Image Matching Mode Choices in the Visual Editor

Overview

For each screenshot in a test, you can choose how Rainforest attempts to match the screenshot with elements appearing on the screen during a test. You have a choice between two matching modes:

1. Intelligent (the default)
2. Strict

How Rainforest QA Image Matching Works

Intelligent matching mode is designed to evaluate elements on the screen like a human would. This means it’ll successfully match screenshots and elements while ignoring visual differences that most people wouldn’t notice, including:

• minor differences in color, font size, spacing, or rendering,
• appearance of text and mouse cursors over elements, and
• unimportant differences in white space (i.e., padding and margins).

Strict mode will only pass exact matches between screenshots and elements. Any failure to find an exact match between a screenshot and an element on the screen will result in a FAIL.

How it Works

Our Intelligent matching mode will tolerate the kinds of changes, that a person would find difficult to notice. Those small differences will result in a PASS, just as you’d expect if a human were to see it.

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Pro Tip

Even though Intelligent matching mode is tolerant to differences, we still recommend you regularly update your element screenshots so they’re always up-to-date with the latest state of your website or app, increasing test stability.

And here are examples that we’d still consider FAIL:

Our Strict mode will not tolerate any differences between a screenshot and visual elements the virtual machine finds. We recommend you use this mode when you want to verify that an element appears exactly as it appears in its screenshot.

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If you have any questions, reach out to us at [email protected].