PSD file definition

Hi all,
Apologies in advance for asking a programmer's question in an Artists forum, but I am having trouble locating a standards definition for the PSD file format.
I am writing a Flex application that needs to be able to examine a PSD file, and determine the size of the Photoshop PSD image, be able to extract a predetermined selection of settings for the file, and then to be able to parse and interpret image data from it to be able to render a preview.
I'm wondering if anyone has come across anything that's already been written first of all, however, more likely, I'm hoping that someone knows if/where I can get my hands on the PSD file definition document.
Thanks for your help guys.
-b

Download the Photoshop SDK - then read the SDK FAQ about how to request documentation on the PSD file format.

Similar Messages

PSD File Definition Document

Hi all,
I am writing a Flex application that needs to be able to examine a PSD file, and determine the size of the Photoshop PSD image, be able to extract a predetermined selection of settings for the file, and then to be able to parse and interpret image data from it to be able to render a preview.
I'm wondering if anyone has come across anything that's already been written first of all, however, more likely, I'm hoping that someone knows if/where I can get my hands on the PSD file definition document.
Thanks for your help guys.
-b

Download the Photoshop SDK - then read the SDK FAQ about how to request documentation on the PSD file format.

I received a psd file created in CS6 for MAC, I am unable to find the layers when I open it in photoshop in Windows. What can i do to edit the files?

I received a psd file created in CS6 for MAC, I am unable to find the layers when I open it in photoshop in Windows. What can i do to edit the files? What can be done so that I can either open and see the layers or how can the sender save it in a way that it doesn't "merge" the layers in some way to just one?

Could try saving as tiff provided layers and transparency are chosen at the time of saving. But it's hard to give a definitive answer as it depends on the final usage. For example PSD's tend to work better in applications like In Design in comparison with tiff.

Why does psd-file from Bridge start as smart object in Photoshop?

Anybody has a solution?
Instead of opening the psd-file normally from bridge into photoshop the file converts to smart object.
I used to work with CS3 where double-clicking in Bridge on a psd-file would open it in Photoshop. Now, when I double click in Bridge (CS6) it opens a "quick time pro" file, which I definitely don't want. When I use the right mouse to "place in Photoshop" it does so, but then automatically converts the file into a smart object, which I don't want either. What need I do to open a psd-file in Bridge as normal psd-file in Photoshop (and to eliminate the silly "quick time pro standard" when double-clicking in Bridge?
Thanks in advance for help.
EVAMLG0507
I have already posted the question in Photoshop. No solution yet.

Hi Curt Y
sorry, it was getting somewhat late last night (I live in Switzerland) and after having spent already quite some hours on this problems I wanted to dedicate the evening to more pleasant things.
when I go - in Photoshop - to > edit > preferences I only get the following window. there's nowhere "file type associations" (only in Bridge preferences), and I can't navigate anywhere to > Program Files > Adobe > Adobe PS 64bit > Photoshop exe. Do you have an idea why this could be? Thanks in advance for your support.

Preview PSD file icons

I just switched fom CS4 to CS5 and now my PSD files no longer show me a preview of the images. I know it has nothing to do with the versions because I have saved CS5 PSDs and the icons still do not show the actual image, just the standard PS icon. How can I set CS5 to show me the actual image of the PSD file on the icon instead of a standard PS icon?

Copy and paste everything between the ********** into notepad
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDLLs]
"C:\\Program Files\\Common Files\\Adobe\\Shell\\psicon.dll"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Photoshop.Image.9\shellex]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Photoshop.Image.9\shellex\IconHandler]
@="{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Photoshop.Image.9\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\Photoshop.Image.9\shellex\PropertySheetHandlers\PSDPa ge]
@="{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}]
@="Photoshop Icon Handler"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}\InProcServer32]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Common Files\\Adobe\\Shell\\psicon.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}\MiscStatus]
"IconBits"="1"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}]
@="Photoshop Icon Handler"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}\InProcSe rver32]
@="C:\\Program Files\\Common Files\\Adobe\\Shell\\psicon.dll"
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{0B6DC6EE-C4FD-11d1-819A-00C04FB69B4D}\MiscStat us]
"IconBits"="1"
Change all instances of the Photoshop version to whatever you're using, i.e., "Photoshop.Image.9" becomes "Photoshop.Image.11" if you are using CS4.
Save as Install.reg, right click and choose Merge. Make sure you have the psicon.dll where it's supposed to be. Google for this info if you don't have the icon already in place.
Is this a hack? Depends on your definition. Photoshop used to do this whenever you installed a version prior to CS.
Of course, the usual disclaimers and warnings apply: May cause data and or hair loss. May contribute to swollen hemorrhoids, painful rectal itch and erectile dysfunction. Do not let children play with the reg file without supervision. Consult a doctor immediately if monkeys fly out of your butt.
OK, seriously now, data loss is the real concern. Most folks never had the problem but some did and that's why Adobe scuttled the icon thing.

Bridge script could not read PSD file metadata reliably

I'm trying to read metadata (specifically, xmp.CreateDate and tiff.DateTime) of a bunch of PSD files using a loop. Bridge script seems able to read most of them but always fails to read some (returns empty strings), though not necessarily any particular ones. That is, if I run multiple times, it fails on different files. Basically, it's just not reliable. Is there a solution for this? Please help. Thanks.

Hi skc_chat,
According to the error message, you may do not have the permission to view the metadata. Please follow the steps below to grant the permissions to the current login on the SQL Server Management Studio:
Right click on the server name and select properties.
Click on the Permissions tab.
Select the login name.
On the Explicit tap, Grant "View Any Definition" to this login.
To grant this permission by T-SQL:
GRANT VIEW ANY DEFINITION TO <loginname>
Go
For more information:
Cannot Create Script
Also have a look at this article with the same error:
http://blog.davidsilvasmith.com/2011/08/i-was-on-sql-server-2008-r2-database-i.html
Best Regards,
Stephanie Lv
Please remember to mark the replies as answers if they help and unmark them if they provide no help.

Reading a Layer's content in a psd file

Hi, I hope somebody would have definitely come across this and could help me out!!!!!!
Well I need to read layers(and their inside content!!) in a psd file. Basically the psd file is an interface with several buttons and icons.
All I need is to get the coordinates of these buttons and icons. Its really easy if you hav just one icon/button per layer and adobe javascripts are easily available.
But how to do this for a layer having two or more button/icons ??
Please revert if you have come across this situation to so that we can share our ideas.
Thanks in advance!!!!!!

I have not done this before so others may have more specific and better answers. Assuming you just have buttons on a common color background without other misc image items to deal with, here are the general steps I would take (I am sure the experts may have a better way or tell if this suggestion will not work)
- Create a Selection that selects everything other than the background (e.g. select background and invert)
- Convert Selection to a Workpath
- From the Pathitems collection pull out the Pathitem associated wtih the Work path.
- The Pathitem has a SubPathItems collection
- Each SubPathItem has a property identifying if it is closed (you should only have closed paths if all you have are buttons and a background)
- Each SubPathItems that is closed has a PathPoints Colleciton
- The series of PathPoint objects in the PathPoints Collection give the locations of all the points of the Path
With the above, there should be enough info to identify the location of all buttons (in theory).
I hope that at least gives you something to thing about.
As a seperate note, the Automate> Crop and Straighten Photos tool bascially has the capability you need since it identifies all objects out of the background and puts them all in their own document. I just did not see a way for you to access the locations from which it pulled the objects.
Good Luck

Cannot disable Auto Tone on import of PSD files - ruins edits !!

Hi - I am a LR 5 expert and we have an issue with the latest release that I need to overcome or it is unusable.    Please direct this to an expert level support person as I have already networked around and have not been able to resolve this issue.    The issue is consistent with other users as well - we have tried this on several computers and the result is the same.     It is possible that is pilot error but I doubt it - we have disabled apply auto tone everywhere we could find it...
I believe this is a serious bug in the way LR handles files on import - and I am also hoping there is an immediate work-around as the issue has TRIPLED our workflow time.
Example #1   -   Edit DNG - Export as PSD with "add to catalog" checked - LR exports the file and then imports the PSD,   but in doing so applies auto tone and destroys all the edits. The re-imported images are too bright and too contrasty.       Auto tone on import IS disabled.
We tried to work around the issue by trying to edit outside LR and re-importing but that does not work either -SAME RESULT !
Example #2 -   Edit DNG files, export to PSD, do not check "add to catalog" - make the edits needed in Photoshop, then import using "add" and LR applies Auto Tone once again destroying all edits.      You can actually watch the auto tone being applied to the thumbs as it imports them. - they get brighter.
In all cases the edited images end up too bright and too contrasty and are otherwise unusable.        Our workaround is to export to PSD, edit in photoshop, then use Photoshop's   scripts to produce the final images and leave the PSD files out of the catalog - this has added a TON of time to our workflow and has corrupted our file management - UNACCEPTABLE !!
We have also tried reading the external meta data option - same result - bright files.
Please let us know how we completely disable auto tone on import and fix this issue it is a deal breaker for using this version.   We are using LR 5.6
Thanks, Mark
Head Janitor, 6IXGUN.COM

Looks like we solved our own problem -   either edit or delete the preferences files and restart lightroom. If you delete it, it will of course wipe our your template settings, etc but that was far less of a hassle than not being able to use LR with PSD / exporting. We were able to make a simple edit and it was fixed.   Also make sure you have unchecked "apply auto tone" in the >preferences>presets   dialog box - we did not have it checked but it WAS enabled in the plist file.       I would definitely consider this a bug - the issue was not present in the last version of LR, it was introduced upon installing 5.6.

Lightroom 1.3 "Sidecar file has conflict" on .PSD files...

I've got some .psd files that I changed in Lightroom - they're layered photoshop files, saved with maximize compatibility. The change is to keywords on these files. At present I have about a dozen (that I know of) that appear NOT to be able to update their metadata. The error that displays when I put the mouse on the image's metadata icon is "Sidecar file has conflict".....
Mayhap I'm missing something, but there are no sidecar files that I know of. They're PHOTOSHOP files, not RAW. The only change to these files in Lightroom was to add, delete, or alter one or more keywords. Other files write metadata successfully, but these fail. How do I get LR to fix this?

Don, not that I'm doubting your statement, and in truth I can't recall whether or not there were jpegs with the same name, but if having a jpeg with the same filename causes this kind of problem, isn't that pretty much the definition of a BUG? Again, this seems a pretty major problem, although I suppose if it only happens occasionally and the people affected don't mind losing their changes, its no big deal...

How can I access the thumbnail/preview image of a PSD file?

Hey guys I'm trying to salvage some work from a corrupted PSD file via the thumbnail. What happened was I saved my work and closed photoshop and hit the reset button on my PC afterwards by mistake (i dont see why this caused a problem because the program was fully closed at the time). When I open the file now it says it uses an unsupported blending mode, if i press ok I get an error saying incompatible PS version, if I press flatten it says unexpected end of file was encountered. Ive tried PSD repair tools and searched the net for solutions and there doesnt seem to be any - Ive pretty much given up on trying to repair the original file.
The thing is, the thumbnail of the file seems to be intact because I can still see it as the file icon. I wanted to know if there was any way i can access this thumbnail image so i can enlarge it. Any help would be very appreciated!!

I have an idea to try... Earlier I mentioned the Windows Picture Viewer... Normally that won't read PSD files, but I'm used to using that to look into PSD files because at one point I bought the FastPictureViewer Codec Pack.
Something to try, and it won't cost anything:
1. Try downloading and installing the FastPictureViewer Codec Pack from here: http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/
2. Once it's installed you get a free trial period, so you can try opening your PSD file by right-clicking on it and choosing Preview.
If that fails, here's another thing to try:
Open the Bridge component of Photoshop and navigate to the folder in which you have the file. It may be able to make a larger thumbnail than the one you're seeing.
Other than that, are you saying you're seeing the thumbnail in Windows Explorer? If that's the case, what happens if you right-click in the white space near the file and choose View - Extra Large Icons?
-Noel

Photoshop CS6 - Spot channels are not saved correctly in the psd files.

Hi,
I'm using Photoshop CS6 and something happent a few days ago....some Windows or Adobe update messed up everything...I don't know...
Here's how things are.
If I add to an image a couple of new spot channels (any Pantone color) and remove the informations from the CMYK channels (or not-the problem it's there anyway), I should have an image with 6 color plates (CMYK and the 2 Pantone). It doesn't happened anymore...
I'm using Corel to print the files and the previous saved files are fine, I have all the Spot colors there. Now, If I edit any file I've worked on before, and save it again, the spot colors dissapear when I'm importing the psd file in my Corel document. And if there is no information on the CMYK channels, I'm getting a blank image...
I hope someone will give me some ideas because I don't know what to do anymore...
Codrut

Right. It's not reading these new saved files correctly. The old ones are fine.
I forgot to mention one thing. I've got this CS6 as an upgrade and I still have the CS5 one running on the same computer. The CS5 version does the same thing...
Today I tryed again to open a PSD (CS6) with another CS5 version from another computer and came with an error message "Could not complete your request because the specified color book cannot be found". And the file didn't opened....
Who messed up my color book and how can I fix it?

Photoshop CS6 colors have shifted for PSD files; no longer match Bridge colors, resulting jpg colors off too

Until last night, Photoshop has been working relatively well** (see below) However, I processed a batch of DNG files through Bridge and saved them as PSDs. When I opened up the new PSD files in PSCS5, the colors had shifted - more green, less saturated.
I went back to the DNG files and opened each up separately in PS - the color looked good. I edited them, saved them as PSD files, and reopened them in PS - the colors were bad.
I cleared the Preferences (by holding Ctrl+Alt+Shift) when restarting PS. Although it cleared up the pre-existing issue explained below **, it didn't fix the issue with the colors.
I rebooted my computer. No luck.
I looked for available updates. None available.
I recalibrated my monitor (ColorMunki). No luck.
I don't know what I did/what happened to cause the problem. The day before, everything was fine.
I tried to fix it by experimenting with option under View. The closest I could get the colors to matching those shown in Bridge was to set View--Proof Colors-- Monitor RGB.
But here's the kicker - when I did a "save as" in PS the resulting jpeg had the same gross color shown in PS before setting the proof colors to Monitor RGB - and the jpeg colors are gross in Bridge and PS! The same thing happens if I run a batch of PSDs via Bridge and save them as jpegs. The resulting jpegs look gross in both PS and Bridge.
HELP!
I'm using a PC with Windows 7. All the images jpegs, DNG and PSD are in the RBG color space.
**(except for one weird issue - when I would try to open up a color balance layer, it would open a levels layer instead)

Until last night, Photoshop has been working relatively well** (see below) However, I processed a batch of DNG files through Bridge and saved them as PSDs. When I opened up the new PSD files in PSCS5, the colors had shifted - more green, less saturated.
I went back to the DNG files and opened each up separately in PS - the color looked good. I edited them, saved them as PSD files, and reopened them in PS - the colors were bad.
I cleared the Preferences (by holding Ctrl+Alt+Shift) when restarting PS. Although it cleared up the pre-existing issue explained below **, it didn't fix the issue with the colors.
I rebooted my computer. No luck.
I looked for available updates. None available.
I recalibrated my monitor (ColorMunki). No luck.
I don't know what I did/what happened to cause the problem. The day before, everything was fine.
I tried to fix it by experimenting with option under View. The closest I could get the colors to matching those shown in Bridge was to set View--Proof Colors-- Monitor RGB.
But here's the kicker - when I did a "save as" in PS the resulting jpeg had the same gross color shown in PS before setting the proof colors to Monitor RGB - and the jpeg colors are gross in Bridge and PS! The same thing happens if I run a batch of PSDs via Bridge and save them as jpegs. The resulting jpegs look gross in both PS and Bridge.
HELP!
I'm using a PC with Windows 7. All the images jpegs, DNG and PSD are in the RBG color space.
**(except for one weird issue - when I would try to open up a color balance layer, it would open a levels layer instead)

How to Edit and Replace Psd Files in Adobe Flash - Help!

Hi Everyone,
I am new to flash and I am trying to build my first flash site using a flash template. I can use flash to edit certain components like header text, etc. But The content is impossible for me to change. I think that these are psd files, which I can open with gimp or another program and edit. I save and replace that file, but when I view movie again, the content is the same. I guess what I need to know is how to get these files back into my flash movie after I have edited them. Please help, I am no computer expert, but I am learning. A how to for dummies answer would be awesome.

Maybe You should try the Flash-forum:
http://forums.adobe.com/community/flash

Can not open .psd files in Photoshop!

I am using Photoshop CS4 11.0.1 (Macintosh 10.5.6). Files created in Photoshop are saved to disc as .psd. Next time upon opening (both double clicking file and opening from within Photoshop) message appears: ‘Could not complete your request because the file is empty’ (I can see the file and ‘look’ at it using space bar). Older .psd files open normally. I did start using Spaces a few days ago. Maybe that's the culprit? Any ideas?

That sounds like the files are corrupted. I would be looking for disk problems.
And you really should be on MacOS 10.5.8 - they fix a lot of bugs with each dot release.

Can't Open PSD files in Photoshop! What's happening?

Hi guys,
Can someone pls tell me why when I open a PSD file in Photoshop CS2 or CS3 , the psd file apparently seems to be opened but in reality nothing happens as I only get a blank image in Photoshop? In other words, it's like the file has not been opened at all as I only get the usual very small grey and white boxes in Photoshop although at the same time the psd filename and other data associated with the file can be seen on Photoshop's interface as if the file has been loaded normally when in fact it's far from it?!!!...
Am I doing something wrong?
Just to let you know this happens after I tried to open a downloaded file from the Internet but it happens all the time when I try these kind of files in photoshop.
Pls help
Thanks in advance for your help..
Corolla...

Hello guys,
Thanks for your replies first of all.
To answer your questions John, please refer to the Print Screen in this link: http://i32.tinypic.com/2vhzvvm.jpg
I highlighted in yellow the most important things related to this topic in the pic, also referred to in my previous email.
I got the psd file from a public filehosting site and many users thanked the uploader for his great upload; thus I must have something wrong or I'm doing it wrong as the others seem not to have this prob!!!
As regards Ed's question, no indeed, I don't have any problems if I create a psd file myself closes it and opens it whenever I want.
And the filesizes are not at all small as the ones I'm talking about and which I'm having the problems with are sized from 20MB to 32MB.
Reference to your last question Ed, no I haven't tried to trash/reset preferences as per the FAQ as I have only been using Photoshop very recently.
Thanks in advance.
Corolla
Seems like strange I don't know.

PSD file definition

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