How to Export Android Icons with App Image Kit

Why use a dedicated export tool?

Android expects the same bitmap filename in five density-qualified folders under res/. Doing this manually in Figma or Photoshop means five exports per icon, strict naming, and easy mistakes when you skip hdpi or mislabel xhdpi. App Image Kit renders every scale from one canvas definition so dimensions stay consistent across buckets.

If you need background on density buckets first, read What is DPI? and the drawable sizes reference.

Step 1 — Prepare your source image

Design your icon at the xxxhdpi pixel size (4× the dp size). For a standard 48 dp launcher icon, export a 192×192 px PNG from your design tool. Use a transparent background unless you intentionally want a coloured tile.

• Keep important artwork inside the central 66% safe zone if you later migrate to adaptive icons.
• Name the layer logically — the file name in App Image Kit becomes ic_launcher.png in the ZIP.
• Avoid upscaling a 48×48 image; always start large and scale down.

Step 2 — Import and set canvas size

Open App Image Kit, upload your PNG, and select it in the sidebar. In the Adjust panel, set the canvas to your mdpi (1×) dimensions — for a 48 dp icon, use 48×48. Position and scale the artwork so it fills the preview the way you want on a device.

The canvas size is the baseline App Image Kit multiplies for hdpi (1.5×), xhdpi (2×), xxhdpi (3×), and xxxhdpi (4×).

Step 3 — Export as Android ZIP

1. Check the image thumbnail checkbox for export.
2. Click Export and choose platform Android.
3. Leave all five densities selected unless you intentionally target a subset.
4. Download android-export.zip.

The archive contains:

drawable-mdpi/ic_launcher.png
drawable-hdpi/ic_launcher.png
drawable-xhdpi/ic_launcher.png
drawable-xxhdpi/ic_launcher.png
drawable-xxxhdpi/ic_launcher.png

Step 4 — Import into Android Studio

Unzip and copy the drawable-* folders into app/src/main/res/, merging with existing directories. Android Studio picks up new files on sync. For launcher icons, you may instead use mipmap-mdpi through mipmap-xxxhdpi — rename folders accordingly before copy, or use Image Asset Studio only for the Play Store 512×512 asset.

Run the app on an emulator at different API levels and compare mdpi vs xxhdpi devices to confirm sharpness.

Common mistakes

• Using a 48×48 source on a 48×48 canvas then expecting crisp xxxhdpi — set canvas to mdpi size, not xxxhdpi pixels.
• Forgetting to rename the sidebar label before export, producing image1.png in every folder.
• Placing launcher icons only in drawable/ when the manifest references @mipmap/ic_launcher.

Next steps

For adaptive launcher icons with separate foreground and background layers, see Android adaptive icons. For many icons at once, follow batch export for a full icon set.