Image preview in Open dialog window (Photoshop CS6)

[YahorShumski]

Hi

We had a possibility to see images preview in Open File dialog window of Photoshop CS5 but in new CS6 version there is not such possibility. Should I forget about that nice option and use Mini Bridge?

[Trevor.Dennis]

Yahor, if I am understanding your point, it works fine for me with Windows 7.  The drop box is there in the Open dialogue box, and I can select the usual choices up to and including Extra Large icons.

[YahorShumski]

Thanks for the image! but can you see .psd files preview in the window as it was in CS5?

[Noel Carboni]

Not without a codec for PSD.

I use the inexpensive FastPictureViewer Codec Pack myself.  This gives you not only thumbnails but previews in Windows Photo Viewer, and works for Photoshop Open/Save dialogs as well as Explorer.

I haven't checked it out yet, but I understand the recently released Microsoft Camera Codec Pack may have PSD and PSB codecs as well.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=26829

EDIT: After checking this, it appears I heard wrong.

-Noel

[dragos_syncro]

I miss the image preview too.

[Siddalingayya]

Hi,

Till the newer version, issue is remain same. psd formate will not preview. When searching old file we have to open every one to get required file (.psd) But in older version wen select the file there was small thumbnail preview was their. That is missing

[anrh_c]

Yes, this is very disturbing while working and trying to find certain file..
what was the point of removing the file preview?!

[Noel Carboni]

Perhaps they're looking to standardize the dialog and avoid problems they have had by augmenting/hooking the OS dialog.

The right answer really is to get codecs and have the OS provide the thumbnail support at all its levels.

-Noel

[Brady M.]

Dude...seriously...why in the world would they remove that? I just noticed it myself today after upgrading a couple of days ago (using the full version). And Yahor is right for questioning Trevor regarding Windows 7 ability to see the preview of PSD files. You can only see JPEGs and similar web type files. PSD files just show as icons. And even so, I need my files in "List" type on Windows, as I have a lot of files in each folder, and it's a lot easier to visually find what I'm looking for in a large alphabetical list (rather than in large preview mode), and than click on it to preview if it's the file I'm looking for. I can't, for the life of me, figure out why they would remove something so fundamental as the preview in Photoshop. They work so hard to create "new" features that we all "need", but then take out something incredibly basic that we REALLY need. For some reason, though, they decided it was still necessary in Illustrator, because it's still there on it. Where do I email my feedback/complaint? I can already tell this feature, or lack thereof, is going to drive me up the wall.

[Noel Carboni]

Promofuse wrote:

You can only see JPEGs and similar web type files. PSD files just show as icons.

Promofuse, did you read this entire thread?  Did you look carefully at the picture I posted?  With an additional codec pack you can see thumbnails for all kinds of files.

But I do understand your desire to have your files displayed in List or Details view.  In that case the thumbnail preview at the bottom of the dialog would be very nice to have.  But it's not there, and I have a feeling it was taken out on purpose.

-Noel

[Brady M.]

I'm not so sure it was on purpose or not Noel. Especially since it's still there in Illustrator and Indesign. If it weren't for it being in those, I might think it was intentional. Then again, it could very well be Adobe trying really hard to push MiniBridge, which is almost utterly useless. I think they actually made the minibridge WORSE as well. The sizing issues of the thumbnails on that are a pain and minibridge is just plain cumbersome to run. Anyways, besides my many qualms with minibridge itself, and back on the open dialog box thing...I actually watched a youtube video pointing out the same codecs you're talking about and without the PSD functionality, it's pretty useless. I'm a graphic designer, so I don't really use PS for camera image editing and don't mess with those files that the codec helps with. Even if it did, that still isn't very helpful to me. Because at that point, you're pretty much just doing what Bridge/MIniBridge does. However, consider how I, and many other designers in the print field work: At any given point we might have something like 3 different versions of a file; a PSD (with layers to edit), a JPEG (to send to the customer for proofing), and a PDF (for printing). Now, within that customer folder I might have 50+ files of different jobs. Imagine trying to sift through all those thumbnails, scrolling across window upon window, and when you get to the file you're finally looking for, you click it open to just to see that you opened the jpeg instead of the PSD. Now, in LIST view, I can see many more files on one screen and each file type is represented by an icon. So I know the blue icons are Photoshop icons and it's very easy to skim through there and know exactly which file type I'm looking for without peering at extensions. Get what I'm saying? Not that I don't appreciate you trying to help. Just saying, unless any codec can bring back the preview screen....than I don't see a workaround until Adobe flat out FIXES IT. I'm one of those guys that loves to get the newest thing and give it time to work, but if they don't fix it, I might have to call up Adobe and demand a downgrade on my Photoshop to 5.5, cause it really slows my workflow when I have hundreds of files to keep up with, and any new feature in PS CS6 that might have sped up my work is offset by not being able to do such a remedial task as preview my files before opening them.

[zakea42]

EXACTLY WHAT HE SAID!!

[PECourtejoie]

In CS6, Adobe uses the Os dialog, where there is no thumbnail (there seems to be a bug that a Microsoft employee claims to be fixed, and Adobe says it isn't:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/1641868#1641868 )

Were you using the Adobe dialog in CS5?

[station_two]

Well, it's definitely not a problem in my Mac version of CS6, where even raw files and raw DNGs show their preview in the Photoshop Open dialog box.  So, it's very likely a Microsoft problem.

[Noel Carboni · Accepted solution]

Just for clarity:

What we're talking about being missing from Photoshop CS6 is the preview near the bottom of the dialog that was there in Photoshop CS5 and earlier:

This is what you see now with Photoshop CS6:

They're both Operating System dialogs.  It's just that Adobe has augmented the dialog to add additional preview functionality in the Photoshop CS5 and earlier dialogs and that has been removed for some unknown reason.  Note that they have NOT removed all augmentation - that little [  ] Image Sequence box is not provided by Windows.

-Noel

[MODERATOR] Marking this post as correct as it perfectly illustrates the issue. This topic is further discussed here: Photoshop: No image preview on Open dialog box in CS6

Message was edited by: Brett N

[station_two]

Thank you, Noel.  That's timely and relevant.

[Guest]

For those that do not want to pay for file previews in Explorer...

Sage Thumbs is not quite ideal in accurately previewing color of CMYK PSDs but it is free.

https://code.google.com/p/sagethumbs/

You might also try the last freeware version of Mystic Thumbs (1.98)

http://www.321download.com/LastFreeware/page40.html

[Brady M.]

Right Noel. That's exactly the problem I'm talking about. I am very curious as to what this Sage Thumbs that Marian suggested is. Kind of looks like the Apple dialog box preview. I'm sure it would work fine in Windows Explorer, but the question is; does it work within Photoshop's "Open" dialog box? If so, I'd be all for it. Though....I'm not usually a fan of installing third party software that changes Windows functionality/appearance. It always seems to slow it down and cause problems later.

[Guest]

Promofuse wrote:

...I'm sure it would work fine in Windows Explorer, but the question is; does it work within Photoshop's "Open" dialog box?...

That's the same thing!

Here's what it looks like in my CS5 File Open dialog...

[station_two]

So as not to hijack this thread, it would be interesting to open a new thread or even a poll just to inquire why folks don't use Bridge in this scenario.

I always launch Bridge before Photoshop.

Oh well, each to his own…

[Guest]

To me it is just downright disgusting that I can not see PSD in PS when using Open.  So I use Bridge, and sometimes 2 copies, to choose files to open where I can see the imagem and with minimal browsing.

[JaquesV]

Because Bridge is slow and clunky. And why would I want to run an app/resource hog just to make running another app less painful?

/rant

[Guest]

I have windows 7 and CS5. All I get in the PSD icons. What setting do you have to get to preview the images?  I rather preview in windows that get viewer which means just another program to have to open.

Thanks

[Noel Carboni]

Kimblh, please read this thread again, paying close attention to the mention of codecs, which are 3rd party programs that add the abilities you seek.

-Noel

[Guest]

I will give the download a try but I looked at Microsoft Camera Codec and it only talked about camera extension and not psd extentions.