Can't get my scans open in Photoshop 2025 - says incorrect color space = ??? It's just a B&W scan.

[NTC Ann]

I got my SnapScan to work but it saves as an Acrobat PDF

BUT... when I go to open in photoshop... it won't open as it says something about the color space is not correct

"Could not open “12092024.pdf” because a color was specified using an unsupported color space"

It's just a B&W scanned file. There is no color for these files.

+ it tries to open as a previw instead of the pdf... 

I am trying to get it open in Photoshop 2025 because I want to save it as a jpg or pdf file but it won't let me. 

Help would be greatly appreciated to get it to open + to be able to open it as jpg or pdf

Thank you!!!!!

MacOs 15.1.1

[Stephen Marsh]

I would expect a scanner to default to RGB. However, you may have something else set to create the PDF that Photoshop doesn't like. Photoshop can open Grayscale and 1-bit files; perhaps this is indexed grayscale or something unsupported. Without inspecting a copy of the PDF or seeing a screenshot of your scanner settings, including the colour mode and file format options, it's hard to comment.

Try Apple Preview.app

[NTC Ann]

PS... I don't get these options w. my scanner

including the colour mode and file format options

[Conrad_C]

+ it tries to open as a previw instead of the pdf...

By @NTC Ann

Normally, Photoshop should have no problem opening a PDF file, so that’s odd. When you say “it tries” does that mean the scan successfully opens in Apple Preview, or it tries to open in Preview but fails?

If it wants to open in Preview, you can always open it in Photoshop manually, using any of these methods:

• Drag the file, and drop it on the Photoshop application icon or Home screen.
• In Photoshop,  choose the command File > Open and select that file and it should open in Photoshop.
• In the Mac Finder, select the file in its folder window or on the desktop, and choose File > Open With > Adobe Photoshop.

I am trying to get it open in Photoshop 2025 because I want to save it as a jpg or pdf file but it won't let me.

By @NTC Ann

If it won’t open in Photoshop but it will open in Preview, you can do that conversion there too. In Apple Preview, if the file is open there, choose File > Export, and choose JPEG. JPEG is one of the formats Preview can export to. (Not sure why you want to save it as PDF since it already has a PDF filename extension.)

[NTC Ann]

I tried open with but get same message. Someone in past helped me get this working but since got hacked and had to get new computer... can't remember what the steps were.

I don't see a drag and drop

Here is the test.pdf off the scanner

[NTC Ann]

If I double click on it, it opens in Acrobat reader.

But... since some dr's send multiple page forms for me to fill out and my handwriting is not readable (even to me sometimes)... I try to open in Photoshop and use the type tool on each page and save those as jpg's or pdf's....

So that's why I need to be able to open the file. The scanner just scans in B&W. 

[Stephen Marsh]

Looking at the PDF, It's not an unsupported colour space such as indexed grey... The image is a standard device grey ICC profile Generic Gray Gamma 2.2 Profile, using ZIP compression.

The PDF can be opened in Photoshop if you have Acrobat Pro and can convert the colour mode of the image, otherwise, as I previously suggested you can use Apple Preview instead, assign a different profile and/or re-export the PDF in another format.

[NTC Ann]

How do I find apple preview please

Thanks again!!!!!!!!

[Stephen Marsh]

How do I find apple preview please

Thanks again!!!!!!!!

By @NTC Ann

 By typing "Preview" into the system search bar, or by going to your Applications folder.

[NTC Ann]

Does anyone know how to get my B&W scans to open in Photoshop 2025 instead of getting this message and not being able to open them?

I've asked before but  have had no responses.

Help please would be appreciated. Thank you!

[NTC Ann]

PS These are just PDF's. Nothing special and used to open all the time. Now, not

[Stephen Marsh]

I've asked before but  have had no responses.

By @NTC Ann

You did get responses :]

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/can-t-get-my-scans-open-in-photoshop-...

[Stephen Marsh]

Using Apple Preview, you can re-export the PDF as a PDF using PDF/X-3 Quartz filter or simply as a PDF/A which appears to remove the problem with the Generic Gray Gamma 2.2 ICC profile related error indicating an unsupported colour space. Or export in another format than PDF.

[Nancy OShea]

PDF is not an image file. Why aren't you scanning and saving to TIFF or JPG image file type?

[Stephen Marsh]

Normally, Photoshop should have no problem opening a PDF file, so that’s odd.

By @Conrad_C

One should keep in mind that Photoshop isn't a PDF editor, so it can open a Photoshop PDF with no issues, however, a generic PDF requires rasterization and if there are unsupported colour modes or something else that Photoshop doesn't support then all bets are off.

I don't see why an embedded Generic Gray Gamma 2.2 Profile would be an issue but it is.

[NTC Ann]

Any ideas to get it off what ever it is saying about unsupported color... 

I've tried using Acrobat and exporting as pdf but does same thing.

If anyone can help!! Thank you.

[Stephen Marsh]

Do you mean the less capable free Acrobat Reader or Acrobat Pro?

Can you post a screenshot of the scanner settings?