Author Topic: Dumb photoshop question (Read 3581 times)

Shelma1 · « **on:** April 05, 2015, 06:02 »

Hi guys,

Is it possible for a jpg to have layers when you open it in Photoshop? I'm clueless because I work in Illustrator. A customer is upset that a jpg she bought doesn't have layers. I though jpg just compressed everything into one flat layer?

ShadySue · « **Reply #1 on:** April 05, 2015, 06:12 »

No layers possible in jpg.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #2 on:** April 05, 2015, 06:19 »

That's what I thought. Thanks! But you can bring EPS into PS, right? Would that be editable in PS?

cuppacoffee · « **Reply #3 on:** April 05, 2015, 09:13 »

If you are talking about eps vector files then no. Vectors are not editable in Photoshop. If you created the file in photoshop with layers you must save it as a tiff or better yet, a psd file to preserve those layers. You can use some vector tools in photoshop but photoshop is not a vector program. You can draw using vectors in Photoshop but you can't save (or export) a true vector file from Photoshop. There are 2 types of eps files - vector files created in a program like Illustrator and eps (encapsulated postscript) files created in a program like photoshop. Photoshop eps files are an older, standard format most often used for photographic images that were inserted into programs like Quark and Indesign for printing on printing presses. This form of eps insured that files saved in this format were compatible with all postscript printers to enable them to print identically no matter the output device (postscript). Photoshop opens (and exports) a vector eps file as a raster image (or with vector edges and raster containers), no matter how many layers you have.

Shelma1 · « **Reply #4 on:** April 05, 2015, 09:40 »

Great answer. Thank you.

cthoman · « **Reply #5 on:** April 05, 2015, 21:16 »

You can export your vector file into a layered PSD from Illustrator. You may have to clean it up a little in PS though. It likes to export groups and paths as well as the layers.

Uncle Pete · « **Reply #6 on:** April 05, 2015, 21:45 »

And there's your answer Shelma1 - a PSD file may have saved layers, a JPEG can not.

And although it's a cliche, there are dumb questions in other situations. However with Photoshop, there are no dumb questions, only dumb answers.

Quote from: cthoman on April 05, 2015, 21:16

You can export your vector file into a layered PSD from Illustrator. You may have to clean it up a little in PS though. It likes to export groups and paths as well as the layers.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #7 on:** April 06, 2015, 00:46 »

Quote from: cthoman on April 05, 2015, 21:16

You can export your vector file into a layered PSD from Illustrator. You may have to clean it up a little in PS though. It likes to export groups and paths as well as the layers.

I've done that many times - and it can be really useful to have the layers in Photoshop - but today it wouldn't work on a particiular image (a vector I purchased to do a design job for someone). With a bit of checking, it had to do with transparencies and certain effects in the AI file - there's a set of those (at least in Illustrator CS6 and Photoshop CS6) that cause you to get one merged layer instead of separate ones.

With the unnamed chaos of someone else's Illustrator file it wasn't worth trying to find all the offending objects or layers, so I just worked around the problem, but just be aware there are some files for which the export to PSD won't produce layers.

It's also worth noting that opening the .ai file from Photoshop doesn't offer the option of making layers, only the export from illustrator.

cthoman · « **Reply #8 on:** April 06, 2015, 11:31 »

Quote from: Jo Ann Snover on April 06, 2015, 00:46

Quote from: cthoman on April 05, 2015, 21:16
You can export your vector file into a layered PSD from Illustrator. You may have to clean it up a little in PS though. It likes to export groups and paths as well as the layers.

I've done that many times - and it can be really useful to have the layers in Photoshop - but today it wouldn't work on a particiular image (a vector I purchased to do a design job for someone). With a bit of checking, it had to do with transparencies and certain effects in the AI file - there's a set of those (at least in Illustrator CS6 and Photoshop CS6) that cause you to get one merged layer instead of separate ones.

With the unnamed chaos of someone else's Illustrator file it wasn't worth trying to find all the offending objects or layers, so I just worked around the problem, but just be aware there are some files for which the export to PSD won't produce layers.

It's also worth noting that opening the .ai file from Photoshop doesn't offer the option of making layers, only the export from illustrator.

That's never happened to me, but I don't use a lot of transparency so that makes sense. I guess you could put the transparent object on its own layer, then take the transparency off and reapply it in Photoshop after you export it.