Photoshop tip: use the export function
Thursday 25 December 2025, 13:31 by Nando Harmsen | 2,367 views | 6 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
There are many ways to save files in Photoshop. The export function is ideal for JPG and PNG files, and for GIF, although with limitations. I show you the benefits in this article.
Each way of saving files in Photoshop has its own use. If you want to keep layers, saving as PSD or TIFF is best. Make sure you use the right one, otherwise the photo may not look as you expect.
Do you want to save for use on the internet, by email, or for a photo print? Then JPG is best, using the sRGB colour profile. The size depends on how it will be used. Small for the internet, large for print.
For the internet, PNG can also work well. It supports transparency, for example. So there are many choices to make, and you usually have to make them before saving. Unless you use the export function.
You can find the export function in the menu under 'File > Export > Export As...'. But it is much easier and faster to use the keyboard shortcut: CMD/CTRL - OPT/ALT- SHIFT - W.
In the window, you can choose between JPG, PNG or GIF. Enter the desired dimensions in pixels, or choose a percentage. You can also adjust the canvas size if you want. But be careful, as this creates white space or a crop.
Enter which metadata you want to include, choose to convert to the sRGB colour profile and embed the profile. With all this information, you can see the dimensions on the left and how large the file will be in kB or MB.
You can then export, and the file will be saved in the location and with the name you enter. Best of all, the original file remains unchanged, including the layers you had.
If you want, you can enter multiple formats by clicking the plus sign on the left next to the heading 'Scale All'. This is useful if you want to save multiple formats at once.
Make the keyboard shortcut your own, and exporting to JPG or PNG will take no time at all. GIF works too, but gives you less control. In that case, it is better to choose 'File > Export > Save for Web...'.
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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6 comments
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 14:22 | replyCitaat: '
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Dan kan je exporteren en het bestand wordt opgeslagen op de locatie en met de naam die je dan ingeeft. Het mooiste van alles, het originele bestand blijft ongewijzigd, inclusief de lagen die je had.' einde citaat.
Dit snap ik niet in de werkwijze die je beschrijft.
Ik sla de foto altijd op als psd juist om alle lagen en bewerkingen te behouden.
Maar hoe zit dat dan bij jouw methode? Het originele bestand is een RAW (CR3). -
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Donald Willemsen wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 17:05 | reply
Dank voor jouw reactie, Nando.
This comment was written in another language and has not been translated yet.
Uiteindelijk maak je een jpg, dat klopt. Ik bewaar de foto altijd als een psd. Waarom? , zal je je afvragen. Ik maak pas een jpg als ik een doel heb voor de foto. Stel de foto is voor internet, dan maak ik een jpg in een bepaald formaat en resolutie. Wil ik de foto om ater gebruiken als een print, dan pak ik de psd weer en werk hem af ín een formaat en resolutie om te printen.
Het is dus niet zo dat ik meteen meerdere jpg's maak geschikt voor diverse doeleinden.
Een andere reden om de psd te bewaren is met de tijd de mogelijkheid te hebben de foto alsnog op een andere manier te bewerken zonder helemaal opnieuw te moeten beginnen. -
Nando
wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 23:25
| reply
I understand that, but if you want to save a PSD file as a jpeg, you have to adjust the resolution, maybe you want to merge layers, and so on. If you then accidentally save the original file when closing, you've lost everything.
Translated from Dutch.
Export is safer and prevents unpleasant situations where you lose the original editable PSD file -
Arnold Velderhof wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 20:46 | replyHi Nando, I always use Ctrl+Alt+S (Save a Copy) and then choose JPG, what advantages does the Export function have compared to the method I use?
Translated from Dutch. -
Nando
wrote on Tuesday 30 December 2025 at 23:19
| reply
You can see that in the article: more control.
Translated from Dutch.
You also don't have to resize the file first, with the risk that you accidentally save it in the reduced-size version when closing the original file (after you have saved the copy JPEG).
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