Open files



You can open files using the Open command and Open Recent command. You can also open files into Photoshop from Adobe Bridge or Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom™.

When opening certain files, such as camera raw and PDF, you specify settings and options in a dialog box before the files completely open in Photoshop.

In addition to still images, Photoshop® CS4 Extended users can open and edit 3D files, video and image sequence files. For more information, see Importing video files and image sequences (Photoshop Extended).

Note: Photoshop uses plug-in modules to open and import many file formats. If a file format does not appear in the Open dialog box or in the File > Import submenu, you may need to install the format’s plug-in module.

Sometimes Photoshop may not be able to determine the correct format for a file. This can happen, for example, because the file has been transferred between two operating systems. Sometimes a transfer between Mac OS and Windows can cause the file format to be mislabeled. In such cases, you must specify the correct format in which to open the file.

You can retain (where possible) layers, masks, transparency, compound shapes, slices, image maps, and editable type when bringing your Illustrator art into Photoshop. In Illustrator, export the art in the Photoshop (PSD) file format. If your Illustrator art contains elements that Photoshop doesn’t support, the appearance of the artwork is preserved, but the layers are merged and the artwork is rasterized.

Open a file using the Open command

  1. Choose File > Open.
  2. Select the name of the file you want to open. If the file does not appear, select the option for showing all files from the Files Of Type (Windows) or Enable (Mac OS) pop-up menu.
  3. Click Open. In some cases, a dialog box appears, letting you set format-specific options.
    Note: If a color profile warning message appears, specify whether to use embedded profile as the working space, convert the document color to working space, or reverse the embedded profile. For more information, see Color-managing imported images.

Open a recently used file

 Choose File > Open Recent, and select a file from the submenu.
Note: To specify the number of files listed in the Open Recent menu, change the Recent File List Contains option in the File Handling preferences. Choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling (Windows), or Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling (Mac OS).

Specify the file format in which to open a file

If a file was saved with an extension that doesn’t match its true format (for example, a PSD file saved with a .gif extension), or has no extension, Photoshop may not be able to open the file. Selecting the correct format will allow Photoshop to recognize and open the file.

 Do one of the following:

  • (Windows) Choose File > Open As, and select the file you want to open. Then choose the desired format from the Open As pop‑up menu, and click Open.

  • (Mac OS) Choose File > Open, and choose All Documents from the Show pop‑up menu. Then select the file you want to open, choose the desired file format from the Format pop‑up menu, and click Open.

Note: If the file does not open, then the chosen format may not match the file’s true format, or the file may be damaged.