The Photoshop CS2 Speed Clinic: Automating Photoshop to Get Twice the Work Done in Half the Time

After I show someone the power of layer comps, the inevitable question arises: How can I share them? They're great for when you're working on your own computer and keeping things neat and tidy, so you don't have several versions of the same file laying around. But what happens when you want to send them off to someone else to look at? There are actually a few options.

Step One

In Photoshop, open the file that contains the layer comps. Then choose File>Scripts and take note of some of the options there.

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Turbo Boost

Illustrator CS2 and InDesign CS2 can both recognize and work with layer comps from Photoshop.

Option One

The first option you'll see is Layer Comps To Files, which automatically saves each layer comp as an individual file (you can choose between BMP, JPEG, PDF, PSD, Targa, or TIFF).

Layer Comps to Files dialog

Option Two

Next, you'll see Layer Comps To PDF. This is a great option if you want to exchange ideas via PDF. Viewers can quickly switch between your design variations and add their own comments. This means you can communicate with a client about which designs you or they like better and what needs to be changed.

Layer Comps to PDF dialog

Option Three

Lastly, you can choose Layer Comps to WPG. WPG is just Photoshop techie speak for Web Photo Gallery. This is a great option if you want to turn all of the layer comps into Web images and get them onto a website quickly so others can see them.

Layer Comps to WPG dialog

Turbo Boost

Wondering where Layer Sets went in Photoshop? In an effort to standardize names among the entire Creative Suite, Layer Sets are now called Groups in Photoshop. You can always use the shortcut (Command-G [PC: Control-G]) to create one.

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