File handling workflow in PS Mobile unclear

[gxxr82]

I've tried to understand this for a couple of hours now but can't seem to figure it out.

Ok, PS Mobile works with "Cloud files", which seem to be files in a subsection of the creative cloud.

Cloud files are automatically synced and can be accessed across platforms. I assume that these files are saved automatically in PS mobile since there's no 'save' function.

Now if I want to move a file elsewhere or save it in a different format, things become unclear:

Publish and export from PS Mobile gives me several options:

• "Save to Files" works as expected - I can choose to put the file anywhere.
• "Save Image" is unclear to me. What does this do? The result doesn't seem to be found anywhere. It also can't be just a "save the current cloud file" as that shouldn't allow me to choose a different format than psdc.

Also, files that I open from Lightroom mobile seem to only have 2560x1707px, even though I choose "maximum quality available". Is there no way to get full resolution files into PS?

Please make file handling less clumsy. It's not exactly transparent. Too much voodoo that leaves you guessing what's actually happening. This is supposed to be pro software - pro software doesn't do voodoo, it lets the user decide.

[Pattie-F]

Let me see if I can clear this up for you:

Tapping the share icon, selecting Quick export, and then Save Image is just a quick way to save a jpg of the file you are working on to the camera roll on your iPad. If you are trying to save a snapshot of your work along the way, this is a quick method you can use. It is the same idea as choosing Publish and export, jpg, Export, and Save Image.

The native file type for Photoshop on the iPad is a cloud document. Cloud documents are cloud-native files that you can open and edit in compatible apps, such as Photoshop on the iPad, Photoshop on your desktop, and Fresco. With cloud documents, your work saves automatically. When you look at the Creative Cloud app or go to assets.adobe.com on a browser, you will see a tab for Cloud documents. Tap on that and you will see all the cloud documents you have saved. You can export files from the iPad in a variety of formats to other locations if you wish, but the recommended method is to save files from Photoshop on your desktop as cloud documents if you want to edit them on your iPad. If you create files on the iPad (which are saved to cloud documents automatically) then you can also open and edit them using Photoshop on your desktop if you want.

Although current Photoshop versions on your computer and on your iPad both have the ability to save files as cloud documents, you still have the option to import and export Creative Cloud files using Photoshop on the iPad.  If you want the option to import and export Creative Cloud files, you need to install the Creative Cloud app first and then login. Then, open the files app on your ipad, click the 3 dots, and select edit. Add Creative Cloud to the list by tapping on the circle. To import a file from Creative Cloud to Photoshop on the iPad, you need to go to the Photoshop home screen and tap Import and open, Files, and then pick Creative Cloud from  Locations under the Browse area. To save a file in the Creative Cloud from Photoshop on the iPad, just tap the share icon (box with the arrow), then Publish and export, choose your file type, and tap Export. Then, select Save to Files, Creative Cloud.

When you login to assets.adobe.com or open the Creative Cloud app, you will see tabs for synced Creative Cloud files and for Cloud documents, and you have access to both types of saved files.

These links will give you more information about cloud documents:

Photoshop cloud documents – Common questions

Photoshop cloud documents – Workflow questions

Pattie

[Michael J. Hoffman]

Hi Pattie-F,

Granted that Could Documents are a native and preferred workflow for Photoshop for Mobile, but I think the OP's question was about saving the documents in other ways. Not everyone can or will want to use Cloud Documents. 

I think the question is, "When using 'Save to Files' or 'Save Image,' what are the considerations for file seize and format, and how does one control the results? 

[gxxr82]

Hi Pattie-F,

thanks Pattie-F, but you ignored most of my questions and quoted superficial marketing documentation back to me. (At its current state, the documentation available leaves much to be desired)

I'm looking to understand how it actually works underneath, and what it does. As I said, the target user of the Adobe suite needs to know about the exact file formats, resolution available etc. and cannot possibly be happy with unexplained voodoo - as nice of an idea as that may seem. (And I realize that PS mobile is not a finished product, but there must be some concept behind how the file handling was set up by Adobe)

Can you just answer this question please:

What does "publish and export" -> "export" -> "Save image" in PS Mobile actually do? Because it seems to do precisely nothing. 

[Pattie-F]

In Photoshop on your desktop, when you save a jpg, you are asked to specify ithe mage quality from the Quality menu slider with a value between 0 (low) and 12 (maximum). When you choose publish and export from Photoshop on the iPad you have the same option of choosing quality between 0 and 12, and then you choose the location (camera roll on iPad, Files, etc). When you do a quick export, it automatically saves to the camera roll and selects the "high" setting for you, which is 8-9.

[gxxr82]

Not really. In PS Desktop, you specify the image format precisely. Resolution, color space, image compression (if exporting to jpeg): You're in control.

It doesn't feel like that in PS mobile. One single "quality" slider that takes care of everything? That can't work. In PS desktop, the quality slider is only available in the exporting dialog when a jpeg is saved, as it refers to image compression. So what does "quality" do in PS mobile? I would've expected the same (as anything else would be very counter intuitive). But then where are the controls over image resolution? How do I even know which resolution I'm working with?

I didn't ask about "quick export"  (but thanks for the explanation, I probably would've wondered later what that does).

What I actually was asking about wasn't quick export: 'What does "publish and export" -> "export" -> "Save image" in PS Mobile actually do?' (-> this isn't quick export, that's a separate menu item!)

[gxr82]

Since I didn't get a reply here, I had to figure it out on my own.

"Save Image" saves to the iPads "Camera roll", which seems to have its own data and doesn't show up in the "Files app". 

[Pattie-F]

Sorry I didn't get back to you in time. Yes, Save Image is a common task with iOS apps that saves an image to the camera roll. 

[gxr82]

Thanks. It may be common, but it's far from user friendly or intuitive when switching to iOS/iPadOS. We're talking about Photoshop - anything I will ever save from Photoshop is an Image, so "Save Image" doesn't explain at all what it does.

Also it's named "Save Image" in Photoshop mobile. Lightroom, however, offers a separate "Save to camera roll" menu item. That's not very consistent. Especially since you can also "share" an image, and then select "save image", arriving at the same point again.

As you can see, I spent hours just trying things out and observing the results. This should all just be documented.

[Pattie-F]

Thanks for the feedback. I will forward your suggestion that we need to clarify the file options further. 

Pattie

[Pattie-F]

The quality slider 0-12  is for jpg files as expected. You can save png files as small, medium, or large. Additional specifications are not currently available, but you can vote for this feature and others so we know which features are most important to you: Photoshop mobile: Ability to resize image