Photoshop
Saving Files
Saving Options Defined
There are three options in Photoshop for saving files. Each of these options is found under the File menu. They operate in slightly different ways; be sure you know which one to use and when. We'll look at Save and Save As in this lecture and then cover Save for Web & Devices in the following lectures.
Save
The first save command is simply titled Save and it performs a very simple function. It assumes that you have previously saved the image and it will apply all changes made to that image since the last save. For example, take an image has already been saved. Since that save, Levels adjustments were applied to the image. This command will save the Levels adjustments.
This command is best used as a 'save once, save often' control. There are no options associated with the Save command. If you haven't previously saved your image and use the Save command, the Save As dialog will open for you to set options before saving.
The keyboard shortcut for the Save command is Ctrl-S (Cmd-S).
Save As
The Save As command is used when you want to save the file:
- for the first time.
- with a different name.
- to a different location.
- in a different image format.
- with different save options (e.g. alpha channels).
The keyboard shortcut for the Save As command is Shift-Ctrl-S (Shift-Cmd-S).
When you select Save As, a dialog box will appear asking you for some information before the save is performed.
File Name, Location and Save Options
- Name
- You can type a new name for the file in this field.
- New
- Use this option to create a new folder in which to save your file.
- As a Copy
- This saves a copy to your hard drive while leaving the current file open. When this option is disabled, the current file will be closed and any changes you made since the last save will be lost. The new file will remain open in the application.
- Alpha Channels
- This will preserve alpha channels you've created in your image. If you don't wish to save them in the new file, disable this check box. If this option is unavailable, either there are no alpha channels in your file or the file format you've chosen doesn't support them.
- Layers
- This preserves the layers in your file. To flatten the file, disable this check box. If this option is unavailable, either the file is already flattened or the format you've chosen doesn't support layers.
- Annotations
- This saves your notes or audio annotations with the image. If this option is unavailable, either no annotations have been made or the format you've chosen doesn't support them. (Only the Photoshop format supports annotations.)
- Spot Colours
- Spot colours are used in print production. If spot channels have been created, this option will retain them in the file.
- Color
- These options are for advanced users who are familiar with colour management.
- Thumbnail (Image Previews)
- In the Saving Files Preferences, there are options for saving thumbnails with files. These will be displayed in the dialogs that support thumbnails when the file name is selected. If your thumbnail preferences have been set to Ask When Saving, these options will appear in the Save As dialog. It will be called Thumbnail on Windows systems and Image Previews on Macintosh systems. Thumbnails will increase the file size so refrain from saving files with thumbnails when you're saving JPEGs and GIFs that will be used on the Web.
- Use Lower Case Extensions (File Extension options)
- These options for the file extensions will only be displayed when the Append File Extension option in the Saving Files Preferences is set to Ask When Saving.
File Format Options
Once you have selected a location, name and save options for your new image, you can select a different file format from the Format pop-up menu. The choices (with definitions) are as follows:
- Photoshop
- The first option is the native file format for Photoshop. This appends a .psd extension to the image name. This option is the only option that allows you to save layers, editable text, vector shapes, and styles that you may need to use after the file is saved. Saving in some other formats will flatten the image and remove those features from the file. It is generally a good rule to keep one version of your image in a Photoshop file format in case you need to edit the image.
- Photoshop 2.0
- Photoshop 2.0 will save an image as a Photoshop file, but with compatibility for older versions of Photoshop. Version 2.0 will not save layer information and should only be used if you're giving it to someone using Photoshop versions 1 or 2. This option is strictly available for compatibility reasons. There is more information on compatibility at the end of this lecture.
- BMP
- BMP is a standard Windows image format on DOS and Windows-compatible computers. You can specify either Microsoft Windows or OS/2 format and a bit depth for the image.
- CompuServe GIF
- The CompuServe GIF (Graphic Interchange Format) is a GIF file with predetermined compression settings.
- Photoshop EPS
- EPS stands for Encapsulated PostScript and is the standard for almost all illustration, page layout and graphic applications. An EPS file can be either vector-based or a bitmap image.
- JPEG
- Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format is commonly used to display photographs over the Web. A JPEG is compressed when saved and decompressed when opened.
- PCX
- The PCX file format is used for IBM-compatible PCs. The PCX format associates a VGA colour palette along with your image.
- Photoshop PDF
- Using this option, Photoshop will save your image to a one-page PDF (Portable Document Format) file. A PDF file can be used under multiple operating systems and platforms without ever changing its appearance.
- PICT File
- The PICT file format is widely used throughout Mac OS applications for graphics. It can save one alpha channel with multilevel transparency and has a high compression rate when solid colours are predominant in an image.
- PICT Resource
- A PICT Resource file is the same as a PICT file with one difference. Using PICT Resource you can select the Macintosh Resource Fork Identification, which is used in some Mac-specific applications.
- Pixar
- PIXAR files are specifically for PIXAR computers that specialize in high-resolution graphics for animation. Examples of PIXAR graphics are movies like Toy Story and Monsters, Inc.
- PNG
- Portable Network Graphics format is used for lossless compression and for display of images on the Web. Unlike GIF, PNG-24 supports 24-bit images and one alpha channel with multilevel transparency. However, most Web browsers do not support PNG images and in some cases the PNG will be displayed but the multilevel alpha channel will be rendered incorrectly.
- Raw
- The Raw file format basically strips out all file associations in an image file and very generically describes the image's colour information. The Raw format is used for transferring images between platforms and operating systems. Some digital cameras have an option for saving pictures in this format. Using the Raw format will allow other computers to guess at your image's true format and can provide misrepresentation in a lot of cases.
- Scitex CT
- Scitex Continuous Tone (CT) format is used for high-end image processing on Scitex computers, typically for publishing.
- Targa
- Targa (TGA) is an older type of image file, but it is still used extensively throughout the video and animation industries. Popular 3D programs such as 3D Studio Max make use of targa files. Targa files can contain an alpha channel.
- TIFF
- Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF) is used to exchange files between applications, operating systems and computer platforms. TIFF is a flexible format supported by almost all image editing and page layout applications. An alpha channel can be saved in a TIFF file.
- Photoshop DCS 1.0
- Desktop Colour Separations (DCS) format is a version of the standard EPS format that lets you save colour separations of CMYK images. It is typically used in publishing environments.
- Photoshop DSC 2.0
- This version of Desktop Colour Separations will save CMYK images with spot colours. It is typically used in publishing environments.
A warning message may be displayed in the Save As dialog if there are any incompatibilities between the current file and the options you've selected. For example, if your file has two alpha channels and you've selected the PNG, PICT or TIFF format, this warning will appear because these formats only support a single alpha channel.
Photoshop Format Version Compatibility
When you are saving files that will be opened in earlier versions of Photoshop, there are certain features that aren't backwards compatible. You can maximize version compatibility by going to the File Saving Preferences and enabling "Maximize backwards compatibility in Photoshop format".
Here are some of the features introduced in various versions of Photoshop that aren't supported in earlier versions. If you are using an old version of Photoshop, you may experience a lot of difficulty sharing files with other Photoshop users. The best way to avoid this is to always have the latest version.
- Type: If you open a Photoshop document containing non-rasterized type layers in Photoshop 5.5 or earlier, the type will be rasterized.
- Layer Styles: Some of the layer styles introduced in Photoshop 6 weren't available in earlier versions. These won't be present in Photoshop 5.5. or earlier.
- Nested groups: Although layer groups (called "sets" in earlier versions) were supported since Photoshop 6.0, nested groups were not introduced until Photoshop CS. Therefore, if you are using nested groups (groups within groups), these will be split up if opened in a version older than CS.
- Smart Objects: Smart objects were introduced with Photoshop CS2. If you open a file containing smart objects in Photoshop CS or earlier, the layers, effects, or anything else within the smart object will be flattened and/or rasterized.
- Smart Filters: Although we haven't discussed these yet, smart filters allow for non-destructive use of Photoshop's filters. However, these were introduced with Photoshop CS3, so opening a file that contains smart filters will result in those layers being flattened.
If you want to use features that need to be transferable to an earlier version, you can merge or rasterize your layers to retain the effect, if not the editability.
Saving Options Defined Summary
- The Save command is used when a file has already been saved with the desired options and needs to be saved again. There are no options with this command.
- The Save As command is used when you want to save the file for the first time, save it with a different name or options, save it to a different location, or in a different image format.
- Thumbnails or image previews should not be saved with a file when it is being saved to a format that will be used on the Web because it will increase the file size and, therefore, the download time.
- The Photoshop format is the only option for saving a file to retain layers, editable text, vector shapes, styles, and annotations.
- A single alpha channel can be saved with files in the PNG, PICT and TIFF formats.
- If the Save As dialog displays a warning message, it signals that something in your file is not compatible with the options you've set and you may lose some information.
- Features that were introduced in later versions of Photoshop will not be supported by earlier versions.
Saving Options Defined Keyboard Shortcuts:
- Save: Ctrl-S (Cmd-S)
- Save As: Shift-Ctrl-S (Shift-Cmd-S)
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