Export Image
Saves a single image to disk in PNG, JPEG, BMP, WebP, TIFF, TGA, or OpenEXR format with filename token support.
Export Image writes the connected image to a file on disk. Choose from seven formats, each with its own compression options. PNG supports lossless compression with adjustable level. JPEG and lossy WebP have quality controls. TIFF supports multiple compression algorithms.
Paths can be relative to your .arcb file: type export/sprite.png and the path resolves relative to where your project is saved. Directories are created automatically. A hint below the path input shows the resolved absolute path. Hovering the path field shows the fully expanded path in a tooltip.
After each export, the node displays the file size and duration (e.g., “Saved: sprite.png (45 ms, 128.3 KB)”). File writes happen off the UI thread, so exporting large images does not block the interface.
For JPEG output (which doesn’t support transparency), a matte color fills behind transparent areas.
The Output Channels control sets the channel layout of the written file. Auto preserves the incoming channels, RGBA always writes color, and Grayscale writes a genuine single-channel file with a Grayscale From option (Luminance, Red, Green, Blue, or Alpha) for converting a color source. JPEG and WebP have no true single-channel mode, so a grayscale frame is upcast to gray-valued color for those formats. A line in the Parameters panel and an in/out badge on the node body show the incoming channel type and what the chosen format will write.
Filename Tokens
Section titled “Filename Tokens”The output path supports tokens wrapped in curly braces that are replaced with dynamic values at export time. Tokens can appear anywhere in the path or filename.
| Token | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
{source} | Source image filename without extension | hero-character |
{label} | Custom label of the source node, falling back to the source filename when the node has not been renamed | hero |
{width} | Image width in pixels | 1024 |
{height} | Image 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. | ExportImage1 |
{graph} | Project filename without extension (untitled if unsaved) | hero-banner |
Examples:
| Template | Expands to |
|---|---|
output/{source}.png | output/hero-character.png |
exports/{date}/{source}_{width}x{height}.png | exports/2026-05-27/hero-character_1024x768.png |
{graph}_export.png | hero-banner_export.png |
Forward slashes in the path create subdirectories automatically. ~/ at the start expands to the user’s home directory (macOS and Linux).
Parameters
Section titled “Parameters”Pins
Export
Where the file is written
File format. Auto follows the extension
JPEG/WebP quality (0-100)
Background mattefor formats without alpha
zlib compression level (0=none, 9=max)
Use TGA RLE compression
Lossless WebP encoding
TIFF compression codec
Embed this graph into the 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
Output
Which channel or formula to use when converting a 4-channel input 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 the file 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)
Usage Tips
Section titled “Usage Tips”- Use PNG for images with transparency or when you need lossless quality.
- JPEG quality of 85-92 is a good balance between file size and quality for photographs.
- WebP lossless is smaller than PNG for most images.
- Set Output Channels to Grayscale to save a single-channel mask or height map as a real grayscale PNG, TGA, or TIFF instead of a 4-channel file.
- Turn on Embed Recipe (off by default) to store a privacy-sanitized copy of the whole graph inside PNG, WebP, JPEG, and TIFF files. Dropping that image 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 relative paths (e.g.,
output/icon.png) to keep exports portable alongside your .arcb file. - Use Ctrl+Shift+E to quick-export selected export nodes, or File > Export All (Ctrl+Shift+Alt+E) to run every export node in the graph at once.
- Picking an explicit Format (PNG, JPEG, TGA, BMP, WebP, TIFF, EXR) updates the output path’s extension to match.
.jpegand.tiffare preserved if you’ve typed them. A warning appears if the extension still doesn’t match the chosen format.