Oddity viewing psd file from 2008

[camner]

Lightroom Version

12.5

Operating System

1. macOS 12 Monterey

I have a psd image I created in 2008 in Photoshop. It started life as a jpg, and I edited it in PS and saved it as a 3-layer psd file. This is what the image looks like:


I haven't done anything with this image file in ages. When I opened the image today in Preview (Mac), I nearly had a heart attack, because this is what I saw:

My first thought was that the file had become corrupted, until I realized that it looked as if I was looking at a mask. I opened the file in Photoshop 2024, and it opened just fine and looked as it should. But, none of the three layers have any masks.

I flattened the image and saved a copy as a psd. Preview still shows the masked version. I saved the flattened version as tif file, same result. I saved a copy as a jpg and a png file, and opening those versions in Preview shows the file as it should be. Opening the psd or tif file in apps such as Preview, QuickLook (well, not exactly an app), Topaz Photo AI, ON1 NoNoise, or Graphic Converter shows the masked version. Opening it in a viewer such as XnViewMP shows the "correct" version. If I import the psd file into Lightroom, LR handles it just fine.

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here?

 

[clee01l]

Looks like the app used to view the file only presented the background layer. When you flattened the image layers you merged all of the layers into one base layer. Photoshop shows the individual layers and as a composite but other apps may not.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[camner]

Thanks for your reply, Cletus. A couple of things I don't understand, though. Once the image layers are flattened and the flattened version is saved, no app should be able to see the individual layers because they don't exist anymore, right? Isn't a flattened image one that is created by driving downward the pixels from each layer, with pixels from higher layers taking precedence over those from lower layers?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

I have a psd image I created in 2008 in Photoshop. It started life as a jpg, and I edited it in PS and saved it as a 3-layer psd file. This is what the image looks like:
View attachment 21705

I haven't done anything with this image file in ages. When I opened the image today in Preview (Mac), I nearly had a heart attack, because this is what I saw:
View attachment 21706
My first thought was that the file had become corrupted, until I realized that it looked as if I was looking at a mask. I opened the file in Photoshop 2024, and it opened just fine and looked as it should. But, none of the three layers have any masks.

I flattened the image and saved a copy as a psd. Preview still shows the masked version. I saved the flattened version as tif file, same result. I saved a copy as a jpg and a png file, and opening those versions in Preview shows the file as it should be. Opening the psd or tif file in apps such as Preview, QuickLook (well, not exactly an app), Topaz Photo AI, ON1 NoNoise, or Graphic Converter shows the masked version. Opening it in a viewer such as XnViewMP shows the "correct" version. If I import the psd file into Lightroom, LR handles it just fine.

Does anyone have any idea what is going on here?

Photoshop can embed a flattened version into the file as well. That is the ‘maximum compatibility’ option in the preferences (and I believe also available in the ‘save as’ dialog). It looks like you did not choose this option when you saved that file. Even if you flatten the file this may still be necessary, because extra alpha channels can also give a look like this if you don’t use the maximum compatibility option.

 

[camner]

Photoshop can embed a flattened version into the file as well. That is the ‘maximum compatibility’ option in the preferences (and I believe also available in the ‘save as’ dialog). It looks like you did not choose this option when you saved that file. Even if you flatten the file this may still be necessary, because extra alpha channels can also give a look like this if you don’t use the maximum compatibility option.

I THINK I understand what you are saying. If I did NOT specify 'maximum compatibility' when years ago I saved the flattened psd file, there may have been some preserved alpha channels that some apps are picking up, thus making the image appear as it does.

Do I have that right?

Now, I have tried opening the 3-layer psd, flattening the layers, and saving as a tiff file, and the resulting file also appears as the images above do. Would saving as a tiff file also preserve those alpha layers? (FWIW, if I save as jpg or png, the resulting images are fine...makes sense for the jpg, since jpg files don't support alpha channels, but png files do, correct?)

 

[Johan Elzenga]

Yes, correct. And yes, flattening a file (psd or tiff) does not remove any alpha channels, just all layers. AFAIK png files will only have an alpha channel if you saved them with transparency.

 

[camner]

Yes, correct. And yes, flattening a file (psd or tiff) does not remove any alpha channels, just all layers. AFAIK png files will only have an alpha channel if you saved them with transparency.

I just studied up a bit on alpha channels and Photoshop, and sure enough, these psd files, even when flattened, has an alpha channel. Apparently, some apps read the alpha channel and superimpose it on the photo itself, leading to what I observed.

Now the question is whether there is any way to automate the process of opening each psd file in turn and deleting the alpha channel(s). I can't imagine ever needing it. (I'd retain the versions with the alpha channel, just in case). Maybe a Photoshop macro?

 

[Johan Elzenga]

You could start by asking yourself where they come from if you don’t need them. You could record an action to do this, but that might not be so easy if the channels are renamed when they are created.

 

[camner]

I have a (bad?) habit of doing things "just in case I need it some day," spending more time that it is probably worth to do so. Perhaps I'll skip it for now!

Thanks for all of your help!