Picsart Capture & Create is a Chrome screenshot extension for anyone who collects visual ideas while they browse. It lets you capture a screenshot, clip images from a webpage, record a short silent screencast, and turn any of those references into an AI image or video idea, all from one side panel in Chrome. And it’s now live in the Chrome Web Store.

Good references rarely show up on schedule. You spot the right color combo while checking your own product page, or a layout detail halfway through a design review, and by the time you open another app, the moment’s gone. As a screen capture extension, Capture & Create keeps that detail where it’s actually useful: saved to Picsart Drive, next to the rest of your project, ready to become something new.

This guide walks through what the extension does, where its limits are, and how to set it up in a few minutes. Ready to try it already? Add Capture & Create to Chrome from the Chrome Web Store and come back for the details.

Collect references with a visual web clipper

You don’t always need a whole page. Often a single product arrangement, a color pairing, or one small design detail says everything about the idea in your head. Capture & Create lets you grab exactly that, either the visible part of the page or a screenshot area you select yourself.

The side panel also lists supported images and video thumbnails from the page you’re on. Browse them, pick the ones you want, and save them to Picsart Drive as references. It’s a simple way to save an image from a website without the usual download, rename, and re-upload routine. Supported images and directly accessible video files can be saved this way, so mood board material, campaign references, and product shots end up in one folder instead of scattered across your downloads.

It helps to be clear about what this kind of web clipping is for. Capture & Create saves selected media for creative use. It doesn’t archive full articles or copy entire websites, and it isn’t trying to be a read-later app. Use it to keep a campaign reference, gather pieces for a mood board, or save one of your own product images before you try a new look on it.

Record a short, silent screencast in Chrome

Some ideas just don’t land as a still image. A hover effect, a scroll animation, or a quick product demo makes more sense in motion, and that’s what the selected-area Chrome screen recorder is for. It captures a short visual demonstration on a supported webpage, so the exact moment you want to reference stays with the rest of your material.

Choose an area on the page, check the recording preview, and start recording. You can pause and resume as you go, then trim the start and end of the clip when you’re done. Preview the final cut, then download it to your computer or save it straight to Drive.

A few limits are worth knowing before you hit record. Recordings are silent WebM clips, capped at 120 active seconds and 25 MB, and the side panel needs to stay open until you finish. Audio, microphone, and full-desktop recording aren’t included, and protected content may show up blank. For a quick motion reference or a simple visual walkthrough, though, a short screencast does the job nicely.

Turn a reference into an AI image or video idea

Once you’ve picked a reference, you decide where it goes next. Write a description and prompt in your own words, then edit the image with AI, explore a similar image, or use it as the starting point for a video. That’s what makes AI image creation here feel grounded: the reference gives the model something real to work from, and your prompt gives it direction.

Next, choose an available model, style, and settings. Before anything runs, the extension shows you the credit terms and asks you to approve the generation. When the exact cost isn’t available, you’ll see a separate approval step for that unknown charge, so nothing gets spent without your say. Selecting a reference or a model on its own never starts a generation.

Generated files land in the Picsart Drive folder you selected, right beside your saved references. That makes it easy to compare where you started with where you ended up, and to pick the idea back up a week later. Review each result before you use it anywhere public.

Ideas to try first

Start with your own product photo, describe a new setting, like a sunlit marble countertop or a cozy winter flat lay, and explore an image variation for your next campaign. Or save a reference that has the mood you’re after and use it to plan the look and motion of a social video. Small prompt changes often shift the result more than you’d expect, so try a few versions before settling. One thing to keep in mind: descriptions are manual in this version, so the extension won’t analyze a video and write the creative brief for you.

See how creators put it to work

The same few actions, capture, save, and create, fit very different workflows. Here’s how they tend to play out depending on what you make.

For designers

Design reviews are full of tiny details that are hard to describe in words. Clip the exact spacing, color, or layout you mean instead of explaining it in a long comment. When the detail is an interaction, record a few seconds of it so a developer or client sees precisely what you’re pointing at. Everything stays in one Drive folder for the project.

For marketers

Campaign planning starts with references, and they pile up fast across tabs. Capture the visuals that set the tone for a campaign, keep them together in Drive, and use your own brand images as starting points for new AI variations. When an idea needs motion, a short screencast can stand in for a rough storyboard.

For online sellers

Your own product page is one of the best places to spot what needs a refresh. Capture a listing as shoppers see it, save your product images, and explore new backgrounds or settings with a prompt. It’s a quick way to test a fresh look for a product before you commit to a full reshoot.

Take saved videos further with AI Video Clipping

For supported saved videos, the extension connects to AI Video Clipping, Picsart’s online video clipping tool. The clipping itself happens in the Picsart web app, so you move from collecting a reference in Chrome to shaping it into clips without starting from scratch. It’s a natural next step when a saved video is the beginning of a bigger edit.

To set expectations, Capture & Create doesn’t create highlight clips on its own (that part happens in AI Video Clipping), and it doesn’t bypass protected video streams. It isn’t a full-video YouTube downloader either. On YouTube, support is limited to available thumbnails and capturing what’s visible on screen.

Get started in a few steps

Setup takes a couple of minutes. Here’s the full path from install to your first AI result.

  1. Install Picsart Capture & Create from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Open a supported webpage and click the Picsart icon in your toolbar. This opens the side panel and grants access to that page.
  3. Pick supported media from the page, or use the capture menu to take a screenshot or record an area.
  4. Connect your Picsart account for Drive saves and online creation, preview your selection, and choose where to save it.
  5. To create with AI, write your prompt, review the model and credit terms, approve the generation, and check the result.

Use media you own or have permission to reuse. When you take an action, the selected files, relevant source information, and your prompts are sent to Picsart as needed to complete it. Preparing a generation reference can upload it before you approve the generation, and canceling doesn’t delete files already saved to Drive. Stuck on a step? The Chrome screenshot and screen recording help guide covers setup and troubleshooting.

Explore the extension

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Capture & Create is available now in the Chrome Web Store. The Chrome product page explains its features and current limits in more detail.