Printing Photos from Digital Project Life Layouts

I've had a couple of people ask about how I get my Project Life pages ready to print. So... that's what today's post is all about! :)

Here's what I do when I'm finished with a Project Life spread, and I'm ready to print.

Printing 4x6 Photos from a 12x12 or 12x24 Digital Layout

I merge the layers I want to save as a photo and then generate the image assets.
This is pretty easy to do. Here are the details:

1. Save your layered PSD file with a new name. I usually add "-Images" to the end of the original document name.
2. Make sure everything you want to see is showing and then delete any hidden layers. Layer > Delete > Hidden Layers
3. Merge the individual 4x6 and 3x4 template spots with all the photos and elements that are supposed to be on top of them. To do this, highlight the layers you want to merge, and right click somewhere within the highlighted area, and then click Merge Layers in the pop-up menu. Be careful not to right click on the image preview or the layer name as that will bring up the wrong menu. I like to turn the visibility on and off as I go along to make sure I'm merging the correct layers. Also make sure you are saving as you go.

4. Merge each 3x4 with the 3x4 next to it so they are combined to make one 4x6.
5. Turn on Image Assets. File > Generate > Image Assets

6. Rename each layer and add the .jpg file extension to each one. I use this format: W10-L1A.jpg (week 10, left page, row 1, photo A).  Adding .jpg to each layer name is what tells PS to generate the image, so don't forget that step! I think you can generate other file types as well (png, gif, etc.), but you'll want jpgs for printing.
7. Save the document again.

This process will automatically create a new folder wherever you saved your PSD file.

In that folder, you will find all the 4x6's you just generated. You could stop there and upload all those images to your favorite printer, but I like to inspect them first. Sometimes I need to make minor adjustments.

In the example above, I ended up with a little bit of white space at the top of the image, making it slightly larger than 4x6 (or 6x4 if we're being technically accurate). This happens sometimes. I think this one was because my calendar graphic was slightly taller than the template spot, and wasn't clipped to the layer. To fix this, I drew a new rectangle and set the size to be 6w x 4h. I aligned it to the canvas and then clipped the jpg layer to it. Then, I deleted the extra space by going to Image > Trim and choosing to have it delete transparent pixels. I then flattened the image (or just deleted the rectangle layer) and saved it as a jpg, replacing the original.

The image asset files will automatically be updated any time you make changes in the PS document from which they were generated, so I like to copy the 4x6's to a new folder when I know they are good to go.

When I'm ready to upload to mpix, I just drag them in from that one folder.

So, there you go! I hope that was helpful, and please let me know if you have questions. :)

FYI: I use the full version of Photoshop via the Creative Cloud subscription. If you don't have it and want to get it, NOW IS THE TIME. Through the end of March, you can purchase a one-year plan for only $9.99/month, and that includes Lightroom also. It's a really good deal. Here's a link to learn more: Photoshop Photography Program

These are NOT affiliate links. I just really like Photoshop. :)