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cj02139
cj02139
Known Participant
July 3, 2025
Question

PSE Catalog files - list of extensions and use

  • July 3, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 240 views

Reason: First for curiosity, second for general understanding.

Situation: I just upgraded from PSE 2020 (18.0) to PSE 2025 (25.0)

Question: Is there a list "somewhere" of folders and file types that are used by PSE in its Catalog folder, and what each is for?  For instance: what are .mk4 files?  I have a huge one from 2016!  Likewise, what is the WaldoData folder used for?  And I notice that the (new?) catalog extension is .pse25db and I see a .pse25db-shm and a .pse25db-wal, but I also see a .pse18db-she, and a .pse18db-wal.

Thank,  

  -cj

2 replies

Glenn 8675309
Glenn 8675309
Legend
July 4, 2025
Adobe Organizer, part of Photoshop Elements, supports a wide range of file extensions for organizing various media types. 
Image File Extensions:
  • PSD, PDD: Photoshop and Photo Project formats.
  • JPEG, JPG, JPE: Joint Photographic Experts Group.
  • PNG, PNS: Portable Network Graphics.
  • BMP, RLE, DIB: Bitmap formats.
  • TIFF, TIF: Tagged Image File Format.
  • RAW formats: Includes extensions like ARW, CR2, DNG, NEF, ORF, and many more, for unprocessed camera images.
  • HEIF: High Efficiency Image File Format.
  • Other image formats: GIF, PXR, X3F. 
Video File Extensions:
  • 3g2, 3gp: 3GPP.
  • avi: Audio Video Interleave (Windows only).
  • m2t, m2ts, mts: AVCHD and MPEG-2 Transport Stream.
  • m4v, mp4: H.264 and MPEG-4.
  • mov: QuickTime and H.264-Encoded QuickTime.
  • mod: MOD format.
  • mpeg, mpg: MPEG-1 and MPEG-2.
  • swf: SWF format.
  • tod: TOD format.
  • vob: Video Object (DVD video). 
Audio File Extensions:
  • aac: Advanced Audio Coding.
  • ac3: Dolby Digital.
  • aif, aiff: Audio Interchange File Format.
  • m2a, m4a: MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 audio.
  • mp3: MPEG audio.
  • wav: Waveform (Windows only).
  • wma: Windows Media audio (Windows only). 
Important Notes:
  • HEIF files are supported only on macOS 10.13.x and above.
  • HEVC/H.265 videos are supported on macOS 11 Big Sur and Windows 10 version 1809 or higher.
  • While Adobe Organizer allows you to import RAW files, it does not edit them directly. Edits are non-destructive, and the original RAW file remains unchanged. You can open a processed RAW file in Photoshop Elements' editor and save it in a different format like PSD, JPEG, or TIFF. 
This list provides a comprehensive overview of the file extensions that Adobe Organizer uses to manage your digital media. 
Glenn 8675309
Glenn 8675309
Legend
July 4, 2025
This is all "nice to know type stuff- you ltierally can ignore all of these file formats, and not miss anything. 

In Adobe Elements Organizer, the WaldoData folder is a subfolder within your catalog that is used to index your media files for 'visual' similarity. This means that the Organizer uses this folder to store information that helps it quickly find and group images that look alike.

If the WaldoData folder is missing or deleted, it will be automatically rebuilt by the Organizer by analyzing your media files again. This rebuilding process can take several hours, depending on the size of your catalog.

MKV files (not mk4) 

MKV files are container format files, saved in the Matroska multimedia container format. As a container file, MKV stores multiple multimedia data streams such as video, audio, and subtitles in a single file.

The MKV container aligns the audio, video, and subtitles playback time, letting you select a stream, if there’s more than one. The Matroska multimedia container format, or MKV, is an open source alternative to AVI, MPG, and MP4 containers and boasts are larger amount of storage than those options.

It is also the basis for WebM video files supported by many web browsers. Windows Media Player supports MKV alongside VLC Player.

Here's how the file naming works in this context:
  • Main Database File: Let's say your main SQLite database file is named "X".
  • WAL File: The write-ahead log file associated with it is typically named "X-wal".
  • SHM File: The shared-memory or WAL-index file, used for coordinating access and as a cache for WAL file data, is named by appending "-shm" to the main database file name, resulting in "X-shm". 
Example:
If your database is named my_database.db, the associated .shm file would likely be named my_database.db-shm. 
Important Note: The .shm file is not a regular database file containing persistent data. It's used for inter-process communication and coordination within the WAL mode of the database. Therefore, its specific content and structure are not typically meant for direct user access. 
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