Export Batch
Exports all batch frames as individually named files, completing the batch processing pipeline.
Export Batch takes a batch input (from Palette Remap, Collect, Image Folder, or any batch source) and writes every frame as a separate file. A configurable filename template controls the output naming, with a live preview of the resolved filename shown below the template field. A progress bar on the node body tracks completion during export.
This is the node that makes ArcBrush’s batch workflow possible: one graph produces dozens of consistently named output files automatically.
The output directory supports relative paths: type export and it resolves relative to your .arcb file. Directories are created automatically.
The Output Channels control (Auto / RGBA / Grayscale) sets the channel layout of every written frame. Auto preserves each frame’s incoming channels (a mixed batch stays mixed), RGBA always writes color, and Grayscale writes single-channel files with a Grayscale From option (Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha). As with Export Image, JPEG and WebP have no single-channel mode and upcast a grayscale frame to gray-valued color.
Filename Template Tokens
Section titled “Filename Template Tokens”The filename template uses tokens wrapped in curly braces that are replaced with dynamic values for each exported frame. The file extension is determined by the Format dropdown and appended automatically (it is not part of the template).
| Token | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
{name} | Frame name, falling back to source label, then frame_N | red |
{source} | Original source filename without extension | hero-character |
{label} | Custom node label of the frame’s source, falling back to the source filename when the node has not been renamed | hero |
{color} | The frame’s variant color as a 6-digit hex code (Palette Remap variants); empty for frames with no variant color | a020f0 |
{index} | 1-based frame number, zero-padded to fit the batch size | 01 |
{index:N} | 1-based frame number with explicit padding width N | 001 (for {index:3}) |
{count} | Total number of frames in the batch | 12 |
{width} | Frame width in pixels | 1024 |
{height} | Frame height in pixels | 768 |
{date} | Export date (YYYY-MM-DD) | 2026-05-27 |
{time} | Export time (HH-MM-SS); pair with {date} for a sortable timestamp | 14-30-52 |
{quality} | JPEG or WebP quality; empty for formats without a quality setting | 90 |
{compression} | Format’s compression setting (PNG level, TGA RLE, WebP lossy or lossless, or TIFF codec); empty for formats without one | 6 |
{node} | This export node’s canonical name: the node type as a PascalCase identifier (spaces and punctuation removed) followed by the node’s unique per-type number. Not the custom label or the spaced display name. | ExportBatch1 |
{graph} | Project filename without extension (untitled if unsaved) | hero-banner |
The default template is {name}. For a 12-frame batch from a Palette Remap with source image hero.png and project game-assets.arcb:
| Template | Frame 1 | Frame 12 |
|---|---|---|
{name} | red.png | blue.png |
{source}_{index} | hero_01.png | hero_12.png |
{source}_{index:4} | hero_0001.png | hero_0012.png |
{graph}/{name} | game-assets/red.png | game-assets/blue.png |
{name}_{width}x{height} | red_1024x768.png | blue_1024x768.png |
Forward slashes in the template create subdirectories inside the output directory. If multiple frames expand to the same filename, a numeric suffix (_001, _002, …) is appended automatically to prevent overwrites. The Output Files list on the node shows the real written names after this resolution, so a repeated {name} reads as name, name_001, name_002, and so on rather than the same name repeated.
Sprite Sheet Filename
Section titled “Sprite Sheet Filename”When Sprite Sheet output is enabled, the per-frame Filename Template is replaced by a Sheet Filename field that controls the name of the assembled sheet PNG and its companion JSON manifest. A live preview shows the resolved name.png / name.json pair as you type.
The Sheet Filename template supports a {count} token (the number of frames packed) plus the whole-export tokens shared with the per-frame template:
| Token | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
{count} | Total number of frames packed into the sheet | 24 |
{node} | This export node’s canonical name | ExportBatch1 |
{graph} | Project filename without extension | hero-banner |
{date} | Export date (YYYY-MM-DD) | 2026-05-27 |
{time} | Export time (HH-MM-SS) | 14-30-52 |
{quality} | Quality setting; empty for formats without one | 90 |
{compression} | Compression setting; empty for formats without one | 6 |
Per-frame tokens ({name}, {source}, {index}, {width}, {height}, etc.) do not apply to the sheet filename. The default is nodename_sheet; existing projects keep that name until you edit the template. Subdirectories in the name are created automatically.
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”Pins
Export
Folder for exported batch frames
File format for each exported frame
JPEG/WebP quality
Background matte
zlib level
TGA RLE compression
Lossless WebP encoding
TIFF compression codec
Embed this graph into every exported file's metadata so it can be reopened in ArcBrush. Includes all node settings, prompts, notes, and input file NAMES (never full paths). Adds a few KB per file
Output Files
Template for exported filenames.
Tokens: {name}, {source}, {label}, {color}, {index}, {count}, {width}, {height}, {date}, {time}, {quality}, {compression}, {node}, {graph}.
{color} resolves to the frame's variant color as a 6-digit hex code (e.g. a020f0).
Sprite Sheet
Also pack all frames into one sprite-sheet file
Filename (no extension) for the packed sheet PNG + JSON manifest.
Tokens: {node}, {graph}, {count}, {date}, {time}, {quality}, {compression}.
Grid or Bin Pack
Columns in the sprite sheet
Trim transparent borders before packing
Alpha threshold for trim
Edge pixel duplication
Space between sprites
Padding around sheet perimeter
Sheet background
Output size constraint
Max sheet width
Max sheet height
Display colored outlines around each sprite in the preview
Output
Which channel or formula to use when converting a 4-channel frame to grayscale for export:
Note: JPEG and WebP do not support true single-channel; a grayscale frame is upcast to gray-valued RGB/RGBA before encoding.
High-Bit-Depth
Color
How working-space color is converted when each frame is written (32-bit mode; applies at every bit depth):
Until explicitly set, the default follows the output format: EXR writes working-space values, other formats bake the view.
OCIO color-space name to convert into when Color Handling is 'Convert to color space'. Empty = 'Same as Working Space' (no conversion). Example: sRGB Encoded Rec.709 (sRGB)
- Same per-format options as Export Image (see above). Quality is shown for JPEG or lossy WebP.
- Sheet Layout controls are only visible when Generate Sprite Sheet is enabled.
Usage Tips
Section titled “Usage Tips”- Check the live filename preview below the template field to verify the resolved output path before exporting.
- When you fan a batch into Palette Remap or Separate (an M×N expansion), use
{source}_{name}so each combination gets a unique name liketree_purple.png. - Use relative paths (e.g.,
exportoroutput/sprites) to keep exports portable alongside your .arcb file. - Enable Sprite Sheet to also generate a packed sprite sheet PNG with a JSON manifest.
- With Sprite Sheet on, enable Show Outlines to draw a colored boundary around each packed sprite on the assembled sheet preview while you tune packing.
- All format-specific options (quality, compression, etc.) apply to every exported file.
- Set Output Channels to Grayscale to write a batch of masks or height maps as real grayscale PNG, TGA, or TIFF files.
- Turn on Embed Recipe (off by default) to store a privacy-sanitized copy of the whole graph inside each PNG, WebP, JPEG, and TIFF frame. Dropping any of those files back onto ArcBrush, or File > Open Recipe from Image…, reopens the graph. Absolute paths and machine identifiers are stripped (input file names are kept, never full paths). It adds a few KB per file.
- Use Ctrl+Shift+E to quick-export, or File > Export All (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E) to run every export node in the graph at once.