PSD file format specification

OP
Posted By
otto_peter_ich
May 24, 2005
Views
375
Replies
4
Status
Closed
Where do I get the specification of Photoshop PSD files? It is NOT contained in the SDK, it seems to have been removed by Adobe along with at least all information about import filters. (I do have the old description from the PS 6 SDK – but this does not explain why 16 bit layered files tend to take up absurd amounts of hard disk space, and this I would like to know).

Thanks
Otto
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Chris_Cox
May 25, 2005
The current SDK includes instruction on how to get the advanced documentation.

16 bit document sizes have been discussed several times, and it boils down to: 16 bit data doesn’t compress nearly as well as 8 bit data.
OP
otto_peter_ich
May 30, 2005
Might be that 16 bits don’t compress well – but does not explain why adding an adjustment layer without layer mask to an UNCOMPRESSED TIFF file doubles it’s size (which was, owing to it being an RGB image, more or less 2*3*width*height bytes – quite what I’d expect). Anyway – I’ll check the SDK to find how to get the additional info …if I have enough time, for not simple is the task: searching for the word "advanced" in the SDK folder provided no hit, reading the *.txt files only informed me, that file format information has been updated to reflect recent changes. Access procedures seem to as secret as the information itself…

Thanks – Otto.
OP
otto_peter_ich
May 30, 2005
oops – not uncompressed TIFF, of course, PSD! I meant PSD. Might it be that a flattened, full resolution version of the image is added?
PC
Pierre_Courtejoie
May 30, 2005
If you choose it, yes…

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