PSD and me

[Peteroid]

AS7PRO hee.

I have been using Photoshop 7 for a while.

Then I got a new computer. It's a great computer. Very powerful, lots of bells and whistles. Including an built in 1.5T HD. Win 7 64-bit, octo-core.

Problem is that Adobe Photoshop 7 doesn't 'understand' that a HD can have more than 1T of free space. So Photoshop won't run on my new - BETTER- machine! It tries to boot up, says the scratch disk is full (no option to change scratch disk, no option to do anything, but...), hit OK and it closes.

But... good news!... my new computer came with ImageReady (also by Adobe) pre-installed! This is almost identical to Photoshop (no doubt missing some high end feature). So I figure I don't need Photoshop. And it SOES woks fine with a 1.5T HD! Yeah!

Then I discover, although I can do almost all the graphic manipulations in ImageReady as I can in Photoshop, the one 'gotcha'. ImageReady will ONLY save in PSD format (it is meant o be a companion to Photoshop, though if you have Photoshop I'm not sure why you would want or need ImageReady). Well it will also save in very low rez web formats like GIF. Not what I need.

But... look!... there is an 'Export..." option in the ImageReady File menu! Surely this will allow me to save my images in such file formats as BMP and JPG. Well, maybe it does. Too bad it is grayed out (inactive) 100% of the time... (???)

OK. But I do have Anime Studio. It can import and export PSD files. Even better, it can import PSD and export in other formats. Well... theoretically...

I then save a single frame of an animation I'm working on as a PSD file. I then tried to load in this PSD file that AS7PRO just created into an image layer (which I don't know much about yet). All I get is a white screen. I'll read up more on Image Layers before I ask why.

I then tried to look at this same PSD with ImageReady. It does recognize and show it, and the anim layers are even saved as separate PSD layers! This looks good! So I assume I'm getting a white background because it is multi-layers. So i flatten it, and save to PSD (note: probably a bad assumption, but I'm experimenting right now).

This time if I try to load this new ImageReady PSD version as a layer in AS7PRO, I get a 'broken image' icon. So I try another experiment.

I just load in the PSD image AS7PRO created into ImageReady, then save it out unchanged. THIS also shows a broken image icon when loaded as into a AS7PRO image later.

Another experiment, anything in the past I've created and stored as a PSD also causes the broken icon.

So I conclude the PSD format ImageReady saves out is not the same as what AS7PRO loads in. Yet ImageReady WILL read what AS7PRO exports!

That is my experience. I try not to draw any more conclusions than the ones I just did because I feel they are obvious.

Is there a problem with the PSD format? or if I study more will all this make sense?

[Danimal]

Is there a problem with the PSD format?

Yep, it means you use a laughably overpriced piece of junk.

But perhaps that's not what you meant...

[Peteroid]

Is there a problem with the PSD format?

Yep, it means you use a laughably overpriced piece of junk.

But perhaps that's not what you meant...

I'm more than willing to use something better (I assume here you refer to Photoshop). What do you think is better? What do you use?

[slowtiger]

It's not really clear what your problem is.

My Photoshop CS3 is version 10, and they're selling CS5 now. If you use 7, it is something really ancient, released at a time when no Terabyte disk was even manufactured. Get an upgrade, or stop complaining. Or create 2 partitions on your HD.

AS doesn't support PSD as a file format. Read the appendix of the manual for a list of supported formats for image import. In fact this is something I do before I even buy a piece of software: which file formats are supported?

[Peteroid]

It's not really clear what your problem is.

I thought I explained it pretty well. What didn't you understand?

AS doesn't support PSD as a file format. Read the appendix of the manual for a list of supported formats for image import. In fact this is something I do before I even buy a piece of software: which file formats are supported?

On pages 366 and 367 of the Anime Studio PRO 7 User's Manual (PDF) it CLEARLY says AS7PRO imports and exports PSD files. Debut however does not Export in PSD. But I clearly state I use AS7PRO.

Maybe YOU should read the appendix before you make such claims. I find it kind of humorous you specifically claim you DO read the Appendix, which clearly you didn't.

My Photoshop CS3 is version 10, and they're selling CS5 now. If you use 7, it is something really ancient, released at a time when no Terabyte disk was even manufactured. Get an upgrade, or stop complaining. Or create 2 partitions on your HD.

It is easy for you to say 'buy an upgrade'... care to lend me the hundreds of dollars this would cost me?

My 'problem' is that I'm perfectly content with Photoshop 7 functionality... why should I HAVE to buy an upgrade?

Because Adobe didn't have the foresight to consider that HD's would get above 1T (uh, Duh.... have they ever heard of Moore's Law?), THAT's why!!!

Isn't it reasonable to expect a VERY HIGH COST (from a consumer pov) application to continue working when you buy a BETTER computer?

Let's me put it this way. Let's say you went out and bought an expensive new graphics card. And it turned out AS didn't support this card unless you upgraded it for hundreds of dollars. How would that make you feel? Would you feel justified in complaining?

[slowtiger]

It is plain silly to accuse any manufacturer for not foreseeing the future.

Aside from that, you will always get between hardware and software changes. Do I get a refund because my System 9 Software doesn't work on Mac OS X? No. You may jump up and down as much as you want, it will not change that behaviour of companies.

[crsP]

If it is a multi-layered file, as you say, then you must flatten it before you export it. The jpg, png, etc. will be ghosted because those formats do not support layers.

Secondly, I know that in Photoshop you have to change the preferences to allow your psd's to be made in a 'compatible' format [maximise compatibility], if you want to use those in non-Adobe products or older Adobe apps. So put the option to maximise compatibility and save again. Try that one in AS.

Lastly if you believe the reason that photoshop wont run is because your disk is too big, then take Slow Tiger's advice and partition the drive. You can have one partition strictly for programs. Or you can by a second internal hard disk - which will only be a few bucks, seeing as you want just a few gigs.

[Ttomak]

Hi Peteroid. The thing on page 366 is saying you can bring in a PSD file if you use the Anime Studio script. If you didn't use the script, that's probably why it doesn't work. That script comes with Anime Studio but you need to install it into Photoshop (it's a Photoshop script) and use it from within Photoshop. I think there's a section in the manual somewhere that talks about this (do a search for "photoshop" or somesuch). I don't have Photoshop so I don't know what exactly it does from there, but I think it turns your PSD file into an ANME file (the native Anime Studio format), which then Anime Studio can easily read. But if you're not using Photoshop at the moment, then the script won't work for you...since it's a Photoshop script.

[slowtiger]

The script (located in "Extra Files") can be loaded into PS easily unser the "Scripts" menu > Browse. It asks for a location and converts each layer of the open PSD file into a PNG image with transparency, named after the layer names of the PSD.

Grab all image files at once and drag them over the layer palette in AS, anf they get imported.

[lpbaker]

I have Photoshop CS4 and I have no problem importing PSD files directly into ASP7Pro using File-Import-Image. No need for a script!

The key is go into Photoshop's preferences, under File Handling, and set "Maximise PSD and PSB File Compatibility" to "Always". This will generate a composite (ie: flattened) image inside the PSD file when saved, and ASP (as well as lots of other software) can read this image fine.

~ Lindsay

[c6thplayer1]

AS7PRO hee.

I have been using Photoshop 7 for a while.

Then I got a new computer. It's a great computer. Very powerful, lots of bells and whistles. Including an built in 1.5T HD. Win 7 64-bit, octo-core.

Problem is that Adobe Photoshop 7 doesn't 'understand' that a HD can have more than 1T of free space. So Photoshop won't run on my new - BETTER- machine! It tries to boot up, says the scratch disk is full (no option to change scratch disk, no option to do anything, but...), hit OK and it closes.

But... good news!... my new computer came with ImageReady (also by Adobe) pre-installed! This is almost identical to Photoshop (no doubt missing some high end feature). So I figure I don't need Photoshop. And it SOES woks fine with a 1.5T HD! Yeah!

Then I discover, although I can do almost all the graphic manipulations in ImageReady as I can in Photoshop, the one 'gotcha'. ImageReady will ONLY save in PSD format (it is meant o be a companion to Photoshop, though if you have Photoshop I'm not sure why you would want or need ImageReady). Well it will also save in very low rez web formats like GIF. Not what I need.

But... look!... there is an 'Export..." option in the ImageReady File menu! Surely this will allow me to save my images in such file formats as BMP and JPG. Well, maybe it does. Too bad it is grayed out (inactive) 100% of the time... (???)

OK. But I do have Anime Studio. It can import and export PSD files. Even better, it can import PSD and export in other formats. Well... theoretically...

I then save a single frame of an animation I'm working on as a PSD file. I then tried to load in this PSD file that AS7PRO just created into an image layer (which I don't know much about yet). All I get is a white screen. I'll read up more on Image Layers before I ask why.

I then tried to look at this same PSD with ImageReady. It does recognize and show it, and the anim layers are even saved as separate PSD layers! This looks good! So I assume I'm getting a white background because it is multi-layers. So i flatten it, and save to PSD (note: probably a bad assumption, but I'm experimenting right now).

This time if I try to load this new ImageReady PSD version as a layer in AS7PRO, I get a 'broken image' icon. So I try another experiment.

I just load in the PSD image AS7PRO created into ImageReady, then save it out unchanged. THIS also shows a broken image icon when loaded as into a AS7PRO image later.

Another experiment, anything in the past I've created and stored as a PSD also causes the broken icon.

So I conclude the PSD format ImageReady saves out is not the same as what AS7PRO loads in. Yet ImageReady WILL read what AS7PRO exports!

That is my experience. I try not to draw any more conclusions than the ones I just did because I feel they are obvious.

Is there a problem with the PSD format? or if I study more will all this make sense?

Download "Artweaver". Its a PS clone, free, and works great with 64bit.
Lots of File choices..

[heyvern]

You can't import PSD into AS. You must export from Photoshop to an AS file using the included Photoshop script. The PSD export from Photoshop only works with the CS version of Photoshop (I forget which version after 7). Adobe added a brand new scripting support to Photoshop a while back. That script won't work with Photoshop 7 at all. So exporting PSD to Anime Studio is not possible with Photoshop 7.

The scripting available in the CS versions of Photoshop is very powerful and similar to the scripting support in Anime Studio. It allows you to write scripts (I think it is based on Javascript) that can modify documents, create files, automate repetitive tasks.

Basically the script for Photoshop that comes with AS saves out each layer of a PSD to a single image and then the script creates an AS file and includes each PSD layer image as an image layer. The Photoshop script actually creates a new AS file.

--------------------

Image Ready does save, open and create PSD format, but... the format is different from Photoshop in that it has additional features for animation and other web features. Photoshop and Image Ready work together because each of them have different features. Some things you can do in Photoshop can't be done in Image Ready and some things you can do in Image Ready can't be done in Photoshop.

This is not relevant to "PSD Import" into AS since AS never actually reads the PSD format at all. The AS file is created using Photoshop. It isn't like the Adobe Illustrator import which works within Anime Studio.

-vern

[lpbaker]

You can't import PSD into AS.

I import PSD's from Photoshop CS4 directly into ASP7 with no problem and no need for scripts on either side. See my post above.

~ Lindsay

[heyvern]

You can't import PSD into AS.

I import PSD's from Photoshop CS4 directly into ASP7 with no problem and no need for scripts on either side. See my post above.

~ Lindsay

Yes, fine for "flattened" images. But if you need multi-layer support than that's not going to do anything for you. Also I don't think Photoshop 7 has that feature? I could be wrong.

I guess I wrongly assumed the original poster was looking for layer support of PSD. My mistake.

-vern

[slowtiger]

The layer support is in the script. As an AS layer and a Photoshop layer are completely different concepts, the scripted solution to translate each PSD layer into a PNG to import it to AS is the best you can wish for.

Only a layer-based bitmap program like TVPaint can import PSD layers directly.