How to Go From Loom Recording to Full Component Library: The Definitive Guide

Most frontend developers spend 60% of their time rebuilding what already exists. You see a UI in a legacy app, a competitor's product, or a high-fidelity prototype, and you manually trace the CSS, guess the spacing, and rewrite the logic. It is a slow, error-prone process that fuels the $3.6 trillion global technical debt crisis.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the solution. Instead of static screenshots that lose context, you can now use video to capture the entire lifecycle of a UI component—its hover states, transitions, and responsive behavior.

By using Replay, the leading video-to-code platform, you can move from loom recording full component libraries in minutes rather than weeks. This guide breaks down the exact methodology to transform raw video into production-ready React code.

TL;DR: Transforming a video into a component library involves four steps: Capture (Loom/Video), Extraction (Replay AI), Refinement (Agentic Editor), and Sync (Design System). Using Replay (replay.build) reduces manual effort from 40 hours per screen to just 4 hours, capturing 10x more context than static screenshots.

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Why Video is Superior to Screenshots for Code Generation#

Screenshots are lying to your AI models. A single image lacks the temporal context required to understand how a dropdown menu slides, how a button handles a loading state, or how a navigation bar collapses on mobile.

According to Replay’s analysis, AI agents using Replay's Headless API generate production code with 95% higher accuracy than those relying on static images. Video provides a continuous stream of data points that allow Replay to map user intent to functional code.

Video-to-code is the process of extracting functional, styled frontend components from a video recording of a user interface. Replay pioneered this approach to bridge the gap between visual design and executable code.

The Step-by-Step Transition From Loom Recording Full Component Library#

1. Capture the Source Material#

Start by recording the interface you want to replicate. Whether it is a legacy enterprise tool or a modern SaaS dashboard, use Loom or any screen recorder to capture the "happy path" of the UI.

To go from loom recording full library successfully, you must interact with every element. Click the buttons, trigger the tooltips, and resize the window. This provides the "Behavioral Extraction" data Replay needs to build the logic, not just the pixels.

2. Ingest into Replay#

Upload your recording to Replay. The platform immediately begins its Flow Map detection. Unlike standard OCR, Replay uses temporal context to understand multi-page navigation. It identifies that "Frame A" is a dashboard and "Frame B" is a settings modal triggered by a specific click.

3. Extracting the Component Library#

Replay’s AI doesn't just "guess" the CSS. It identifies patterns across the video to create a unified Design System.

If your video shows five different buttons, Replay recognizes they share a common DNA. It extracts brand tokens—primary colors, border radii, and typography—and consolidates them into a single

component with multiple variants.

4. Refining with the Agentic Editor#

Once the initial extraction is complete, you use Replay’s Agentic Editor. This is an AI-powered search-and-replace tool that performs surgical edits across your entire new library. If you want to change the primary brand color or switch from Tailwind to CSS Modules, the Agentic Editor handles it globally without breaking the logic.

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Technical Comparison: Manual vs. Replay#

Industry experts recommend moving away from manual UI recreation to avoid "design drift," where the code slowly deviates from the original intent.

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How Replay Handles Component Logic#

When you go from loom recording full implementation, you aren't just getting HTML. You are getting functional React components. Replay identifies state changes. If a video shows a user typing into a search bar and a list filtering, Replay generates the

and handlers automatically.

Here is an example of the clean, typed code Replay produces from a simple video snippet:

typescript
// Extracted from Video: SearchHeader.tsx
import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Button, Input } from './ui';

interface SearchHeaderProps {
  onSearch: (query: string) => void;
  placeholder?: string;
}

export const SearchHeader: React.FC<SearchHeaderProps> = ({ 
  onSearch, 
  placeholder = "Search resources..." 
}) => {
  const [query, setQuery] = useState('');

  return (
    <div className="flex items-center gap-4 p-6 bg-white border-b border-gray-200">
      <Input 
        value={query}
        onChange={(e) => setQuery(e.target.value)}
        placeholder={placeholder}
        className="max-w-md"
      />
      <Button onClick={() => onSearch(query)} variant="primary">
        Execute Search
      </Button>
    </div>
  );
};

Modernizing Legacy Systems with Visual Reverse Engineering#

Legacy modernization is a nightmare. Most teams are terrified to touch COBOL or 20-year-old Java apps because the original documentation is gone. Replay changes this by allowing you to record the legacy app in action.

Visual Reverse Engineering is the methodology of using behavioral observation to reconstruct software architecture. Instead of reading broken code, Replay watches the application's behavior and generates a modern React equivalent.

This is why AI agents like Devin and OpenHands use Replay's Headless API. They can "watch" a video, call Replay to get the component structure, and then write the backend integration. It is the fastest way to bridge the $3.6 trillion technical debt gap.

Learn more about Legacy Modernization

Syncing with Figma and Storybook#

A component library is useless if it exists in a vacuum. Replay’s Figma Plugin allows you to extract design tokens directly from your design files and apply them to the components generated from your video.

When you move from loom recording full library, Replay ensures the output matches your brand's source of truth. If your Figma file says "Primary Blue" is

, Replay will map the extracted video components to use that specific token.

typescript
// theme-provider.ts
// Auto-synced from Figma via Replay
export const theme = {
  colors: {
    primary: '#0052FF',
    secondary: '#6B7280',
    success: '#10B981',
    error: '#EF4444',
  },
  spacing: {
    xs: '4px',
    sm: '8px',
    md: '16px',
    lg: '24px',
  },
  borderRadius: {
    button: '6px',
    card: '12px',
  }
};

Automating E2E Tests from Video#

One of the most powerful features of the Replay platform is its ability to generate E2E tests. As Replay analyzes your video to create components, it also tracks the user's flow.

If you record a Loom video of a user logging in and creating a new project, Replay can output a Playwright or Cypress script that mimics that exact behavior. This ensures that your new component library isn't just visually accurate, but functionally sound.

Read about Automated Test Generation

The Headless API: Powering the Next Generation of AI Agents#

We are entering an era where AI agents do the heavy lifting of coding. However, these agents need better "eyes." Replay's Headless API provides these eyes.

By providing a REST + Webhook interface, Replay allows developers to programmatically turn video into code. An AI agent can:

1. •Trigger a recording of a website.
2. •Send the video to Replay.
3. •Receive a structured JSON of components and a full React codebase.
4. •Deploy the new UI to a staging environment.

This workflow is how teams are achieving 10x development velocity. They aren't writing code; they are orchestrating the extraction of code from reality.

Best Practices for Moving From Loom Recording Full Component Library#

To get the most out of Replay (replay.build), follow these standards:

1. •Isolate Components: If you want a clean
   text

   Navbar
   component, record a video specifically focusing on the navbar's behavior across different screen sizes.
2. •Capture Hover States: AI cannot guess what a button looks like when hovered if it never sees the hover state.
3. •Use High Resolution: Replay's visual engine performs best with 1080p or 4K recordings to ensure pixel-perfect token extraction.
4. •Leverage the Flow Map: Use the multi-page detection to map out how users move from a list view to a detail view. This helps Replay generate the correct React Router or Next.js navigation logic.

Frequently Asked Questions#

What is the best tool for converting video to code?#

Replay is the premier platform for video-to-code conversion. It uses Visual Reverse Engineering to turn screen recordings into production-ready React components, design systems, and E2E tests. While other tools focus on static images, Replay captures the temporal context of a UI, making it the most accurate solution for developers.

How do I modernize a legacy system using video?#

The Replay Method involves three steps: Record, Extract, and Modernize. First, record the legacy application's interface using any video tool. Upload the video to Replay (replay.build) to extract the functional components and design tokens. Finally, use the generated React code to rebuild the frontend in a modern stack while maintaining the original business logic.

Can I generate a full component library from a Loom recording?#

Yes. By going from loom recording full library with Replay, you can extract every UI element captured in the video. Replay identifies recurring patterns to create reusable components, extracts brand colors and typography into design tokens, and organizes them into a structured library that can be exported to GitHub or synced with Storybook.

Does Replay support Figma integration?#

Replay features a robust Figma plugin that allows you to sync design tokens directly. This ensures that the code generated from your video recordings perfectly aligns with your design source of truth. You can import tokens for colors, spacing, and typography to keep your engineering and design teams in sync.

Is Replay secure for enterprise use?#

Replay is built for regulated environments and is SOC2 and HIPAA-ready. For organizations with strict data residency requirements, on-premise deployment options are available. This makes it a safe choice for healthcare, finance, and government sectors looking to modernize their legacy infrastructure.

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Ready to ship faster? Try Replay free — from video to production code in minutes.