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Now it's time to export all the design assets we've create in Sketch. That way, we're able to use them in the apps and websites we're building.
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Exporting assets is something that
typically comes at the end of the design
0:00
process, as we want to save off images and
artwork created in Sketch so
0:04
we can use them in the things we'll be
building, such as apps and websites.
0:08
As our project is an iOS app, I'll show
you the things we need to export for
0:13
our developer, as well as the methods and
0:17
workflow that I personally use at this
stage of the process.
0:19
If we take a look at our document, there's
a lot of things that look like they need
0:24
to be exported to use in our app.
0:28
There's all these icons in the timeline
and in the tap bar, the add icon on
0:31
the top, colored cells, background images,
the map, and a user photo.
0:36
But not all of these things are needed.
0:42
In Sketch, you can draw slices over your
document, and make layers exportable, but
0:45
I personally like to take advantage of
Sketch's pages feature, and
0:50
have all my artwork I want to export on
there.
0:53
In the app, we can see the current page
we're working on here, but
0:57
we'll want to add another.
1:00
So press the add icon.
1:02
[BLANK_AUDIO]
1:03
A new page will be created.
1:07
So, let's rename it to Assets.
1:09
[BLANK_AUDIO]
1:11
Go back to the page you are working on as
we will need to send over some of these
1:16
layers.
1:20
On the today artboard,
1:22
expand the check in group using the small
arrow to the left of the folder icon.
1:24
Now click on the check in coffee cup icon
in the layer list.
1:32
And hold Cmd to click on the colored
circle layer underneath, so
1:35
both layers are selected.
1:39
And press the create symbol button in the
toolbar.
1:41
You'll be then prompted to give this
symbol a name in the inspector.
1:47
Let's call it Check in.
1:51
Creating a symbol will group these two
layers,
1:58
which is denoted with a purple folder
icon.
2:00
And Sketch will remember this group so
2:03
you can insert this into the canvas
whenever you need to use it again.
2:05
As opposed to simply duplicating this
group,
2:10
if you duplicate any of its contents it
will also update the symbol
2:12
throughout the canvas which is something
that is incredibly useful.
2:16
Say I changed this coffee icon in my
mock-up.
2:21
I always have to make sure that I updated
the same layer on the other pages too, so
2:24
it matches.
2:29
But if I had to use this same layer nine
times,
2:30
I'd have to make this change to each of
the nine layers.
2:33
By converting this group into a symbol, I
only have to change this once and
2:36
not have to worry about updating the other
layers too.
2:41
We will want to convert the other markers
in the timeline to symbols too.
2:44
So let's select the two layers needed for
each, and create them one by one.
2:49
[SOUND].
2:53
When that's done, select the assets page
and click insert,
3:20
then symbol, and select the check in
symbol from the fly out menu.
3:24
[BLANK_AUDIO]
3:28
The group will be inserted in the canvas
already selected for you to move around.
3:35
Insert the other symbols the same way.
3:40
Don't worry about their positioning, as
that doesn't really matter.
3:44
[BLANK_AUDIO]
3:46
Then select all these layers, and
4:00
then press Make Exportable at the bottom
of the Inspector.
4:03
We are designing this for the iPhone.
4:11
So we'll need to make a couple of changes
in the panel that has appeared.
4:13
In the size field select 2x from the drop
down and add end 2x into the suffix field.
4:17
This will export the image at double the
size for the iPhone's retina display.
4:25
With the iPhone 6 Plus, we'll also need to
add a 3x scale,
4:36
to make images three times their original
size.
4:41
Add it using the plus icon in this pane
and edit the size.
4:44
[SOUND] Let's go back to the page with our
design on.
4:48
There's a shortcut for changing pages too.
4:55
And that's pressing the function or fn key
and the up down arrow buttons.
4:57
While pressing page up and page down on
larger keyboards.
5:03
From this page, we'll also want to copy
over the icons in the tab bar.
5:08
We don't need to worry about exporting the
map image
5:13
because the application will draw the map
in from code.
5:15
So it won't be a static image like this
one.
5:19
We also don't need to export the plus icon
in the title bar because this is something
5:22
the developer can enable when they built
the app.
5:27
[BLANK_AUDIO]
5:30
Before we paste these layers in the assets
page,
5:36
we'll need to draw a dark background here
first.
5:39
Just so we can see the white icons against
the white background.
5:43
A dark rectangle will do just fine.
5:47
[SOUND] We'll want to make
5:49
a duplicate of these icons,
5:53
as we need to export two different states.
5:58
The normal and the active ones, press
Cmd+D, and move them below the original.
6:06
[SOUND] Now we'll need to update the
styles so
6:12
the top row of icons are using the normal
style and
6:16
the bottom the selected style.
6:21
[SOUND].
6:24
The settings icon isn't using the shared
style as it has a border and not a fill.
6:43
So just update the opacity of this layer.
6:50
[BLANK_AUDIO]
6:52
We are going to want to draw some slices
on top of these layers so let's do that.
6:56
First of all, let me just hide layers from
the list, showing only slices.
7:02
As you can see, these four timeline icons
remain into their list
7:09
as they have exportable properties.
7:13
Let's zoom into our icon a little bit and
press the S key to enable our slice tool.
7:15
I'll draw around the My Profile icon so
the size of my slice is 29 by 29 pixels.
7:24
[BLANK_AUDIO]
7:31
After you draw a slice, you're prompted to
name this layer.
7:45
This matters, as it will end up being a
file's name, once you export.
7:49
So let's call this one, Profile.
7:54
[BLANK_AUDIO]
7:56
Then, I'll draw around the rest of the
icons in the top row, naming them as I go.
8:02
[SOUND] The calendar icon for
8:06
today is a little bit
8:13
smaller than the other icons.
8:18
But still make this 29 by 29 giving it an
even spacing around the icon.
8:26
[BLANK_AUDIO]
8:32
Once you have five slices, select them all
in the Layer list and
8:42
press the Layers icon next to the filter
field to show the layers.
8:46
[BLANK_AUDIO]
8:49
We'll want to then drag them into the
folder our icons are in.
8:55
[BLANK_AUDIO]
8:59
Over in the inspector change the scales of
these slices to 2x and 3x, like before.
9:02
[BLANK_AUDIO]
9:09
And then click the Export Group Contents
Only check box,
9:19
to make sure we don't export our dark
background, just a transparent one.
9:23
We will then want to duplicate these
slices, and
9:30
have them sit over the selected tab bar
icons.
9:32
So, do that by pressing Cmd+D.
9:36
And drag the copies over to the other
folder.
9:39
[BLANK_AUDIO]
9:41
Let's rename our groups as well, normal
and selected.
9:48
[BLANK_AUDIO]
9:52
Open up the selected folder and select all
five slices.
10:02
With the arrow keys, to ensure you don't
accidentally deselect any of the layers,
10:07
match the dashed outlines of the slices.
10:12
So they sit over the icons in the group.
10:15
[BLANK_AUDIO]
10:17
Last thing to do here will be to rename
the layers of these copies.
10:25
Remove the two and add underscore active
to the end of their names.
10:29
[BLANK_AUDIO]
10:33
Double click the topmost slice and change
its name.
10:39
Then select with your cursor the
underscore active part of the text and
10:42
press Cmd+C to copy it.
10:47
If you press the tab key.
10:53
You can rename the layer underneath.
10:55
So remove the space and the 2 and paste in
the underscore active suffix.
10:57
[BLANK_AUDIO]
11:02
Do this until all five of the slices in
this group are renamed.
11:06
[NOISE] Going back to our main page I'm
11:09
looking at the my profile artboard.
11:14
We can see a few images in here.
11:19
Our user's avatar and a background image.
11:21
These, like the map, don't need to be
exported.
11:25
But the colored cells do.
11:28
Holding down Cmd.
11:31
Click on the red bike ride cell on the
canvas and then,
11:32
whilst still holding that key, also press
Shift so we can select multiple layers.
11:36
[BLANK_AUDIO]
11:42
Now we can click on the other three cells
so all four of them are selected.
11:47
When done, copy these layers.
11:51
Move over to our assets page, and paste
them in.
11:58
Once pasted, just move them off to the
side here.
12:06
[BLANK_AUDIO]
12:08
We could just draw a bunch of slices
around each of these layers and
12:15
we'd be done, right?
12:19
Well not quite.
12:21
These images are quite large.
12:22
And we'll want to make them as small as
possible so
12:25
their file size doesn't make the finished
app bigger than it needs to be.
12:27
The iPhone screen is also available at
different widths,
12:32
meaning that exporting at this fixed size
would mean this cell appears
12:36
the right size on one iPhone but too long
and too short on the others.
12:41
So with all of these cells selected.
12:46
Resize to width using the middle handle on
the writer side.
12:49
It will snap when it comes near a width of
29 pixels to match the size of
12:53
our slices for our tab bar icons.
12:58
[BLANK_AUDIO]
13:00
With these layers still selected, I'll
just make them all a little
13:05
narrower giving them a width of 22 pixels
in the inspector.
13:09
With these images the developer can
stretch the width of these out so
13:15
they can fit on any iPhone without
affecting our corner radius.
13:20
Once they're in the app,
13:25
you should never be able to tell that
these images are quite so narrow.
13:26
With these layers selected, I'll make them
exportable and
13:31
give them the same scales we've been
giving the other layers.
13:35
[SOUND].
13:38
[BLANK_AUDIO]
13:42
Then, rename the layers just now, so we
don't have to edit the file name later.
13:45
[BLANK_AUDIO]
13:50
Now that's all the assets we need from our
two screens prepped for export.
14:15
In the top right side of the toolbar is
the export button that will allow
14:20
us to save all our assets outside of
Sketch.
14:25
It can select or
14:32
deselect all slices by toggling this
checkmark at the bottom left of the sheet.
14:33
I'll click on the individual assets to
tell Sketch whether you want
14:39
to export them or not.
14:42
What's missing from this list of items to
export are our artboards
14:46
on the other page so our developer can see
what the app will look like.
14:50
So let's cancel this sheet.
14:54
[NOISE] Back to the original page you can
click on
14:56
the artboard's name in the layer list or
canvas to select it.
15:01
You can then see an export option in the
inspector.
15:07
So let's press the add button and the
change the size to 2X.
15:10
Don't worry about adding the suffix to the
file name, or a 3x size,
15:15
as it's not necessary to do so.
15:19
[BLANK_AUDIO]
15:21
We don't have to go back to the assets
page to click on export again.
15:30
You can press it no matter what page
you're on, and
15:34
all the slices across all the pages will
appear.
15:37
Once you're sure that everything is
selected, press Export.
15:40
[SOUND] Choose your location to save them
onto the Mac.
15:47
I'll add them all into a new folder and
call it Assets.
15:53
[BLANK_AUDIO]
15:57
Once created, press Export again.
16:02
If I hide Sketch and view that folder, you
can see all my assets are there and
16:07
at different sizes, too.
16:12
And, that just about covers everything.
16:15
This treehouse course has now sadly,
reached its end.
16:17
But, a huge well done to all of you who
have come this far.
16:21
With two screens of our fictional
application completed, you can go on and
16:24
design the other views for some of the
other tabs.
16:29
Like, Friends, History and
16:31
Settings continuing with the styles you've
already used.
16:33
Maybe instead you might fancy creating a
website for
16:37
the fictional application using the
screens on the web page.
16:40
For more information about Sketch,
16:42
you can always visit the community page on
our website following the link below.
16:45
Here, you can find some great links
created by our users to sites containing
16:50
articles and tutorials, as well as
resources and plugins for you to download.
16:54
On this page, you can also sign up to our
newsletter
16:59
as well as links to follow us on Twitter
@sketchat and
17:02
to join our Sketch Facebook group for news
and support.
17:06
If you have any questions about anything
covered in this course or
17:10
about Sketch in general then get in touch
with me on the Treehouse forums.
17:13
Thanks for watching
17:18
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