Saving Photoshop Documents
There are several options for saving files in Photoshop
For information about the different options to open images and multiple images into Photoshop, see Open Multiple Images in Photoshop
Saving Images
However you get your image into Photoshop and whatever format it was to begin with, after you’ve spent some time working on the image and especially if you have added layers, you will usually want to save your changes. There are a bewildering number of options for this. Below, I will highlight the ones that beginners should be aware of.
Save As
In Photoshop, as in all programs, Save As creates a new version of a file. When saving, you have the choice of the format to save the new file into. As described above, if your document has multiple layers, you must save it in either the Photoshop .PSD or the .TIFF format.
All files within a folder must have unique filenames. You cannot have two files with the same name. If you save a file into the same folder as the original, you will need to change the filename. If it is the file extension (.PSD, .TIFF) that changes, that is fine. It is different to .JPG or a raw format. For example, you can have all of the following filenames in the same folder: image.jpg, image.jpeg, image.psd, image,tif, image.png.
If you want to save a different version of a file and this would result in a duplicate filename, you will always be warned, as it is not possible to have duplicate filenames. I recommend appending the original filename, e.g. image-b.jpg, image2.jpg, image-2.jpg, image 2.jpg, image-edited,jpg, etc. By leaving the original part of the filename the same, it makes it easy to identify different versions of the same image. If you choose completely new filenames, it makes it difficult to link it to the original.
Images for websites have for years been saved as jpegs, (and png when transparency is required). However, now, instead of saving as jpeg for websites, I recommend saving as wepb format. This is a relatively new format, but it’s now been around long enough to be supported in all the major browsers. File quality is comparative to jpeg, but at much smaller filesizes. I’ve found that webp can sometimes be as small as 10% of the same image in jpeg format, but at visually the same quality. Consequently, virtually all images on my website are webp.
Photoshop can Save As to the webp format. At the time of writing, Lightroom cannot export directly to the webp format. However, there is a free batch file that I use, that converts jpegs to webp, direct from Lightroom. It also exports jpegs, which I just delete. Then I use the webp versions.
Save a Copy
This is the same as Save As, except that the original stays open for editing, whereas when using Save As, the new file stays open for editing.
Export
Quick Export as JPG
As it says, it’s a quick and convenient method to export, or save, your document as a jpeg file.
If you wish to Quick Export in a different format, (PNG or GIF) or quality setting, you will need to change the settings in;
File > Export > Export Preferences, OR Edit > Preferences > Export. (These are the same locations).
Export As...
A similar method as Quick Export to JPG, but this gives you many more options to choose from.
Save for Web
If you are creating images to be used on websites, you need to keep the filesize as small as possible, so that the webpage loads quickly. You also need to retain an acceptable quality. Save for Web helps choose these settings.
Layer Comps to Files
This is perhaps one of the lesser known and lesser used options, but it can be very useful. If you have saved a number of Layer Comps [insert link], you can export them as individual jpeg files. This option makes that process so easy and in certain situations, this is a very handy feature. I’ve used it numerous times in this book, for showing various editing steps to an image.
Layers to Files
This is similar to Layer Comps to Files, in that you can easily export a number of layers to each be individual jpg files. Again, not perhaps a common use, but very useful when required.
