof, your payoff, and your closing line first. A preview is a sequence of short scenes, each doing one job. Knowing the structure before you start editing keeps you from producing a 40-second tour you then have to hack down.

1. 1Hook: the headline outcome, on screen within three seconds.
2. 2Proof: the feature that makes the outcome believable.
3. 3Depth: one more feature that shows there is more here.
4. 4Payoff: the finished result.
5. 5Close: a final frame restating the benefit.

Step 3: Trim ruthlessly

Cut every loading spinner, hesitation, and dead second. Aim for 15–20 seconds total. If a scene drags even slightly, tighten it. Most first-time previews are twice as long as they should be.

Step 4: Clean the frame

• Remove the red iOS recording indicator.
• Hide or replace any personal or placeholder data still on screen.
• Make sure nothing important sits in the edges that the App Store UI may crop.

Step 5: Make interactions legible

Add tap indicators and gesture trails so every action reads. Add one short, benefit-led text overlay per scene, timed just ahead of the action it describes. This is what turns a silent recording into a guided demo.

Step 6: Export to spec

1. 1Export at the exact device resolution (e.g. 1320 × 2868 for 6.9-inch).
2. 2Keep it 15–30 seconds and under 500 MB, H.264 or HEVC.
3. 3Choose a strong poster frame.
4. 4Upload to App Store Connect and confirm it plays before submitting.

The workflow is the product. Get capture, story, and spec right, and a great preview is just the sum of small correct choices.

– Gregory Lister

Every step after capture (trim, clean, frame, annotate, export to Apple's exact dimensions) is what prevy is built to do in one place, so the whole workflow above takes an afternoon rather than a week.