Theme thumbnail in dashboard

Question

I'm not sure whether this question belongs here but I don't know where else to ask it : do WordPress designers/developers usually create a dashboard theme thumbnail when they completed the WP theme for their client? If so, do they put their own logo on it or a screenshot of the home page?

Answer 1

Thats entirely up to to you.

I generally create a theme thumbnail from the PSD file, or, when the theme changes a lot between designing and developing, I tend to create one from a screenshot.

Look at the Themes Directory, you can see some of the developers actually don't use a screenshot but some other image.

If you want to put your own logo in the theme thumbnail, thats okay.

Answer 2

I do. I'll usually take screen shot of a distinctive part of the header and slant it slightly (Maybe rotate it 10 degrees or so.) Then Put a Stripe over the bottom with the Title of the theme. It's certainly not necessary but I find it to be a fun part of developing a theme.

I usually start by dragging the existing thumbnail over in to Photoshop, deleting the background, and starting over.

Answer 3

Even if not developing to release in Themes Directory, you can (should) follow the standards:

• WordPress Coding Standards

• Theme_Review#Bundled_Resources

Theme is required to include, at a minimum:

• index.php
• comments.php (via comments_template())
• screenshot.png
• • Recommended 4:3 W:H ratio, size 600x450px (2x the previous 300x225px, to account for Retina displays).
• • Maximum size: 600x450px
• • Should be a "reasonable facsimile" of the Theme after it is initially activated with default options

• Theme_Development#Screenshot

  Create a screenshot for your theme. The screenshot should be named screenshot.png, and should be placed in the top level directory. The screenshot should accurately show the theme design and saved in PNG format. The recommended image size is 600x450. The screenshot will only be shown as 300x225, but the double-sized image allows for high-resolution viewing on HiDPI displays.