Stop Posting Ugly Code Screenshots (Do This Instead)

I've Posted Over 500 Technical Tweets. Here's What I Learned About Engagement.

After building a modest following sharing code tips on X (Twitter), LinkedIn, and dev.to, I discovered something that surprised me: well-designed code images get 3-4x more engagement than plain text or ugly screenshots.

I'm not exaggerating. I tracked my own posts over six months. A helpful tip posted as plain text would get maybe 20 likes. The exact same tip in a beautiful code image? 80-100 likes. Same information, different presentation.

This matches what platforms optimize for. According to LinkedIn's own engineering blog, posts with images receive 2x the engagement of text-only posts. Twitter's algorithm similarly weights visual content higher in feeds.

Why Screenshots Fail (And I Used to Make Every Mistake)

I used to be that guy taking screenshots of my entire VS Code window—sidebar, terminal, 15 unrelated tabs, everything visible. Sometimes I'd even crop it badly so you could only see half the code.

Or worse, I've seen developers take actual phone photos of their monitors. The glare, the moiré patterns, the reflections of their face staring back... it's painful.

Here's what's wrong with raw screenshots:

Visual noise: Your IDE's color theme, file tree, and status bar distract from the actual code.

Inconsistent formatting: Different fonts, sizes, and colors depending on your personal settings.

Poor contrast: Light themes are hard to read on white social backgrounds. Dark themes can look muddy on dark mode feeds.

No padding: Code crammed to the edges looks unprofessional.

The Psychology of Well-Designed Code Images

Design isn't just aesthetic—it signals professionalism.

When someone scrolling through hundreds of posts sees a polished code image with proper syntax highlighting, consistent padding, and a clean background gradient, their brain registers: "This person cares about their work."

As developer advocate Sarah Drasner has noted, "The way you present code matters as much as the code itself when communicating on social media."

Why I Built SnapCode

Existing tools like Carbon, Ray.so, and others are great, but they either:

• Require multiple clicks and configuration for each image
• Send your code to a server (privacy concern for production code)
• Have limited customization

The SnapCode Generator runs entirely in your browser. Your code never touches a server. I can't see it even if I wanted to.

What it does:

• Proper syntax highlighting for 20+ languages (TypeScript, Python, Go, Rust, CSS, etc.)
• Multiple background themes (dark, gradient, minimal)
• Adjustable padding and font size
• Direct PNG export—no watermarks, no signups

How to Create the Perfect Code Image

Based on my experience posting hundreds of code snippets:

1. Prune relentlessly. Remove imports, boilerplate, and irrelevant context. Show only the essential lines that illustrate your point.

2. Match platform contrast. LinkedIn is mostly light mode—use a dark code theme. Twitter/X is mixed—use high-contrast gradients.

3. Add breathing room. 32-64px padding creates a nice frame effect. Cramped code looks like an afterthought.

4. Test readability. View the export at 50% zoom. Can you still read the important parts? If not, increase font size.

The 10-Second Investment

Taking 10 extra seconds to create a polished code image can mean the difference between your post being scrolled past or stopped on.

We're developers, but we're also communicators. The presentation of your work determines how it's received.

👉 Try it now: SnapCode Generator