: What file types should my web designer provide me with? I am building web site, and I paid a designer to design my site, What should the designer provide me? png cut images? psd file? Should

@Cofer715

I'm a web & graphic designer and when I do have to collaborate with programmers I always use Adobe Creative Cloud Extract.


Creative Cloud Extract is a free new feature in Creative Cloud Assets that helps you explore a PSD directly in your browser, including layers and layer compositions. It particularly benefits web designers and developers who can share PSDs, unlock design information, and download production-ready assets.
Using Extract, you can perform the following actions with a PSD file in the browser: Copy text and CSS, Get color, gradient, and font information, Measure distances between elements, Save optimized image assets for production.


I guess the quote says it all, but here it is again. With Adobe Creative Cloud Extract you can:


Copy text and CSS (copy and paste straigh in the stylesheet)
Get color, gradient, and font information,
Measure distances between elements,
Save optimized image assets for production.


Exporting assets for websites is a boring process and this tool really works as stated and has saved me tons of hours of work. I really recommend using it and the only thing you need is an Adobe account. No subscription needed.
Not only saves time to designers when exporting assets but also eases a programmer working by generating good and ready to use code.

I consider myself a professional designer so I always like to upload PSD files that follow the Photoshop etiquette (no strange layer names, no empty or hidden layer, etc). Just make sure the designer you're working with also follow the same principles and delivers a PSD that's easy for you to work with.

Just a quick note: when exporting assets using Adobe Creative Cloud Extract make sure you use the right file type. PNG is a better file format for images with less colors (like logos) and images with transparency. JPEG is better for photos.

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@Holmes874

This would be something you'd agree upon when figuring out the contract. Handing over the work files is not necessarily common practice.

I'd argue you shouldn't be designing the site as PSD files to begin with, but that's a different topic.

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@Tiffany317

Your designer should provide you with final png/jpg/gif images if you have agreed that he or she will provide the actual site images. This is a less common case than simply creating the design as a Photoshop comp for the developer to work from.

Final images or not, your designer must supply the PSD(s) so you can have it as a backup and in case you need to make minor modifications. (Why it's important: Your designer may not always be around. He may be hijacked, hit by a meteor or win "[Country]'s Got Talent" and become a pop star. If anything like that happens, you will be very glad you have your own copy.

I insist that clients receive and archive original artwork files, even if they never plan to use them, because I've had too many experiences of picking up a new client -- whose original designer is long gone -- and finding they have no original logo artwork, no full-resolution images, no usable assets from which to create the new material they are looking for.

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