Why can't PSD thumbnails be displayed in Windows 7?

Anonymous

I use Windows 7's File Explorer to upload or open graphics files in other apps. Thumbnails are very handy in seeing at a glance that I have the right picture. PNG,JPG,and even PDF thumbs are supported,but not PSD. I have to rely on a third party solution. A programmer from Adobe has answered that Microsoft has the PSD documentation and this implies that the ball is in their court. I hope a Microsoft tech can pass this concern on or give me a reason why it can't happen at least in Windows 7.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Just install Pictus. Free.

http://poppeman.se/pictus/

Associate with PSD files, done.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Check out Mystic Thumbs, donation-ware for now, 32 or 64 bit versions. Works good for me on windows 7 pro: http://mysticcoder.net/MysticThumbs/Default.aspx

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

PSD is as common as PDF and it has been around as long. The reason psicon.dll was dropped was over "file locking" issues with Windows.

I"pestered" Adobe,this is the answer I got:

Apple has been able to add support for PSDs in Quick Look without relying on Adobe, and MSFT has the PSD format documentation. That's not to say we shouldn't step up, too. We just haven't been able to find time yet.

I had hoped MSFT would have given some sort of direct statement on this issue,which is why I asked. Something other than the third party solutions have been given. Perhaps this is not the forum to bring this up.

I really won't say anything more about this. I think I have gone as far as I can.

psicon.dll for the free fix,Ardfrey if you can spare the $20.

0 comments

Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

The FREE Solution:

This is a FREE and open source PSD viewer for windows 7, 64-bit and 32-bit. Made for Vista, but I tested on Windows 7.

http://www.codeproject.com/KB/vista/PhotoshopPreviewHandler.aspx

Download links are at the top of the article...

0 comments

83 additional answers

Anonymous

2011-02-10T10:06:05+00:00

Thumbnails work fine for me using the solution above. Perhaps you did not implement it properly? Please stop promoting your paid solution over and over, no one wants to buy the ability to see thumbnails... That is just ignorant.

The author's own screenshot does not display thumbnails but generic PSD icons, perhaps you are talking about something else? See Vista_Adobe.psd below: a generic icon is shown on the central pane - not a thumbnail - and the content preview appears on the right pane. A "preview handler" is not a codec, and who wants to click on every icon, one by one, to preview the file content? Sorry for mentioning a solution that actually worked as I expected to. I also recently learned that I could locate all my PSD files from tags and metadata directly from Explorer search (Advanced Windows Searching Tips), does your add-in also enables that?
Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.

0 comments No comments