Preview creatives in Display & Video 360

You can preview creatives to see what they'll look like when they run and to make sure that they work. Previews are available for the following creative types:

• Creatives that you upload or create and then serve from Display & Video 360
• Creatives added to Display & Video 360 from Campaign Manager 360, Studio, or Ads Creative Studio
• Mobile MRAID creatives served by Celtra, InMobi, and Innovid

You can preview creatives from several places in Display & Video 360:

• An advertiser's Creatives list
• A creative's Creative details or Ad Canvas tab
• A line item's Creatives section

In each case, click Preview or , and a new window opens with a preview. If there are other people who need to review and approve your creatives, you can also share creative previews.

For YouTube line items, you can preview your ad on different formats across various devices (desktop, mobile, TV) and networks (YouTube, video partners, Google TV).

Change preview settings

When you preview a creative it opens in desktop mode on a blank page. Use the menus at the top of the screen to change how the preview is displayed.

Mobile preview mode

You can use mobile preview mode to check creatives on simulated mobile devices. This mode is only available for display and audio creatives. If you're previewing a video creative, you can only select desktop preview mode.

1. Open the Preview mode menu and select Mobile.
2. If you're previewing a display creative, you can open the Context menu and switch between In-app and Mobile web contexts.
3. If you're previewing an audio creative, you can only select mobile preview mode and you can only preview in a Streaming app context. This is because audio creatives audio creatives serve in audio streaming apps that work the same across devices.
4. To preview on a different device, open the Device menu and select a device by name.
5. To rotate the device into landscape or portrait mode, click Rotate device .
6. Display & Video 360 automatically scales interstitial creatives when they're not as wide as the device. You can preview how a creative looks with and without scaling.
   1. To test scaling, open the Device menu and select a device that's wider than the creative.
   2. In the Fit to device menu, select Yes. This setting doesn't turn scaling on or off, it only allows you to preview. How to turn off scaling
7. When creatives serve in mobile apps, they can respond to mobile device interactions. It's a good idea to test these interactions on a real mobile device before your ad starts serving. To send a creative to a mobile device, open the Preview location menu and select Scan QR code.
   • If your creative will serve in apps, scan the QR code with the Creative Preview app to test in a real in-app environment.
   • If your creative will only serve in mobile web browsers, you can scan the QR code with your device's camera to open it in your device's web browser.

^{Example of a display creative in an app in mobile preview mode}

Desktop preview mode

To check how creatives look and work in a desktop browser, use desktop preview mode. This mode is available for every creative type that supports previews.

Desktop preview mode is the only mode available for video creatives. This is because video creatives appear in video players that work the same on mobile or desktop devices.

1. Open the Preview mode menu and select Desktop.
2. If you're previewing a display creative, it will open on a blank page. To preview it on a website, select Custom URL. This URL can be any website, but a preview can only be shown if Display & Video 360 detects an ad placement that's the same size as the creative you're previewing.
3. If you're previewing a video creative, you can only select desktop preview mode. There's no website menu. Instead, you can test your video in different sizes.
   1. Open the Video resolutions menu.
   2. Select a resolution to test the video in that size.
   3. (Optional) To test a custom resolution, click Add new size and enter the width and height. Custom-sized previews are for preview only and have no effect on the actual serving size of the video.

^{Example of a display creative on a blank page in desktop preview mode}

Assets preview mode (audio creatives only)

You can use assets preview mode to check audio creatives and companion display creatives on one page. This mode is only available for audio creatives that have companion creatives.

Note: If you've assigned companions to an audio creative and you can't select assets preview mode, you might need to wait a few minutes until the audio creative has finished processing and the ad tag has been created.

1. Open the Preview mode menu.
2. Click Assets.
3. To show or hide companions, use the Companion sizes menu.

Send a preview to a mobile phone or tablet

There are two ways to send creative previews to mobile devices for testing:

• If your creative will serve in mobile apps, install the Creative Preview app on your device. You can scan a QR code with the app and test and make sure your creative will work when served in mobile apps.
• If your creative will only serve in mobile web browsers, you can scan a QR code without installing the app.

Preview creatives with the Creative Preview app

1. Install the Creative Preview app on your device.
2. Open a creative in Display & Video 360.
3. Click Preview.
4. Open the Preview location menu.
5. Click Scan QR code. A QR code appears on screen.
6. Open the Creative Preview app on your mobile device.
7. Tap Open creative then select the type of creative you're about to preview.
8. Tap Scan QR code. Point your device's camera at the QR code on your computer screen. When the code is scanned successfully, the creative's name and other details are filled in automatically.
9. Tap Save. You're taken to a list of creative previews. Tap the creative's name to preview it.

For more details about creative testing, go to Preview ads on a mobile device.

Scan a QR code to preview in your device's web browser

1. Open a creative in Display & Video 360.
2. Click Preview.
3. Open the Preview location menu.
4. Click Scan QR code. A QR code appears on screen.
5. Open your device's camera. Point your camera at the QR code on your computer screen. As soon as the code is recognized, a message will open on your device asking if you want to open the creative in your browser. Tap the message to open the preview. If the preview doesn't work correctly, try using the Creative Preview app instead.
6. To check that events are recording, go back to the Display & Video 360 preview page on your computer, click Show details , then click Event summary. Tap any buttons in the creative on your device. You'll see triggered events and timers recorded in the Event summary and Event log panels.

Preview video creatives

When you add a video creative to Display & Video 360, the video is processed and an ad tag is created, which can take up to 20 minutes. You won't be able to preview the video until it's processed and the ad tag is ready. If you try to preview it before it's ready, you may only see a placeholder video.

When you make changes to a video creative's asset or companion settings and save them, the video is processed again and an ad tag is created again. You might have to wait a few minutes before you can preview the processed video and up to 20 minutes to preview updated companions.

1. Open a creative.

2. Click Preview or . The orientation of the video player in the preview matches the video source file. 

3. Click Show details  to view the Creative details, Event summary, and Event log. How to test creative events

4. To see what your video will look like in different resolutions, select a size under Video resolutions. If you don't see the size you want in the menu, go to the bottom and click Add new size to enter a custom width and height to preview. Custom video resolutions are used for preview only and don't affect trafficking placement sizes.

5. To preview your video on a device, install the Creative Preview app. Open the Preview location menu and click Scan QR code. A QR code is shown. Scan the QR code with the Creative Preview app to preview your video.

6. To restart the video, click Refresh .

Preview audio creatives

When you add an audio creative to Display & Video 360, the audio is processed and an ad tag is created, which can take up to 20 minutes. You won't be able to preview the audio until it's processed and the ad tag is ready. If you try to preview it before it's ready, the preview may not load.

When you make changes to the creative's asset or companions, the audio is processed again and an ad tag is created again. You might have to wait a few minutes before you can preview the processed audio and up to 20 minutes to preview updated companions.

You can open a preview to listen to audio creatives and make sure they work correctly. If you just saved the creative, you might need to wait a few minutes for the audio to be processed before you can play it.

1. Open an audio creative.
2. Click Preview or . If the audio creative has an Ad Canvas tab, hover over the preview area, then click Preview . A preview opens in a pop-up window. Click Open in new window . A preview of your audio ad opens in a mobile streaming app preview. Most audio inventory is available through audio streaming apps, so this preview is the closest to what people will see and hear when your ad serves.
3. Find the audio player controls at the bottom of the device screen. Click play to hear your audio file. You can also pause or adjust the volume. How to test creative events
4. Preview companion creatives, if assigned. Open the Companion size menu to select a different companion. In mobile preview mode, companion creatives are only visible while the audio is playing. If you have multiple companions and want to see them all on one page, use the Preview mode menu to switch to assets preview.

Preview native creatives

Since native creatives can be shown in hundreds of different design combinations, there are more preview options for these formats to check how different asset combinations will look when your ad is serving. Native site and native video creatives have default previews that show most assets. You can also see sample previews from real publishers.

Preview while you create your ad

As you add text and images to your creative, the Ad Canvas preview updates automatically, showing how the different elements in your creative might be rendered. This preview is not an accurate representation of how the creative will display in a live environment, but will give you an idea of how each creative element might look when displayed in an app versus in a website.

If you entered both long and short versions of headlines and body text, only the short versions will be shown in the preview.

See how the creative will look on different publishers

To see samples of how real publishers will style your native assets, open the publisher samples preview. Unlike the initial quick preview, these samples use real native ad styles from publishers. Note that these previews represent a range of potential native ad designs, but do not include every design variation.

Publisher samples are available for native site and native video creatives only.

1. Click Preview publisher samples. The Publisher samples page opens in a new window.
2. Scroll down the page to view samples from different publishers using your native assets.

3. On the Publisher samples page, some samples include an additional preview mode that displays your ad on a sample publisher page. Click Preview at the bottom of a publisher sample to open this fullscreen preview in a new window.

   How to preview on a publisher page

   

   Sample preview on the mobile version of realsimple.com
   

Preview data-driven creatives

Because data-driven creatives can have hundreds of variants, there are different preview options for these formats. In the list of creatives, there's no Preview option  next to these creative types. Instead, open the creative in Ad Canvas to preview all variants. To filter and share data-driven creatives, add them to a preview sheet.

Preview responsive display creatives

When you preview a responsive creative, you can only preview one size at a time.

1. When you click Preview or , a size selector window appears.
2. Choose the size you want to preview, then click Preview with selected size.
3. The preview opens in a new tab. Close the preview tab to go back to Display & Video 360.

If your responsive creative is synced from Campaign Manager 360 and includes a third-party tag wrapper, you'll only be able to preview the creative in one size, and no size selection will be available. To see all sizes, open the placement in Campaign Manager 360.

Preview YouTube line items

When creating or editing a YouTube ad, you’ll be able to see a static preview of your ad on various formats across different device types and networks. Follow the steps below to preview the ads you’re creating or editing for your YouTube line items:

1. In your YouTube & partners video line item, open an existing ad group or create a new one.
2. In the “Ads” section, click the pencil icon to edit an existing ad, or click Create new ad.
3. Search for a YouTube video or paste a YouTube URL in the “Video” field. The ad format is automatically determined and is displayed in “Preview”.
4. In the “Preview” section, perform any of the following to preview your ad:
   • Click the All formats dropdown to change the preview by ad format. Depending on the line item subtype, this option may not appear.
   • Select a device icon to show a preview of your ad on mobile, desktop, or TV devices. Note that some formats may not be compatible to be previewed on certain devices.
   • Select a network to view how ad formats show on different channels, such as YouTube and video partners. Note that some formats may not be compatible to be previewed on certain surfaces.
   • Click Preview ad on YouTube to see a live preview of your ad on YouTube.com.
   • Click Copy link to copy the URL of your ad that will appear on YouTube. Clicking the arrow beside Copy link opens a panel where you can set a video to play after the ad you’ve created.
5. Complete the remaining fields to finish setting up your ad and click Done or Create ad.
6. Click Save.