Rendering a composition as a PSD file?

Hi, I was wondering if there was a way for me to render a full composition in Aftereffects as a Photoshop file (1 document) that contains all the layers? I've searched this site as well as other forums but I wasn't able to find a solution to this issue. I would appreciate any answers.

The first thing that jumps out at me from your composition is that you've imported a sequence of stills, then sequenced them to create a movie. Exporting the from the current CTI position will on ly give you the layer under the CTI and what I am assuming is the background.
If you want a PSD that has all of those frames then you need to stack them up on the left side of the comp.
Also, if you're just doing simple color keying it's much easier to import your sequence of files as a sequence. You'll get one layer that acts like a movie. That's usually a much better work flow.
To give you any better advice I need to know a lot more about your project. If you plan to do a bunch of hand work in Photoshop on a bunch of layers be prepared for a difficult time making the animations smooth because onion skinning and checking playback in Photoshop isn't as easy as it might be. Please give us more information about your project.

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How to read the 'full resolution composite' from a .psd file?

I'm working with 16-bit .psd files and have the "maximize compatibility" switch turned on in CS2. When a file is saved, a message box appears indicating that PS is generating a "full resolution composite." I'd guess this is stored in the .psd file somehow, because some of the 3rd party image viewers are able to display the image when the compatibility switch is used, but are unable to display the image otherwise.
My question is: how can I read this full resolution composite from the .psd file outside of Photoshop?
If this is the wrong forum to post this question, I'd appreciate it of you'd tell me a better place.
Thanks,
Dave H.

As you guess, it is stored in the PSD, but only with the Maximise Compatibility switch. Without that switch, a dummy image is stored which has the text "This layered Photoshop file was not saved with a composite image.", in English, German, Japanese and French.
My program
psdparse extracts each layer in an 8-bit file as a PNG, and the merged image for both 8- and 16-bit files. That link is to a Subversion repository containing source code.

Why is my .psd file not rendering correctly in ae

Some layers of the .psd document are not rendered correctly. However they are imported.
The strange thing is that when I first move from Photoshop to Illustrator, save it as an .ai file it is rendered properly (in Ae).
I am kind of clueless as to what is causing this issue.
Kind regards,
Jelle

Okay if more information is needed, i'll provide. However you may disregard my initial comment about illustrator. It flattens the photoshop layers so I do not have any flexibility in After Effects. In other words, my main question remains: why is my psd file not rendering correctly in ae?
Further details:
-photoshop cc and after effects cc.
-macbook pro retina
If still not clear enough, please tell me what details you are looking for furthermore

Photoshop (PSD) files renders as gray noise

When importing Photoshop files (PSD), about 50% turns up showing mostly gray noise. The same files renders perfectly in Photoshop and Bridge (CS2). All files have been batch converted from RAW using Bridge(Photoshop. Here is a sample (also a JPEG version exported from Lightroom):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241-1.jpg (170KB)
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241.psd (41MB)
When importing the files looks OK in the Import preview. The files are very plain: Adobe RGB 1998, 16-bit, no layers, no alpha channels etc. There are no error messages. I have checked this on two different installations of Lightroom (one on Windows XP and on another machine running Windows Vista).
I have noticed that it is possible to manipulate the files so that they render as normal in Lightroom. This will do the trick:
1) Save with "Maximize Compatibility" set to "Ask" (when saving no
question is asked however since the original does not have any layers
etc. I do however notice that the files get slightly bigger (about
320KB)).
2) Convert to 8-bit and then save.
3) Save as a TIFF file.
This does not help:
1) Make a plain copy
2) Do some adjustments (like levels etc.)
3) Resampling
What is going on here?
Jørgen Johanson

Thanks both Andreas and Bob. By the way Bob, have you tried importing the example file that I referred to? As stated earlier this problem does not show up with every PSD file (in my testing I can see that about 50% of my (flat) files shows up as gray (all the files are perfectly OK in Photoshop (CS2) and in Bridge however).
The example file can be found here:
Full size (around 41MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241.psd
Cropped to make downloads faster (3.7MB):
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241crop.psd
Exported to JPEG (170KB)
http://www.jjohanson.com/II7A0241-1.jpg
Jørgen

PSD file converted to composite image despite import settings

I am importing a PSD file (with import settings set
NOT to "Use flat composite image") and yet all I can see is
a single layer containing a bitmap. The author can see a full set
of layers in Photoshop.
I know that some paths/vectors etc. can get converted to
bitmaps on import - but is there any reason why the whole file
should get converted to single bitmap? Is there a setting in
Photoshop that could cause this?
A 17 MB psd file becomes a 570KB fireworks PNG file.
thanks for any insights.
Geraint
[edited 570GB to 570KB - whoops]

I am using Fireworks CS3.
This morning (as an experiment) I downloaded a trial copy of
photoshop (not at all intuitive to use unlike Fireworks!!) and did
some experimentation.
I eventually found that the PSD file I was looking at was
rgb/16 - when I switched this to rgb/8 and saved the file it opened
up perfectly in Fireworks.
Is this a known limitation of Fireworks?
Geraint

FAQ: Why won't After Effects import my PSD file as a composition but flattens it?

from the "Preparing and importing Photoshop files" section of After Effects Help:
"Layered Photoshop (PSD) files need to be saved in RGB or Grayscale color mode for After Effects to import them as a composition and to separate the layers. CMYK, LAB, Duotone, Monotone, and Tritone color modes are not supported for layered files; After Effects will import a file that uses one of these color modes as a single, flattened image."

There's got to be something different with the PSD. Is it RGB? That's the first thing to check. What is the structure of the PSD. Layer Groups? Effects? There are so many things that could go wrong that without more information we would just be guessing.

PSD files degrade when rendered

Hi,
I was wondering if anyone may be able to help me. I'm using Final Cut Express HD and when i render any PSD file that i've imported the file degrades leaving the image looking awful. Is there anything i can do? I don't mind bringing in the images in a different formate, the reason i am using PSD files is it is the only way i can seem to bring them in without a background?
Thank you
LBTV

A few thoughts:
- you don't need .pdf files to import images without background (i.e. with transparent areas); you can also use TIFF and PNG formats
- the quality degradation usually depends on the sequence settings: DV PAL has much lower resolution than most images shot with the many megapixel cameras
- however to see the real final result (if you use DV-PAL format) you'd better check on an interlaced monitor (e.g. a TV): you can connect it using a firewire link and an analog/digital converter
Piero

Bloated PSD File Sizes?

Our 18MB 14-bit Canon camera produces RAW images (converted to uncompressed DNG) that are about 22MB. On a Win7-64bit CS6 workstation, the PSD file that is created from the DNGs has the following sizes (single layer, no masks/paths, maximum compatibility):
16 bit, DNG as smart object: 207MB (10x of the DNG)
16 bit, DNG as rasterized layer: 187MB (8.5x of the DNG)
8-bit (less information than the DNG), DNG as smart object: 115MB (5.2x of DNG)
8-bit (less information than the DNG), DNG as rasterized layer: 95MB (4.3x of DNG)
Just for kicks, a blank 8-bit image with a white background layer saves as 818KB, adding a few scribbles with the brush tool saves the file at about 30MB.
Am I missing something? Is this normal? I know that storage is cheap these days, but sheesh! Does anyone know of a more efficient workflow?
thanks!
JP

Guess you need a primer on the differences tween raw files and rendered files. Raw files that have not been demosiaced are indeed small bcause the raw data hasn't been turned into RGB pixels yet. Once a raw file is rendered into RGB pixels, you get a much larger file, 8-bit is actually more like 3x the raw file (although that changes based on compression options when saving and whether you have backwards compatibility turned on or off). A 16-bit file will be 2x the size of an 8-bit file–again, depending on compression options. Saving a raw file in a Smart Object makes the file sizes swell considerably because it has to save the a copy of the raw file inside the rendered file plus any layers plush a composite preview.
So, what you've discovered is, it's useful to keep a raw file raw until you need a rendered file. When rendered, you'll have to expect the file sizes to be much larger...

How do I open an old psd. file?

I'm trying to open a 10 year old psd. file with Photoshop CS2 and it tells me it is not a Photoshop file. What can I do to open it???

It's most likely corrupted, damaged perhaps irreparably. A lot can happen to a hard drive, CD or DVD in ten years, and thus to a file.
Can you open it with any other application, such as Illustrator, Preview, Paint, etc.? You may get lucky and be able to open the flattened composite or the embedded JPEG thumbnail preview.
If there are no privacy concerns, you could upload the file to your favorite FTP service, or to Dropbox or your favorite free server, such as yousendit.com, and send the link to one of us who can try opening it for you.
That way you can know for sure whether the file is toast.
That's why backups are so important…

How to Create a PSD file in C#

How to Create a PSD file in C#

Converting an image file to .psd is easy in Aperture - just export the image version with one of the export presets "PSD - Original size" or "PSD - Half size".
But I suspect, that will not solve your problem, since you are trying to create a watermark in Aperture and probably want to create a transparent background for the watermark, to give it an arbitrary shape. That cannot be done in Aperture. Aperture does not support compositing and layers. If you want to create an image of an arbitrary shape with a transparent background you need to use a program that supports compositing. Since you do not have Photoshop, you could try the free GIMP instead (afaik, there is no Lion version of GIMP; the most recent version is Mt. Lion only; you could try if the Snow Leopard version works on your system).
Any program that you own, that lets you write or draw on a transparent background will be fine. The Watermark file does not necessarily need to be a psd-file. A png will also work. You can also use Preview to convert between image formats or to annotate an image with text.
Regards
Léonie

Transparency Issues with PSD files in FCP 7

I'm having some weird file layer transparency issues with FCP 7. I'm working on a project that's made up entirely of graphics drawn in Photoshop CS5. They Photoshop settings were done to match an HDTV 1080i (16:9) sequence in FCP. In FCP, the pixels were set to square, field dominance to none, frame rate to 29.97 and compressor is Apple ProRes 422.
I exported my PSD files out of Photoshop, with each layer being exported to its own file. In general, things were fine, but there were a few files where you could see the outline of the character against the background, but mind you that this is only visible once the video is rendered out in the FCP timeline. Nothing is visible in Photoshop, nor is it visible while viewing from the Browser in FCP. I told this to the artist and he went back and made corrections, making sure everything was on a transparent background, but the result was still the same - once I rendered the graphics out in FCP, these edge lines were visible.
I then went back into Photoshop, opened all the files that were giving me trouble, clicked on the "foreground color" and changed it to a color other than white, then back to white and hit ok. That seemed to work - even when rendered out, I was getting no artifacts, until I tried enlarging the graphics over 100%.
Also, with some of the same graphics, I was trying to layer them so that a guy was in the foreground with other people and a van behind him in the background. Once again, no problem in Photoshop, but once brought into FCP, the background people were actually being displayed over the main foreground character.
I'm pretty baffled - what to do? I'll attach a photo of the weird lines around the characters. It might be hard to see at this size, but if you download and enlarge it to 300% or so, you'll see what I mean.

Just saw that Adam's original post was an older one. Will keep this here anyway to maybe help the most recent poster.
Sharon
Adam, did you try what David said about pointing to the root folder? Did that work?
When I copy the SD card, I name a new folder on my hard drive something specific, like Smith Wedding. Then I copy everything inside the SD card to that new folder. The first level inside my new folder now has folders for
AVF_INFO
PRIVATE
and on down from there. When you open Log and Transfer, point it to the Smith Wedding folder (of course whatever you have named yours).
ClipWrap2 also works great to convert the files beforehand if you want.
What camera are you using? I have the Sony NX30 and it was giving me fits because the .mts files don't ingest if the clips are longer than 11 min. My problem is that I'm still on FCP 6.0.6. I think 7.0.3 fixed that. But I did find enough work-arounds to keep the camera.
This is a link to the full discussion if you are interested.
https://discussions.apple.com/message/19085158#19085158
Sharon
Message was edited by: SSteele

Photoshop CS5 won't open .psd files

Bascially I click on a psd file to open with photoshop, photoshops opens then shows this error message
These are my specs:
Model: iMac, 4 processors, Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850, ATI Radeon HD 4850, PCIe, 512 MB
These are the details of the problem report:
Process:         Adobe Photoshop CS5 [482]
Path:            /Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS5/Adobe Photoshop CS5.app/Contents/MacOS/Adobe Photoshop CS5
Identifier:      com.adobe.Photoshop
Version:         12.0.1 (12.0.1)
Code Type:       X86-64 (Native)
Parent Process: launchd [111]
Date/Time:       2010-08-04 10:50:24.215 +0100
OS Version:      Mac OS X 10.6.4 (10F569)
Report Version: 6
Interval Since Last Report:          91551 sec
Crashes Since Last Report:           12
Per-App Interval Since Last Report: 8870 sec
Per-App Crashes Since Last Report:   12
Exception Type: EXC_CRASH (SIGABRT)
Exception Codes: 0x0000000000000000, 0x0000000000000000
Crashed Thread: 0 Dispatch queue: com.apple.main-thread
Application Specific Information:
*** error for object 0x107419e00: incorrect checksum for freed object - object was probably modified after being freed.
Model: iMac11,1, BootROM IM111.0034.B02, 4 processors, Intel Core i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 GB, SMC 1.54f36
Graphics: ATI Radeon HD 4850, ATI Radeon HD 4850, PCIe, 512 MB
Memory Module: global_name
AirPort: spairport_wireless_card_type_airport_extreme (0x168C, 0x8F), Atheros 9280: 2.1.9.8.1
Bluetooth: Version 2.3.3f8, 2 service, 19 devices, 1 incoming serial ports
Network Service: AirPort, AirPort, en1
Serial ATA Device: WDC WD1001FALS-40U9B0, 931.51 GB
Serial ATA Device: OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5680H
USB Device: Hub, 0x0424 (SMSC), 0x2514, 0xfd100000
USB Device: Ext HDD 1021, 0x1058 (Western Digital Technologies, Inc.), 0x1021, 0xfd130000
USB Device: IR Receiver, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8242, 0xfd120000
USB Device: Built-in iSight, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8502, 0xfd110000
USB Device: Hub, 0x0424 (SMSC), 0x2514, 0xfa100000
USB Device: Composite Device, 0x0471 (Philips Consumer Electronics), 0x083f, 0xfa130000
USB Device: Internal Memory Card Reader, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8403, 0xfa120000
USB Device: BRCM2046 Hub, 0x0a5c (Broadcom Corp.), 0x4500, 0xfa110000
USB Device: Bluetooth USB Host Controller, 0x05ac (Apple Inc.), 0x8215, 0xfa111000

Ran the validator, seems I have some warnings on some fonts, removed them and it worked
Thank you c.pfaffenbichler and Jeffrey Tranberry

Not a compatible version of Photoshop...can not open my psd files...

After "save as" a psd file, I am unable to open it. "Could not complete your request because the file is not compatible with this version of Photoshop.".. "There was a problem reading the layer data. Read the composite data instead ?" It is no problem for me to open psd files but after saving it is not possible....?

martindyrlov wrote:
My version of Photoshop was newer trying save form an older version..Running Photoshop CC updated..
I don't understand if the older version was able to open the PSD it should be able to save the psd. I can believe an old version of Photoshop not being able to open a newer version of Photoshop save psd file when newer features were used and saved into a PSD file.
Your wording confuses me even the context does not seem to make sense to me.

Is it best to import images as .psd files or .tif or another format?

Hi, when working in the default 1080i is it best to import .psd files or go through the trouble of rendering the .psds to .tifs in Photoshop, to then import the .tifs??
It seems HDTV 1080p .psds have a different aspect ratio -- and, the black background of the .psd file I've imported into FCP appears dull green rather than black. Is there a reason for this? .tifs seem fine...thanks

If your not going to do any individual layer effects or animation then TIFF's would be generally easier and faster to work with. If you are gong to do some effects and layer animation you should do that in Motion then bring the Motion project into FCP.
My Opinion, My Two Cents, That's might be what its worth.
o| TOnyTOny |o

Can PSD files saved back to Lightroom retain their layers?

When a file is edited in Photoshop. you can choose a TIFF or PSD. It would seem the advantage to PSD would be the ability to retain layers when saved back to Lightroom especially in a file which remains a work in progress. I have not been able to achieve this result. If this is currently not possible, what is the advantage, if any, to use the PSD format?

Not and be exported as such from LR. LR adjustments will be done to the flattened composite image. PSDs must be saved with 'Maximum Compatibility' to be used at all in LR.
Don
Don Ricklin, MacBook 2Ghz Duo 2 Core running 10.5.1 & Win XP, Pentax *ist D
See LR Links list at my
Blog for related sites.

Rendering a composition as a PSD file?

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