P: No image preview on Open dialog box on Windows

When I want to open a file in Photoshop it is helpful to have a preview thumbnail of the .psd files, which was available in previous versions of Photoshop. Could that please be restored? Thanks.

it seems to me this thread has become a series of personal attacks on people who are struggling to use software for which they (in the past) have evangelists. I know I have always been a strong supporter of Adobe, and Photoshop in particular.

The fact that there are 3rd party products that allow for thumbnail views of files is mildly helpful for those of us who only have a few images in a folder. But at the end of the day, the product is broken.

I have installed a codec so I can see the preview. It's not elegant. It's not streamlined. If you have more than a dozen or so images, you either have to resize the dialog (more time), use smaller thumbnails (not particularly helpful), or guess (obviously not a good workflow suggestion).

One way I've discovered is mildly efficient is to open Photoshop and a Windows Explorer window fullscreen with thumbnails. Then right-click and open with Photoshop. At least this way, I can view larger images with one instance of PS running. Again, not nearly as nice as previous versions, but better than the broken method currently required.

Adobe, I certainly hope your listening.

thanks for your sane reply!

Well, i suppose you are referring to wrong colors rapresented into the preview icon...
i think there's something not working very well because some colors are fake but i need it only to choose a file within different image and not colors.

It's been a while since I looked at Sage Thumbs... Does it do proper color-management yet?

-Noel

Hi everybody, again
I found this free software that, for me, works (Windows 7 Pro 64bit, CS6)

http://code.google.com/p/sagethumbs/
Note: I have installed also Ghostscript 8.54

Now i can see .psd and .ai preview through Windows Open Dialog, but sometimes i see a little flickering for some image..

Anyway, waiting for an Adobe Patch, i hope this can help somebody else
I'll stay tuned for other suggestions..

Yes, Noel, I do believe that the codec might suffice for a handful, but it's been mentioned enough in this thread, and now I actually believe you're giving Adobe ammo for feeling like they don't NEED to provide a solution. Even that employee Chris up there mentioned that there are 3rd party codecs that will solve the problem. So great...now HE actually thinks those are good enough thanks to you and like one other person thinking those codecs are so glorious.

Now am I going to say I absolutely cannot get any work done without the preview pane? Of course not. But it grinds on my nerves every time I'm sailing through work, pumping stuff out, and then come to a halt when I hit the open dialog box, am scanning through files, click on it to preview it....and nothing happens. So what do I do? I roll my eyes, as I forgot once again about the proverbial shaft that Adobe has lodged in it's customers backside on this issue, and open the file up all the way in Photoshop just to see that it's not what I was looking for. And Noel....look again....apparently you are excessively outnumbered on this thread by people that believe it IS a big deal about browsing through huge lists of files in thumbnail view. I've tried doing it on numerous occasions, and half the time, I can't find what I'm looking for. I'm looking for file NAMES first, then images second. You have trained yourself to do the process in reverse, which is out of the norm for most designers. Do you do photography? If that's the case, maybe that's why....you're looking for an image and not a file name. I understand that. Whenever I'm browsing through photos, I normally open windows explorer, set it to thumbnail view, and can find what I'm looking for much easier.

But put yourself in my (and many others) position: You're browsing through a company's folder looking for the business card you did out of 30 different cards you did for different employees there. All of the cards have the format of "Synergy_card_John_front.psd". Then there is a back for that card. Then there is a JPEG version for the customer to proof and a PDF print file. So imagine browsing through 90 different versions of each side that look the same on the thumbnail preview. How can you NOT see the kind of pain that would be? If I was just looking for card fronts, I could easily scan through them in list view, and then also find "John" quicker. If you don't understand the difference and how much easier it is, then you obviously haven't seen how quick a designer can really navigate the system. I've brought in interns before, and I get very antsy watching them navigate files, because they are SOO slow. Opening files shouldn't even BE part of a designer's workflow....it should be second nature that they don't even have to think about. When I'm looking for a file, I would say my average search time to open the dialog box, track down the folder, and find it in that folder is less than 10 seconds.

So there you go. Glad that codec works for you, but just move on man and accept and understand that we KNOW how the codec works and it isn't for everyone.

well, here's a possible odd fact for the (guinness book of) records on this topic:

I have never yet seen (or heard of) any software on the market that cannot visually preview its own files before, and requires a third party codec to facilitate such an essential need. Photoshop CS6 can surely go into the record books therefore.

...this fact, if true(? ) remains a dubious wooden spoon from where I am.

I would add 'thank goodness to FPV for having come to the rescue'!

Simon

Okay, you have some experience. Fair enough.

But do you think maybe other folks, who haven't tried the codec approach yet, might benefit from the info? Do you think offering up a workaround to the Adobe shortcomings is somehow hindering the efforts to get Adobe to change their software? Do you believe they really care what you say here?

And talk about splitting hairs... You act as if the difference between looking over your photo sets as groups of icons vs. a list will literally make or break your workflow, which we both know is an exaggeration.

-Noel

@4019339. I hope you'll accept my apology for my rudeness. I guess we all have different ways of working. 🙂