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Documentation

Learn how to integrate Adsnapshot into your application and start capturing high-quality ad previews

Table of Contents

Quick Start Getting Started Guide • Understanding Organizations • Connect Your Meta Account • Create Your First API Key • Generate Your First Ad Preview
Integration Guides • Google Sheets Integration • Looker Studio Integration Common Use Cases API Reference

Quick Start

Get up and running in minutes with our simple API

https://adsnapshot.com/get/API_KEY/AD_ID?format=MOBILE_FEED_STANDARD

Replace API_KEY with your API key and AD_ID with the Meta ad ID for the preview you want to generate. The API returns a PNG image. Your first request for a specific ad ID creates a new preview and counts as a generation. Subsequent requests for the same ad ID will return the cached preview and count as retrievals, unless you include refresh=true to force a new generation.

Fast Response

Cached retrievals delivered in milliseconds

Secure

API key authentication and account-level access control

Always Fresh

Generate new previews using refresh=true

Getting Started Guide

New to Adsnapshot? Follow this step-by-step guide to get up and running quickly. We'll walk you through everything from setting up your account to generating your first ad preview.

Step 1: Understanding Organizations

Learn how teams and access control work in Adsnapshot

What are Organizations?

Organizations are the foundation of Adsnapshot's team management system. Think of them as workspaces where you can:

  • Separate different clients or projects
  • Control which API keys have access to specific Meta ad accounts
  • Manage team member permissions
  • Track usage separately for billing purposes

How Organizations Work

Owner

Full control over the organization, can manage all settings and members

Admin

Can invite members and manage API keys, but cannot delete the organization

Member

Can use API keys and generate previews, but cannot invite others

💡 Pro Tip: Start with one organization for your main project. You can always create additional organizations later for different clients or teams. Your subscription works across all organizations that you own.

Step 2: Connect Your Meta Account

Authorize Adsnapshot to access your Facebook ad accounts

Why Authorization is Needed

Adsnapshot needs permission to access your Meta ad accounts to generate previews. This is done through Facebook's secure OAuth process, which means:

  • Adsnapshot never sees your Facebook password
  • You control which ad accounts Adsnapshot can access
  • You can revoke access at any time from your Facebook settings

Step-by-Step Authorization Process

  1. Go to your organization's dashboard
  2. Click the "Connect Meta Account" button
  3. You'll be redirected to Facebook's authorization page
  4. Review the permissions and click "Continue as [Your Name]"
  5. Select which ad accounts you want to grant access to
  6. Click "Done" to complete the authorization
  7. You'll be redirected back to Adsnapshot with a green "Connected" status

✅ Success: Once connected, your status will show as "Connected" and you'll see your authorized ad accounts. This connection typically lasts for 2 months before needing to be refreshed.

⚠️ Troubleshooting: If authorization fails, make sure you have access to the ad accounts you're trying to connect. Business Manager admin access is typically required.

Step 3: Create Your First API Key

Generate secure API keys to access the Adsnapshot service

What are API Keys?

API keys are like passwords for your applications. They allow your code, spreadsheets, or dashboards to securely request ad previews from Adsnapshot without requiring you to log in each time.

Creating Your API Key

  1. Make sure your Meta account is connected (Step 2)
  2. Navigate to the "Create New API Key" section in your organization dashboard
  3. Select which Meta ad accounts this key should have access to
  4. Click "Generate New API Key"
  5. Your new API key will be displayed and you can copy it to your clipboard

🔐 Security Note: Adsnapshot API keys are not highly sensitive since the worst someone can do with them is generate ad preview images. The links containing API keys are even sharable! However, someone malicious could exhaust your quota. If you're an agency, it's a good idea to create separate API keys for each client so they can't generate previews for each other's ads (though they would need to know each other's ad IDs, which is unlikely).

Step 4: Generate Your First Ad Preview

Learn how to find ad IDs and make your first API request

Finding Meta Ad IDs

To generate a preview, you need the Meta ad ID. Here's how to find it:

  1. Go to Facebook Ads Manager
  2. Navigate to your campaign and find the ad you want to preview
  3. Click on the ad name to open the ad details
  4. Look at the URL in your browser - the ad ID is the long number at the end
  5. Example: facebook.com/adsmanager/manage/ads?act=123456&selected_ad_ids= 23850896789012345

Making Your First Request

Once you have your API key and ad ID, you can generate your first preview:

https://adsnapshot.com/get/YOUR_API_KEY/23850896789012345

Simply paste this URL into your browser (replacing YOUR_API_KEY and the ad ID) and you'll see your ad preview!

Understanding the Response

First Request (Generation)

Takes 2-5 seconds, counts against your generation quota. Adsnapshot captures a fresh preview of your ad.

Subsequent Requests (Retrieval)

Returns in milliseconds, counts against your retrieval quota. Uses the cached preview from the first generation.

🎯 Real-World Usage: Normally, you don't do this process manually. Instead, you have a dashboard or spreadsheet with ad IDs already populated, powered by tools like Supermetrics, Funnel, or Alvie. Then you just dynamically generate the image links using formulas or code!

Integration Guides

Ready to integrate Adsnapshot into your workflows? These step-by-step tutorials will help you get started with the most popular platforms.

For Google Sheets

Start with Google Sheets - it's the easiest way to see Adsnapshot in action

For Dashboards

Use Looker Studio to create professional reporting dashboards

For Developers

Build custom integrations using our simple REST API

Google Sheets Integration

Display ad previews directly in your Google Sheets using the IMAGE function

Quick Setup (5 minutes)

  1. Open your Google Sheets document
  2. Put your ad IDs in column A (starting from A2)
  3. Click on cell B2 where you want the first ad preview to appear
  4. Type the formula below, replacing YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key:
=IMAGE("https://adsnapshot.com/get/YOUR_API_KEY/"&A2)

Press Enter and your ad preview will appear in the cell! 🎉

Copy Formula for Multiple Ads

Once you have the formula in B2, simply:

  1. Select cell B2
  2. Copy it (Ctrl+C or Cmd+C)
  3. Select the range B3:B100 (or however many ads you have)
  4. Paste (Ctrl+V or Cmd+V)

The formula will automatically adjust to use the ad ID from each row!

Pro Tips for Google Sheets

✅ Best Practices
  • • Row height: Set to 200px for better visibility
  • • Column width: Adjust to fit your preview format
  • • Use conditional formatting for ad status
  • • Add headers for better organization
⚡ Performance Tips
  • • Limit to 50-100 previews per sheet
  • • Use IFERROR() to handle invalid ad IDs
  • • Only add ?refresh=true when needed
  • • Share sheets as "View only" to prevent quota usage

💡 Remember: Each time someone views your sheet, it counts as a retrieval. Add refresh=true parameter only when you need a fresh generation.

Looker Studio Integration

Add ad previews to your Looker Studio dashboards using the Image URL field type

Complete Setup Guide (10 minutes)

Transform your Looker Studio reports with visual ad previews. This guide assumes you already have a data source with ad IDs.

  1. Open your Looker Studio report and go to Resource → Manage added data sources
  2. Edit your data source by clicking the pencil icon next to it
  3. Create a calculated field by clicking "Add a Field" in the top-right corner
  4. Configure the field:
    • Field Name: "Ad Preview URL"
    • Formula: CONCAT("https://adsnapshot.com/get/YOUR_API_KEY/", Ad_ID)
    • Type: URL (Image)
  5. Save the field and return to your report
  6. Add an Image component from the toolbar
  7. Configure the image:
    • Data source: Your data source
    • Image URL: Select "Ad Preview URL" field
    • Alt text: Use your ad name or ID field
  8. Test it! Your ad previews should now appear in the dashboard

Advanced Looker Studio Tips

📊 Dashboard Layout
  • • Use image galleries for ad comparison
  • • Add filters by campaign or date range
  • • Include performance metrics alongside previews
  • • Use scorecards to show total ad count
🔧 Formula Variations
  • • Add format parameter for specific placements
  • • Use CASE statements for conditional API keys
  • • Include refresh parameter for real-time updates
  • • Handle missing ad IDs with IFNULL

Example Formulas

Basic formula:

CONCAT("https://adsnapshot.com/get/YOUR_API_KEY/", Ad_ID)

With format specification:

CONCAT("https://adsnapshot.com/get/YOUR_API_KEY/", Ad_ID, "?format=INSTAGRAM_STORY")

With error handling:

IF(Ad_ID IS NOT NULL, CONCAT("https://adsnapshot.com/get/YOUR_API_KEY/", Ad_ID), "")

💡 Performance Note: Each dashboard view uses retrievals by default. Add refresh=true parameter only when you need fresh previews, as this counts against your generation quota.

Common Use Cases

See how teams are using Adsnapshot to streamline their ad workflow and reporting.

📊 Campaign Reporting

Create visual reports for clients showing actual ad previews alongside performance metrics.

Perfect for:

  • • Weekly/monthly client reports
  • • Creative performance analysis
  • • A/B test documentation
  • • Campaign post-mortems

🎨 Creative Review Process

Share ad previews with stakeholders for approval before launching campaigns.

Perfect for:

  • • Client creative approvals
  • • Brand compliance checks
  • • Team creative reviews
  • • Legal/compliance validation

💡 Need Help with Your Use Case?

Have a specific workflow in mind? Our team can help you design the perfect integration for your needs.

Reach out to us at: [email protected]

API Reference

adsnapshot.com/get/{key}/{adId}

Generate and retrieve ad previews as PNG images

Query Parameters

format optional

Preview format (default: MOBILE_FEED_STANDARD)

Choose the format that matches where your ad will be displayed

refresh optional

Force a new generation instead of retrieving cached preview

Counts as a generation. Use when you've updated the ad and need a fresh preview

wait optional

Wait time in milliseconds before capturing (default: 0)

Useful for ads with animations or loading states

Supported Preview Formats

Available ad preview formats for different placements

FACEBOOK_REELS_BANNER_DESKTOP
FACEBOOK_STORY_MOBILE
INSTREAM_BANNER_DESKTOP
INSTAGRAM_REELS
INSTAGRAM_REELS_OVERLAY
INSTAGRAM_STANDARD
INSTAGRAM_STORY
MESSENGER_MOBILE_INBOX_MEDIA
MESSENGER_MOBILE_STORY_MEDIA
MOBILE_FEED_STANDARD