Jump to Android or iOS

Export sketches to share with others or to back them up‍ elsewhere. Import images‍ into Sketchbook to continue working on them.

Exporting in Sketchbook Pro for desktop

You can export your images from Sketchbook Pro to the following formats:

• TIFF
• PSD
• PNG
• JPEG
• BMP
• for FlipBook animations, see Saving and exporting FlipBooks‍ 

When you export an image, there are a few things to keep in mind. The first is the limitations of the file type. 

• TIFF is Sketchbook's native file format, and will reopen in any Sketchbook app with layers and data intact. However only Sketchbook reads layers in TIFF, so this file opened in a different software package will be flat
• PSD will preserve layers and most data, but there are some Sketchbook features that will not be preserved
• PNG and and BMP will be flattened, compressed files in a lossless format
• JPEG will be a flattened file with some lossiness

Another thing to consider is the capacity of the device you will import to. On mobile devices, the number of layers supported will be dependent upon the device's available memory‍.

Exporting Sketchbook Pro images to a device

When you export an image with layers and/or a large canvas size from Sketchbook Pro on desktop to a device, if the device cannot support the file, a warning appears. The warning will let you know what the issue is.

• If the version of Sketchbook you're bringing the file into doesn't have layer grouping, then the layers come in ungrouped.

With older devices and older versions of Sketchbook, there may be more limitations. For example, when you export an image with 8 layers from Sketchbook Pro to an older device running an older version of Sketchbook, layers may be missing.

Exporting in Sketchbook for Android

Exporting a layered image

Export layered images to your SD card, cloud storage, or another destination. 

1. Tap , then Gallery
2. Swipe to the thumbnail view of the sketch you want to export
3. Tap and select Export PSD
4. Choose a method for exporting your sketch
5. Following the onscreen instructions

Sharing an image

When you share an image with layers, the image that is sent gets flattened to one layer. Did you know that Share can also be used to save images to your Photos? See how you can use Save Image to do this.

1. Tap , then Gallery
2. Swipe to the thumbnail view of the sketch you want to export
3. Tap and select Share
4. In the next dialog, select Save Image to save your image to Photos

Exporting in Sketchbook for iOS

Exporting a layered TIFF

TIFF is the native Sketchbook file format. Export to Files provides the ability to directly save a copy of your current sketch to folders on your local device, iCloud or to other available cloud storage services. When exporting, Sketchbook prepares your file and opens the iOS Files browser.

Exporting the current canvas

1. Tap , then Save.
2. Tap Export to Files .The browser lets you edit the name of the export. This name is only applied to the export and is not assigned to your piece in Sketchbook. If the file had been previously saved and given a name in the Sketchbook Gallery, that name will be applied in the dialog.
3. Once you tap SAVE, the dialog will dismiss and you will return to Sketchbook.

Exporting multiple canvases from the Gallery

1. In the Gallery‍, pinch-zoom out or tap  to enter small thumbnail view
2. Tap Select in the lower left corner, and select the files you want to export
3. Tap  menu and choose  Share or Export to Files
   • Share will give you the option to choose TIFF or PNG
   • Export to Files will export TIFF

TIPS:

• When saving to folders in Files, duplicate file names are not allowed, so if the name exists, you will be prompted if you want to ‘Replace’, ‘Keep Both’, or ‘Stop.’ 
• If you want to repeatedly export to Files and use the same name to replace (update) the file, it may be easier to save it and name it in the Gallery first. This will allow the export to use the same name automatically
• If you do not re-name your file, you are given the option to ‘Replace’, ‘Keep Both’, or ‘Stop.’ If ‘Replace’ is tapped, it writes over the original image, and it cannot be recovered

Exporting a layered PSD

1. Tap , then Gallery
2. Swipe to the thumbnail view of the sketch you want to export
3. Tap and select Export PSD
4. Choose a method for exporting your sketch
5. Following the onscreen instructions

Note that there are some features that will not be preserved‍ when Sketchbook files are saved to PSD.

Exporting a PDF file

Exporting a single image or entire Gallery Album as a PDF is available as part of the Premium Bundle. 

See Exporting PDF files for more details.

Sharing a flat image on iOS

When you want to produce a flattened (no layers) image, you can do this from the menu in the main toolbar or from the Gallery. 

From the main toolbar:

1. Tap
2. Tap Share . Select PNG from dialog box to share a flattened image. Choose PNG or TIFF. Sketchbook will take a moment to prepare the image.
   
   Note: TIFF is Sketchbook's native file format. A TIFF opened in Sketchbook or Sketchbook Pro on any platform will open with layers intact, but if opened in another image editor, it will be flattened.
   
   
3. The iOS Share dialog lets you share the image via apps, email, or iMessages, save to Photos, or save to Files (including iCloud or other applicable 3rd party cloud services)