How do I extract files without folder structure using tar

Question

I have a tar.gz-file with the following structure:

folder1/img.gif
folder2/img2.gif
folder3/img3.gif

I want to extract the image files without

Answer 1

Check the tar version e.g.

$ tar --version

If version is >= than tar-1.14.90 use --strip-components

tar xvzf web.dirs.tar.gz -C /srv/www --strip-components 2

else use --strip-path

tar xvzf web.dirs.tar.gz -C /srv/www --strip-path 2