Why aren't all export presets available in the 'Export preset' dropdown in the Export Persona?

[MmmMaarten]

Having my own presets I keep on wondering why these don't show up in the Export Persona's 'Export preset' dropdown. To me it would makes sense the same preset should appear there, but I guess there's a reason why these aren't there. 

Anybody knows this reason?

And is there a way to make them appear there too (preferrably without doing double work)?

[walt.farrell]

Can you provide a screenshot to help illustrate what you're describing?

[MmmMaarten]

Yes, my export presets are not in here (and even the 'native' SVG presets aren't there):

[walt.farrell]

Have you specified that you're exporting an SVG? You'll only see presets that are relevant for the kind of file you're exporting.

[MmmMaarten]

19 minutes ago, walt.farrell said:

Have you specified that you're exporting an SVG? You'll only see presets that are relevant for the kind of file you're exporting.

Isn't a dropdown list with a name 'Export Preset' exactly that? To select that you wish to export all slices with that preset? 

Is seems to do that when I select 'Single PNG' there. But none of the SVG export presets show up in the dropdown.

Even when I select SVG in the Export Options panel (which is the only panel I can think of which is able to do things for all slices at once) the SVG export presets list changes in the dropdown and it starts to show both JPEG and PNG presets, but still none of the SVG presets show up. So this doesn't make much sense to me tbh.

[walt.farrell]

2 hours ago, MmmMaarten said:

Isn't a dropdown list with a name 'Export Preset' exactly that? To select that you wish to export all slices with that preset? 

No, the Export Persona is more complex than that.

However, if you created an Export Preset from that field within the Export Persona, then yes, I think it should show up in that list. But I don't think that Preset does what you think it does. It is more (I think) for an overall set of slices that you're exporting, and as I mentioned you would have to have created the Preset there (in that field) for it to show up.

The top panel of that set of studio panels (Export Options) is related to the information in the bottom part (Slices panel). You need to expand a Slice entry in the Slices panel, and that's where you choose how you want that Slice to export. So, for example, I might choose SVG (for export) like this in the Slices panel:

Having done that, the SVG (for export) Preset in the Export Options panel will provide the options for that export format for that Slice. (Note that each Slice can be exported mutiple times in multiple formats.)

 

[R C-R]

If in the Export Options panel you select the Defaults mode & then click on the Presets: drop down, you should see a very long list  of all the presets with the builtin ones listed first, followed by your custom ones. You may have yto scroll down quite far to see all the custom ones.

As Walt showed, you should see the same long list if you select a slice in the Slices panel, either from the popup he shows or in the Selection mode of the Export Options panel. In either place, you can choose from all of the presets in your app.

So the short version is to make sure you have a slice selected & then it should work.

[MmmMaarten]

@walt.farrell @R C-R

Thanks guys, however, most of that I already knew, the underlying question, which I didn't ask I believe (silly me sorry for that), is how to quickly set my own export preset (made with the export menu) to ALL slices. 
I would've expected the 'Export preset' dropdown to be exactly for this reason. But it's not working that way and isn't showing my export preset, which I think is quite confusing. Because what I created is ALSO called 'Export preset' and is always available when exporting a file from the file menu.

I already found out that I can chose my own export preset from the 'Preset' dropdown in the Export Options, but that still didn't change the list in the 'Export preset' dropdown. So that again I think is very confusing. Because now several different things are called 'Export preset' since v2 and that's asking for confusion like this IMO.

Long story short, I just answered my own question;

It seems to be possible to multi-select all slices and change the preset to my own export preset in the Export Options. This changes the output of ALL selected slices (and all outputs within these slices change).

Still I think this new UI on this is hella confusing while it doesn't have to be.
An easy fix to avoid part of this confusion could be to not call an export preset 'preset' and have another thing that is 'export preset' not named the same. Because it obviously turned out to not the same thing, but something that has the export preset within. Now we have an export preset inside an export preset which makes zero sense to me and is asking for trouble.

I get now that the 'Export preset' in the slices tab has extra options above the 'export preset' we create in the export menu. Things like pixel format and color profile. That could be handy sometimes. But I've tried to create a new preset in the 'Export Options' panel for in this dropdown, but in that menu 'Create preset' is always disabled/grayed out here (and I tried many things). Probably when this menu item is actually enabled this would make it possible to create an 'export preset' that is using my own Export preset inside that and shows up in the 'Export preset' dropdown in the slices tab, but how can we enable this 'create preset' option? 

[walt.farrell]

38 minutes ago, MmmMaarten said:

made with the export menu

Please clarify what you mean by that? Are you talking about Export Presets you create in File > Export rather than the Export Persona? I think they are completely separate from the Export Persona, but if that's what you mean I will have to check. I think you would need to create the Preset in the Export Persona.

[MmmMaarten]

Just now, walt.farrell said:

Please clarify what you mean by that? Are you talking about Export Presets you create in File > Export rather than the Export Persona? I think they are completely separate from the Export Persona, but if that's what you mean I will have to check. I think you would need to create the Preset in the Export Persona.

Please read my last comment. It's all in there

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, MmmMaarten said:

Still I think this new UI on this is hella confusing while it doesn't have to be.
An easy fix to avoid part of this confusion could be to not call an export preset 'preset' and have another thing that is 'export preset' not named the same. Because it obviously turned out to not the same thing, but something that has the export preset within. Now we have an export preset inside an export preset which makes zero sense to me and is asking for trouble.

2 hours ago, MmmMaarten said:

But I've tried to create a new preset in the 'Export Options' panel for in this dropdown, but in that menu 'Create preset' is always disabled/grayed out here (and I tried many things).

I agree it may confuse but different labels/names would not solve the problem of the complex and flexible options. Generally it is the sense of a 'preset' to include multiple, different parameter settings while each single parameter is a preset by itself: For instance 'colour space', 'profile', 'page size', 'file type' … etc are all presets within one or more parent presets.

For a custom preset the menu entry is grayed-out until you define/set a combination of parameters that are not saved as preset already.

The presets in the panel "Export Options" also occur in the panel "Slices", where it matters what particular area of the panel you have selected (highlighted, e.g. by click on a file symbol/icon).

While you define in "Export Options" various general preset parameters, you choose from that set of presets in "Slices" to combine several presets for an export of all of them with 1 click, for instance one for 'JPG grayscale' + one for 'PDF X-4'. Once it is setup, a custom combination may get saved as preset for "Slices" (e.g. 'gray + pdf') and thus it is correct, wanted and required that this latter preset (in "Slices") contains / refers to the two former presets ( in "Export Options", e.g.  JPG vs. PDF). –  Additionally, "Slices" allows to combine different export sizes for a certain preset (without the need to create a preset for each size).

[MmmMaarten]

17 hours ago, thomaso said:

I agree it may confuse but different labels/names would not solve the problem of the complex and flexible options. Generally it is the sense of a 'preset' to include multiple, different parameter settings while each single parameter is a preset by itself: For instance 'colour space', 'profile', 'page size', 'file type' … etc are all presets within one or more parent presets.

As written before the point I'm making is not that a preset contains a preset, my point is that the naming is confusing. Using 'export preset'/'preset' on both places (file export menu and export persona) is not a great choice and is asking for confusion and miscommunications. Both names should be clearly distinctable.
Like for example 'Export Preset' in the file export menu's dialog, and 'Asset preset' in the export persona.

 

Quote

For a custom preset the menu entry is grayed-out until you define/set a combination of parameters that are not saved as preset already.

It's not enabling here tho. Otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up.

[thomaso]

2 hours ago, MmmMaarten said:

the naming is confusing. Using 'export preset'/'preset' on both places (file export menu and export persona) is not a great choice and is asking for confusion and miscommunications.

Both menu's have the same content. Why should they be named differently? In what way do they confuse?

 

2 hours ago, MmmMaarten said:

It's not enabling here tho. Otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up.

Did you alter a parameter of a currently selected preset before trying the menu?
This is what I get: The menu right of "Preset" gets grayed-out + the option "Create Preset…" in the burger menu gets enabled:

If this doesn't work for you can you show a screencast demonstrating the process?

[MmmMaarten]

@thomaso no they don't. please read my posts before writing and confusing things. It's all in there.

[thomaso]

On 10/25/2023 at 1:52 PM, MmmMaarten said:

the underlying question, which I didn't ask I believe (silly me sorry for that), is how to quickly set my own export preset (made with the export menu) to ALL slices. 
I would've expected the 'Export preset' dropdown to be exactly for this reason. But it's not working that way and isn't showing my export preset, which I think is quite confusing. Because what I created is ALSO called 'Export preset' and is always available when exporting a file from the file menu.

As mentioned, the export presets in the "Slices" panel allow to combine different export presets of the "Export Options" (export persona) (= menu File" -> "Export"). So one is feeding the other. That's expected and fine.

A.) As soon you combine in the "Slices" panel multiple sizes (e.g. PNG 1x and 2x) the "Export Options" still displays the accordingly related export option preset (e.g. PNG) which does not include the sizes, sub-set in the "Slices" panel. Expected and fine. Also, if not saved already, the preset menu above the selected slice is grayed-out + you are enabled to save your current combination as new preset for the "Slices" panel. For instance:

B.) As soon you combine in the "Slices" panel multiple file types (e.g. PNG + SVG) the "Export Options" menu appears empty (it offers 1 file type at a time, e.g. either PNG or SVG). Expected and fine. Also you are enabled to save your current combination as new preset. For instance:

C.) As soon you select multiple slices in the "Slices" panel then you may (= don't have to) set 1 specific export preset for all selected slices. This may (doesn't have to) be related to one specific export option (e.g. PNG or SVG) … or it can combine multiple / different export options (their menu is grayed-out). Expected and fine.

EDIT: Back to your question quoted above:

The export presets in the "Slices" panel do not display the export option presets of the "Export" panel because the latter do not contain the sub-set properties (sizes + file names) of the "Slices".

Therefore you either choose from the existing or create an export preset in the "Slices" panel to be enabled to choose + apply this to multiple selected slices.

But to export as 1 specific file type (+ export export option) with multiple slices selected  + differing Slice settings you may choose one specific "Export Options" preset in the "Export Options" panel. It will be used for all selected Slices. Therefore it is not required to choose or create an export preset in the "Slices" panel.

Edited October 26, 2023 by thomaso

[bures]

The truth is that working with Export presets is quite unintuitive. For example, there is no easy way to organize presets. A separate window for working with presets would be ideal, where you could reorder, hide, group and rename presets, change their settings and create new presets. This is similar to how it works when defining a new document.