Exporting multiple images from one layered photoshop file
November 11, 2008 2:22 AM Subscribe
I really miss Imageready's "Export Layers to Files" command. Is there an easy way to replicate this in Photoshop?
Like many people, I use photoshop to design and create web pages.
In the past, I would make layered psd files, each layer with a new image. I would give each layer a unique name, then I would open up imageready and export them using Layers to Files, and then I would have a bunch of images with nice, clean filenames that were suitably compressed for the web. This was most useful when I had a bunch of images that all had to be the same size - thumbnails, or images that get pulled into flash to make a slideshow, etc. It was extra nice if the images needed to change - I could make adjustments and re-export them all at once. It was far easier than saving each slice separately, or saving each image as its own file.
But Adobe got rid of Imageready with CS3. (I'm not complaining, it was a crummy program, except for this one tiny little thing.) They said that all the functionality was to be ported to photoshop - According to this page on adobe's website, you can do the same thing using the "File > Scripts > Export Layers to Files" command. But it's not the same! 1) there are hardly any options 2) you can't export to gif 3) jpgs seem to use the normal photoshop jpg compression, which isn't exactly suitable for the web. I hoped they were going to fix this with CS4, but it's the same as in CS3.
Is there another way to do this? Or is there a different way to achieve the same goal? Can I do some trickery with actions and batching? Or maybe you can do it with Fireworks or the Gimp or something else? Or perhaps I'm just being super lazy - and also, super complainy.
Like many people, I use photoshop to design and create web pages.
In the past, I would make layered psd files, each layer with a new image. I would give each layer a unique name, then I would open up imageready and export them using Layers to Files, and then I would have a bunch of images with nice, clean filenames that were suitably compressed for the web. This was most useful when I had a bunch of images that all had to be the same size - thumbnails, or images that get pulled into flash to make a slideshow, etc. It was extra nice if the images needed to change - I could make adjustments and re-export them all at once. It was far easier than saving each slice separately, or saving each image as its own file.
But Adobe got rid of Imageready with CS3. (I'm not complaining, it was a crummy program, except for this one tiny little thing.) They said that all the functionality was to be ported to photoshop - According to this page on adobe's website, you can do the same thing using the "File > Scripts > Export Layers to Files" command. But it's not the same! 1) there are hardly any options 2) you can't export to gif 3) jpgs seem to use the normal photoshop jpg compression, which isn't exactly suitable for the web. I hoped they were going to fix this with CS4, but it's the same as in CS3.
Is there another way to do this? Or is there a different way to achieve the same goal? Can I do some trickery with actions and batching? Or maybe you can do it with Fireworks or the Gimp or something else? Or perhaps I'm just being super lazy - and also, super complainy.
Response by poster: This looks like a little more than I can handle. But it's good to know about.
posted by kpmcguire at 11:57 AM on November 11, 2008
posted by kpmcguire at 11:57 AM on November 11, 2008
What I've done in the past is to go through two steps - since "save for web" is better than the equivalent options in the regular "save" dialog I use the script to output a bunch of PSDs. I then create an action with the appropriate "save for web" settings and run it on the PSDs. So it kinda sucks since you have to do two batch operations, but it works.
I'll have to do a little reading - I'm not sure if adding GIF to the existing script is trivial or time-consuming. I'll get back to you on that.
posted by O9scar at 2:21 PM on November 11, 2008
I'll have to do a little reading - I'm not sure if adding GIF to the existing script is trivial or time-consuming. I'll get back to you on that.
posted by O9scar at 2:21 PM on November 11, 2008
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posted by D.C. at 4:05 AM on November 11, 2008