Applications on the Mac are really just directory structures containing files, images, assets, executables, and the like. If you’ve ever right-clicked on an application and selected Show Package Contents, then you know exactly what I mean.
While right-clicking is a reasonable solution for extracting image, font, and other visible assets from an application, the Preview app makes doing so even easier. By simply dragging and dropping an app on the Preview app icon in the dock, you’re presented with a easy navigable thumbnail view of all of the app’s various assets.
How to extract images and assets from apps
Step 1: Open the Preview app so that it appears in your Mac’s Dock.
Step 2: Drag an application directly on top of the Preview app icon and release.
The Preview app should open and display all of the valid assets associated with the app that you dropped on to the Preview app icon.
This trick doesn’t just work for Application bundles; it works with folders, and various other types of files that contain valid assets like images, fonts, etc.
If you need to quickly access the assets found within a given app, then take the Preview app for a spin. It makes it super easy to find exactly what you need.
What method do you use for extracting app assets? Do you use Preview? You can also read Ankur’s tutorial on extracting images from apps using an alternative method.