To control JPEG quality in Affinity’s batch slice exports on Mac, configure the JPEG settings on the slices you will export. Use Defaults before creating new slices; for existing slices, apply a saved preset or edit their settings before running Export Slices.

This guide covers exporting several areas or artboards from one document in the current Affinity desktop app. Its workspace is called Slice Studio. Affinity’s current help describes it as the workspace for exporting artboards, layers, groups, objects and image regions in multiple formats and sizes. About Studios

Why changing Defaults does not update an existing batch

Affinity documents Defaults as the settings used when your next slice is created. The documented sequence is Export Options > Defaults, adjust the settings, then return to Selection. Consequently, changing Defaults is not a documented way to replace JPEG settings already assigned to existing slices. Exporting slices

Each slice has its own export setup. That setup can contain several formats, and each format can contain several output sizes. Batch export therefore collects the outputs configured on those slices; it does not establish a common JPEG quality value at export time. Slices panel

Choose your starting point before changing anything:

Your document’s situation Appropriate approach
You have not created the slices yet Set JPEG options under Defaults, then create the slices.
The slices already exist Select each target slice and configure its JPEG output or apply your JPEG preset.
Several slices should have identical formats and scales Configure one source slice, then use the documented copy-and-replace export setup controls.
Slices need different combinations of formats or sizes Adjust their JPEG settings individually and inspect their output entries before exporting.

This distinction prevents a common dead end: repeatedly lowering a default while exporting slices that already have their own settings. The practical task is to make the intended JPEG configuration explicit on the existing outputs.

Open the controls you need on Mac

Switch to Slice Studio using Affinity > Studios and select the appropriate Studio. Alternatively, enable Slice Studio through the Studio manager and use its Toolbar button. The official help identifies Slice Studio as a workspace that is not displayed by default. About Studios

Open Window > General > Export Options if the settings panel is hidden. Its controls depend on the chosen format or preset. For JPEG output, select a JPEG format or preset before looking for Quality. The panel also provides preset management through its Panel Preferences menu. Export Options panel

Open Window > General > Slices to see the export areas and their output entries. Expand the slices you intend to export so that you can inspect their formats and size settings. Slices panel

Set JPEG quality before creating new slices

For a document where you still need to define the export areas, start in Export Options > Defaults. Choose JPEG, set the required Quality, review the other JPEG options, then return to Selection. Create the slices afterward so they receive those defaults. Exporting slices

Quality controls the overall exported image when the format is JPEG. Affinity notes that higher quality can produce substantially larger files. JPEG quality is an independent setting: you do not need an Allow JPEG compression switch to enable it. That switch belongs to other documented export formats. Export Settings

Treat a value such as 90 as an illustrative starting point, not a universal recommendation. Export a representative slice and inspect it at its intended display size. For a neutral test graphic, include a flat color area, a gradient and small text so that you can judge whether the chosen output serves your actual task.

Keep the output dimensions fixed during that comparison. Otherwise, you will be comparing a change in pixel count alongside the quality change. Affinity documents output dimensions and resampling separately from JPEG Quality. Export Settings

Apply a reusable JPEG preset to existing slices

When the slices already exist, create a named preset so you can reuse the same export settings without repeatedly entering them. Affinity explicitly documents that custom presets created in the Export dialog are available in Slice Studio. Export dialog

  1. Choose File > Export > Export.
  2. Select a JPEG preset on the left as your starting point.
  3. Adjust Quality and the other settings you want to reuse.
  4. Click Preferences, then Create Preset.
  5. Enter a descriptive name, such as JPEG Quality 90, and click OK.

These are the documented custom-preset creation steps. The example name is simply a label for your chosen settings. Export dialog

Return to Slice Studio. Select a target slice and use its export controls to choose the saved JPEG preset. Repeat for the other intended slices, checking the JPEG configuration as you go. Affinity documents changing a selected slice’s export options and choosing an export preset from the expanded slice entry. Exporting slices

Review the complete preset before applying it widely. A preset can include a file format and other export settings; it is not merely a saved Quality number. If your slices need different settings, use Export Options to adjust the selected area instead. Export Options panel

What is the documented limit on applying settings in bulk?

The official pages cited here document presets, settings for a selected slice, and transferring export setups between slices. They do not explicitly describe a universal JPEG-quality override for all existing slices, or a guaranteed multi-selection procedure for changing only Quality across a mixed batch. A reliable documented workflow is to configure the target outputs first and then export them together.

For matching setups, the Slices panel provides Copy export setup to clipboard and Replace export setup from clipboard. Configure a source slice, copy its setup, select a target slice and replace that target’s setup. Repeat as needed. The panel also documents Add Export format from clipboard for adding a copied format to another slice’s setup. Slices panel

Replacement operates on the export setup, including its format configuration. Use it when the target should share that configuration. If a target needs an additional PNG output or a different set of sizes, inspect those requirements before replacing its setup. This is a workflow implication of the documented setup structure, rather than a separate quality-only copy command.

Export the configured slices as one batch

For artboards, Affinity’s documented workflow is to enable Slice Studio, adjust Export Options, expand the artboard slice entries to review formats and scales, and click Export Slices (n). Choose the destination folder and click Export. Exporting artboards

Before running the batch, check:

  • Each intended output uses JPEG and the chosen quality configuration.
  • Each slice has the required size entries.
  • Any extra formats or scales are intentional.
  • Only the slices you want are checked for export.

Export Slices (n) exports the checked panel items. Highlighting a slice for editing and enabling it for export serve different purposes. Slices panel

For example, suppose you have three synthetic graphics named circle, grid and gradient, each requiring one JPEG. Apply your chosen JPEG settings to each, inspect their scales and enable those three slices. If an expanded setup also contains another format or size, account for that output before running the batch. This illustrative check follows the documented ability to export multiple formats and sizes from each artboard slice. Exporting artboards

Diagnose results that still look wrong

If one output differs from the others, return to that slice’s configuration. Check its selected format, quality settings and size entries before changing Defaults again. The Export Options panel is designed to allow different export areas to have different settings. Export Options panel

If the files remain larger than you want, compare the exported pixel dimensions as well as Quality. Affinity treats dimensions, resampling and JPEG quality as separate controls. Make one deliberate change at a time, then compare the exported result; the documentation does not promise a particular file size for a chosen quality value. Export Settings

Finish by opening a representative exported JPEG and checking its appearance, dimensions and filename. Once that output meets your requirement, use the same explicit settings on the remaining target slices and run the checked batch. This keeps JPEG quality attached to the outputs that actually need it.

Sources