Export a single layer as an image in Photoshop

Question

I have a lot of designers send me layered PSDs of their designs and I need to break out the pieces of the designs to place on web pages. I can do a decent number of things in Photoshop, but I'm hardly efficient with it.

My old way of just copying the image that's in a layer and pasting into a new image seems to take forever as I screw around with cropping and such.

I've got Photoshop CS5, so I don't need external software to do anything, but I just need to figure out how to take a single layer, that may hold something small like an icon, and export it as a PNG or JPG.

I am aware of the script called "Export Layers to Files" but it took about an hour and exported ALL of my layers to a huge number of files. I wasn't looking for a solution that broad.

Is there an easy way to do this?

Solution 1

To export a single layer or a group of layers in Photoshop you must have only those relevant layer(s) that you want to export visible. (So hide all the layers that you don't want to export and keep the relevant one's visible.) Then go to File - Save for web and save your image.

To understand this process in depth please have a look at this tutorial.

Solution 2

Select the layer you want to export to a new file.

In the top menu, Click "Layer" --> "Duplicate Layer..."

Note that there are TWO options. One is for the name of the new layer...

The second is for the destination of the new layer, either your current document or a New document. Select "New."

Solution 3

The previous answers won't autocrop to the layer size as barraponto points out. Smart Objects fixes this and is more efficient:

1. Right click the layer in the Layers Panel and select Convert to Smart Object
2. Right click the layer again and select Edit contents

CTRL+click multiple layers before converting to a Smart Object to group them.

Solution 4

I would add to @Daniel Garman's answer.

1. Duplicate Layer (either in menu on right click on the layer) --> NEW (also gives the option to give it a name at that time so you don't lose what the layer was called before you get to the save step)
2. Image --> Trim (which will give you options of removing transparent pixels)
3. File --> Save for web (CMD-SHIFT-OPT-S on OSX)

That's a pretty quick way to do it.

Solution 5

You can do this by going to File -> Scripts -> Export layers to Files

View more solutions

Comments

[Capi Etheriel]

it won't autocrop the layers, though.

[reflexiv]

Yes, so if your original image is larger than the layers you have to go back to all the exported images and crop them. To get around this use Smart Objects, see my answer below.

[djromero]

When you select "New" is it possible to obtain a document of the same size than the duplicated layer?

[Trey Copeland]

Very helpful tip. Wish this cropped it though. Either way it's a nice feature to know.

[Luke Shaheen]

This is by far the easiest and most efficient answer for exporting a single image/layer from a document that is handed to you.

[Aparna Singh]

That should be voted as the answer. Because it definitely is. Thanks @reflexiv.

[reflexiv]

Trey, see my answer below for using Smart Objects that auto-crops most of the time.

[cregox]

except question says he's aware of this and it's a bad solution for his case... plus it doesn't really always work.

[Betty]

This is the most efficient way currently available in Photoshop. Also I'd like to add that for the second step, you can just double click the layer thumbnail, which has the same effect as right click and select Edit contents, but easier.