Adobe Certified Professional (ACP) Photoshop Exam Prep

Domain 5: Publishing Digital Media

The final step of any project: getting the finished file into the right format for wherever it's actually going -- a website, a printer, or a video timeline -- without losing quality or blowing up the file size. This domain requires hands-on Photoshop practice.

ACP 5.1 Prepare images for export to web, print, and video.

Before exporting, flatten or merge layers as needed, double-check resolution and color mode match the destination (screen = RGB/72PPI, print = CMYK/300PPI), and crop to the exact final dimensions the client needs.

Flatten
Merging all layers of a document into a single background layer.
Crop
Trimming an image down to a specific final size or area.

✏️ Practice it: A client's print flyer needs to be exactly 8.5x11 inches at 300 PPI in CMYK. List, in order, the 3 things you'd check before exporting.

🙌 Try It

Grades 9-10 · Paper Activity

Crop to Fit

You'll need: a large drawn image, a cardboard or paper frame cut to letter-size proportions, ruler

  1. Cut a frame template out of cardboard/paper matching letter-size proportions (8.5x11).
  2. Hold the frame over your large drawing and decide exactly what to crop to fit inside it.
  3. Physically cut your drawing down to that exact final size.
  4. Measure the result with a ruler to check it matches the required size.

Write about it: If your original drawing was small and you had to enlarge it to fill the frame, what happened to the level of detail? How does that connect to image resolution?

Grades 11-12 · Photoshop Activity

Prep for Print AND Web

You'll need: Computer with Photoshop, one finished design

  1. Starting from one source file, prepare a print-ready version: flatten as needed, crop to exactly 8.5x11in, 300 PPI, CMYK.
  2. From the same source, prepare a web-ready version: crop to exactly 1080x1080px, 72 PPI, RGB.
  3. Document the exact settings used for each version in a caption.

Write about it: Why can't you just use the print version's file directly on a website, or vice versa?

ACP 5.2 Export or save digital images to various file formats.

Export As (File > Export > Export As) is the most direct route for a single file in a common format (PNG, JPG, GIF); Quick Export as PNG is the fastest one-click option; Save for Web (Legacy) gives finer control (quality/compression sliders, file-size preview) for web-bound images. PNG supports transparency and is best for graphics/logos; JPG has no transparency and is best for photos (smaller file size, some quality loss); PDF is standard for anything going to a professional printer.

PNG -- keeps transparency JPG -- opaque, smaller file
PNG vs. JPG transparency
Export As
The dialog for saving a copy of a document in a specific file format with custom settings.
PNG
An image format supporting transparency, best for logos/graphics.
JPG/JPEG
A compressed image format with no transparency, best for photos.

✏️ Practice it: A logo needs a transparent background for use on different colored web pages. Which file format do you export it as, and why would JPG fail here?

📝 From a Real Practice Exam Practical Task (LITA)

"You need to export each layer of your document, including hidden layers, to a separate PNG-24 file with the prefix SKATE. Which menu option should you use?"

Show answer

File > Export > Layers to Files... -- a real, specific command most people never notice sitting right below the more familiar "Export As." It exports every layer (including hidden ones, if you check that option) as its own file with the prefix you set, in one pass.

🙌 Try It

Grades 9-10 · Paper Activity

Which Envelope?

You'll need: 4 scenario cards (write your own or use provided ones), 3 labeled envelopes or paper folders: PNG, JPG, PDF

  1. Read each scenario: a logo for a website needing transparency, a photo for a printed brochure, a photo for an Instagram post, a simple flat-color icon.
  2. Sort each scenario card into the correct format "envelope" (PNG, JPG, or PDF).
  3. Write a 1-sentence justification for each choice.

Write about it: Which scenario was the trickiest to sort, and what made it harder than the others?

Grades 11-12 · Photoshop Activity

Export Three Ways

You'll need: Computer with Photoshop, one finished design with a transparent element

  1. Export the same finished design as a PNG (checking that transparency is preserved).
  2. Export it again as a JPG.
  3. Export it again as a PDF.
  4. Compare all 3 file sizes and visual quality, and write a short comparison noting which would actually be used for which real purpose.

Write about it: What happened to any transparent areas in the JPG version, and why does that make JPG the wrong choice for a logo?

🔗 Connected Lessons This Year (all grades)

Every lesson below is automatically linked here because it's tagged with an objective from this domain -- this list updates itself whenever the curriculum changes.