Mac-made PSD can't open on Windows

Report · Apr 24, 2013

When I save photoshop documents on my Mac they are unable to be opened on windows. This happens roughly 60% of the time. The only way I have learned to resolve this problem is to create a new photoshop document, copy all of the layers into this new document, and save it again. Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this problem? The Mac is new - about three weeks old. We save all of our files on an external harddrive backed up on the Mac. All of our computers run CS6.

Riley

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Most likely something to do with the fonts you may be using and similarly other stuff that may involve external references like printer settings, smart objects or even color profiles. In any case, it's not normal and you should try to track down the problem...

Mylenium

Report · Apr 24, 2013

ACyclingMind wrote:
they are unable to be opened on windows

Please be specific.

Exactly what happens when you try to open the files?

Exactly what version(s) of Photoshop do you have?

-Noel

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Mylenium,

Yes I am aware I should try to track down the problem. That's why I'm on this forum. lol The issue doesn't have to do with the fonts or prints but thank you for the suggestion on Colour Profiles - I'll look through that.

Noel,

Like I wrote above, the file doesn't open. It just won't open. In anything. Period. The thumbnail shows as a white sheet of paper with a little dog-ear on the corner.

Like I also wrote above, we use CS6. This automatically operates as a 64x in Mac and we use the 64x in windows as well.

Thanks for taking the time to read this - hopefully it can be resolved sooner than later.

Riley

Report · Apr 24, 2013

I hate to belabor this, but if an expert asks you for more detailed info - using the word "exactly" - and you're unsure what's wrong, why would you think responding "like I wrote above" could be sufficient?

Click Help - System Info, copy the info, and post it here. I was asking specifically what update version (e.g., 13.0.0, 13.0.4, etc.) you have.

Please describe EXACTLY how you're trying to open the file, keystroke by keystroke. Surely you don't think there's just one way to do that, and that everyone else just knows how you work. For example, are you trying File - Open? What happens if inside Photoshop you choose File - Open, then pick the file? Does it just ignore you? Do you get an error? If you DO get an error, what's it say? Details are important when troubleshooting.

Also it would be helpful to know how you're copying files between systems. Maybe the data is being corrupted during that process. Have you tried copying over, then copying back, then opening?

There is NO KNOWN REASON why a PSD file saved on a Mac shouldn't be perfectly compatible with Photoshop on PC.

-Noel

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Alright Nick, I appologize for being an ass. I was guessing you were just another person on the forum who thinks they know what they're talking about but really doesn't. I do appreciate your input and, quite frankly, I can't tell if you're an "expert" or not.

I've tried right-clicking and open or open as.

I've tried double clicking the thumbnail.

I've tried dragging it into photoshop.

I've tried File>Open in photoshop.

Windows says to "Choose the program you want to run to open this file:"

Photoshop supplies this error: "Could not complete your request because it is not the right kind of document." (It's a .psd, promise).

Images moving from Mac to Windows are being transfered on an external harddrive that was originally compatible with just windows. I've since installed an application to make it compatible with Mac and have had no issues with the harddrive other than psds. Since all images are stored on the external harddrive (and backed up to the Mac) there is no copying over the network.

I will test some more files and see how many, percent-wise, don't open within windows.

The Mac is a 10.8.3
The windows runs on Windows 7

The photoshop version is 13.0

Adobe Photoshop Version: 13.0 (13.0 20120315.r.428 2012/03/15:21:00:00) x64

Operating System: Mac OS 10.8.3

System architecture: Intel CPU Family:6, Model:58, Stepping:9 with MMX, SSE Integer, SSE FP, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4.1, SSE4.2, HyperThreading

Physical processor count: 4

Logical processor count: 8

Processor speed: 3400 MHz

Built-in memory: 32768 MB

Free memory: 27579 MB

Memory available to Photoshop: 30860 MB

Memory used by Photoshop: 90 %

Image tile size: 1024K

Image cache levels: 8

OpenGL Drawing: Enabled.

OpenGL Drawing Mode: Advanced

OpenGL Allow Normal Mode: True.

OpenGL Allow Advanced Mode: True.

OpenGL Allow Old GPUs: Not Detected.

OpenGL Version: 2.1 NVIDIA-8.10.44 304.10.65f03

OpenCL Version: 1.2 (Dec 4 2012 18:26:30)

Video Card Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation

Video Card Renderer: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX OpenGL Engine

Display: 1

Main Display

Display Depth:= 32

Display Bounds:= top: 0, left: 0, bottom: 1152, right: 2048

Video Renderer ID: 16918084

Video Card Memory: 2028 MB

Video Rect Texture Size: 16384

Serial number: 90970692313081860259

Application folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:

Photoshop scratch has async I/O enabled

Scratch volume(s):

Macintosh HD, 1.01T, 1012.4G free

Required Plug-ins folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:Adobe Photoshop CS6.app:Contents:Required:

Primary Plug-ins folder: Macintosh HD:Applications:Adobe Photoshop CS6:Plug-ins:

Additional Plug-ins folder: not set

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AdobeAGM.framework AdobeAGM 4.26.17.19243 66.492997

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AdobeAXEDOMCore.framework AdobeAXEDOMCore 3.7.101.18636 66.26830

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AdobeLinguistic.framework 17206

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AdobePDFSettings.framework AdobePDFSettings 1.4

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AdobeUpdater.framework AdobeUpdater 6.0.0.1452 "52.338651"

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AdobeXMPFiles.framework AdobeXMPFiles 66.145661 66.145661

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ahclient.framework ahclient 1.7.0.56

aif_core.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

aif_ocl.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

aif_ogl.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

AlignmentLib.framework xcode 1.0.0.1

amtlib.framework amtlib 6.0.0.75

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boost_signals.framework boost_signals 6.0.0.0

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boost_threads.framework boost_threads 6.0.0.0

Cg.framework NVIDIA Cg

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data_flow.framework AdobeAIF 3.0.00 62.490293

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dvacore.framework dvacore 6.0.0.0

dvamarshal.framework dvamarshal 6.0.0.0

dvamediatypes.framework dvamediatypes 6.0.0.0

dvaplayer.framework dvaplayer 6.0.0.0

dvatransport.framework dvatransport 6.0.0.0

dvaunittesting.framework dvaunittesting 6.0.0.0

dynamiclink.framework dynamiclink 6.0.0.0

FileInfo.framework FileInfo 66.145433 66.145433

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wrservices.framework

Required plug-ins:

Embed Watermark NO VERSION - from the file “DigiSign.plugin”

Read Watermark NO VERSION - from the file “DigiRead.plugin”

Optional and third party plug-ins:

Hidden Topaz Labs Denoise - from the file “TopazRemaskAutomate.plugin”

Plug-ins that failed to load: NONE

Flash: NONE

Installed TWAIN devices: NONE

Report · Apr 24, 2013

First, go install the Photoshop updates. You're still on 13.0.0.

You should be on 13.0.4 or 13.1.2.

PSD files are the same between platforms.

The only reasons they wouldn't open are: wrong file extension, corrupt application install, or file corrupted in transfer.

Report · Apr 24, 2013

If you can upload a sample PSD file and post a link to it so we can download and test.

JJMack

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Based on your description, I'd say it's possible the file is being transferred to the PC without the file extension somehow.

Given that Windows hides file extensions by default anyway, there's always some confusion. I suggest you double check that the file really is named xxxxx.psd. The file extension is necessary on Windows.

Chris and JJ are also experts. Please follow their advice as well. Photoshop 13.0.0 had a problem where it could jumble things during a save, most often appearing as jumbled text layers. I suppose it's possible that could cause a file to be unable to be opened; I'm not sure.

-Noel

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Noel Carboni wrote:
Based on your description, I'd say it's possible the file is being transferred to the PC without the file extension…

That was my frst reaction too. Otherwise, the file is somehow being damaged during transport.

(Hope they're not going through Apple's Mail program, known to arbitrarily resize and otherwise mangle graphics files.)

Noel Carboni wrote:
…double check that the file really is named xxxxx.psd. The file extension is necessary on Windows…

…as it has been in OS X for quite a while too.

Of course, if the OP never updated Photoshop at all, all bets are off.

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Thank you to everyone for your replies. I hope that, after installing the photoshop updates, everything will magically clear up. If it doesn't I will take your suggestion, JJMACK, and upload the original problematic image.

I also have the feeling, Noel, that the file isn't showing as a psd. It doesn't have an extention on it when I opened it on a windows computer (yet it does on the mac).

Thanks - I'll update next week to let you know if I found the problem.

Report · Apr 24, 2013

So copy it to the PC, then rename it to .psd and see if it opens.

-Noel

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Noel, that did it. I just added ".psd" to the original document on the hard drive. It doesn't effect the way the image is displayed on my Mac, either.

I won't say this is solved since it shouldn't be happening in the first place but at least I now know how to fix the issue without needing to create a whole new photoshop document!

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Maybe one of the Mac experts can say how a file can be created with a missing extension. Perhaps there's a system setting that governs that, or can work around that kind of issue. Unfortunately OSX configuration is not my area of expertise.

-Noel

Report · Apr 24, 2013

The user can choose to do that on Macintosh, since the mac doesn't depend on just the file extension.

Report · Apr 24, 2013

Chris is right, of course, Noel. OS X is not idiot proof.

Chris Cox wrote:
…the mac doesn't depend on just the file extension…

Ah, but it functions a lot more smoothly with the extension appended, and sometimes the lack of said extension can indeed give you grief, sort of.

Report · May 03, 2013

UPDATE

The problem had a simple fix. I'm not sure if this is a standard Mac thing or if this is just a fluke.

When saving I type the name I would like the file to be. If I name it "Tony13_Print.psd" then the file works fine when opened in a windows computer. If I name the file "Tony13_Print" then the file will not open on a windows computer. The Mac leaves the extension off of the file unless it is specifically added to the filename. Note that Windows always adds the extension- it just seems to be Apple that doesn't.

I'm glad that this is figured out now. It's a silly error yet at the same time it's silly of Mac and/or Photoshop to not save with the extension automatically.

Thanks everyone.

Riley

Report · May 03, 2013

In photoshop on your mac machine you can go to the photoshop>preferences>file handling and set Append File Extension to Always.

Report · May 06, 2013

Thanks for the tip R_Kelly. Unfortunately it was already set to "always" so I couldn't change anything. But at least we know now to just add an extension to the name. A pain when I forget to add it for clients, though. Hopefully that won't happen again! Thank youuuuuuuu all

Report · May 06, 2013

Riley, I'm not surprised by the confusion because the Append File Extensions preference doesn't actually determine whether an extension will be created when the file is written. It only determines whether an extension will be appended to the filename in the Save As dialog when the dialog is opened or when a file format is picked in the dialog.

An extension is only appended to the actual file if it is explicitly stated in the filename field of the Save As dialog at the moment when the dialog's Save button is pressed. This is a peculiarity of Photoshop. Other applications will sensibly append a standard extension, whether hidden or visible, for a file format when the extension is omitted in the filename of a Save As dialog.

I guess you are removing the extension when editing the filename. The solution seems simple: do not remove the extension when editing the filename.

Report · May 06, 2013

Yep - that's the conclusion I came to, too.

Report · May 03, 2013

Macintosh defaults to using file extensions, but you can disable them because the Macintosh does not rely on file extensions alone (but Windows does).

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Mac-made PSD can't open on Windows

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