To combine or merge artboards in Photoshop, you essentially ungroup them, which integrates their contents into a single canvas. If you wish to then create a single artboard encompassing those layers, you can do so. Here's how:
Steps to Ungroup (Effectively Combining) Artboards:
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Select Artboards: In the Layers panel, select all the artboards you want to merge. You can do this by clicking the first artboard, holding down the Shift key, and clicking the last artboard in the sequence.
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Ungroup Artboards: Right-click on the selected artboards in the Layers panel. From the context menu, choose "Ungroup Artboards".
- This action removes the artboard boundaries, and the layers contained within each artboard will now exist directly on the main canvas. The canvas size will automatically adjust to encompass all the former artboard content. Essentially, they are "joined" in that they now exist on the same canvas, but they are not enclosed in a new artboard.
Steps to Recombine into a Single Artboard:
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Select All Layers: After ungrouping, ensure that all relevant layers that previously belonged to the separate artboards are selected. In the Layers panel, select the top-most layer, scroll to the bottom-most layer (that you want to be included in the new Artboard), and hold 'Shift' while clicking the last layer. All layers in between should now also be selected.
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Create Artboard from Layers: Right-click on the selected layers. From the context menu, select "Artboard from Layers...".
- This will create a new single artboard encompassing all of the previously selected layers.
Important Considerations:
- Layer Organization: Ungrouping artboards can result in a cluttered Layers panel. Consider organizing your layers into groups after ungrouping to maintain a clear workflow.
- Canvas Size: When artboards are ungrouped, the overall canvas size adjusts to accommodate all the content. This can result in a very large canvas if your artboards were spaced far apart.
- Alternative: If you just want to move the contents of one artboard into another, consider selecting all layers of the artboard you want to merge and drag and drop them into the second artboard using the layers panel. Then delete the empty artboard.
By following these steps, you can effectively "join" or merge artboards in Photoshop, either by integrating their content into the main canvas or by combining their content into a new single artboard.
