Export Carousel Slides From Photoshop: Artboards, Slices and the Usual Mistakes
You built your carousel in Photoshop, and the export gives you trouble: one file instead of ten, the order is wrong, the dimensions drift, or a panorama has to be cut into slides. Here are three ways to turn one Photoshop file into clean slides, and what can go wrong with each. How to build the carousel is in the step-by-step guide. The file settings are in Photoshop export settings for Instagram.
Way 1: every slide is an artboard
This is the usual setup. You create one artboard of 1080 × 1350 pixels per slide and export them all at once.
- Name the artboards in the Layers panel with a leading zero: 01, 02, 03 up to 10.
- Choose File > Export > Artboards to Files.
- Set the folder and the format, and decide whether all or only the selected artboards are exported.
- Check the order in the folder and open the first file at 100 percent.
Photoshop names each file after its artboard. If they are called "Artboard 1" to "Artboard 10", your file system sorts the 10 before the 2. With a leading zero the order is right, and the Instagram app shows the files in the same order when you select them.
Way 2: Export As for single artboards
If you only need two or three slides again, select them in the Layers panel and open File > Export > Export As. There you set format, size and colour profile for each export. Select the artboards before you open the dialog, otherwise you will not get what you expect. All the settings are in Export settings.
Way 3: cut a panorama into slices
A panorama is one wide canvas. For n slides the document is n times 1080 pixels wide and 1350 pixels tall.
- View > New Guide Layout: columns equal to the number of slides, gutter 0, no margins. The guides then sit exactly on the seams.
- Choose the Slice tool (it sits in the group of the Crop tool). Click "Slices From Guides" in the options bar.
- File > Export > Save for Web (Legacy). Format JPEG, "Convert to sRGB" on.
- Select all slices and choose "All User Slices" when you save.
Photoshop numbers the files with the document name and a two-digit number, so name_01, name_02 and so on. The order is right by itself. If you prefer to export the panorama as one file, split it in your browser with the carousel splitter. The guide layer for the seams is in the guide pack.
The usual mistakes
- Wrong order. Artboards without a leading zero. Rename and export again.
- Dimensions drift. An artboard was drawn fresh instead of duplicated. Instagram crops everything to the format of the first slide, so it only shows in the feed. Check the size in the Properties panel.
- One file instead of ten. Nothing was selected in Export As. Or you exported the document instead of the artboards.
- Colours look flat. The export did not convert to sRGB. See the export settings.
- Visible seam. In a panorama the guides were not exactly at 1080, 2160 and so on, or the slices were drawn by hand.
On to Canva
If the work continues in Canva, the PSD to Canva tool prepares the file: the full image, the layers as PNG with a layer list, and the fonts of your text layers. Try Canva's own PSD import first, it works in many cases.
When an editor means less work
Photoshop does the single image well. Keeping all slides consistent as a series and exporting them cleanly is manual work. In Postd the series is the document: the export gives all slides in one pass, named correctly and in the right order, at 1080 pixels wide. With Pro it is up to 20 slides, plus PNG and export up to 2×. Pro costs €6.99 a month or €69 a year. Open the editor without an account.
FAQ
How do I export several artboards in Photoshop as single files?
Use File > Export > Artboards to Files. You choose the folder and format, and Photoshop writes each artboard as its own file. Name the artboards with a leading zero first so the order is right.
How do I cut a panorama into Instagram slides in Photoshop?
Create the document at n times 1080 pixels wide and 1350 pixels tall, set columns equal to the slide count with View > New Guide Layout, choose Slices From Guides with the Slice tool, and export all user slices through Save for Web (Legacy).
Why does my carousel sort wrongly when I upload it?
Because file names are sorted alphabetically. Without a leading zero the 10 comes before the 2. Name the artboards 01, 02, 03 and so on.
Which format is best for the export?
JPG at high quality for photos, PNG for lots of text and flat areas. Both at 1080 pixels wide and in the sRGB colour profile. The details are in the article on export settings.