Variants, sections, components, oh my!
Yes, finally (we know)…variants now in the beta 👇
It’s new beta day! This one is good:
- Variants (finally!)
- Sections
- Symbols are called components now
- Plus plenty more improvements and fixes
But seriously go test variants because it’s what you’ve all been asking us for ↓
sketch.com/beta
Inspecting Sketch documents on the web has come a long way since your grandpa first used it many years ago… and yes, there is a proper layer list now! ✨
Things you can do with a FREE Sketch dev seat in any web browser:
- View designs (the whole thing, on a proper web canvas, yes, really)
- Leave comments, get replies, “passionately discuss” implementation details
- Measure between layers in designs, toggle grid and layout views
- Copy layer properties and CSS
- View colors and copy in your favorite format
- Export any part of a design — from a single layer through to an entire frame — in the format you want, on the fly
- Navigate the document’s full layer list
- Export design tokens (for color variables, text styles and layer styles)
- View all the symbols, styles and variables in a document and see if they come from an existing Library or not
- Yes, it’s all free
Proud of the web team RE these two new features:
Command bar started as a passion project and was built during our recent hack week, and it already covers much of the web app. While the new inbox is a massive upgrade over the previous iteration (inline replies!)
Check 'em out👇
We also heard you RE a proper layer list in the web app, and so… here it is! 🔍
Replying to @sketch
We’ve also added a full layer list for inspecting designs in the web app — making it easier to find layers, jump to them, copy links, grab CSS, or export your selection. There’s a handy new contextual menu, too. Also, you can invite the devs in your team to use this for free! 🧵↓
Sharing only specific pages and prototypes is something that users have been asking for… so here it is, "previews" ✨
Tim Davies retweeted
Okay! Here are the tools we’ve got for you to design with Liquid Glass and the new design system.
🎨 Sketch Libraries – developer.apple.com/design/r…
🔜 Figma Libraries – Coming soon!
🎼 Icon Composer App – developer.apple.com/icon-com…
📚 HIG – We updated like every page! developer.apple.com/design/
🎬 Videos – start with Meet Liquid Glass developer.apple.com/videos/p…
Tim Davies retweeted
Some details from @RamsesCabello of how handoff looks with Stacks. New box model preview, flex CSS output, all in any browser — and dev seats are free!
💛 new version of @sketch is out! 〜
we worked on an update to the web app inspector to include all the new properties from frames, stacks and graphics. now it's easy to copy values, css, and a box model preview 〜
please, play around with it! (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)✨
The biggest Sketch release ever just dropped, and it’s a beast. ✨
So much care and craft went into this one from right across the company. "Proud" doesn’t begin to cover it.
There’s too much to cover in a single post, so check out the official thread below 👇
🚨 More amazing work shipping from @sketch
Super proud of the web team 👏 Not only because of the overhaul of our web app's UI, but for shipping much requested features, like the ability to export any layer without the need to define it in the mac app first (finally, we know) 🎉
What did we do in 2024? We asked @rafahari (and a few friends) to show what we shipped… and… well… enjoy!
Animated prototypes? Exporting any layer from the web without waiting for your designer colleague to mark it as exportable?? A new UI in the web app making it easier to navigate your workspace???
It’s like a whole new game!
🆕 in Sketch: Smart Animate, easy Library replacements, better PDF exports, all-new web app UI, better dev handoff, and so much more!
Our latest update brings a bunch of new features and improvements, starting with a new Prototyping feature…
Smart Animate
We’ve had plenty of requests to bring animation to Prototyping — so we’ve done just that.
Smart Animate looks for layers with the same name across different Artboards and animates the changes between them. If you’ve used Magic Move in Keynote, you’ll find this pretty familiar!
If you want to see Smart Animate in action, check out our blog post where we’ve run through a few examples of how you can bring it into your designs: skt.ch/9fs8fDj
As part of Smart Animate, we’ve added easing and duration options for transitions, and introduced a new transition — dissolve.
Easy Library swaps
You now have a couple of ways to swap the underlying Library and replace the Components in your document.
You can choose to replace all Components, a single Component type or your own custom selection of specific Components. This one is super handy if you’re doing things like theming, or designing for dark and light modes.
Color Variables in gradients
We know, this one has been a long time coming. There’s not much more to say on this one, but we’re glad it’s here now — and we hope you are too!
Better PDF exports
You can now choose which Artboards to export, optionally add Artboard titles and render Artboards as bitmaps for more precision. Also, for Workspace documents, you can include all comments in your PDF or as a separate CSV file.
Sketch en español
Di ‘hola’ a diseñar en español. A partir de ahora, podrás usar Sketch en español e interactuar con la interfaz de manera más familiar e intuitiva. (For non-Spanish speakers: That’s us explaining you can now use Sketch in Spanish.)
All-new web app UI
Following on from our document view refresh, we’ve given the rest of the web app’s UI an overhaul. There’s a new font (Inter, in case you’re wondering), new iconography, and new thumbnail styling for a greater sense of hierarchy.
Better developer handoff
Developers using the web app for handoff can now export any layer in a document without it being set to export in the Mac app first. You can set your export size/scale, format and filename prefix/suffix — all within the browser.
…and so much more
There’s a bunch more improvements in the Mac app, like renaming Artboards on the Canvas, HEIC exports, and click-and-drag support for scrolling areas in prototypes. And of course, a few bug fixes, too.
Find out more at skt.ch/updates or open the Mac app now to update!
On a serious note, At the end of this release’s promo video, you will spot a special message…
The release is dedicated to a friend & colleague, without whom much of @sketch wouldn’t exist.
I’m proud that we could dedicate this release to him.
Thank you, Gavin 🥃
Tim Davies retweeted
🆕 in Sketch: Smart Animate, easy Library replacements, better PDF exports, all-new web app UI, better dev handoff, and so much more!
Our latest update brings a bunch of new features and improvements, starting with a new Prototyping feature…
Smart Animate
We’ve had plenty of requests to bring animation to Prototyping — so we’ve done just that.
Smart Animate looks for layers with the same name across different Artboards and animates the changes between them. If you’ve used Magic Move in Keynote, you’ll find this pretty familiar!
If you want to see Smart Animate in action, check out our blog post where we’ve run through a few examples of how you can bring it into your designs: skt.ch/9fs8fDj
As part of Smart Animate, we’ve added easing and duration options for transitions, and introduced a new transition — dissolve.
Easy Library swaps
You now have a couple of ways to swap the underlying Library and replace the Components in your document.
You can choose to replace all Components, a single Component type or your own custom selection of specific Components. This one is super handy if you’re doing things like theming, or designing for dark and light modes.
Color Variables in gradients
We know, this one has been a long time coming. There’s not much more to say on this one, but we’re glad it’s here now — and we hope you are too!
Better PDF exports
You can now choose which Artboards to export, optionally add Artboard titles and render Artboards as bitmaps for more precision. Also, for Workspace documents, you can include all comments in your PDF or as a separate CSV file.
Sketch en español
Di ‘hola’ a diseñar en español. A partir de ahora, podrás usar Sketch en español e interactuar con la interfaz de manera más familiar e intuitiva. (For non-Spanish speakers: That’s us explaining you can now use Sketch in Spanish.)
All-new web app UI
Following on from our document view refresh, we’ve given the rest of the web app’s UI an overhaul. There’s a new font (Inter, in case you’re wondering), new iconography, and new thumbnail styling for a greater sense of hierarchy.
Better developer handoff
Developers using the web app for handoff can now export any layer in a document without it being set to export in the Mac app first. You can set your export size/scale, format and filename prefix/suffix — all within the browser.
…and so much more
There’s a bunch more improvements in the Mac app, like renaming Artboards on the Canvas, HEIC exports, and click-and-drag support for scrolling areas in prototypes. And of course, a few bug fixes, too.
Find out more at skt.ch/updates or open the Mac app now to update!
Check out what @RamsesCabello has been able to create in the current @sketch beta 👀
ଘ(˵╹-╹)━☆⋆ ˚。⋆ we've prepared a public doc with the gacha smart animate demo 〜
(*ˊᗜˋ*)/ thanks @Keir @dfmedrano @BrettArchibald @freddiewrites for helping out
↓ link to the doc in the next post
Tim Davies retweeted
ଘ(˵╹-╹)━☆⋆ ˚。⋆ we've prepared a public doc with the gacha smart animate demo 〜
(*ˊᗜˋ*)/ thanks @Keir @dfmedrano @BrettArchibald @freddiewrites for helping out
↓ link to the doc in the next post
Many of us who've worked at Sketch over the last eight years and many in the Mac dev community lost a good friend over the weekend.
It's a stark reminder of how precious and fleeting our time together is and how it can be over without notice.
Be like our friend, be kind.
🥃
👇 Paulo is seeking feedback on layout mechanisms in @sketch – now's your chance to influence how we implement these features 🏃♂️
We’re bringing auto/stack/flex layout to @sketch and I’d love to know:
→ What are your must-haves?
→ What should we borrow from other tools?
→ What’s missing or lacking in other tools?
Let me know in the replies! 👇
Lots of work went into this behind the scenes to ensure it is a super smooth experience and just works ®
Not only is your document always synced as you work, but fewer versions from cmd+s spam leads to more meaningful versions in the web app for your colleagues to work from 🧑💻✨
Replying to @sketch
We automatically and regularly save your Workspace documents as you design — no need to manually save anymore. Press ^⌘S to create a new version, add a description or a star — great to indicate important updates and control what Viewers and Guests can see.
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