Files cannot be opened

PN
Posted By
Patti Nykamp
Sep 15, 2003
Views
664
Replies
28
Status
Closed
I am getting the error message "all the files in the folder cannot be openend by Photoshop". I am trying to print pictures using the picture layout. When I open picture layout it gives me the above message. I get the picture from PSE browser, open them, and then wanted to move them on the picture layout to print. I don’t know what it means when it says all files cannot be opened, they are saved .jpg? Any ideas? Do I need to save them differently? Thanks.

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BobHill
Sep 15, 2003
Patti,

Usually files that can’t be saved, moved, or deleted are due to them coming from a CD which always puts a READ ONLY attribute on all files stored there. From your OPEN menu, right click on any JPG (or other format) file you can’t seem to edit and click on Properties (assuming you are in Windows machine). Turn off the READ ONLY attribute by clicking on that option. Now you should be able to Edit and Save, Move, or Delete this file if you wish.

Bob
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
I can edit it, but if I take it directly from the browser and try to put it in the picture layout, it won’t let me.
I am going to try opening them all and saving them as pdf and see if that will work, but I never had this problem before, so it does make me think something is turned on or off!!
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
Okay, I tried saving the files in pdf and they still won’t open. Anyone have any ideas why I cannot move pictures into picture layout, contact sheet?
P
Phosphor
Sep 16, 2003
Patti, post the exact sequence you’re using, starting with where these images are stored. Sometimes it makes it easier to identify the trouble spot if we can look at everything you’re trying.
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
Okay, I open up PSE and open up browser and go to Pictures which is on my desktop. I double click on the .jpg pictures and they open. I then go to Print Layout – contact sheet and click OK. There is where it gives me the error that it cannot open files.
I used to do this all the time, so something must be wrong with some of my settings. I was doing some reading and it mentioned "plug-ins". I have no idea what those are, but I must have had everything in place once upon a time.
HELP????
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
One more thing I just discovered. I can go to Print Layout – PICTURE PACKAGE and that works, but it won’t work in CONTACT SHEET. This tells me it must be something about how I have contact sheet set up, wouldn’t it? I used to use this part too.
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Phosphor
Sep 16, 2003
Ah! It’s not Picture Package you’re having trouble with, it’s Contact Sheet. Now we wait for somebody to come along who might know what’s happening. I’ve never used it in PSE 2 and didn’t know you could select specific images, so I’m no help with this one – or at least not until I’ve had a chance to experiment.
B
BobHill
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

To cover the catch-all fix, have you deleated the Elements Pref file yet? This is the first thing to try when getting strange errors and in many many cases, it’ll perform the fix: CLOSE Elements. Now click on the Elements LAUNCH icon and immediately hold down CONTROL/COMMAND+SHIFT+ALT/OPTION keys and keep them down until you get the message "DO YOU WISH TO DELETE ALL SETTINGS". Say YES and your preference settings (including those that have become corrupted) will be replaced with original Adobe settings. See if this takes care of things.

Bob
PD
Pete D
Sep 16, 2003
Patti
I double click on the .jpg pictures and they open. I then go to Print
Layout – contact sheet and click OK. There is where it gives me the error that it cannot open files.

I think I see a problem; You are opening the pictures and then when you make the contact sheet the program is trying to open them…."but they are already open" ! Try not opening the pictures and then create your contact sheet.

It has been a while since I used the contact sheet but I believe that you need to have all your jpg’s (the pictures you want to use) in a folder and select the folder instead of the individual pictures.

So if they are in different folders make a new folder for this function and see if this works.

PeteD
PD
Pete D
Sep 16, 2003
Oops! Should have tried this first…..You can use ‘open’ images to create a contact sheet.

PeteD
RC
Richard Coencas
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

Contact sheet and Picture package use the same plug-ins so it is odd that one works and the other doesn’t. Try deleting prefs like Bob suggested and let us know if that helps.

Rich
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Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
Bob – I restarted PSE and held down the keys like you said. It did seem to do something. Now I open Contact Sheet, it asks for a source folder and I browsed for the PSE folder. But then when the contact sheet opened it went spastic putting all these thumbnail picture icons. After going on for over a minute I finally closed PSE.
How do I stop it from doing that, and can I make the source folder a default folder? Thanks for your help.
Patti
PL
Paul L UK
Sep 16, 2003
Patti

As a suggestion, try putting a dozen pictures in a different folder. Then try using contact sheet or picture package on only those pictures to find the result you want.

Contact sheet makes a sheet filled with thumbnails.
Picture Package displays pictures in various preset layouts. It will always display multiples of the first image, until (in PSE2) you click on a picture you need to change.

With such a few pictures to choose from, Elements may be prevented from going ‘spastic’ as you put it.

It does have to work though, resizing and arranging all of the images, so give it a little time, or more depending on your system.

If you browse to a folder that doesn’t have pictures in it, or has other files, Elements cannot open these, so you may get that error message.

Paul
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Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
I can’t get it to do anything now, it gets to the contact sheet and freezes up every time. I never used to have to put pictures in a separate folder. I would open up the pictures on the desktop, go to contact sheet and move them where I wanted.
Something is wrong here. I also never had to choose a source folder, PSE was just always up there.
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
Okay, it is not freezing up anymore – and I tried saving it in a separate folder, but then the contact sheet just put thumbnails of those 3 pictures on the sheet and I couldn’t do anything with them. This is not how it used to act, I get so frustrated at myself for not knowing this stuff and I really appreciate all of you for your patience and help.
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Phosphor
Sep 16, 2003
Patti, what is it you want the Contact Sheet to do? From what you describe, I think it’s behaving the way it’s supposed to, which, actually, is why I only used it a couple of times. Why don’t you just tell us what you’re trying to accomplish and then perhaps someone can give you directions. We seem to be 10% off the mark throughout this discussion.
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
Beth
I am trying to just move a few pictures, different sizes, onto the contact sheet for priting. I don’t want them all the same size, it is for a Creative Memories book. I used the contact sheet before and it allowed me to drag my pictures onto it. This was about 6 months ago and I did it alot for my memory book stuff. If I use the other layout, the picture is all the same and they are uniform in size.
Thanks a bunch. Patti
RC
Richard Coencas
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

The contact sheet is designed to make a sheet with equally sized thumbnails. This is similar to a proof sheet in traditional photographic terms. Perhaps you are thinking of Picture Package, which has packages with different sized images on a single page?

Rich
CS
Chuck Snyder
Sep 16, 2003
Patti, the contact sheet will not let you do what you’re trying to do, but the Picture Package will, so long as you’re using PE2. There are a bunch of different layouts available to you. The really best way is to do it Beth’s favorite way: open a new canvas and drag and drop your pictures onto it. Each one will be in a different layer, and you can resize them individually, move them around, etc. But don’t waste your time on the contact sheet; it will only print a series of pictures from a folder, all the same size – that’s its only function.

Chuck
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Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
I FEEL REALLY STUPID – I looked back through old posts, because I know I have had this problem before. What I want to do is move the pictures onto a CANVAS. I didn’t use the contact sheet before. But I still don’t remember how to use the canvas but can look back at old posts to see if I can find it, or if someone knows easily enough that would be great too. Does this make sense now?
NS
Nancy S
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

Go to File>New and create a blank canvas that is 8.5 x 11. Set the resolution to somewhere between 200-300 ppi (whatever most of your images are, assuming they are in a reasonable res. for printing). Now open one of the images you wish to print, check the res. of that image and if different from the res. you set for the blank canvas, change that image’s res. WITHOUT resample checked. Using the control key on keyboard and the minus sign, you can shrink down the image to see the blank canvas underneath. Go to the Layers Palette and click and drag the image to the blank canvas and drop it (must be a flattened image, after dropping can go back in the history palette and go back to before you flattened the layers if need be.) Open image #2, check the resolution and drop on canvas and repeat for all images. Each image will be on its own layer on the canvas and there you can click a layer, get the move tool, click inside that image on canvas and drag anywhere to position it. You can rotate the images to fit better on the canvas if needed. Actually, if you just close each image after copying it to the canvas and when closing it answer ‘no don’t save changes’ you will not have to backtrack in the history palette. Let us know if this works for you.

Nancy
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
IT WORKED – Thanks so much.
I didn’t know what you meant by layers palette and I couldn’t find it. I went to help and it showed what it looked like, but I didn’t see that on my screen. I have never useed the layer palette, does it do good things that I don’t know about?
But I can now move pictures onto the canvas and print them out. You guys are the greatest. Sure wish there was this kind of help with all the programs. Thanks you so so much
NS
Nancy S
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

You’re welcome, glad you got it worked out.

I think you said that you were able to locate and display the Layers Palette on your workarea. You really need it to show permanently on your screen (when you want all the real estate available for viewing, without any obstructions, just press the Tab key on keyboard and all ‘extras’ will disappear, pressing Tab again will restore them).

The power of the program is its ability to use layers. As you get more experienced with the program the importance of layers will be evident. The use of layers allows one to edit their images without changing the original. By keeping the original on layer #0 (all images come in with image called ‘background layer’, double click this layer in Palette and OK it = Layer#0 now)you can add layers above the original for all your edits. Layers allow you to change your mind as you work on your image; to either delete an edit (by deleting the layer) or change the parameters you used for a certain edit (like Levels).

With the Layers Palette open, double click the Background Layer, answer yes. Go to bottom of palette and click on symbol to add an adjustment layer, add a Levels Adj. Layer. Move the right and left tiny triangles inwards until they are just under the beginning and end of the histogram (graph), this greatly improves the tone in most images. Moving the middle triangle to the left, brightens the midtones, to the right it darkens them. This adjustment layer is just the tip of the iceberg as to what you can do to improve images. Tons of good tutorials on the internet.
NS
Nancy S
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

In case you had trouble finding it, the Layers Palette is shown as a Tab near the top of the workarea, called Layers. Hold onto the tab and drag it down the right side of screen and drop it. It should stay there.
NS
Nancy S
Sep 16, 2003
Patti,

Check out this part of Jay’s wonderful website about the program

<http://www.arraich.com/elements/ref/palette_layers.htm>
PN
Patti Nykamp
Sep 16, 2003
Nancy, thanks so much. How did you learn all this? You said there were a lot of good tutorials on the internet. How do I find them. I was tempted to buy a CD on how to work PSE, but it was $30. It came in one of my emails. But I often find that people who have actually done the stuff have better information than a "manual".
Thanks again.
NS
Nancy S
Sep 17, 2003
Patti,

I use Google, in the Advanced mode. My suggestion would be to enter:

for All Words = Photoshop
for Exact Phrase = (whatever tool or goal you need) ex; layers, selections, adjustment layers, improve contrast, gradient etc
for At Least One Word = technique, tips, tutorial

You will be swamped with hits from which to choose the ones best suited to your particular need. HTH

Nancy
NS
Nancy S
Sep 17, 2003
Patti,

Oh, and I change the search to include 30 hits and choose English for language

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