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How to Test Website Screenshots with Chromatic and Storybook

Use Storybook stories as Chromatic screenshot tests: establish a baseline, review visual changes, and run the check in CI before merging.
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Use Storybook stories as visual test cases, connect the official @chromatic-com/storybook addon to a Chromatic project, establish an initial screenshot baseline, then review later image diffs and resolve them before merging. The documented integration supports Storybook 7.6 or later. It checks rendered appearance—not whether your components behave correctly in every interaction—so pair it with interaction tests where behavior matters.

What Chromatic and Storybook test

A Storybook story renders a component in a particular state or variation. With visual testing enabled, Chromatic captures that rendered story and compares its screenshot with the known-good image baseline. A difference flags a visual change for review; it does not by itself prove a bug.

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Screenshot comparisons are useful for changes to layout, color, size, contrast, and other visible details. DOM or HTML snapshots instead compare markup and can be useful when the output structure matters more than its appearance. Interaction tests address behavior, such as whether a control responds correctly. These approaches cover different questions rather than replacing one another. Storybook’s visual testing guide and snapshot testing documentation describe those distinctions.

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Set up Chromatic visual tests

1. Check your Storybook version and add the integration

Use Storybook 7.6 or later for the documented setup. From the project directory, run the Storybook CLI command:

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npx storybook@latest add @chromatic-com/storybook

This installs and configures the official @chromatic-com/storybook addon. Check the current Storybook visual testing setup guide if your project uses a different version or the CLI reports a compatibility issue.

2. Link the Storybook project to Chromatic

Sign in to Chromatic and select an existing project or create one. Follow the addon’s setup prompts to link the local Storybook project. Chromatic runs the visual tests in its cloud browser environment.

3. Run a first build to create baselines

Run the visual test workflow for the first time. The captured story screenshots establish the initial image baselines. Later runs compare their captures against those baselines, so make sure the stories represent the states you intend to protect before treating the first run as your known-good reference.

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4. Run visual tests as stories change

When components or stories change, run the Chromatic workflow again. Each included story is a test case: Chromatic captures its rendered appearance and reports changes against the baseline. Coverage therefore depends on the stories your team has authored. Include meaningful variants and states—such as relevant content, sizes, or visual modes—if you want those conditions checked.

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5. Inspect and resolve screenshot differences

Changed stories are highlighted in Storybook. Open the Visual Tests panel to inspect the pixel differences. For each change, decide whether it is intended:

  • Expected appearance change: accept the difference as the new baseline.
  • Unexpected regression: fix the component or story, then rerun the visual tests to confirm the correction.

Review matters because a changed screenshot is a signal, not an automatic verdict. The right baseline is the intended appearance of the component, not simply the latest output.

Run Chromatic in CI before merging

Storybook recommends using the addon during development and running Chromatic in continuous integration before merge. Add the Chromatic step to your CI workflow and provide the project token through the CI provider’s environment variables; use the current Chromatic CI documentation for provider-specific configuration.

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For configured pull or merge requests, Chromatic can provide a UI Tests check. Teams can make that check required in their Git provider so a visual-test result is part of the merge gate. Protect the token as a CI secret rather than committing it into the repository.

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Make the story set useful for regression coverage

A visual test can only catch a change in a state that is rendered. Treat stories as an intentional coverage set, not merely a gallery:

  • Add stories for states whose appearance must remain stable, including important variants and edge cases.
  • Keep each story’s inputs and content predictable so a diff reflects a product change rather than accidental variation.
  • When adding a component feature, add or update a story for its new visible state as part of the same change.
  • Use interaction tests for behavioral requirements and markup snapshots for structural output; a screenshot diff is not a substitute for either.

Common problems and fixes

The addon command fails or the project does not configure

Confirm that the project uses Storybook 7.6 or later, run the command from the project directory, and follow the current Storybook setup guide for any version-specific steps. If the CLI cannot complete the integration, check the addon’s compatibility with the installed Storybook version before proceeding.

A visual test has no useful baseline

Run the initial build successfully and confirm that the stories you care about were included. The first successful capture establishes the reference images; missing or unrepresentative stories leave those states outside the comparison.

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A diff appears after a change that was intentional

Inspect the changed story in the Visual Tests panel. If the rendered change is the design you intended, accept it as the updated baseline. If it is not, fix the component or story and run the comparison again.

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The CI check cannot authenticate

Verify that the correct Chromatic project token is configured as an environment variable in the CI job, and that the workflow passes it to the Chromatic step. Avoid placing the token directly in version-controlled workflow text.

A screenshot check passes but a control is broken

Visual tests assess appearance, not all interactive behavior. Add or run interaction tests for actions, state transitions, and other behavioral requirements; use visual comparisons for how those states render.

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Or skip the browser setup

If you need a screenshot of a page rather than a Storybook visual-regression workflow, ScreenshotNeo is a website screenshot API and MCP server. For example, use cURL to capture a page directly:

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curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

See the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. Cookie banners are accepted and removed before capture, along with known newsletter popups and chat widgets; those steps can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, failed loads, timeouts, and cache hits are not billed, and the response identifies the page verdict and billing status in headers. Its MCP server lets AI agents use screenshot and PDF capture tools. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. This is a screenshot capture alternative, not a replacement for Chromatic’s story baselines and review workflow.

Sign up free for 1,000 screenshots a month—no card required.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to write separate screenshot tests for every Storybook story?

With visual testing enabled, rendered stories serve as the visual test cases. Add stories for the component states and variants you want covered.

Does accepting a Chromatic diff mean the change was correct?

No. It records the new appearance as the baseline; a person should first decide whether the visual change is intended.

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Can Storybook visual tests replace DOM snapshots or interaction tests?

No. Screenshot comparisons check rendered appearance; DOM snapshots check markup, and interaction tests check behavior.

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