## TL;DR

Listings with real product screenshots outperform logo-only listings by a wide margin.
Developers trust terminal output and UI shots; they distrust stock-style hero art.
Applies to directories, marketplaces, and awesome-list entries with image slots.

## The query

```text
directory listing screenshots: what converts for devtools
```

## Use this when

- A directory listing has screenshot slots to fill.
- You want screenshots that convert developers, not stock art.
- The tool has a real UI or terminal output worth showing.

## Not for

- The directory has no image slots (spend the effort on the description instead).
- You are designing a landing page hero (different constraints and goals).
- The tool has no visual UI at all (a terminal recording or diagram works better than a fake screenshot).

## Steps

1. Capture the tool doing its core job: a real terminal session or UI screen, not a mockup.
   Expected output: One honest screenshot of the tool in action.
2. Annotate lightly: one or two callouts pointing at the result, not a paragraph of text.
   Expected output: The viewer gets the point in three seconds.
3. Add a before/after or input/output pair if the tool transforms something.
   Expected output: The value proposition visible without reading anything.
4. Export at the directory's recommended size and check it on a phone screen.
   Expected output: Crisp, legible screenshots on both desktop and mobile listing views.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_mvwc3XtUs7KPJeOFH9eUag