Full Page Screenshot with Selenium Python

Taking screenshots during automated testing is a common and useful practice. It helps developers and testers capture the state of an application at any given point, especially when debugging failures or validating UI elements. However, one limitation with Selenium in Python is that the default driver.save_screenshot() function only captures the visible part of the page, not the entire scrollable content.

In this blog, we'll explore how to capture full page screenshots using Selenium with Python, along with various approaches and tools that make it possible.


Why Full Page Screenshots Matter

In modern web applications, content often extends far beyond the visible viewport. This is especially true for:

Long product detail pages

Landing pages with scrollable sections

Dashboards with expandable widgets

Reports or charts spanning multiple screens

Capturing the entire page ensures that you don’t miss visual bugs or layout issues in parts of the page that aren’t immediately visible.


Using Selenium’s Built-in Method (Limited)

Selenium’s standard method:


python


driver.save_screenshot("screenshot.png")

Only captures what is visible in the current window. If you need to take a full-page screenshot, this method alone won’t suffice unless the page fits within the viewport.


Approach 1: Use Firefox with Selenium and get_full_page_screenshot_as_file()

Firefox, unlike Chrome, supports full-page screenshots natively via Selenium:

python


from selenium import webdriver

from selenium.webdriver.firefox.options import Options


options = Options()

options.headless = True

driver = webdriver.Firefox(options=options)

driver.get("https://example.com")


driver.get_full_page_screenshot_as_file("fullpage_firefox.png")

driver.quit()

✅ Pros:

Simple and accurate

No third-party libraries


❌ Cons:

Only works with Firefox and geckodriver

May not support advanced page interactions


Approach 2: Scrolling and Stitching with PIL (for Chrome)

If you prefer using Chrome, you can programmatically scroll the page and stitch together screenshots using Python’s PIL (Pillow) library.


python


from selenium import webdriver

from PIL import Image

import time


driver = webdriver.Chrome()

driver.get("https://example.com")


# Get page height

scroll_height = driver.execute_script("return document.body.scrollHeight")

viewport_height = driver.execute_script("return window.innerHeight")

driver.set_window_size(1200, scroll_height)

time.sleep(2)  # Let page adjust


driver.save_screenshot("fullpage_chrome.png")

driver.quit()

This trick sets the browser window height to match the full page height, ensuring that everything is visible before capturing.


✅ Pros:

Works with Chrome

Simple, no need for complex libraries


❌ Cons:

Might break on dynamic or lazy-loaded content

Can fail on very long pages


Approach 3: Use Third-Party Tools (e.g., seleniumbase)

seleniumbase is a powerful wrapper over Selenium that supports full-page screenshots with ease.

Install:


bash

pip install seleniumbase

Example usage:


python

from seleniumbase import BaseCase


class ScreenshotTest(BaseCase):

    def test_full_page(self):

        self.open("https://example.com")

        self.save_full_page_screenshot("seleniumbase_fullpage.png")

✅ Pros:

Clean and reliable

Built-in image comparison tools


❌ Cons:

Adds dependency overhead


Best Practices

Always wait for the page to fully load before capturing.

Set a fixed window size for consistency.

Handle lazy loading by scrolling manually or pausing before screenshot.

Use headless mode for faster execution in CI/CD pipelines.


Conclusion

Capturing full-page screenshots in Selenium Python is achievable through various methods, from native Firefox support to programmatic scrolling and third-party tools. Whether you're validating layout consistency, reporting bugs, or generating visual documentation, full-page screenshots provide a complete picture of your application’s UI.

Learn Selenium with Pyhton Training Hyderabad

Read More: Generating HTML Reports with PyTest and Selenium

Read More: Capturing Browser Logs in Selenium Python

Read More:  How to Handle Broken Links in Selenium Python

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