Opening files

You can open files using the Open command and Open Recent command. In Photoshop, you can also open files using the File Browser. For more information, see Using the File Browser (Photoshop).

There may be instances when Photoshop cannot determine the correct format for a file. For example, transferring a file between Mac OS and Windows can cause the format to be mislabeled. In such cases, you must specify the correct format in which to open the file.

To 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 Show (Mac OS) pop-up menu.
3. (Mac OS) Click Show Preview to preview the selected file. This option requires the Apple QuickTime extension.

Note: Previews display faster if they are saved with the file. In Photoshop, select Always Save for Image Previews in the Saving Files preferences to always save a preview; select Ask When Saving to save previews on a file-per-file basis.

4. Click Open. In some cases, a dialog box appears, letting you set format-specific options. (See Opening and importing PDF files and Opening PostScript artwork.)

Note: If a color profile warning message appears, specify whether to convert the pixels based on the file's color profile. (See Specifying color management policies.)

To open a recently used file:

Choose File > Open Recent, and select a file from the submenu.

To specify the number of files that are available in the Open Recent submenu:

1. Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > File Handling.
• (Photoshop) In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Preferences > File Handling.
• (ImageReady) In Windows or Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Preferences > General.
• (ImageReady) In Mac OS X, choose ImageReady > Preferences > General.
2. Do one of the following:
• (Photoshop) Enter a number in the Recent File List Contains text box.
• (ImageReady) Enter a number in the Recent Files text box.

To specify the file format in which to open a file (Photoshop):

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.

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