diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index 1c6070a52c..32231ff4d8 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ New Features
 
 - "Export Plot" plugin is now replaced with the more general "Export" plugin. [#2722]
 
-- "Export" plugin supports exporting plugin tables, data and non-composite spatial subsets.[#2755, #2760, #2772, #2770]
+- "Export" plugin supports exporting plugin tables, data and non-composite spatial subsets.[#2755, #2760, #2772, #2770, #2780]
 
 - Opening a plugin in the tray (from the API or the toolbar buttons) now scrolls to that plugin.
   [#2768]
diff --git a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.py b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.py
index aa215bb27f..1a854d2aea 100644
--- a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.py
+++ b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.py
@@ -89,6 +89,14 @@ class Export(PluginTemplateMixin, ViewerSelectMixin, SubsetSelectMixin,
     def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
 
+        # NOTE: if adding export support for non-plugin products, also update the language
+        # in the UI as well as in _set_dataset_not_supported_msg
+        self.dataset.filters = ['is_not_wcs_only', 'not_child_layer',
+                                'from_plugin']
+
+        # NOTE: if/when adding support for spectral subsets, update the languange in the UI
+        self.subset.filters = ['is_spatial']
+
         self.plot = SelectPluginComponent(self,
                                           items='plot_items',
                                           selected='plot_selected',
@@ -237,6 +245,8 @@ def _set_subset_not_supported_msg(self, msg=None):
     def _set_dataset_not_supported_msg(self, msg=None):
         if self.dataset.selected_obj is not None:
             if self.dataset.selected_obj.meta.get("Plugin", None) is None:
+                # NOTE: should not be a valid choice due to dataset filters, but we'll include
+                # another check here.
                 self.data_invalid_msg = "Data export is only available for plugin generated data."
             elif not isinstance(self.dataset.selected_obj, (Spectrum1D, CCDData)):
                 self.data_invalid_msg = "Export is not implemented for this type of data"
diff --git a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.vue b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.vue
index 9b999e45e3..3ac3e83738 100644
--- a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.vue
+++ b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/export.vue
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
     ></j-multiselect-toggle>
 
     <j-plugin-section-header style="margin-top: 12px">Viewers</j-plugin-section-header>
+    <v-row>
+      <span class="v-messages v-messages__message text--secondary">Export viewer plot as an image.</span>
+    </v-row>
     <plugin-inline-select
       :items="viewer_items"
       :selected.sync="viewer_selected"
@@ -86,6 +89,9 @@
 
     <div v-if="dataset_items.length > 0">
       <j-plugin-section-header style="margin-top: 12px">Data</j-plugin-section-header>
+      <v-row>
+        <span class="v-messages v-messages__message text--secondary">Export data generated by plugins.</span>
+      </v-row>
       <plugin-inline-select
         :items="dataset_items"
         :selected.sync="dataset_selected"
@@ -115,7 +121,7 @@
     <div v-if="subset_items.length > 0">
       <j-plugin-section-header style="margin-top: 12px">Subsets</j-plugin-section-header>
       <v-row>
-        <span class="v-messages v-messages__message text--secondary"> Save subset as astropy region. </span>
+        <span class="v-messages v-messages__message text--secondary">Export spatial subset as astropy region.</span>
       </v-row>
       <plugin-inline-select
         :items="subset_items"
@@ -147,6 +153,9 @@
 
     <div v-if="table_items.length > 0">
       <j-plugin-section-header style="margin-top: 12px">Plugin Tables</j-plugin-section-header>
+      <v-row>
+        <span class="v-messages v-messages__message text--secondary">Export table from a plugin to a file.</span>
+      </v-row>
       <plugin-inline-select
         :items="table_items"
         :selected.sync="table_selected"
@@ -170,6 +179,9 @@
 
     <div v-if="dev_plot_support && plot_items.length > 0">
       <j-plugin-section-header style="margin-top: 12px">Plugin Plots</j-plugin-section-header>
+      <v-row>
+        <span class="v-messages v-messages__message text--secondary">Export plot from a plugin as an image.</span>
+      </v-row>
       <plugin-inline-select
         :items="plot_items"
         :selected.sync="plot_selected"
diff --git a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/tests/test_export.py b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/tests/test_export.py
index 61de1908f9..8db93bfce2 100644
--- a/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/tests/test_export.py
+++ b/jdaviz/configs/default/plugins/export/tests/test_export.py
@@ -92,9 +92,7 @@ def test_not_implemented(self, cubeviz_helper, spectral_cube_wcs):
 
         cubeviz_helper.app.session.edit_subset_mode.mode = NewMode
         cubeviz_helper.app.get_viewer("spectrum-viewer").apply_roi(XRangeROI(5, 15.5))
-        export_plugin.subset.selected = 'Subset 2'
-
-        assert export_plugin.subset_invalid_msg == 'Export for spectral subsets not supported.'
+        assert 'Subset 2' not in export_plugin.subset.choices
 
     def test_export_subsets_wcs(self, tmp_path, imviz_helper, spectral_cube_wcs):
 
@@ -186,18 +184,6 @@ def test_basic_export_subsets_cubeviz(self, tmp_path, cubeviz_helper, spectral_c
 
 
 def test_export_data(cubeviz_helper, spectrum1d_cube):
-    cubeviz_helper.load_data(spectrum1d_cube, data_label="test")
-    export_plugin = cubeviz_helper.plugins["Export"]._obj
-    export_plugin.dataset_selected = 'test[FLUX]'
-    assert export_plugin.dataset_format.selected == 'fits'
-    assert 'test[FLUX]' in cubeviz_helper.app.data_collection.labels
-    with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError,
-                       match='Data can not be exported'):
-        export_plugin.export()
-    assert export_plugin.data_invalid_msg == 'Data export is only available for plugin generated data.'   # noqa
-
-
-def test_disable_export_for_non_plugin_generated_data(cubeviz_helper, spectrum1d_cube):
     cubeviz_helper.load_data(spectrum1d_cube, data_label='test')
     mm = cubeviz_helper.plugins["Moment Maps"]
     mm.dataset = 'test[FLUX]'
@@ -209,13 +195,10 @@ def test_disable_export_for_non_plugin_generated_data(cubeviz_helper, spectrum1d
         cubeviz_helper._default_flux_viewer_reference_name, 'moment 0'
     )
     ep = cubeviz_helper.plugins["Export"]._obj
-    ep.dataset_selected = 'test[FLUX]'
-    with pytest.raises(NotImplementedError,
-                       match='Data can not be exported'):
-        ep.export()
-    assert ep.data_invalid_msg == 'Data export is only available for plugin generated data.'
+    assert 'test[FLUX]' not in ep.dataset.choices
 
     ep.dataset_selected = 'moment 0'
+    assert ep.dataset_format.selected == 'fits'
     ep.export()
     assert os.path.isfile("cubeviz_export.fits")
     assert ep.data_invalid_msg == ''
diff --git a/jdaviz/core/template_mixin.py b/jdaviz/core/template_mixin.py
index b1a7851265..11185fbe78 100644
--- a/jdaviz/core/template_mixin.py
+++ b/jdaviz/core/template_mixin.py
@@ -1339,6 +1339,7 @@ def __init__(self, plugin, items, selected, viewer,
                  multiselect=None,
                  default_text=None, manual_options=[],
                  default_mode='first',
+                 filters=['not_child_layer'],
                  only_wcs_layers=False):
         """
         Parameters
@@ -1392,12 +1393,6 @@ def __init__(self, plugin, items, selected, viewer,
         self._update_layer_items()
         self.update_wcs_only_filter(only_wcs_layers)
 
-        # ignore layers that are children in associations:
-        def is_parent(data):
-            return self.app._get_assoc_data_parent(data.label) is None
-
-        self.add_filter(is_parent)
-
     def _get_viewer(self, viewer):
         # newer will likely be the viewer name in most cases, but viewer id in the case
         # of additional viewers in imviz.
@@ -1413,6 +1408,13 @@ def viewer_objs(self):
             viewer_names = [viewer_names]
         return [self._get_viewer(viewer) for viewer in viewer_names]
 
+    def _is_valid_item(self, lyr):
+        def not_child_layer(lyr):
+            # ignore layers that are children in associations:
+            return self.app._get_assoc_data_parent(lyr.label) is None
+
+        return super()._is_valid_item(lyr, locals())
+
     def _layer_to_dict(self, layer_label):
         is_subset = None
         colors = []
@@ -3033,7 +3035,8 @@ class DatasetSelect(SelectPluginComponent):
 
     def __init__(self, plugin, items, selected,
                  multiselect=None,
-                 filters=['not_from_plugin_model_fitting', 'layer_in_viewers', 'is_not_wcs_only'],
+                 filters=['not_from_plugin_model_fitting', 'layer_in_viewers',
+                          'is_not_wcs_only', 'not_child_layer'],
                  default_text=None, manual_options=[],
                  default_mode='first'):
         """
@@ -3072,12 +3075,6 @@ def __init__(self, plugin, items, selected,
         # initialize items from original viewers
         self._on_data_changed()
 
-        # ignore layers that are children in associations:
-        def is_parent(data):
-            return self.app._get_assoc_data_parent(data.label) is None
-
-        self.add_filter(is_parent)
-
     def _cubeviz_include_spatial_subsets(self):
         """
         Call this method to prepend spatial subsets to the list of datasets (and listen for newly
@@ -3151,6 +3148,9 @@ def selected_spectrum_for_spatial_subset(self,
                                                     use_display_units=use_display_units)
 
     def _is_valid_item(self, data):
+        def from_plugin(data):
+            return data.meta.get('Plugin', None) is not None
+
         def not_from_plugin(data):
             return data.meta.get('Plugin', None) is None
 
@@ -3199,6 +3199,10 @@ def is_cube(data):
         def is_not_wcs_only(data):
             return not data.meta.get(_wcs_only_label, False)
 
+        def not_child_layer(data):
+            # ignore layers that are children in associations:
+            return self.app._get_assoc_data_parent(data.label) is None
+
         return super()._is_valid_item(data, locals())
 
     @observe('filters')