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Export PNG and SVG

Checked in Polyform 0.9.0-beta.31 ·

On this page
  1. From the File menu
  2. Several sizes and formats at once
  3. PNG, JPG and WebP
  4. SVG

File → Export writes what you have selected, or everything on the page when nothing is, to a file you choose. The Inspector’s Export section writes several sizes and formats in one go.

From the File menu

Select what you want to export, then choose File → Export → PNG…. The key is Ctrl+Shift+E.

The File menu open from the title bar, with Export pointed at: its submenu lists PNG… Ctrl+Shift+E, JPG…, PDF…, SVG…, Sprites…, Prototype… and Variables…. Open the full-size picture

Polyform asks where to save it, in a window titled Export PNG, and suggests your Documents folder. The status line then names the file, for example “Exported Frame 1@2x.png”.

  • One layer is exported on its own, named after the layer: Frame 1@2x.png.
  • Several layers are exported together, as one picture, named after the project.
  • Nothing selected exports every visible layer on the page, together.

The File menu’s PNG and JPG are at 2×, twice the size of the design. SVG… and PDF… are the same layers as a vector file; a PDF has a page for each layer. Sprites…, Prototype… and Variables… export other things, for game engines, browsers and code.

Several sizes and formats at once

The Export section at the bottom of the Inspector writes several files in one go. Select a layer, then click + beside Export for each file you want.

The Inspector's Export section with two rows, 2x PNG and an SVG (its size greyed out), each with a minus to remove it, and the button Export Frame 1 below them. Open the full-size picture
  • The first + adds a 2x PNG, the next a 1x, then 3x, 4x and 0.5x; after those, an SVG.
  • Each row has a size (0.5x to 4x) and a format: PNG, JPG, WebP, SVG or PDF. An SVG or a PDF has no size: it is drawn from outlines.
  • Export Frame 1 (the button names the layer) saves them. With one row it asks for a file name; with several, it asks for a folder and writes them all there.

The rows belong to the panel, not to the layer: select another layer, and the same rows export that one instead. They aren’t saved with the project.

PNG, JPG and WebP

A PNG keeps what is clear in your design clear, and so does a WebP. A JPG can’t, so what is clear comes out white.

If an image in the design is still loading, Polyform waits for it, for up to 30 seconds, and then stops with a message rather than save a file with gaps where the image should be.

SVG

An SVG keeps your shapes as shapes, so it stays sharp at any size. In it:

  • Text stays text, with the font’s name. The font itself isn’t in the file, so a computer without that font shows another one.
  • Images are inside the file, so it travels on its own.
  • Masks clip, and inside and outside strokes sit on the right side of the line.
  • Drop shadows and a layer blur become an SVG filter.
  • An angular gradient goes in as a picture, since SVG has none, and the status line says so when you export.
  • Inner shadows and background blurs are left out, and nothing says so yet. Export a PNG if you need them.

On a Mac, the key is ⇧⌘E.