---
name: canvas-export
description: >
  Export Obsidian Canvas files to PNG, SVG, or PDF formats. Uses the Advanced
  Canvas plugin's built-in export when Obsidian is running, or falls back to
  Playwright browser-based screenshot capture. Supports single canvas export,
  presentation slide-per-page PDF export, and batch export.
  Triggers on: canvas export, export canvas, canvas to png, canvas to pdf,
  canvas to svg, save canvas as image, screenshot canvas, export presentation.
user-invocable: false
---

# canvas-export: Export Canvas to Image/PDF

---

## Export Methods

### Method 1: Advanced Canvas Plugin Export (Preferred)

The [Advanced Canvas](https://github.com/Developer-Mike/obsidian-advanced-canvas) plugin provides built-in PNG and SVG export with transparency support.

**Requirements**: Obsidian running with Advanced Canvas installed.

**Workflow**:
1. Instruct the user: "In Obsidian, right-click the canvas background → Advanced Canvas → Export as PNG/SVG"
2. Or use Obsidian's command palette: `Advanced Canvas: Export as PNG`
3. The exported file appears in the canvas directory.

This is the highest-quality export method — it uses Obsidian's own rendering engine.

### Method 2: Playwright Screenshot (Fallback)

When Obsidian is not running or Advanced Canvas is not installed, use Playwright to capture the canvas.

**Requirements**: Playwright installed (`pip install playwright && playwright install chromium`)

**Workflow**:
1. Check if Playwright is available:
   ```bash
   python3 -c "from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright; print('ok')" 2>/dev/null && echo "available" || echo "not available"
   ```
2. If available, generate a standalone HTML viewer of the canvas and screenshot it:
   ```bash
   # Generate HTML from canvas JSON
   python3 -c "
   import json, sys
   canvas = json.load(open(sys.argv[1]))
   # ... render to HTML with absolute positioning ...
   " [canvas_path] > /tmp/canvas-preview.html

   # Screenshot with Playwright
   python3 -c "
   from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright
   with sync_playwright() as p:
       browser = p.chromium.launch()
       page = browser.new_page(viewport={'width': 1920, 'height': 1080})
       page.goto('file:///tmp/canvas-preview.html')
       page.screenshot(path='[output_path]', full_page=True)
       browser.close()
   "
   ```
3. Report the output path and dimensions.

### Method 3: User-Assisted Screenshot

When neither method is available:
1. Tell the user: "Open the canvas in Obsidian, zoom to fit all content, then take a screenshot."
2. On Linux (COSMIC): suggest `Print` key for screenshot tool.
3. On macOS: suggest `Cmd+Shift+4`.

---

## Operations

### Export to PNG (`/canvas export png [output_path]`)

1. Identify the target canvas (default: active canvas or `main.canvas`).
2. Determine output path:
   - If provided: use it.
   - If not: `[canvas_dir]/exports/[canvas-name].png`
3. Try Method 1 (Advanced Canvas) first.
4. If not available: try Method 2 (Playwright).
5. If neither: use Method 3 (user-assisted).
6. Report: "Exported [canvas] to [path] ([width]x[height] pixels)"

### Export to SVG (`/canvas export svg [output_path]`)

1. Same flow as PNG, but use SVG format.
2. Advanced Canvas supports SVG export with transparency.
3. Playwright fallback: render HTML, use `page.screenshot(type='svg')` — note: Playwright doesn't natively export SVG. Fall back to PNG.
4. Report format and path.

### Export to PDF (`/canvas export pdf [output_path]`)

For standard canvases:
1. Export to PNG first, then convert: `convert [png] [pdf]` (ImageMagick).

For presentation canvases:
1. Detect if canvas has edge-connected slide groups (presentation pattern).
2. Export each slide group as a separate PNG.
3. Combine into a multi-page PDF:
   ```bash
   convert slide-1.png slide-2.png slide-3.png output.pdf
   ```
4. Report: "Exported [N]-slide presentation to [path]"

---

## Output Directory Convention

Exports go to `[canvas_dir]/exports/` by default:
- Vault mode: `wiki/canvases/exports/`
- Standalone mode: `.canvases/exports/`

Create the directory if it doesn't exist.

---

## Limitations

- Playwright rendering is approximate — it doesn't replicate Obsidian's exact canvas renderer
- SVG export via Playwright is not supported — falls back to PNG
- PDF export requires ImageMagick (`convert` command)
- Mermaid diagrams in text nodes may not render in Playwright screenshots (requires Mermaid JS library)
- GIF animations are captured as static frames in screenshots
- Export quality depends on the method used (Advanced Canvas > Playwright > Screenshot)


---
Source attribution: AgriciDaniel
Original project: https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-canvas/blob/05b808cafd906bb3b8ff1c597ed8cd33ff5145c0/skills/canvas-export/SKILL.md
License: MIT
License information: https://opensource.org/license/mit
Original upstream instructions; downloaded from Dave AI.

## Upstream license notice

MIT License

Copyright (c) 2026 AgriciDaniel

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
SOFTWARE.



# Dave AI resource metadata

Creator / publisher: AgriciDaniel
Original project: https://github.com/AgriciDaniel/claude-canvas/blob/05b808cafd906bb3b8ff1c597ed8cd33ff5145c0/skills/canvas-export/SKILL.md
Attribution basis: Source repository record

Fields of work: Design, Marketing
Roles: Content Marketer, Graphic Designer, UX Designer
Specialties: API, Design
Tools: ImageMagick, Obsidian, Playwright
Country applicability: Country not specified
Classification basis: Source catalog labels
Instruction SHA-256: 6e0c21828309134c62ef6566295ce41b954cca01d83235e80f63ad845df45bac