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After completing edits on a photo in Photoshop, it's natural to need to save or export the image. While it may seem like a simple task, knowing how to export images for high quality and compact file size isn't common knowledge. Therefore, the following article will provide more specific guidance on how to save and export images in Photoshop.
I. Saving Images in Photoshop
In Photoshop, to save your working file, click on File > Save or press the shortcut Ctrl + S.
Choose the folder to store your file, name the file, select the format as .PSD, and then click on Save.
Only the first time you save the file do you need to customize various settings. Subsequent saves only require you to press Ctrl + S, and all changes will automatically apply to the created file. Since the process has become much simpler, make it a habit to regularly save files while working to prevent incidents such as power outages, system freezes, etc., which may require starting over.
II. Exporting Images in Photoshop
Saving a .PSD file only preserves the work process in your Photoshop. Therefore, the file can only be opened by Photoshop. The ultimate goal of editing images is to produce an image viewable on various devices, so after completing the edits, you need to export the file to an image format, such as .JPG or .PNG.
Photoshop offers two options for exporting images: for regular purposes and for web use.
1. Exporting images for regular purposes
To export an image, you can click on File > Save As… or use the shortcut Shift + Ctrl + S.
Choose the folder to save the exported image, name the file, and select the file format. The two most common image formats for regular use are JPEG and PNG.
a) Case 1: When exporting to JPEG format
- Check the ICC Profile: sRGB IEC61966-2.1 box (to ensure color accuracy when printing or uploading online) and the Use Lower Case Extension option (some cases require lowercase extensions, such as saving images for the web), then press Save.
- In the JPEG Options dialog, adjust the Quality slider to change the image quality as needed. Select Baseline Optimized for image optimization. Finally, click OK.
* Note: JPEG images lose transparency.
b) Case 2: When exporting to PNG format
- Check the Use Lower Case Extension option (some cases require lowercase extensions, such as saving images for the web), then press Save.
- In the PNG Options dialog, under Compression, select None if you don't want to compress the image (or Smallest if you need to compress to reduce file size). Under Interlace, choose None. Finally, press OK.
2. Exporting images for web optimization
Usually, the larger the size of an image, the higher the quality, and the more visually appealing it appears. However, when displaying images on the web, it's necessary to optimize the image size to ensure that the page loading time is not excessively long, which may cause discomfort for viewers.
To do this in Photoshop, you can click on File > Save for Web… or press the shortcut Alt + Shift + Ctrl + S.
In the new window that appears, you can choose the image format, customize quality, optimization, dimensions, etc. The preview image on the left will help you track changes before deciding to export the image. Finally, click Save.
Through this article, I've guided you on how to save and export images in Photoshop to best suit your needs. I wish you all the best in mastering this skill!
