diff --git a/openpype/hosts/photoshop/plugins/publish/collect_remote_instances.py b/openpype/hosts/photoshop/plugins/publish/collect_remote_instances.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a9d6d6fec6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/openpype/hosts/photoshop/plugins/publish/collect_remote_instances.py
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+import pyblish.api
+import os
+
+from avalon import photoshop
+from openpype.lib import prepare_template_data
+
+
+class CollectRemoteInstances(pyblish.api.ContextPlugin):
+    """Gather instances configured color code of a layer.
+
+    Used in remote publishing when artists marks publishable layers by color-
+    coding.
+
+    Identifier:
+        id (str): "pyblish.avalon.instance"
+    """
+    order = pyblish.api.CollectorOrder + 0.100
+
+    label = "Instances"
+    order = pyblish.api.CollectorOrder
+    hosts = ["photoshop"]
+
+    # configurable by Settings
+    families = ["background"]
+    color_code = ["red"]
+    subset_template_name = ""
+
+    def process(self, context):
+        self.log.info("CollectRemoteInstances")
+        if not os.environ.get("IS_HEADLESS"):
+            self.log.debug("Not headless publishing, skipping.")
+            return
+
+        # parse variant if used in webpublishing, comes from webpublisher batch
+        batch_dir = os.environ.get("OPENPYPE_PUBLISH_DATA")
+        variant = "Main"
+        if batch_dir and os.path.exists(batch_dir):
+            # TODO check if batch manifest is same as tasks manifests
+            task_data = self.parse_json(os.path.join(batch_dir,
+                                                     "manifest.json"))
+            variant = task_data["variant"]
+
+        stub = photoshop.stub()
+        layers = stub.get_layers()
+
+        instance_names = []
+        for layer in layers:
+            self.log.info("!!!Layer:: {}".format(layer))
+            if layer.color_code not in self.color_code:
+                self.log.debug("Not marked, skip")
+                continue
+
+            if layer.parents:
+                self.log.debug("Not a top layer, skip")
+                continue
+
+            instance = context.create_instance(layer.name)
+            instance.append(layer)
+            instance.data["family"] = self.families[0]
+            instance.data["publish"] = layer.visible
+
+            # populate data from context, coming from outside?? TODO
+            # TEMP
+            self.log.info("asset {}".format(context.data["assetEntity"]))
+            self.log.info("taskType {}".format(context.data["taskType"]))
+            instance.data["asset"] = context.data["assetEntity"]["name"]
+            instance.data["task"] = context.data["taskType"]
+
+            fill_pairs = {
+                "variant": variant,
+                "family": instance.data["family"],
+                "task": instance.data["task"],
+                "layer": layer.name
+            }
+            subset = self.subset_template.format(
+                **prepare_template_data(fill_pairs))
+            instance.data["subset"] = subset
+
+            instance_names.append(layer.name)
+
+            # Produce diagnostic message for any graphical
+            # user interface interested in visualising it.
+            self.log.info("Found: \"%s\" " % instance.data["name"])
+            self.log.info("instance: {} ".format(instance.data))
+
+        if len(instance_names) != len(set(instance_names)):
+            self.log.warning("Duplicate instances found. " +
+                             "Remove unwanted via SubsetManager")
diff --git a/openpype/hosts/webpublisher/plugins/publish/collect_published_files.py b/openpype/hosts/webpublisher/plugins/publish/collect_published_files.py
index 7e9b98956a..2b4a1273b8 100644
--- a/openpype/hosts/webpublisher/plugins/publish/collect_published_files.py
+++ b/openpype/hosts/webpublisher/plugins/publish/collect_published_files.py
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import tempfile
 import pyblish.api
 from avalon import io
 from openpype.lib import prepare_template_data
+from openpype.lib.plugin_tools import parse_json
 
 
 class CollectPublishedFiles(pyblish.api.ContextPlugin):
@@ -33,22 +34,6 @@ class CollectPublishedFiles(pyblish.api.ContextPlugin):
     # from Settings
     task_type_to_family = {}
 
-    def _load_json(self, path):
-        path = path.strip('\"')
-        assert os.path.isfile(path), (
-            "Path to json file doesn't exist. \"{}\"".format(path)
-        )
-        data = None
-        with open(path, "r") as json_file:
-            try:
-                data = json.load(json_file)
-            except Exception as exc:
-                self.log.error(
-                    "Error loading json: "
-                    "{} - Exception: {}".format(path, exc)
-                )
-        return data
-
     def _process_batch(self, dir_url):
         task_subfolders = [
             os.path.join(dir_url, o)
@@ -56,8 +41,8 @@ class CollectPublishedFiles(pyblish.api.ContextPlugin):
             if os.path.isdir(os.path.join(dir_url, o))]
         self.log.info("task_sub:: {}".format(task_subfolders))
         for task_dir in task_subfolders:
-            task_data = self._load_json(os.path.join(task_dir,
-                                                     "manifest.json"))
+            task_data = parse_json(os.path.join(task_dir,
+                                                "manifest.json"))
             self.log.info("task_data:: {}".format(task_data))
             ctx = task_data["context"]
             task_type = "default_task_type"
@@ -261,7 +246,7 @@ class CollectPublishedFiles(pyblish.api.ContextPlugin):
         assert batch_dir, (
             "Missing `OPENPYPE_PUBLISH_DATA`")
 
-        assert batch_dir, \
+        assert os.path.exists(batch_dir), \
             "Folder {} doesn't exist".format(batch_dir)
 
         project_name = os.environ.get("AVALON_PROJECT")
diff --git a/openpype/lib/plugin_tools.py b/openpype/lib/plugin_tools.py
index 9dccadc44e..2158a3e28d 100644
--- a/openpype/lib/plugin_tools.py
+++ b/openpype/lib/plugin_tools.py
@@ -483,3 +483,20 @@ def should_decompress(file_url):
             "compression: \"dwab\"" in output
 
     return False
+
+
+def parse_json(path):
+    path = path.strip('\"')
+    assert os.path.isfile(path), (
+        "Path to json file doesn't exist. \"{}\"".format(path)
+    )
+    data = None
+    with open(path, "r") as json_file:
+        try:
+            data = json.load(json_file)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            log.error(
+                "Error loading json: "
+                "{} - Exception: {}".format(path, exc)
+            )
+    return data