Export Kit Suite Tutorial: From PSD/Sketch to Responsive HTML/CSSExport Kit Suite is a powerful plugin-based workflow that converts design files (PSD, Sketch, Adobe XD, Figma, and others) into production-ready HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and assets. This tutorial walks through preparing your design, installing and configuring Export Kit, exporting responsive code, and refining the output for clean, maintainable front-end code. Examples focus on PSD and Sketch workflows, but concepts apply to other supported formats.
Why use Export Kit Suite?
Export Kit automates repetitive conversion steps while giving designers and developers control over how layers, assets, and layout translate into code. It’s particularly useful when:
- You need a starting point for a responsive site from a high-fidelity design.
- You want to preserve layout fidelity and quickly extract assets and styles.
- You prefer a plugin that supports multiple design tools and export targets.
Key benefits: automated asset extraction, layer-to-code mapping, custom export rules, and support for responsive breakpoints.
Step 1 — Prepare your design file
A well-organized source file produces the cleanest export.
- Use descriptive layer and group names. Avoid spaces and special characters in names used for classes/IDs.
- Group elements logically (header, hero, navigation, content blocks, footer).
- Convert text to editable text layers (not rasterized) and set appropriate font sizes, weights, and colors.
- Use shape layers where possible (vectors) instead of flattened images for icons and simple shapes.
- Create separate layers for images you’ll export (product photos, backgrounds).
- Define artboards or canvases for different pages and for common responsive breakpoints (e.g., Desktop, Tablet, Mobile).
- Flatten only when necessary; keep editable layers for text and shapes to allow Export Kit to map them properly.
Tip: If you plan to use responsive features, design variations for key breakpoints and name artboards accordingly (e.g., Home_Desktop, Home_Tablet, Home_Mobile).
Step 2 — Install Export Kit Suite and required plugins
- Choose the right Export Kit edition and install it for your design tool (Photoshop, Sketch, Adobe XD, or Figma).
- Open the design file in the host app.
- Launch the Export Kit panel/plugin from the host’s menu or extensions panel.
- If needed, install any additional modules (HTML/CSS exporter, responsive module, JS handlers). Export Kit typically bundles many targets, but confirm the HTML/CSS export module is active.
Step 3 — Basic Export Kit settings
Before exporting, configure global settings:
- Project Name: set a meaningful project folder name.
- Output Folder: choose where exported files and assets will go.
- Export Type: select HTML/CSS (or a framework target if available).
- CSS Options:
- Units: px vs rem/em—choose rem for scalable typography if you plan to implement accessibility-friendly scaling.
- Minify: toggle for production-ready minified CSS/JS.
- Image Settings: set formats (PNG, JPG, SVG) and quality/compression.
- Responsive Options: enable responsive export and define breakpoints (desktop/tablet/mobile widths).
, shapes → div/span or SVG). You can override mappings per layer.
Save these settings as a profile to reuse across projects.
Step 4 — Map layers to semantic HTML
Export Kit attempts to map layers automatically, but manual corrections improve semantics and SEO.
- Headings: rename heading layers to H1, H2, etc., or tag them in Export Kit as headings.
- Navigation: group nav items and mark the group as a
- Buttons: mark interactive elements as
- Lists: mark repeated items as lists to generate
- /
- .
- Forms: label form fields and group them into a form element with names for inputs.
Tip: Use layer name prefixes like “h1_”, “btn_”, “nav_” to speed mapping. Export Kit can be configured to interpret prefixes automatically.
Step 5 — Export assets and optimize images
- Mark images for export (Export Kit recognizes slice/export settings in many tools).
- Choose SVG for icons and vector shapes to keep crisp visuals and smaller file sizes.
- Use WebP for photos where browser support is acceptable; provide fallback JPG/PNG for broader compatibility.
- Configure retina/2x exports if high-density displays are a priority (Export Kit can generate @2x assets).
After export, run image optimization (e.g., svgo for SVG, imagemin or mozjpeg/guetzli for JPEGs) as part of your build pipeline.
Step 6 — Generate responsive grid and layout
Export Kit can produce responsive CSS using several approaches. Choose the one that matches your workflow:
- Fluid, CSS Grid, or Flexbox-based layouts: select in settings. Modern workflows often use Flexbox for simple components and CSS Grid for complex layouts.
- Breakpoints: ensure breakpoints match your design’s intended widths. Export Kit will output media queries and adjust layer positions accordingly.
- Percentage-based widths and rem units: for fluid layouts, set Export Kit to use percentages and rems instead of fixed pixels.
Example approach:
- Desktop: fixed column grid (e.g., 12 columns).
- Tablet: fewer columns or stacked layout.
- Mobile: single-column stacking with responsive spacing adjustments.
Step 7 — Export and inspect output
Run the export. Typical output includes:
- index.html (or one per artboard/page)
- CSS files (styles.css, responsive.css, vendor.css)
- JS files (interaction handlers, slider code)
- Assets folder (images, fonts, svgs)
- An export log/report listing any layers that couldn’t be mapped
Inspect the exported HTML:
- Check semantic structure (headings, nav, main, footer).
- Validate that text content is real text, not raster images.
- Confirm images are optimized and correctly referenced.
- Open the page in several browsers and device widths.
Step 8 — Clean up and refactor generated code
Export Kit output is a solid starting point but typically requires manual refinement for production quality.
Common cleanups:
- Consolidate CSS: remove duplicate rules, merge similar selectors, and convert inline styles to classes where appropriate.
- Improve naming: map auto-generated classes to BEM or your preferred convention for maintainability.
- Remove unused assets and CSS rules.
- Convert layout code to use your preferred utility classes or framework (Tailwind, Bootstrap) only if consistent with project standards.
- Extract repeated components into partials or templates if using a templating system (e.g., Handlebars, Jekyll, React components).
Example refactor steps:
- Identify repeated components (cards, buttons).
- Create a CSS class for the component instead of inline styles on each instance.
- Replace duplicated markup with include/partial or a component in your front-end framework.
Step 9 — Add accessibility and performance improvements
Accessibility:
- Ensure alt attributes for images and SVGs.
- Add ARIA roles where semantic tags aren’t possible.
- Verify focus order and keyboard navigation for interactive elements.
- Use sufficient color contrast and scalable text sizes.
Performance:
- Lazy-load offscreen images (loading=“lazy”).
- Inline critical CSS for the above-the-fold content and defer non-critical CSS.
- Minify CSS/JS for production and bundle/concatenate to reduce requests.
- Use a CDN for static assets.
Step 10 — Integrate into your development workflow
- Place Export Kit output into your project structure (src or templates).
- Integrate asset optimization and builds into your existing toolchain (Webpack, Vite, Gulp).
- Use version control: commit the cleaned-up output and track changes.
- If the design will iterate, keep a repeatable export profile and maintain a mapping guide so future exports map cleanly into your codebase.
Example: Quick PSD → Responsive HTML walkthrough (concise)
- Prepare PSD: name layers (h1_title, nav_main, btn_primary), create artboards for Desktop/Tablet/Mobile.
- Open Export Kit in Photoshop, choose HTML output, set breakpoints (1200, 768, 480).
- Set units to rem, enable CSS Grid output, enable SVG export for shapes.
- Tag layers: mark hero heading as H1, nav group as nav, buttons as button.
- Export. Review index.html, styles.css, assets/.
- Refactor: extract .card component, reduce inline styles, add lazy-loading.
- Test across devices, run Lighthouse for performance/accessibility.
Troubleshooting common issues
- Text exported as images: ensure text layers are not rasterized and are visible before export.
- Missing fonts: install matching fonts locally or use web fonts and update the CSS.
- Layer order issues: confirm layer stacking in the design file; Export Kit follows the document order.
- Complex interactions not present: Export Kit provides basic JS; complex animations should be reimplemented manually.
Conclusion
Export Kit Suite accelerates turning high-fidelity PSD and Sketch designs into responsive HTML/CSS, but its best results require disciplined design organization and post-export refinement. Use it as a productivity boost—export cleanly named layers, map semantics, optimize assets, then refactor and integrate the generated code into your development workflow.
Best practices summary:
- Keep layers and artboards organized and named.
- Use vector shapes and text layers, not flattened images.
- Configure Export Kit for responsive breakpoints and modern CSS (Grid/Flexbox).
- Refactor generated code for semantics, maintainability, accessibility, and performance.
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