How to open a PSD file without Photoshop. How can I open an image in the Photoshop graphics editor? How to open photoshop cs6
What if you need to open a standard PSD file, but you simply don’t have Photoshop installed? Let's look at seven ways to do this.
The problem is that the PSD format is not open source like PNG, JPG or BMP. It was developed by Adobe as a graphic editing project. Once you open such a file, you can always continue editing from where you left off. However, if you don't want to pay for a subscription to Adobe applications, then you'll have to look for an alternative. In functionality, the free analogues will be noticeably inferior to the Photoshop monster; moreover, some will only be able to open the PSD file for viewing. However, this is often quite enough.
GIMP
The first free application to try for opening a PSD file is GIMP. And not only because the rich functionality of this graphic editor is close to Photoshop and even can, but rather due to its availability on all platforms, be it Windows, Mac or Linux. Once you've tried the app, you can then use it on other devices.
To open a PSD file in the GIMP application, no additional plugins or extensions are needed. Just use the “File – Open” menu, select the PSD file and click “Open”.
The project will open not just as a static picture. Available layers will be displayed on which you can perform certain operations. However, you should remember that when you make changes and then save the file, it may later have problems opening in native Photoshop. So you can work with the file, but you shouldn’t make edits this way for a designer who uses Adobe software.
The free graphic editor Gimp can, if desired, be very similar to Photoshop and even inherit its hotcases.
Paint.NET
A much more advanced graphics editor than the standard Microsoft Paint, and at the same time not as intimidating with the abundance of functionality as GIMP or Photoshop. Simple and functional.
However, to open PSD files for the Paint.NET application, you will need to install a special plugin. Download the contents of the plugin, open the archive and copy the PhotoShop.dll library to the directory with the installed editor (most often this is C:/Program Files/paint.net), and more specifically to the FileTypes subdirectory. After that, launch the application itself.
If you did everything correctly, then PSD files should open smoothly in Paint.NET. Like GIMP, the layers of the project will be displayed, but Paint.NET does not support all the features of Photoshop, so some layers may not be available or even give errors when opening the file.
Photopea Online Editor
If you have not heard of Photopea before, then the project will be a pleasant discovery for you. The not-so-famous online editor is certainly inferior in functionality to Photoshop and GIMP, but it’s difficult to expect anything similar from browser-based editors. However, Photopea is really worth a look.
When you open the online editor’s website, you don’t even immediately believe that this is not a separate application. There is a familiar menu through which you can open files from your computer. Therefore, click “File – Open” and indicate the path to the PSD file.
Photopea works well with individual layers, which is very cool for an online editor. Thus, it becomes possible to edit PSD files wherever you are - from any computer.
XnView
The free picture organizer allows you to view and organize your pictures in a variety of ways. It can also be used for basic editing - applying filters, effects, changing the position of the picture, and so on.
XnView is capable of working with more than 500 formats, as well as exporting to 70 different formats. Therefore, the application will be useful not only for viewing images, but also for converting them.
During installation, the application will offer three options - minimal, standard and advanced. At the same time, the minimum is enough to open PSD files, so there is no need to clutter up the disk with the extended version. And yes, you don’t need to install any additional extensions or plugins.
After purchasing a new computer or laptop, the question invariably arises of what programs to install on it first.
IrfanView
Another image browser that also works as a converter. IrfanView does not support as many formats as XnView, but it works with the most common ones. Isn't that what we were trying to achieve?
IrfanView easily opens PSD files. Yes, he cannot edit them, but converting them to another format is easy.
This application is convenient to use as the default photo browser. Chances are, it will never disappoint you, unlike the standard Windows application. IrfanView does not take up much space and is not demanding on resources.
Google Drive
It's a little strange to use Google's cloud service as a file browser, but it is quite capable of opening a wide variety of formats. In particular, you can view the contents of the PSD file uploaded to the online Drive.
Go2Convert
The latter method will not allow you to open, much less edit, a PSD file, but it can easily convert this format into a more common one. If you just need PNG or JPG output, then you don't need to install any application.
Simply visit the Go2Convert website, upload your PSD project and select the format you would like the image in. You can also resize it and give it additional compression. Simple and clear. Nothing extra.
And a tip that may be useful not only for beginners.
Although, again, I’ll make a reservation that any person who has skills in Photoshop does everything the way he’s used to.
Remembering that my friends, readers of the site “Life in Bulgaria and Traveling in France,” expressed a desire to learn how to work in Photoshop from scratch, I thought for a long time about where to start my lessons. After all, many already have this program and, one way or another, are familiar with it. How to make it interesting for everyone?
Therefore, before I talk about opening photos, pictures, files in Photoshop, I want to ask you to write in the comments to the article what you would like to learn, maybe then it will be easier for me to create initial lessons in the cs5 program.
A little later, when there are more readers of the site, I will definitely conduct a survey to understand the level of preparation of my visitors.
Let me remind you that I work in Adobe Photoshop CS5. And no matter what version is installed on your computer, I think that the basic concepts, functions, and operating rules are not much different.
And now about the tutorial itself: “How to open a photo in Photoshop?”
I'm sure there are several options for opening photos in Photoshop. I'll tell you about three methods that I use most often.
Method 1. Classic.
After this, you will see the selected photo on the Photoshop working field.
In the same way, you can open several photos needed for work at once by selecting them with the left mouse button, while holding down the Ctrl key, and then open them in the program.
And then they will all appear on the tab bar.
Method 2.
Sometimes I use this method too.
To do this, you need to change the interface a little, for which you move the mouse to the ORDER DOCUMENTS icon.
In the submenu that opens, look for FREE MOVE ALL WINDOWS and left-click.
And your pictures will be located in different windows, which can be easily moved around the workspace.
After this, double-click with the left mouse button anywhere in the dark gray space of the working field, and a folder with photographs, pictures or files will open. If the wrong folder opens, I hope you can easily find the one you need. This is no longer Photoshop, but the knowledge of a computer user.
Select a new photo and open it.
Personally, after this I return to my usual interface with the tab bar. To do this, return to the ORDER DOCUMENTS icon and click on the first top icon.
Although many people prefer moving windows with files, this, as they say, is not for everyone. When you learn the Photoshop program, you will determine your own priorities.
Method 3.
Go to the folder with the desired photo, right-click on it, in the window that opens we find the line OPEN WITH HELP, and in another left-click - Adobe Photoshop CS5.
If the Photoshop CS5 program is not yet open, then it will first load, and then the desired photo or picture will open in the working field, but if the program is opened in advance, then you will see the file in the tab bar.
That's actually all I wanted to tell you about today. I hope my tip will be useful to you.
I hope to see in your comments what you would like to learn. I wish you creative success and summer mood.
Or they open ready-made photographs for their subsequent processing. In this article we will talk about the latter case, or rather about its foundation, from which it all begins - how to open a photo in photoshop.
To start processing a photo, you first need to open it, that is, load the picture into the area, after which it will be ready for editing. There are many ways this can be done. Let's look at them all.
1 Method
To get started, launch the program. After it loads, execute the menu command File - Open or press Ctrl+O. The “Open” dialog box will appear, in which you need to specify the path to the desired photo.
2 Method
Regardless of whether you have Photoshop running or not, any graphic file on your computer can be opened in Photoshop. To do this, right-click on it and select the command in the menu that appears Open with - Adobe Photoshop.
It may be that Photoshop will not be on this list. Then click on the command Select program... A window will appear Program selection, in which look again to see if Photoshop is among the recommended ones.
If not, click on the arrow (1) Other programs and search this list.
If it’s not there, then you’ll have to specify the path to Photoshop manually. To do this, click Review(2) and find the Photoshop launcher shortcut in the system folders where the program is installed. By default, system folders are located at this address: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS5.
3 Method
Any picture can be opened by ordinary drag and drop file into the workspace. That is, you need Photoshop to be running, then open the folder with the file on your computer, place the folder window on top of the program (having previously reduced its size), and then drag the file with a slight movement of the mouse.
4 Method
Photoshop developers have made their own file browser - Adobe Bridge. This additional module is always installed along with Photoshop. In it, the user can organize their photos, view them and open them for editing.
Adobe Bridge is presented as a separate program and palette with a reduced number of functions. But both of them will easily open any photo. I will not describe in detail how to do this, since this has long been written in my article -. I also separately told you how to use the palette .
5 Method
There is a command in Photoshop that allows you to open a photo and immediately add it to another previously opened one. To do this, execute the menu command File - Place. The image will open as a smart object, with markers that allow you to immediately adjust the size and tilt.
6 Method
Menu command File - Latest Documents will show you the last 10 photos that you opened in Photoshop. There are times when such a team is really needed. For example, you accidentally closed a picture, but in order not to look for it again, find it here.
If you notice an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thank you!
Good day everyone, my dear friends. Well? Can everyone do it? Probably everything. But what if you want to work with some already prepared image? Right. You need to open it, and then do what you have in mind. And I’m sure that many people know how to open an image in Photoshop, but at the same time I want to show you several ways that will make this process even easier.
Open from the File menu
The most common way is to open the desired image in the program itself. This is very easy, and most likely you know how to do it, but let's reinforce it.
Regular opening
Open as
If you opened the "File" menu, you could see the "Open As" item there. In a good way, this is the same as the regular item, but it is very cool to use in some cases, for example, if you want to open some photo in RAW camera mode for further processing. Don't think about this for now, as I will talk about this in detail in another article when the time comes.
Open in Bridge
If you choose this option, you will see a special explorer for displaying and organizing the image, which is called Bridge. In principle, the thing is quite convenient, since here you can select any file and see it in an enlarged size, which is great for viewing and selecting.
Opening with...
The second way you can kill two birds with one stone is to open Photoshop and the image at the same time.
Drag and drop
I use the third method most often, it is my favorite.
As I said above, this method is my favorite. It’s somehow more convenient for me to open with it. How do you like opening images? What's your favorite way? Please write in the comments.
In general, I would recommend that you watch excellent video course on photoshop for beginners. I believe that this course is the best to master and is suitable for absolutely anyone. Everything is told from A to Z, without unnecessary fluff, shown with examples that you can repeat and reinforce. Nothing is missing. Overall, check it out, you won’t regret it.
And for today I am finishing my article and I really hope that you liked it. Subscribe to blog updates and don't forget to tell your friends on social networks. Well, good luck to you in mastering this wonderful editor and immersing yourself in the world of graphics. Bye bye!
The reason for writing this material was the repeated questions on forums and in personal messages by e-mail. The fact is that with non-optimal settings, both slowdown of the program and various other problems may occur, for example, the inability to work with individual filters or tools.
So let's get started.
First, let's configure the basic parameters of the program itself, and then move on to the color management settings.
In order to open the settings dialog, you need to either go to the menu Editing - Settings - Basic (Edit-Preferences -General) CTRL+K.
The following settings window will appear (by clicking on the picture you can view a larger image).
Here I usually set the default interpolation algorithm Bicubic (best for smooth gradients). This algorithm is the most universal and is suitable for both reducing and increasing the size of an image. However, after reduction you will have to increase the sharpness. If you mainly reduce images, you can set the algorithm Bilinear. Then, in most cases, you will not have to sharpen after reduction, or you will have to do it much less often.
Also I uncheck the option Changing tool with keySHIFT. This speeds up your work, as it allows you to quickly switch between tools of the same subgroup (for example, between a regular and a mix brush) by pressing just one key, rather than two.
Now let's move on to the next tab Interface
Here the settings concern mainly visual effects (circled in red). I turn them off because it interferes with my work. The color of the interface is a matter of taste, but I’m used to working in a light interface the old fashioned way.
I don’t use the next tab, since the settings synchronization function is not yet sufficiently developed. I'm not making any changes to it.
Go to the tab File processing
Here I change the setting Maximize file compatibilityPSD andP.S.B.. I set the value Always so that a window with this request does not appear every time you save.
Next tab - Performance.
Here you need to set the amount of RAM that will be used by the program, the number of file change history steps available in the palette Story, scratch disks, and also configure the settings for using the GPU (video card). Let's go through it in order.
It is better to set RAM within the range recommended by the program so as not to slow down the operation of the operating system and other programs and processes running in parallel.
You need to select a working disk other than the system disk (the one on which the operating system is installed). The scratch disk is used for temporary files that Photoshop creates while working. It is very good if it is an SSD drive, in this case many operations will be performed faster.
I leave the number of steps in the history at 20 by default, since I practically don’t use the change history. Why? Yes, because after just a couple of minutes of retouching, even 500 history steps will already be used, and storing history requires large resources, which can lead to a slowdown in the program.
Therefore, instead of turning to history, you just need to organize your work correctly: perform operations on copies of layers, use the principles of non-destructive editing.
In the GPU settings block, you need to check that the checkbox is enabled Use GPU. For more detailed settings, click the button Additional options
Check that the settings are the same as in the figure. Pay special attention to two checkboxes - Use GPU to speed up calculations and UseOpenCL. Disabling these features results in the inability to use many operations and filters.
Of the following tabs, the tab that is of practical importance is External modules. The block flags must be enabled Filters and Extension Panels. Then all filters will be shown in the menu, and various extension panels will work.
Now let's configure the color management system parameters. To do this you need to either go to the menu Editing - Color Settings (Edit-ColorSettings) or press the key combination SHIFT+CTRL+K. The settings window will open
In line Settings select from the drop-down list Universal settings for Europe. Thus, the main working space for the RGB model will be sRGB IEC61966-2.1. This completes the color adjustment.
You can use a pre-installed environment as a working environment Photo. You can select it in the upper right corner of the program window. You can then customize the program's palettes as you wish.
Now you need to restart the program and you can get to work.