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bnies813
Known Participant
January 28, 2011
質問

How Can I Get My Photoshop Files to Display as Thumbnails

  • January 28, 2011
  • 返信数 7.
  • 26041 ビュー

I received over 200 pictures that are in a PSD format and I need to be able to view these files through a Windows Explorer window- not through Bridge. I have CS3 and I don't like Bridge. It's really slow (my computer is made for heavy graphic work) and not very user friendly. I should also mention that I have Windows 7.

Does anyone know a safe way I can get Photoshop thumbnails to show in Windows Explorer? I've searched for hours over the last couple days and the one way that keeps popping up is to use the "psicon.dll" registry, but I'm afraid to use that for fear of harming my computer. I keep seeing that it was included in Photoshop 7 (I had Photoshop 7 and I was able to view thumbnails) but Adobe removed it because it caused problems, such as computer crashes, freezes, data loss, etc. Does anyone have any information - good, bad or indifferent - about that registry? Should I stay away from it?

I've also seen information about and am considering a third party codec: Ardfry, that will allow me to view PSD's as thumbs. Is this safe to use? Does anyone have any personal experience with this? Does anyone have any other solutions that have worked for them?

I really need to be able to view these PSD files without having to open them in Photoshop and I really don't have the time to go open them in Photoshop and one by one, save each image in a way that will get me a thumbnail. At the same time, I'm really particular about what I load onto my computer and if I see bad reviews about something I'm looking at, it makes me nervous, such as the "psicon.dll". I'm also a little unsure about that Ardfry, simply because I never heard of it before. 

Any help would be very much appreciated!!

    このトピックへの返信は締め切られました。

    返信数 7

    J
    Justin22023189ljy0
    Participant
    August 5, 2022

    I know this is old but I'm posting this because I didn't see anyone else mention it and it's by far a better solution (and free) than any others listed here.

    SageThumbs is a free explorer extension for windows that will display all kinds of thumbnails, including PSD files.

    https://www.askvg.com/sagethumbs-free-windows-explorer-extension-to-show-thumbnail-previews-and-convert-many-popular-image-formats/

      P
      PachecoThiago
      Participant
      November 29, 2022

      Ótima dica! Inclusive, tomei a liberdade e traduzi o post para português do Brasil, o software é muito útil, e creio que os designers do meu país irão aproveitar muito seus recursos.

      https://ilustreistudio.com/blog/como-visualizar-miniaturas-do-photoshop-no-windows-explorer/

        B
        BrianTao
        Participating Frequently
        January 30, 2011

        The FPV codec pack is great, and there is also another choice called MysticThumbs (http://mysticcoder.net/mysticthumbs.html).  It hooks into Explorer the way FPV does, which means you get thumbnails as well as previews (Organize -> Layout -> Preview pane in Explorer).  This is what it looks like in a file dialog:

        H
        HarryPutnam
        Inspiring
        January 28, 2011

        Does anyone know a safe way I can get Photoshop thumbnails to show in Windows Explorer? I've searched for hours over the last couple days and the one way that keeps popping up is to use the "psicon.dll" registry, but I'm afraid to use that for fear of harming my computer. I keep seeing that it was included in Photoshop 7 (I had Photoshop 7 and I was able to view thumbnails) but Adobe removed it because it caused problems, such as computer

        crashes, freezes, data loss, etc. Does anyone have any information - good, bad or indifferent - about that registry? Should I stay away from it?



        I see the answers so far mostly offer other viewing applications so introducing yet another application to be involved in your psd work.

        Here is a solution that is somewhat similar to those but different in this way.  Its a tool that replaces explorer as you file manager.  At least in nearly every way.

        So you would install this tool called Opus Directory Explorer:

        http://www.gpsoft.com.au/

        It is a bit expensive but does offer a nice long trial (60 days free).  I'm not in any way associated with them, but I do use there application.

        I have it running on 3 win7 64 bit machines and one win 7 32 bit (notebook) machine.

        I have not seen any problems that I could attribute to Opus.   I do heavy work with PS and other adobe tools myself so may be a good indicator that you would not have any problems with it.

        Further... in my view, win7 has cripled a once very capable tool (windows explorer) and made it far less usefull than it once was, I'm not sure what notion guides them to cripple explorer and the old Windows Search so badly, so I'm glad to be rid of explorer for the most part.  (The two file browsers can be run at the same time if so desired... again, no problems)

        In practicle use, you would start Opus instead of the Windows Explorer,

        I use Opus all day on a daily basis and am very happy with it

        Oh, and I forgot, Opus provides tabs like a web browser, so you can have a tab of one directory handy while working in another.

        You can have as many concurrent tabs as you please far as I've seen.

        I'm including a screen grab of Opus viewing a directory with several sub directories present and several *.psd files I'm working on.

        You  will note that Opus also shows a very handy view of the subdirectories by showing Icons of the image INSIDE them instead of just a directory  icon.

        Noel Carboni
        Noel Carboni
        Legend
        January 29, 2011

        Harry, with Opus on the job, do you see PSD thumbnails in a File - Open dialog?

        With a proper Explorer codec you do.

        -Noel

        H
        HarryPutnam
        Inspiring
        January 29, 2011

        Noel Carboni wrote:

        Harry, with Opus on the job, do you see PSD thumbnails in a File - Open dialog?

        With a proper Explorer codec you do.

        -Noel

        It appears that `explorer' is still called for that job, even when one has enabled the `replace explorer' switch in Opus setup.

        So, no, no thumbnails in that context.

        Oh, and thanks for the link to the codecs you use.  It is tempting to try those out.

        However, my reading of the OP is that it is not related to the context you mention above.  I understood OP to be looking for the ability to see PS thumbnails in a file manager.

        I assume then, that OP works like I do, with a file browser at hand while working in PS.   That renders `file open' unecessary since it is much more a lengthy process than simply dragging an image into the PS workspace.

        I use Opus in that context... but in truth I much more often rely on Bridge.  I'm not sure why OP has trouble with it.  I do see it freeze fairly often but a simple restart fixes that for me.  And it restarts where it left off.

        Bridge offers several refinements in that it has the preview window to see much more detail than a thumbnail when required.

        My biggest complaint with bridge is that they have never added an explorer like `location' box where one can type addresses as in the old explorer or especially in Opus.

        There was once a script offered by another user, that added that `location' interface to Bridge, back a few versions.  Maybe CS3 or so, but I don't think it has been kept up with the versions since and I haven't heard of its use for while now.

        However the trick of dragging an image into the preview window  of Bridge from Opus (or explorer), pulls bridge to the location of the image.  So, with that little trick I usually navigate bridge that way rather thru the the clickety clack navigation interface which is a slow and painful way to get around a filesystem.

        B
        bnies813作成者
        Known Participant
        January 28, 2011

        I'm more than OK with paying for something, as long as I know it will work and let me view PSD thumbnails in windows explorer and I know it won't corrupt anything and wreck my computer.

        A
        Anonymous
        January 28, 2011

        Here's a free version: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Multimedia/Graphic/Graphic-Viewers/FastPictureViewer.shtml

        Noel Carboni
        Noel Carboni
        Legend
        January 28, 2011

        LOL, you realize they only added PSD thumbnail support in version 2 point something, after it became commercial software, right?

        Read through that listing; it doesn't say anything about PSD files.

        -Noel

        Noel Carboni
        Noel Carboni
        Legend
        January 28, 2011

        To the best of my knowledge there is no current FREE solution to get PSD file thumbnails in Windows Explorer for 64 bit systems.

        There may be a way to cobble things together and get thumbnails to show for 32 bit systems, but I absolutely wouldn't trust such a solution to work stably with a modern Windows system.  Keep in mind that the way Explorer manages thumbnails has changed in Windows 7 Explorer (it uses a central database rather than thumbs.db files), and older software/codecs wouldn't know about that.

        -Noel

        A
        Anonymous
        January 28, 2011

        Bridge may be slow on media that is not residing on your hard drive. Are these photos on a CD/DVD or external USB drive?

        I've been content with XNView to browse images.

        http://www.xnview.com/en/xnview.html

        H
        Herugrim123
        Participant
        January 28, 2011

        I've just installed Xnview but still can't

        see my .psd thumbnails in explorer. Do I have

        to reboot after installation ?

        A
        Anonymous
        January 28, 2011

        XNView is an image browser, like Bridge, but speedier.

        It does not add a new view to Explorer.

        If you have added the optional contextual menu items, you can access XNView quickly from Explorer. This setting is in XNView, Tools menu, System integration.

        While in Explorer, you can right-click on a folder and choose to 'Browse with XNView'.

        Another free program that can do this is irfanview.

        Noel Carboni
        Noel Carboni
        Legend
        January 28, 2011

        I recommend the FastPictureViewer codec pack.  It's the one I bought and I like it very much.  It gives you raw file thumbnails as well as PSD files.

        http://www.fastpictureviewer.com/codecs/

        It's absolutely stable on my Windows 7 x64 system.

        -Noel

        acresofgreen
        acresofgreen
        Inspiring
        January 29, 2011

        Noel, thanks for the tip. I clicked on your link, liked what I saw and bought the codec.  It is working fine and will be a time saver in many circumstances.

        It was only after I installed the codec that I noticed that they are offering the codec for free until Jan 31 2011 with the purchase of their FastPictureViewer Professional. Do I need that?  probably not, but it looks like something that would be nice to have ...

        Noel Carboni
        Noel Carboni
        Legend
        January 29, 2011

        Interesting!  I wasn't aware of the deal.  I never did buy the viewer, as I have my needs for a viewer covered pretty well.

        -Noel

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