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chasep43935750
chasep43935750
Participant
Nov 1, 2017 5:43 AM UTC
Open for Voting

Photoshop Is Exporting Hidden Layers in the Render

This happens in both the "Quick Export as PNG" as well as the "Export As..." options. Every now and then, a layer which is definitely hidden is still showing up in the exported image. This is happening right now; the image in my document looks like this:

Which is what I want. However, when I make absolutely no changes and export this file, I end up with:

This red tint comes from a translucent fill layer, which is DEFINITELY hidden. This version of the image is also what appears in the preview window when I select "Export As..." from File, which makes absolutely no sense. Is this a known issue, and if so, is there a solution?

    13 replies

    Stephen Marsh
    Community Expert
    Stephen MarshCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Aug 19, 2025 10:57 AM UTC

    Could a moderator please change this discussion to a bug so that it's visible to the dev team responsible for export as?

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    Sameer K
    Community Manager
    Sameer KCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Aug 19, 2025 11:06 AM UTC

    Hey, @26290676_A_Marsh. I would be happy to convert this to a bug thread. Could you, or @gonedigital1234 provide a sample file with a video, or a numbered list of steps that trigger this behavior? 

    You can share it here or via direct message from my profile. 

     

    Thanks!

    Sameer K
    (Type '@' and type my name to mention me when you reply)

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    gonedigital1234
    Participant
    Aug 17, 2025 6:27 PM UTC

    did you ever figure this out because i am having this issue

     

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    Karolis5FB0
    Participant
    Jun 30, 2021 1:53 PM UTC

    Still an issue 4 years later. The master layer is hidden, with clipping mask layers attached to it which havent been hidden, has the clipping layers exported as visable. Photoshop version 20.0.7

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    Anwar5C20
    Participant
    Jan 19, 2021 3:48 PM UTC

    Can anyone please help with this. It's 2021 and I am having the same issue. Still see no solutions anywhere on the net. Only solution is removing all hidden layers, which means creating different variations and options can only be done with multiple PSDs. It is very inconvenient!

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      augusto_f
      augusto_f
      Participant
      May 1, 2021 12:17 AM UTC

      I have the same issue (on Photoshop 2021) and looked around the web for a solution, couldn't find one in the time I had. A workaround I just did in the end was converting all the layers into one smart object. I was troubleshooting what could be causing this issue, because that layer isn't visible, but when "Export As" jpg/png, there are those rogue layers, so strange!

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      Skytree
      Skytree
      Participant
      May 4, 2021 10:57 PM UTC

      Thanks, this trick kept me from pulling my hair out. I'm working on a many-layered file with a bunch of hidden layers and getting super frustrated that the hidden layers exported with the PNGs I need. This shouldn't be so inconvenient. It's very irritating that this major bug hasn't been fixed yet. 

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      zel8
      zel8
      Participant
      Oct 1, 2019 3:25 PM UTC

      This is STILL an issue with 19.1.9, nearly 2 years after originally reported.

      Hidden, clip mask layers show up when files are exported as PNG or JPG in these conditions

      • Export > Export As > JPG 
      • Quick Export as PNG (which I don't need, but you asked about it almost 2 years ago)

       

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      pixagramm
      pixagramm
      Participating Frequently
      Jan 31, 2019 10:53 AM UTC

      Exact same thing happens in ver 19.1.7. Please fix

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      Akash Sharma
      Akash Sharma
      Legend
      Dec 7, 2017 12:51 PM UTC

      Hi chasep,

      Thanks for providing the detailed workflow and sorry that you're facing this issue.

      Could you please let us know the exact version of Photoshop you are using and do you see the same behavior with all exports from Photoshop using "Export as" or "Export as Png"?

      Thanks,

      Akash

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      elodier2925365
      elodier2925365
      Participant
      Jun 22, 2018 9:59 PM UTC

      I have the same error, in my case it seems that it happens with layers that are clip masks of hidden layers. The clip mask has the "eye symbol" as if it is visible but the layer that it is applied on is hidden, and when I do "Export as" the clip mask is exported. But when I hide the clip mask, the export is fine. My file is a psd that I made with Photoshop CS6 that I opened with Photoshop CC 19.1.4.

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        Aysha S
        Participant
        Nov 2, 2018 8:44 PM UTC

        I just experienced the exact same bug in 19.1.6 and 20.0 where if I had clipping mask layers that weren't hidden -- they still showed the eye symbol but slightly grayed out -- but the layer they were clipped to was hidden, then it'd export from the PSD to PNG with those clipped layers showing up as unbound and visible, even though in Photoshop itself they are properly hidden.

        Why does it consider these layers are visible when they aren't in Photoshop? Please fix? It's kind of a pain when you have multiple layers and clipping masks for testing out various scenarios and the only work around is to toggle them all off before exporting.

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