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Save, Export then save again ?

New Here ,
Jun 26, 2022 Jun 26, 2022

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After I'm done working on a project in Photoshop i save it and then export it as an image, but when
i go to close the project file Photoshop asks me if I want to save the changes, why ?

Why does exporting to an image count as making changes?

Please stop slowing down my workflow. Thanks

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Community Expert ,
Jun 28, 2022 Jun 28, 2022

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Please provide a meaningful description of the exact process; how exactly and what file format are you exporting? 

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Community Expert ,
Jun 28, 2022 Jun 28, 2022

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Hi!

Any changes you make (like choosing Export)--even after saving your file--Photoshop wants to make sure you have saved it if you need to. If you have saved your file before exporting, and are sure that you've not made any changes you want to keep, then once you export, you do not need to hit Save. 

Michelle

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Community Expert ,
Jun 28, 2022 Jun 28, 2022

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An Export is always a branched out copy. Photoshop is just asking what you want to do with the original file you still have open.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 04, 2022 Jul 04, 2022

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If i just open a PSD and then close it, why doesn't it ask me then ? Exporting makes no changes to the PSD file, so it's the same as not exporting at all (in terms of making changes)

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Community Expert ,
Jun 29, 2022 Jun 29, 2022

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Similar for printing if I remember correctly, some settings can be saved into the file for defaulting to the next time you repeat that operation.

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 04, 2022 Jul 04, 2022

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Speaking of defaulting, it would be nice if the Export As dialog box would just default to saving in the same folder the PSD project file is in, but it doesn't, so I just have to export to Desktop each time and manually move it to the proper folder. The old Save As dialog box didn't have this issue.

 

Why is exporting such a lenghty waste of my time ? first its got a long ass keyboard shortcut that i can't remember, then it's also deeply buried in the menu, so getting to it wastes time, then after saving I have to cut and paste the file over to the proper folder (it's faster than navigating to the project folder and I don't accidentally save other projects there as well), then after I do all that, I'm asked to save changes for no reason.

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Community Expert ,
Jun 29, 2022 Jun 29, 2022

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That behavior would be correct if you are working with layers for example @Joe GP, and you choose to export to a format that does not support layers e.g. .jpg.

 

Photoshop gives you the opportunity to save your Photoshop file making edits easier. As @D Fosse has said, an export is a copy of.

 

hth

mj

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 04, 2022 Jul 04, 2022

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Exactly as you said "an export is a copy of" so then what does the original have to do with the copy ? If i save a copy of a PSD and work on that will Photoshop as me to save changes to the original ? NO, because i wasn't working on the original , i was working on the copy, it makes no sense to save to the original.

 

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Community Beginner ,
Jul 04, 2022 Jul 04, 2022

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I thought that was clear enough but I'll simplyfy it even more:

1. Open any old PSD file you have

2. Export a PNG or JPG using the export image function

3. Attempt to close Photoshop

4. Get annoyed for being asked to save when clearly nothing has changed.

 

There is no way exporting your PSD project as an image does any changes to the project files. I mean I presume the export function runs a Merge Visible command prior to saving, but then it reverts back to layers, so there is no change.

 

As far as I'm seeing and understanding it, the Photoshop devs want us to use the Export function to get an image (PNG or JPG) of our projects instead of the old Save As dialog, which is why they removed all image format options from the Save As dialog, so now that I am (more or less) forced to use the Export function I would like it if it wasn't asking me to Save changes after just a simple export, it's pointless. If there were no changes to be saved before exporting then there cannot be any after exporting either.

 

And before anyone tells me, I already know i can switch back to the old Save As dialog box, no need to tell me and that's not the point.

 

In short the problem is that Exporting counts as a change, which is clearly wrong, and there is nothing you guys can help me with, only the devs can.

 

Let's look at some other software as a comparrison, for example Microsoft Word doesn't ask me if i want to save changes if I just open a doc and save it as a PDF now does it ? so the whole 'Photoshop just wants to make sure you save' is just BS.

This problem probably exists because to save as an image the layers need to be temporarily merged and then umerged and it would too much work to somehow exclude that when it's done by the Export function, but it still needs to be done.

 

Anyway, clearly this is not bothering anyone else, so I'm probably just wasting my time.

 

Speaking of wasting my time, since now that we are forced to use the Export function, could it not have the longest keybord combo ever ? (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+W) that's way too long to remember also Ctrl+W is the keyboard shortcut to close tabs in Chrome (which i use at least 10 times a day) and other software that uses tabs. So in a way the 'close' keyboard shortcut plus a few more keys is used to open the export dialog, which is kinda the opposite.

Or could it at least be less deeply buried in the menus ?

There is a nice clear blue Share button that should say Export on it instead.

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Community Expert ,
Jul 04, 2022 Jul 04, 2022

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@JoeGP wrote:

I thought that was clear enough but I'll simplyfy it even more:

 

I too thought that I was clear enough:

 


some settings can be saved into the file for defaulting to the next time you repeat that operation.

 

The change to the file is that Photoshop is asking whether you wish to write the last used Export As settings into the file. 

 


@JoeGP wrote:

Anyway, clearly this is not bothering anyone else, so I'm probably just wasting my time.


 

Perhaps others see this as a benefit so that they don't have to try to remember what the last settings were and they would be bothered if this wasn't the case.

 

Anyway, it is possible to create a keyboard shortcut to close without saving without a prompt, using a single line of script code – which could be dangerous outside of automation. An action can also do the same, however, they use F-key based shortcuts.

 

Happy to help with this if you like.

 

activeDocument.close(SaveOptions.DONOTSAVECHANGES);

 

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New Here ,
Nov 18, 2023 Nov 18, 2023

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My goodness.  This is such an affront to everyone that has used this company's products for decades (1999 in my case).  Adobe either doesn't understand, or they choose to play dumb.   NOBODY using Windows has ever understanood why Jobs forced the dreaded E[port As function on us.  And no one using Mac had a reason to protest.   Now Adobe has converted religions...and I for one (and it's obvious I'm not the only one) can't fathom the reason.   One action is now three.   AND THAT's A GOOD THING?

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