Can't open some png files

[mikaels71195823]

I use some png files when I make Photoshop montages, but I have noticed that som of the png files won't work with latest Photoshop. I get a error message that says that the png file is not at png file like this one: https://www.textures.com/download/trees0065/56429?q=alpha

How come?? Is there any way to fix that PS will open it as png again?

Best regards Micke S, Sweden

[cmgap]

Hi Mikaels - does the file have the .png extension on it when you download it?

[mikaels71195823]

Hello.

Yes it have the png extension, and other png files work.

[davescm]

Try opening the file with text editor such as Notepad. Do the third, fourth and fifth characters in the first line say PNG ?

Dave

[mikaels71195823]

If I do it right, I opened a text editor choosed to open the image and som of the firstline says:

ÿØÿà  JFIF          ÿá  Exif  II*             ÿá ohttp:

Micke

[davescm]

Hi

It is not a png file.  Try renaming it to xxxxxxxxx.jpg and opening it.

Where xxxxxxxxxx is the original name before the dot.

If that does not work (and ity may not as JFIF is an old format) open the renamed jpg in paint or other app and resave as png

Dave

[mikaels71195823]

Thanks but not working, I opened it in paint and resaved it as png. When I then tried to have a other layer under, it didn't show .

[cmgap]

Can you share a link to one of these files in Dropbox or Google drive? Also  have you tried to Place it in the document? CMD or CNT D...

[mikaels71195823]

OK hope this works now first time I share Dropbox..

Dropbox - TexturesCom_Branches0039_1_alphamasked_S.png

[davescm · Accepted solution]

Hi

I downloaded your file. Although the file has the png extension it is not a png file it is a jpeg.  Changing the extension to jpg allowed me to open it directly in Photoshop.

However the jpeg file type does not support transparency so the checked area is part of the image rather than transparency. You need to go to the supplier of the image and get them to save as an actual png file (which does support transparency)

Dave

[Matt Walker 427]

Hi,

I downloaded your file and I can't open it in Photoshop either.

However, Preview on my Mac does open it, as a png, with transparency.

Sorry davescm, I think the file is a .png, I think something has gone wrong in saving it somehow and photoshop won't recognise it as a png. Ive had this happen to me a few times, but preview can open it, reserve it and then I can open it in photoshop again.

In fact, if I change the extension to jpg, photoshop does open it, with transparency!!!

[cmgap]

The file may have been corrupted when it was saved as the only way to open it is to change the extension to .jpg. It will then open in Photoshop, however Dave is correct. The transparency grid is not truly transparent. If you try to export as png, you will see that the grid checkerboard is made up of pixels and not truly transparent. Never the less the op will need to contact the service that he downloaded the file from to let them know that it is corrupt or try to download it again. It may have been corrupted during the download process.

[davescm]

Hi ed

If you look inside the file it is a jpeg stored in the old JFIF format as opposed to the jpeg EXIF format that is used now.

Are you sure about the transparency ? I've opened it in three versions of Photoshop and it just opens as a standard background layer, as expected from a jpeg. You can see the grey and white checks but they are part of the image - not the transparency grid.

[SaulGoodmann]

[SOLVED!]

Thanks fort the tips everyone.

For 3 months, I couldn't figure this one out. All of a sudden, I couldn't open png in PS anymore, NOR could generate pngs from it. I tried a lot of things, including a fresh Windows install, but nothing worked.

Today, 2 ideas from this board helped me put that problem behind me once and for all.

1st: davescm advised to open the png file in question in Notepad to see if the first line of text contains (yes, the data of the image is seen by Notepad as a jumble of text - Notepad can open almost anything!) the letters png as the 2nd, 3rd and 4th characters. I did and those letters were there.

2nd: Then I decided to open the file in another 3rd party app, this time, MS Paint, save it as a png and then give PS a shot at it again.

Boom, it worked.

Try that, peeps!

Thanks commenters!!!

[megan2021]

I ran across this very issue with a file I had downloaded online as a PNG. I couldn't get PS to "open as"  PNG, JPG, PSD, BMP, GIF or anything.  Notepad was all gibberish, and even paint wouldn't open it.

I recently purchased Affintiy Designer and Photo, and I tried Affinity Designer, and it opened it perfectly as a PNG with transparency.  I exported it out as a renamed file as a png, and it now opens correctly in Photoshop as a newly exported PNG.

[D Fosse]

We've had numerous discussions concerning this over the years, some of them with participation from Photoshop engineers.

What it boils down to is that a lot of applications take liberties with the file format specifications - especially those targeting a small community such as e.g. game developers or some aspects of video production. They can do that because there's a consensus about how they want things to work.

Photoshop, however, is the industry standard for raster graphics, and it has to work in all possible scenarios for all possible users. That means everything has to be strictly by the book, and no deviations from spec.

[mikaels71195823]

I've been in contact with the people who run the page and they seemed to have a bug on the page so all png files were wrong. They should look at where the error is. Thank you to all who came up with suggestions on where the error was.

[cmgap]

Thanks for letting us know Mikaels.

[Matt Walker 427]

My mistake,

Yes, the transparency grid is part of the image, no transparency at all, no matter what application you open it in.

Maybe the full res image instead of the preview would have correct transparency.