Opening files

The Open dialog box provides controls for locating and previewing files. To bypass the Open dialog box, use the Open Recent command.

There may be instances when Photoshop Elements 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:

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. 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  Using color management.)

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, choose Edit > Preferences > Saving Files, and enter a number in the Recent File List Contains text box.

To specify the file format in which to open a file:

Do one of the following:

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.

Getting Images into Photoshop Elements > Opening and importing images > Opening files