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Photoshop troubleshooting – opening Photoshop layered files as merged files

High resolution PSD files with lots of layers can take a while to open – here’s a great little trick for when time is short.



Complex, high resolution files can take a long time to open in Photoshop – but sometimes you just need to open it to check the file out or show it to someone… and as they say, time is money!

Simply hold down shift+alt (option) as you open a file and you will be asked if you want to read the composite data. Click ok and your layered file will open as a merged file (no layers) – and much quicker too!

I’m pretty sure this shortcut only works if you have the ‘maximise compatibility’ option selected when you save your PSD file, I will check this out and update this post.

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3 Comments »

  1. Pingback by 70 Excellent Photoshop Resources

    March 23, 2009 @ 5:00 am

    [...] Ninja is a site dedicated to Photoshop. It shares tutorials and tips such as "Opening Photoshop layered files as merged files", "Creating overlapping text layers", and "Why is my Photoshop layer style or [...]

  2. Comment by Chris

    September 15, 2009 @ 9:46 pm

    I learned this back in school and I forgot about it until today! Thanks!

  3. Comment by Photoshop Ninja

    September 28, 2009 @ 4:50 pm

    Ahhh, it’s an oldy, but a goldy!

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