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Export Strategies and Formats

Choosing the right file for the right destination

In This Lesson

Export vs. Save

In GIMP, Save writes an XCF — your layered master. To produce a JPEG, PNG, or any deliverable, you use File → Export As. This separation is deliberate and important: your editable master and your flat deliverables are different things, exactly the masters-vs-exports split from Monday's organization lesson. Save your XCF and export the format you need — never one instead of the other.

⚠️ Exporting Isn't Saving Your Work

Exporting a JPEG flattens and discards your layers in the output file. If you close without also saving the XCF, that layered work is gone. Always keep the XCF master — the JPEG is a copy, not a save.

The Formats and When to Use Them

FormatTypeBest for
JPEGLossy, no transparencyPhotos for web and email
PNGLossless, transparencyGraphics, logos, screenshots, transparency
WebPLossy or lossless, transparencyModern web — smaller than JPEG/PNG
TIFFLossless, heavyPrint, archiving, handoff to other apps
XCFGIMP masterYour editable source — always keep

JPEG: Quality vs. Size

JPEG's Export dialog has a Quality slider trading file size against fidelity. JPEG is lossy — it discards detail to shrink the file, and that loss is permanent and compounds on re-save:

  • 85–95% — excellent quality, sensible size; the everyday range for photos.
  • 70–85% — smaller files for web where a little softness is acceptable.
  • Below ~70% — visible blocking and halos; avoid except for thumbnails.

💡 Use the Preview

Tick "Show preview in image window" in the JPEG dialog and watch quality against the live file-size readout. You'll often find a sweet spot — say 82% — that looks identical to the eye at a fraction of the size.

PNG and Transparency

PNG is lossless — no quality loss ever — and supports full transparency, which JPEG cannot. That makes it right for logos, UI graphics, screenshots, and anything with sharp edges or an alpha channel (like the watermark from Thursday). The tradeoff is size: a photo saved as PNG is far larger than the same photo as JPEG, so reserve PNG for graphics and transparency, not full-frame photos.

Choosing a Format

A quick decision path covers nearly every case:

flowchart TD A[What are you exporting?] --> B{Need transparency or sharp graphics?} B -->|Yes| C[PNG or WebP] B -->|No, it's a photo| D{For print or archive?} D -->|Yes| E[TIFF] D -->|No, for web/email| F[JPEG at 80-90 percent]

Transparency or graphics → PNG/WebP; photos → JPEG for web, TIFF for print.

One Master, Many Exports

The professional pattern: keep one XCF master and generate whatever exports each destination needs from it — a high-quality JPEG for the client, a small web JPEG for the site, a PNG for the logo variant, a TIFF for the printer. Because they all derive from the same non-destructive master (Monday's pipeline), you can re-export any of them at any time with different settings and never lose quality.

🎓 Web and Print Want Opposite Things

Web export favors small sRGB files at moderate quality; print favors large, lossless files in the print color space. Tomorrow's split — web optimization and print preparation — drills into each. One master feeds both.

Practice Activities

  1. Save then export. On a layered edit, save the XCF and export a JPEG — confirm both exist.
  2. Quality hunt. Export the same photo at 95%, 85%, and 70% and compare quality and size.
  3. Right format. Export a logo with transparency as PNG and a photo as JPEG; note why each fits.

Summary

✅ Key Takeaways

  • Save writes the XCF master; Export As produces deliverables — keep both.
  • JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics/transparency, WebP for modern web, TIFF for print/archive.
  • JPEG is lossy — 80–90% is the everyday sweet spot; PNG is lossless but large for photos.
  • Choose by need: transparency/graphics → PNG/WebP; photos → JPEG (web) or TIFF (print).
  • Keep one master and generate as many exports as destinations require.

➡️ What's Next

Tune files for the screen: Web Optimization Techniques.

Additional Resources