PNG EXPRESS | Automated Design Delivery for Photoshop
PHOTOSHOP CC2015 SUPPORT IS COMING SOON
From design to development
the fast, precise and repeatable way.
Works with both Mac & PC. Requires Adobe Photoshop CS5 or newer.
What is it?
Design delivery, fast-tracked.
PNG EXPRESS is a Photoshop& plug-in that slices and exports your PSD document to individual PNG, JPG, & SVG assets, and allows you to generate matching design specifications with concise information on dimensions, margins, font features etc. It's easy and flexible with full control for designers, while providing clear and consistent deliverables for developers. That means faster workflow, better communication, and more time for lunch and ping-pong matches.
Automatically export assets from PSDs
PNG Express allows you to slice a PSD into individual PNG, JPG, or SVG assets with ease and flexibility. Simply add tags to names of layers or groups, and you're ready to export all - or only the selected - assets from your PSD with a single click.With iPhone6+ support PNG Express automatically builds assets for iOS 1x, Retina @2x & @3x, and multiple Android densities all at once from any source resolution. The integrated
export greatly simplifies the setup and creation of 9-patches for different densities. Your vectors, smart objects and layer styles are scaled in full quality, and assets will be saved with exactly the correct sizes and file names. You can even export multiple states and variations of buttons etc. in one go, with automatic file naming and sizing.
Save to SVG PNG Express also lets you export your Photoshop layers and groups directly to fully scalable SVG files - with accurate support for gradients, strokes, vector masks, and layer styles. You'll get SVG files that look like your PSD, with clean organized code on the inside.
Made to fit your style
PNG Express gets out of your way while you work. You don't need to change your existing design workflow, or deal with unnecessary layers making a mess of your Photoshop document. Instead, with a few self-explanatory
added to layer names you're free to keep focus on designing your way and in your preferred order. You are free to create overlapping slices, to create any number of asset states and variations following your own naming conventions, and you're free to save them where you want. No fuzz, just your assets as if you had carefully sliced and saved them manually.
Precise and independent assets
PNG Express takes accuracy very seriously. Assets are exported in isolation on a transparent background with pixel perfect precision and automatically trimmed to the smallest size possible. If needed, you can define the area to export manually, or choose to export an asset without transparency merged with the rest of the layers in the PSD. The export area and file name of each asset is accessable within the PSD itself, making it a great tool for iterative workflows and team work.
Automatic export of assets including multiple states and variations
Automatic creation of scaled assets for multiple resolutions and platforms
Export scalable SVG assets from Photoshop with best-in-class SVG generation
Automatic file naming based on layer names. Adds @2x and @3x for retina
Automatic creation of Android 9-patches for different densities
Automatic or manual control of asset regions
Easy tagging. A layer called PNG:button will export as button.png
Works with any layer, group, FXs, masks etc. 100% accurate exports
Choose output folder, sub-folders, and optional file suffix
Repeat any export and keep identical asset regions and names
Includes helper functions to make working with tags & regions a breeze
Output asset metadata and text properties to external files (XML, JSON, HTML, etc)
Perfect for iPhone, iPad and Android apps, websites, desktop applications, games etc.
Create specifications fast and accurately
Creating specifications that clearly and accurately spells out the details in your design for developers can be a tedious task. With PNG Express you can create precise specs in just a few minutes!And because it works in tandem with the asset exporting it is able to tie in information relating to the actual assets accompanying the specs. This means that PNG Express uses the sizes of actual PNG assets when specc'ing margins, dimensions and positions, while also referencing the actual filenames for easy indentification by developers.
Flexible and scalable
You can use PNG Express to spec any layer or group in any PSD document whether it contains layers tagged as assets or not. The generated specs are fully editable and placed in a seperate layer group for easy organisation.
Write Metadata to External Files
With PNG Express you can not only export the image assets from your Photoshop document, but also write all the associated metadata to external files. There is built-in support for JSON, XML and simple HTML mockups, but the powerful template system allows you to fully customize the metadata output to fit your exact neeeds.
Spec bounding region, XY position, file name, color, opacity and layer effects
Spec width and height of layer or selection in pixels
Spec margin in pixels between two layers, or between one layer and the current selection
Spec font name, style, size, line height, letter spacing, color, alignment, and layer FXs
Spec vector shape corner radius, fill color/gradient, stroke width & color, and layer FXs
Option to scale measurements to 1x when speccing 2x designs
Can be used with any layer, group or selection
Uses sizes and file names of PNG/JPG assets when available
Customize spec styling by font size and color
See How It Works
&I use PNG Express all the time. It's awesome.&
Diego Monzon,
&... makes exporting assets a breeze.&
Michael Flarup, Designer at
&bought it, cried with bloody tears over the countless hours spent slicing Photoshop files without it! It's BRILLIANT!&
Martin Velchevski,
&PNG Express is an absolutely must-have extension for all mobile and web designers who quickly want to export perfectly sliced assets and measurements directly from Photoshop.&
Mariusz Ostrowski,
&PNG Express is full of amazing features (..) It works beautifully, requires little effort, and makes the usual chore of exporting a large .psd a less daunting task.&
Review on , by
&PNG Express is about to make your life easier.&
Rated 5/5 in
v.2.6.0 Mar 2015
NEW: Smart Objects with Photoshop content now retains quality when scaled
NEW: SVG export now works with shape layers inside Smart Objects
NEW: SVG export now supports layer masks and clipping masks
Faster exporting. Almost twice as fast on large PSDs
Metadata now outputs size and position of text box for paragraph text layers
FIX: Panel UI was messed up on some Photoshop installations
FIX: States and Variations sometimes caused wrong asset bounds
FIX: States nested in "VAR:" groups was exported with wrong visibility
FIX: Metadata was incorrect for text layers in rare cases
v.2.5.0 Feb 2015
NEW: Export to individual SVG files
Create scalable SVG files with support for masks, gradients, strokes, and layer styles
NEW: Metadata templates can now output separate files per asset
Additional metadata template included that outputs one json file per asset
NEW: Fonts are now specced in "sp" when using "Density-Independent Pixels"
FIX: Hidden layers in a group were not exported
FIX: Several Smart Object issues fixes
FIX: Settings sometimes getting corrupted
FIX: Some UI labels were truncated on Retina screens
Various minor fixes and improvements
Export to icon font no longer supported
FIX: 9patches was saved without .9 in the filename
Improved Scale-Safe logic with better control
HTML Mockup template now also works with Android only exports
Metadata property previously named "file" is now named "path"
New metadata properties:
"file": asset filename without any folders
"zIndex": asset z index
"visible": is asset visible in Photoshop
"specificPath": relative path to asset in current resolution including platform subfolder
"iosWebOutputs" and "androidOutputs": array of enabled iOS and Android outputs
FIX: Several metadata path issues fixed
FIX: Metadata filename casing now matches exported files
FIX: 9patches with content area caused export to freeze on old PS versions
FIX: Spec font size working again in PS CC2014 2.x Release
NEW: Export of asset metadata and text properties to external files (XML, JSON, HTML, etc)
Powerful template system allows you to fully customize metadata output
NEW: Support for iPhone6+ @3x assets
NEW: Support for Android XXXHDPI
FIX: 9-patches sometimes wasn't drawn on fully transparent edges
FIX: Meta-data in PSD could cause large PNG file sizes
FIX: Layer Effects on Smart Objects with Smart Filters would not always be exported
FIX: Installation failed on Photoshop CC 2014 (CC only)
FIX: Tag Layers would sometimes rename first layer in group
NEW: HTML5 framework (CC only)
NEW: Scaling of Smart Filters when exporting with Auto-Scale
Fixed: Rare but annoying issue with reverting keyboard shortcuts (CC only)
Fixed: Another rare issue causing lag when switching layers (CC only)
Fixed: Downscaling 9-patch assets sometimes caused export to freeze
Fixed: Speccing Layer Info on Merged assets did not use existing Asset Bounds
Fixed: Vector Stroke was not specced in CS6
NEW: Export to SVG web font
NEW: Retina display support (CC only)
NEW: Support for iOS device modifiers in asset names
NEW: Speccing can now be done in same document
NEW: Option to export without Android/iOS sub-folders
Faster exporting (especially for PSDs with locked layers)
Faster speccing
Tagging now detects and replaces existing tags
Fixed: Font line height specced incorrectly on CS5
Fixed: 9-patch issue with multiple 1px regions
Fixed 9-patch export freezing on non-english versions of Photoshop
Fixed Scale-Safe for layers extending beyond canvas
Fixed Specify Asset Size sometimes extending bounds outside canvas
NEW: 9-patch export for Android
Quick 9-patch setup with automatic scaling for multiple densities
NEW: Add tags to multiple layers in one go
NEW: Export selected assets just by selecting Asset Bounds layers
Fixed line-height being specced incorrectly on free-transformed text layers
Fixed auto-scale export not working on non-english versions of Photoshop
NEW FEATURE: Automatic scaling and export to multiple resolutions and platforms
Scaling done right. Maintains quality and accuracy for all layers and effects
Optional scaling of pattern fills and overlays
Automatic handling of filenames for Android and iOS
Optional auto-adjustment of JPG quality for high-res assets
Fixed issues with speccing font size and color of certain text layers
Fixed speccing sometimes not expanding canvas
Fixed problems speccing vector lines with a width/height less than 1px
Fixed Program Error caused by Adobe Generator
Fixed bug where adding Layer Info Specs could reset global settings to default
Fixed issue with Layer Info specs sometimes causing an error
Fixed short specs getting cropped
Vector shape and layer style speccing!
Customizable Layer Info specs. Can now also include size, color, opacity and layerFXs
Hold down ALT when adding specs to control where they are positioned
Fixed export freezing for PSDs with nested locked layers
Fixed rare issue causing images to export empty
Faster exporting, especially with large PSDs
Added option to use px, pt or dp as measurement units when speccing
Fixed Specify Asset Size not working when units set to percent
Fixed Tag Layer(s) not preserving vector mask on top group
Fixed Tag Layer(s) sometimes pasting layer styles from clipboard to layer group
Fixed export issues caused by locked Asset Bounds group
Fixed Font and Margins spec positioning when ruler not set to pixels
Other minor issues improvements and fixes
Option for asset to only use even widths and even heights (useful when designing at 2x)
Option to link created asset bounds to asset layers
Smarter automatic placement of specs, using both sides and header/footer
Add a spec again to manually specify where to place it
Layer Effects on text layers are now specc'ed
Layer width and height can now be specc'ed separately
Horizontal and vertical margins can now also be specc'ed separately
Vector lines and dots for spec callouts. Makes manual spec repositioning much easier
Spec font size selector (10,
12, and 14 px)
Option to use foreground color for specs
Minor bug fixes
Now supports JPG export (ex: JPG:button)
Added option to ignore sub-folder tags. Useful for Android exports
Global setting to disregard layer styles and vector strokes when specc'ing
Helper function to tag layers now supports all tag types
Helper function to specify asset size now works with multiple selected layers
Fix for right aligned text not being specc'ed correctly
Fix for specs looking horrible in non 72 dpi documents
Fix for error when specc'ing with QuickMask enabled
Fixes for issues that could cause export to freeze
Now supports exporting to sub-folders via the /folder/ tag (e.g. PNG:/menu/button)
Faster export from big PSDs
Export folder and sub-folders will now be created automatically if they don't already exist
Specc'ing now works with multiple selected layers. Will create specs for all selected layers at once
Global setting to scale all spec values. Useful when specc'ing a retina design
Global setting to define XY origin point. Useful when specc'ing for Cocos2D or OpenGL
Font features now specc'ed in pixels instead of points
Fix letterspacing not being specc'ed when negative
Fix Spec Layer Info not working initially with a marquee selection
Initial release
Photoshop CC2015 Support is coming!
June 18 2015
I am working on an update with CC2015 support and some great new features. I hope to have it ready this or next week.
Meanwhile, Photoshop CC2015 is a separate install so you can still have Photoshop CC2014 installed (or reinstall it if you did not choose to keep it during the CC2015 update).Pixlr Express: Hundreds Of Effects Packed Into One Photo Editing App [iOS]
There is certainly no shortage of iOS photo editors in the iTunes App Store, but when the team behind
launched a new app, we knew it was going to be good. The free app, , is packed with a robust set of features – from the basic autofix, red eye removal and contrast adjustment – to the more advanced effects, textures and borders.With over 100 default effects, overlays and borders, Pixlr Express is a pretty impressive offer for any serious iPhoneographer. When you first launch the app, you can either take a photo from directly within the app, or open up a photo already saved in your camera roll. Once you have your photo ready for editing, you’ll find two unobtrusive menus at the bottom and the top of the app. All of the main features are accessible from the menu at the bottom of the app – Adjustments, Effects, Overlay and Borders. The menu at the top allows you to close the image and save the edited image to your phone. A great feature that Pixlr Express brings to its users, one that a lot of photo editing apps lack, is the ability to undo and redo each step through your editing process. The overall minimalist look of the app is also a refreshing change from all the other iOS photo editors out there.
Under the Adjustment tab, you’ll find 14 settings. You can crop and rotate images, remove redeye, whiten teeth, adjust the contrast and more. You can also sharpen and blur the entire image, and apply a linear or circular tilt shift effect.
When opening up each setting, the menu remains at the bottom of the screen, allowing you to adjust each setting to look exactly the way you want. For example, with the tilt shift effect, you can boost the colour of the part of the photo that remains in focus, and adjust the blur intensity. Once you’ve got the setting exactly the way you want it, you can apply the changes to your photo.
Under the Effects tab, there is one set of free instantaneous effects you can apply to your photos. Another 6 packs can be downloaded when you unlock Pixlr Express Plus, which will set you back $2.99. The free default pack has 25 pretty impressive effects that you can easily apply to your photos. With each effect, you can also adjust its intensity with the ‘fade’ slider.
The free pack available in the overlays, or textures, include 30 looks for your photos. The free overlays include lighting effects, grunge effects and more. Pixlr Express also comes with 30 free frames. With many of the frames, you can choose between a vertical and horizontal option, can adjust the opacity of the frame, and in some cases can intensify the vignetting.
With so many features available in the free version of the app alone, you can keep track of your favourite effects, overlays and borders by adding them to your favourites. Once your photo is ready, you can save it to the photos on your phone, or share it via Twitter or email, and you can select what size image to upload or send.
In addition to the free and paid iOS apps, Pixlr Express is also available for . What do you think of Pixlr Express? Let us know in the comments.
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This review may contain affiliate links, which pays us a small compensation if you do decide to make a purchase based on our recommendation. Our judgement is in no way biased, and our recommendations are always based on the merits of the items.
For more details, please read .
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