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Export Guitar Chord Diagrams

Direct answer

Analyze a chord or progression, select the voicing you want for each step, then export a single voicing or the full progression as PNG, PDF, Markdown, or JSON. Export, project files, and larger bulk handouts are Professional capabilities in the current catalog. Community still includes chord parsing, playable voicing generation, and tuning support.

Fretboard Lab does not currently expose a manual DPI selector. Do not promise configurable 72/150/300-DPI output. Choose PNG for a rendered image, PDF for a document, Markdown for readable text, and JSON for structured voicing data, then validate the actual saved file in the destination application.

Format	Best use	What to verify
PNG	Slide, note, image attachment, quick chart	Labels, crop, readability at intended size
PDF	Printable handout or fixed document	Page layout, selected voicings, print preview
Markdown	Text-first lesson or versioned note	Tuning, chord names, fret data, table rendering
JSON	Structured archive or downstream tooling	Scope, tuning, key, selected IDs, progression data

Prepare the voicings

Export reflects the current analyzed state. Before saving:

enter the exact chord symbols or progression;
select the intended tuning and key;
analyze the input;
review every progression step;
replace any recommended shape that does not fit the musical or physical context;
check muted strings, open strings, finger assignments, barre, fret span, and note labels;
audition the selected chord or progression when audio is available;
decide whether the output needs one voicing or the complete sequence.

Use find your first playable chord voicing for the analysis workflow and progression mode for multi-chord selection.

Export one chord diagram

Move to the progression step you want and select one candidate voicing. Use Single PNG or Single PDF for a visual artifact. The Markdown and JSON actions use the current document scope; with a single-chord analysis they represent the selected voicing.

A single diagram should answer these questions without surrounding application context:

Which chord and tuning does the shape use?
Which strings are muted or open?
Which frets and fingers are required?
Does the diagram start above the nut?
Is a barre required?
Does the lowest sounding note match the intended inversion?

Export is not a substitute for checking playability. A generated shape can be harmonically valid and still be unsuitable for a specific hand, guitar setup, tempo, or adjacent chord.

Export a progression chart

When multiple steps are analyzed, review the selected voicing ID for every step before using Progression PNG or Progression PDF. The export uses the selected shape for each step, not an abstract chord list. Markdown and JSON can also use progression scope.

Progression check	Why it matters
Step order	Prevents a correct chord from appearing in the wrong bar
Repeated chord selections	A repeated symbol may need a different inversion later
Common position	Keeps the hand in a practical neck region
Top voice	Preserves intended melodic movement
Open strings	Can add sustain but reduce transposability
Fret span and difficulty	Keeps the exported arrangement playable
Key and tuning	Gives the recipient enough context to reproduce it

For a lesson handout, include the musical order, tuning, and any capo instruction in the surrounding document. Fretboard Lab exports the analyzed voicing plan; it does not infer a song’s bar count, rhythm, lyric alignment, rights status, or performance instructions.

Choose PNG or PDF

PNG is a raster image generated by the application. It is convenient for a slide, messaging attachment, or image-capable note. Avoid repeatedly resizing and re-saving it because that can make text and fret markers soft.

PDF is better when the chart will be printed or attached as a stable document. Always open the saved PDF and inspect every page. Printer scaling, page margins, and the destination viewer can still change the final appearance.

There is no need to invent a print-resolution claim. The practical test is whether chord names, string labels, fret numbers, muted/open states, and finger markers remain readable in the actual delivery size.

Choose Markdown or JSON

Markdown is useful when the output belongs in notes, documentation, or source control. Its text can be reviewed without image software. Preview it in the intended renderer because table support and line wrapping vary.

JSON is appropriate for structured retention and tooling. It can include single or progression scope, chord data, tuning, key, voicings, selected recommendation IDs, and common-position data. Treat its schema as application data rather than a universal guitar-chart standard.

Bulk and project boundaries

The backend applies an additional bulk-export capability check when an export contains more than twelve voicings. If a large handout is blocked, reduce the scope or use an edition that includes bulk export. Do not split an artifact merely to hide the edition boundary if the real task is a large progression package.

Professional project save is different from export. A .flab project is intended to preserve editable application state; PNG, PDF, Markdown, and JSON are delivery formats. Keep the project when future voicing changes are likely.

Export QA checklist

Chord symbols parsed as intended.
Tuning and key match the recipient’s instrument.
Every progression step has the intended selected voicing.
Muted, open, fretted, barre, and bass-note details were checked.
Single versus progression scope is deliberate.
The output format matches print, image, text, or data use.
The saved file opens outside the export dialog.
PNG and PDF labels remain readable at delivery size.
Markdown is previewed and JSON parses successfully when used by tooling.
The file contains no customer or song material the recipient is not authorized to receive.

FAQ

Can Community export chord diagrams?

No. The current catalog assigns export formats to Professional. Community can still parse chords, generate voicings, and use supported tunings.

Can I set the PNG DPI?

Not through a current documented DPI control. Export the PNG and verify its actual dimensions and readability in the target workflow.

Does a progression export choose every voicing for me?

The analysis recommends paths, but you should review and select each step. The export should represent your approved arrangement, not an unchecked default.

Direct answer and acceptance boundary

For “Export Guitar Chord Diagrams”, the short answer is: Export a selected guitar chord voicing or full progression from Fretboard Lab as PNG, PDF, Markdown, or JSON with the correct scope and license. Treat that statement as a result to verify, not as a promise that every input, device, project, or environment behaves identically. A complete result records the starting state, the exact action, the visible output, and the condition that proves the task is finished in Fretboard Lab.

Evidence-first operating procedure

Work from a small, repeatable case before changing a full project. Record the application version, operating system, input or device identity, relevant settings, and the expected result. Perform one deliberate action, preserve the first unexpected transition, and compare it with a known-good run whenever one is available. Changing several controls at once may hide which condition fixed or created the problem.

Checkpoint 1: Export Guitar Chord Diagrams

Treat “Export Guitar Chord Diagrams” as a separate acceptance gate for “Export Guitar Chord Diagrams”. Record its initial state before acting, then capture the first visible change and the final state. If the result differs from the page’s stated outcome, return to the last confirmed checkpoint instead of continuing with assumptions.

Checkpoint 2: Export a selected guitar chord voicing or full progression from Fretboard Lab as PNG, PDF,

Verify “Export a selected guitar chord voicing or full progression from Fretboard Lab as PNG, PDF, Markdown, or JSON with the correct scope and license.” with the smallest representative input. Keep unrelated settings unchanged, repeat the same action once, and note whether the result is stable after reopening or reconnecting. A screenshot alone is weaker than a record that includes the input, setting, action, output, and time.

Checkpoint 3: Direct answer

For “Direct answer”, distinguish a product decision from an operating-system, hardware, source-file, permission, or workflow boundary. Confirm which layer supplied the evidence before assigning a cause. This prevents a nearby symptom from being reported as a proven root cause.

Checkpoint 4: Prepare the voicings

Use “Prepare the voicings” to define a pass/fail statement that another operator can repeat. Include what should be present, what must be absent, and what recovery action is safe if the check fails. Keep the original project or capture unchanged until the repaired copy has passed the same check.

Checkpoint 5: Export one chord diagram

When “Export one chord diagram” is ambiguous, compare one known-good case with one failing case under matching conditions. Mark the first meaningful difference rather than listing every later symptom. That first boundary usually produces a clearer support request and a safer next experiment.

Checkpoint 6: Export a progression chart

Close “Export a progression chart” only after the saved, exported, or reopened result still matches the observed state. Temporary UI feedback is useful, but durable evidence is stronger. Record any limitation that remains so the next reader does not interpret an incomplete path as a successful one.

Checkpoint 7: Choose PNG or PDF

Treat “Choose PNG or PDF” as a separate acceptance gate for “Export Guitar Chord Diagrams”. Record its initial state before acting, then capture the first visible change and the final state. If the result differs from the page’s stated outcome, return to the last confirmed checkpoint instead of continuing with assumptions.

Checkpoint 8: Choose Markdown or JSON

Verify “Choose Markdown or JSON” with the smallest representative input. Keep unrelated settings unchanged, repeat the same action once, and note whether the result is stable after reopening or reconnecting. A screenshot alone is weaker than a record that includes the input, setting, action, output, and time.

Checkpoint 9: Bulk and project boundaries

For “Bulk and project boundaries”, distinguish a product decision from an operating-system, hardware, source-file, permission, or workflow boundary. Confirm which layer supplied the evidence before assigning a cause. This prevents a nearby symptom from being reported as a proven root cause.

Checkpoint 10: Export QA checklist

Use “Export QA checklist” to define a pass/fail statement that another operator can repeat. Include what should be present, what must be absent, and what recovery action is safe if the check fails. Keep the original project or capture unchanged until the repaired copy has passed the same check.

Acceptance matrix

Checkpoint	Evidence to retain	Pass condition
Export Guitar Chord Diagrams	Initial state, one action, and resulting state	A second operator can reproduce the stated outcome
Export a selected guitar chord voicing or full progression from Fretboard Lab as PNG, PDF, Markdown, or JSON with the co	Initial state, one action, and resulting state	A second operator can reproduce the stated outcome
Direct answer	Initial state, one action, and resulting state	A second operator can reproduce the stated outcome
Prepare the voicings	Initial state, one action, and resulting state	A second operator can reproduce the stated outcome
Export one chord diagram	Initial state, one action, and resulting state	A second operator can reproduce the stated outcome
Export a progression chart	Initial state, one action, and resulting state	A second operator can reproduce the stated outcome

Failure isolation, recovery, and handoff

If a check fails, stop at the first failed boundary. Preserve the source, project, session, or capture; duplicate it before destructive editing; and change one variable per experiment. Repeating a broad workflow after several simultaneous changes may produce a different result without explaining why.

Separate absence of evidence from evidence of absence. A blank view may mean the wrong input, scope, filter, permission, device, time range, or project state rather than “nothing happened.” Verify the acquisition or import path before interpreting a decoder, editor, report, or export.

Before handoff, reopen the durable artifact and inspect its beginning, the decision point, and its end. Record version, platform, relevant configuration, expected behavior, observed behavior, and the smallest reproduction. Remove or redact sensitive material and confirm the recipient is authorized to receive it.

Questions and answers

What is the fastest reliable way to start?

Use the smallest representative case, write down the expected result, and change one variable. Confirm the basic path before adding filters, effects, edits, automation, or a larger source. This creates a baseline that can be compared after every later decision.

What evidence should be saved?

Keep the input identity, application version, platform, relevant settings, exact action, first unexpected transition, and final output. If the workflow creates a project, session, report, or export, close and reopen it before treating it as durable evidence.

When should the procedure be repeated?

Repeat it after an application, operating-system, driver, firmware, model, source, or workflow change that can alter the result. Preserve the earlier accepted case so the comparison uses the same acceptance boundary rather than memory.

When is the task ready for handoff?

It is ready when another authorized person can identify the input, repeat the action, see the same result, understand any remaining limitation, and open the saved artifact without relying on undocumented local state.

Related guides

Continue with the same-language pages below. They cover adjacent stages without changing the canonical owner of this topic: