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Could not complete your request because the file-format module cannot parse the file

Forum|Forum|16 years ago
March 12, 2009
35 replies
284007 views

Hi there!

I use Photoshop CS4 now and I have a problem when I want to import (by dragging'n dropping, importing, open - I tried every way)a .png or i.e. also an .jpg:

when I worked a short time with PS (i.e. 10 minutes) and want to open a .png then, there comes the popup-window with:
"Could not complete your request because the file-format module cannot parse the file"

The funny thing is: my file is NOT broken!! Because if I then shutdown PS and open it again, there is no longer a problem to open the .png-file.... after a while of course it comes back...

So all solutions that I found on this problem were "the norton anti virus is also running"-solution: but I have no NAV running!!
And the files are NOT damaged!! Otherwise I couldn't have opened it after restarting PS.

I purged all files and I have enough cache!! So it doesn't seem to be a problem of my computerperformance.

Any idea???

Thanks a lot,
Nina

Problem or error

This topic has been closed for replies.

elisiocarmona

New Participant

Hi I managed to solve my "could not complete the paste command because the parser module cannot parse the clipboard" problems with the help of this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUJ9E9KA3O8

It looked like that the problem is related to "performance" (Photoshop CC - An integer between 96 and 8 is required) and this video helped solve the integer problem and also the other one related to the "parse".

B

bgcat00

New Participant

I just encountered this problem. I read through quite a number of the replies here until I saw the one regarding trying to open the file in question with firefox. That was the most useful step.

My problem was that I got a png which I needed to edit, convert to grayscale and then bitmap (1 bit b/w file) and then save as a bmp. I did all of this successfully (using Photoshop 5.1 on a Win 7 64 bit system.) So the problematic file was actually created with Photoshop, not some unknown entity. The fact that Photoshop was the manipulator and determinant of the file formatting is what concerns me. This bmp file that I just created, could not be opened in Photoshop and produced the "Could not complete your request because the file-format module cannot parse the file."

Interestingly, the file is viewable in Windows Photo Viewer and a few other apps. It just won't open in Photoshop. It was when I looked at it in Firefox that I saw on the tab that it was a PNG file. When I change the extension to png, then Photoshop will open it.

So, now I can open the file. Not out of the woods yet though!!! If this file needs to be a bmp file as a software asset and I save it as a bmp in Photoshop, what repercussions happen when the software developers have problems because the BMP isn't a BMP. How do I assure that what I'm choosing to do in Photoshop, is what Photoshop is actually doing.

I want what I'm asking for. Not 'something kind of like it.'

Noel Carboni

Braniac

bgcat00 wrote:

How do I assure that what I'm choosing to do in Photoshop, is what Photoshop is actually doing.
I want what I'm asking for. Not 'something kind of like it.'

Are you saying you can reproduce a problem where you can specifically get it to fail to open a file you just saved? I can't.

If not, I suspect what you saw with your bmp/png file was YOUR fault, not Photoshop error. It's not hard to imagine you accidentally chose PNG format but named the file .bmp when saving it... You DO know that you have to choose the format, specifically, right? Photoshop doesn't try to second guess your file extension, while some other apps do in the name of being "helpful".

So in direct answer to your question: Operate the Save As controls properly and what you specified is what you'll get.

-Noel

B

bgcat00

New Participant

I didn't 'name the file' at all. I simply chose the bmp extension. The previous version was a png file, prior to editing. This was, in fact, the fault of Photoshop. This is not the error of a novice as I've been using Photoshop since version 4.01 was released about 15 years ago.

I also didn't say that I can get it to fail. I said that it did fail to open.

As an addendum, after successfully opening one of the two bmp files after changing the bmp extension (as appended by Photoshop) to png, I saved it again as a bmp and successfull reopened it. Interestingly, the other bmp file which would not open either with the same parsing error message, now would open, even though I didn't change that file extension back to a png.

So, two files, both png files were edited, converted to greyscale and then to bitmap and both were saved as bmp files by choosing the format drop down in Photoshop. Niether would then open in Photoshop, but both were viewable in other porgrams. I changed the extension of one of them to png, and then sucessfully opened it, resaved it again as a bmp file and successfully reopened it. The second file which failed to open as well, now opened successfully although I didn't change it.

M

mdrayerrn

Participating Frequently

Well KUDOS Chris to those milliions who didnt have this problem. I have been using photoshop since 7 came out. I am a diigtal scrapbook designer and work with millions of png files. I never had a single problem in any other photoshop edition until this one came out. They all opened my png files just fine and then i got this edition and none of them will open. They all get this error! I finally gave up with trying to fix it or get help for Adobe and went back to CS3 and it opens these SAME png files that wouldnt open just fine. AND I MEAN THE SAME EXACT PNG FILES.....

Obviously, noone there knows how to fix it and so they just keep blaming it on the file. I can send you about 3 million png files that it wont open.....

Noel Carboni

Braniac

Post one that won't open for you here or somewhere, please.

I, for one who's not having a general problem with PNG files, will be happy to check to see if it's something wrong with your file format.

-Noel

B

bshepper

New Participant

I can download any number of png files from the internet EVERY SINGLE PNG file I download it will come up with this error... Adobe please stop pushing it aside is there a fix. It is not currupt. it's clearly photoshop

Chris Cox

Braniac

Other people don't have that problem -- Photoshop's PNG parser is one of the most robust available, and is successfully used by millions of people every day.

First, make sure they really are PNG files and not something else with the wrong extension.

Then, if you still have a PNG file that Photoshop cannot open, email it to me and I'll take a look.

K

KathrynBlue

Participating Frequently

It seems obvious to me that the issue here is some sort of memory leak. What happens is that Photoshop is not cleaning up the memory when it is running, so eventually, it runs out and give you this error that is misleading.

If you shut down other files or programs, you free up space, so this may work for a while.

If you restart photoshop, it may free up some space, so this too may work for a while.

The only way if you are having repeated problems to clear out the space is to totally power down your computer and then restart it. If you are having problems no matter what, you might consider adding more memory to your computer.

At any rate, I was having this problem with a very large file. I reduced the size and the problem went away for a while. I restarted photoshop and the same thing - it worked for a while.

This is an old problem with graphic programs and photoshop is hardly the only program that has it. I might nudge Adobe to clean up their programming standards. This is sloppy coding.

Chris Cox

Braniac

It seems obvious to me that the issue here is some sort of memory leak. What happens is that Photoshop is not cleaning up the memory when it is running, so eventually, it runs out and give you this error that is misleading.

Uh, really? On what evidence do you claim this?

So far the OP issue sounds like a disk or memory issue -- nothing like a memory leak. And Photoshop doesn't "run out" of memory too easily, because it reuses memory constantly.

The only way if you are having repeated problems to clear out the space is to totally power down your computer and then restart it.

Please explain how you think an application holds on to memory after the application has exited.

K

KathrynBlue

Participating Frequently

"Uh, really? On what evidence do you claim this?

So far the OP issue sounds like a disk or memory issue -- nothing like a memory leak. And Photoshop doesn't "run out" of memory too easily, because it reuses memory constantly."

Because the problem goes away when you close other programs and shut down other photoshop files.

The only way if you are having repeated problems to clear out the space is to totally power down your computer and then restart it.

Please explain how you think an application holds on to memory after the application has exited.

Hung processes. Firefox is one program that is notorious for this. You can go out and try to find the processes in the task manager, but it's just far easier to restart your system. Cold starting your computer is an old trick that does seem to work better that just restarting for such issues, but I have no real explanation as to why.

R

RevTieDye

New Participant

I ran across this error trying to open several BMP files, using both CS4 and CS5 on Windows XP. I was able to successfully open other BMP files from my hard drive but not these. The BMPs that CS could not open, were opened without problems in MS-Word and Paint. I tried moving the files to different location, and renaming the file. None of this worked.

Two things that DID WORK (not a solution, just a work-around)

1. Open in Paint, and save again with new name, but still as a BMP

Paint wanted to know which type of BMP to save it as (256 color/24 bit, etc) Not knowing, I picked 24-bit at random.

This worked. The New BMP opened with PS5

2. Change File extension

Using Windows Explorer/aka "My Documents" I changed the BMP extension to PNG.

The file opened successfully in CS5 this way also.

Chris Cox

Braniac

Using Windows Explorer/aka "My Documents" I changed the BMP extension to PNG.

No, that IS the solution.

They were not BMP files, but PNG files with the wrong extension.

Photoshop complained because they were not readable as BMP files -- correctly, because they weren't BMP files.

Putting the correct extension on the file (PNG) made Photoshop read them as PNG files, and they opened correctly.

R

RevTieDye

New Participant

Well that would make sense. I really don't know anything about the

difference between BMP & PNG, but MS word & Paint opened the mis-labelled

PNG's fine. That seems weird to me--that a bundled application like Paint

can figure out how to handle the file, but the program I paid $500 for

can't.

Michael;

A

Anonymous

Hi everybody!

Well, I posted my problem on March 12, 2009 and got a lot of response since then - thank you so much. It was good to see that I am not alone with my problem and some of the answers had maybe helped some others. In fact I never solved my problem - it was really sad.

But in the meantime I bought a never version of Photoshop and now everything works fine... I really hope that everybody else may find their way throught that boug - and be it only by buying a new version

Greetz to everybody!

Nina

W

warrenwater

New Participant

I had this problem but until now i can't solve it. I think I may be use older Photoshop version.

C

carlif

New Participant

Did you try closing all your other programs besides Photoshop?

C

carlif

New Participant

I'm getting this error in Photoshop Elements 7. Here's a link to a file that opens in the browser just fine, but which Elements can't open.

http://www.jaycerenner.com/Seeds/Curve%20Set%2019.keep.634255493605482000.nonrotated.png

Maybe I should just stick with The GIMP? Slower, but at least it can open my files...

C

carlif

New Participant

I think I have a clue. I was getting ready to shut down, so I closed all my programs. But I thought I'd try that file one last time. This time it opened in Elements.

I had everything closed except the folder I was using. So if you are having this error, try closing memory-intensive programs (browsers, other image editors), and seeing if that helps.

M

mdrayerrn

Participating Frequently

FOUND THE ANSWER.........Even better. You dont have to rename the file. All you have to do is double click and open the file in the Irfanview viewer. Then close the file and restart photoshop and the file will work.

Melody Drayer, RN

Noel Carboni

Braniac

Your enthusiasm is showing, Melody! I also love IrfanView, but having to go to a 3rd party application shouldn't be necessary. And if simply opening the file in another application (without saving) is magically "fixing" the problem, you have serious computer problems.

This thread has run on to two pages, and as far as I can see no one has posted a link to a file that Photoshop would not open!

All we need is a link to just ONE FILE with which the problem can be reproduced, and I should think Adobe would have to acknowledge a problem.

-Noel

M

mdrayerrn

Participating Frequently

First, let me make it clear I'm not with Adobe. This is a user help forum.

Without being able to reproduce the problem (or not!) on one of your files no one can help you further.

For example, if you were to upload one of your files to the net, and I were to download it, and I were to be unable to open it then there's the possibility of looking INSIDE the format of that file to determine if it is formatted badly. If it were formatted badly, that would lead to further questions - e.g., about how it was originally created. If it were formatted properly, then it would clearly become an issue to be reported to Adobe for resolution.

If, contra-wise, I COULD open the file, then we could start to investigate what's wrong with your computer - likely having less to do with Photoshop and more to do with what else you've installed, configured, or whatever on your computer, or perhaps some part that's failing.

You have stated that simply opening the file with Irfan View and not even saving it back out yields the ability to open it with Photoshop.

Opening a file with IrfanView without saving anything does NOTHING to the file itself. If doing that makes a difference to Photoshop, it's time to suspect your Windows system of having a great many fundamental problems.

-Noel

if there was something wrong with the file would it still open in my photoshop 7 on the same computer? Also obviously opening it in Irfanview does do something to the file or at least in Photoshop CS4 installed on my computer... because it makes it open them. I can open these files in paint shop pro, photo impact ...ect.... Just not in my new copy of CS4. All these are installed on the same computer!!!

Show more replies

Post one that won't open for you here or somewhere, please.

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