To export several masked images from one Affinity document on a Mac, create a layer-based slice for each complete masked asset, then export the checked slices as PNGs. The crucial step is selecting the image together with its mask, rather than drawing export rectangles around it.

This guide covers the current Affinity desktop interface and the task of producing separate, reusable images with their masked appearance. Current documentation calls the export workspace Slice Studio. It exports layers, groups, objects, and artboards in multiple formats and sizes. Exporting using the Slice Studio

What should each exported asset contain?

Start by identifying the complete layer structure that produces each finished image. Affinity masks can be attached to a particular layer, group, or object; an independent parent mask can also affect layers beneath it. Selecting a mask by itself therefore does not necessarily select the image it controls. Layer masking

For this workflow, treat one finished asset as one export target: an image with its attached mask, or a group containing the components needed for that asset. If a mask currently affects several separate assets, resolve that structure before creating slices. Otherwise, exporting an individual child may leave out a parent-level component that contributes to its appearance.

The following decision aid combines Affinity’s documented masking and slice behavior:

Your document structure Export target to prepare
One image with an attached mask The image’s parent entry, including its attached mask
Several layers forming one masked graphic A group containing the complete graphic and its mask
A masked group containing several intended assets Separate complete targets for the individual assets before exporting
Several graphics already flattened into one image Prepare individual masked layers or groups first; rectangular slices alone do not isolate overlapping graphics

This distinction matters because Affinity documents two different slice behaviors: a slice created from an Export Layers entry includes only that layer’s content, while a slice drawn with the Slice Tool includes all visible layers within its rectangle. Use layer-created slices when you want independent masked assets without neighboring artwork. Exporting using the Slice Studio

These exports reproduce the finished masked appearance. They are not a method for recovering an unchanged original image file or delivering an editable mask inside a PNG. Keep an editable Affinity master: saving preserves the project information, while exporting produces a sharing format. Saving

Prepare one complete target for each masked image

Use File > Save As to create a working copy before reorganizing an existing document. Current Affinity documents use the .af extension. Saving a new document lets you retain the earlier saved version. Saving

In the Layers panel, expand the first asset’s entry and identify its image, mask, and any supporting components. Confirm that the mask is enabled and that the target displays the intended result. A disabled mask can be recognized by a diagonal red line across its collapsed thumbnail; expanded masks have their own visibility control. Layer masking

If several objects form one asset, select those objects and choose Layer > Group. Masks and adjustments applied to a group affect its contents. Preserve any existing image-and-mask relationship when grouping; grouping unrelated objects does not establish the intended masking arrangement by itself. Grouping

Give each target a distinct descriptive name. For example, a synthetic composition could contain three assets named circle-grid, rounded-stripes, and hexagon-dots. To rename a group, double-click its name in the Layers panel, type the replacement, and press Return. Grouping

Before continuing, inspect each target separately in the layer hierarchy. The practical question is whether that entry contains everything needed to render its asset. This check is especially useful when the composition uses a shared mask or adjustments above several groups.

Create and export the layer-based slices

1. Enable Slice Studio and its panels

Open Studio Manager, enable Slice Studio, and switch to it. The current help says this Studio is hidden by default, so its absence from the visible workspace choices does not mean the feature is unavailable. Slice Studio

Show the required panels through the Mac menu:

  • Window > General > Export Layers
  • Window > General > Export Options
  • Window > General > Slices

These are the documented desktop panel locations. Export Layers panel (Slice Studio), Export Options panel, Slices panel

2. Set defaults, then create each slice

In Export Options, select Defaults, choose the intended PNG settings, and return to Selection when finished. Defaults apply to the next slices you create. Exporting slices

In Export Layers, select the first complete masked target and click Create Slice. Repeat for the remaining targets. Select the image or complete group, keeping its mask attached, rather than selecting the mask’s entry alone. The panel supports creating slices from layers, groups, objects, and artboards. Export Layers panel (Slice Studio)

Layer-created slices automatically size to the selected item’s extent. Inspect the resulting boundary instead of assuming it exactly matches the visible opaque pixels: the documentation describes sizing by item extent, rather than promising automatic trimming to every mask edge. Exporting using the Slice Studio

3. Configure the outputs and run a small test

Expand each entry in Slices and check its filename, format, and size. Each slice can contain multiple export formats, and each format can contain multiple sizes. For the three synthetic assets above, begin with one PNG output per slice so the initial result is easy to inspect. Slices panel

Export one slice using its individual export control. Open the result and check the masked outline, transparency, pixel dimensions, and absence of neighboring graphics. Testing one asset first makes a wrong export target or format setting easier to diagnose.

After the test, check the intended slice entries and uncheck any whole-page or other unwanted entry. Click Export Slices (n), choose the destination folder, and click Export. This exports the configured formats and sizes for the checked slices. The export folder is remembered only for the current editing session. Exporting slices

For matching outputs, the Slices panel provides Copy export setup to clipboard and Replace export setup from clipboard. Configure one slice, copy its setup, and replace the setup on another target slice. Review the destination slice afterward because replacement changes its export configuration. Slices panel

Which format and size settings preserve the intended result?

PNG is a suitable starting point for masked raster assets because Affinity explicitly documents its transparency support. Retain the editable masks in the .af master and use the PNGs as finished image assets. Supported file formats, Saving

Check the export’s Matte setting when an output has an unwanted background: Affinity defines Matte as the exported image’s background color. Also inspect any opaque background object inside the target group, since exporting the complete group includes that object. Export Settings

Do not assume that 1x always means the document’s existing pixel dimensions. Affinity links slice scaling to document DPI. Its documented example shows a 64 × 64-pixel document at 144 DPI exporting at 32 × 32 pixels for 1x and 64 × 64 pixels for 2x. Check the displayed export dimensions before running the whole set. Exporting using the Slice Studio

Changing to a vector container also requires care. For PDF, SVG, and EPS, Affinity’s Rasterize setting determines what happens to unsupported design elements. Nothing omits unsupported elements; Unsupported properties rasterizes those elements; Everything rasterizes the complete design. Consequently, choosing SVG does not guarantee an entirely vector, editable version of a masked image. Export Settings

For editable interchange, distinguish PSD and TIFF limitations from the PNG delivery task. Affinity’s format documentation notes that text is rasterized on PSD export. Its Save Affinity layers TIFF option retains layers that are readable only when reopened in Affinity. Neither should be treated as a guarantee that another application will reproduce the entire editable document structure. Supported file formats, Export Settings

What should you check when an export is wrong?

Use this diagnostic sequence before rebuilding the document:

  1. Other artwork appears: check whether the slice was drawn with the Slice Tool. Create it from the complete target in Export Layers to isolate that target’s content.
  2. The masked appearance is missing: inspect whether you selected a child beneath the mask-bearing parent, or selected the mask alone. Recreate the slice from the complete target.
  3. The file is blank: inspect Make item visible in export, including the parent’s setting. Export visibility is separate from ordinary item visibility.
  4. The bounds changed unexpectedly: if you manually resized a layer-created slice, select it with the Slice Tool and choose Revert to auto sized.
  5. The pixel dimensions are wrong: review document DPI and the slice’s scale before changing the artwork.

These checks follow the documented slice, visibility, and sizing controls. Exporting using the Slice Studio, Export Layers panel (Slice Studio), Exporting slices

For a single troublesome asset, use the Export dialog as a diagnostic alternative: select its complete target, choose File > Export > Export, select PNG, and set Area to Selection Only. Selection Area includes overlapping unselected layers, while Selection Only excludes them. Export the asset, inspect the result, then return to the slice setup once the target is correct. Export dialog

A dependable extraction workflow starts with complete masked targets, assigns each its own layer-created slice, and checks one exported file before processing the set. Once the mask, transparency, bounds, and pixel dimensions match your intended assets, export the checked slices and save the editable master for later revisions.

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