HELP! All My Layers In My PSD File Are Gone ! ='[ !!

I have Photoshop CS 3
I had like over 30 layers in it and when I opened it today it became this ><

<http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/1585/saddk3.jpg>

what happened ??
it was one of my best best artwork & it looked so BEAUTIFULL & it only showed the last 4 layers !!
the last 26+ are nowhere to be seen -_________________________-

& how stupid of me i didnt save it into a jpg or png before! ><>< i didnt know a thing like this could happen

Maybe you accidentally saved over it?

Didn't you back-up such an important work?

Rob

It'd be tough for us to know what happened, since we weren't watching what you were doing when it happened.

Unless you have a back-up copy, I'm afraid you'll have to just consider this as a harsh lesson learned...to always make sure your file is exactly how you want it before you save and close it. After that, there's no going back.

I suspect something similar has happened to most of us. I know it's happened to me. We all have to learn the hard way sometimes.

Saving it in a flattened format like jpg would have done no good if you had wanted to save the layers.

Assuming you really saved it as a psd with all the layers, I would at least try trashing/resetting Preferences and rebooting the computer. Then try opening it again.

Do you have anything else you can open it in? An earlier version of PS or ImageReady?

Strange Icon on that lowest layer. It's not a Smart Object. Looks like some sort of cinema "video" thingy. Perhaps someone here knows what it is and how you might be able to restore it to its original form?

How big is your Photoshop file? Does its size suggest that there should be a lot more image than what you see? That might suggest that it's intact but transformed to somethng else.

Good luck.

Russell

It's a 'video layer' and it's not going to have what you're looking for. Looks like you lost your work :-(

FWIW, here's a page that shows a Video Layer icon:

< http://www.communitymx.com/content/article.cfm?page=6&ci d=E031D>

Russell

Aww, Thanks anyways. It happened before to one of my other artwork but it was already finished so I just ignored it. I dont know why it's always like that! When i save my PSD files i just press save and okay and the next time i open it, it looks like that with the little icon on the bottom >< the file size is 3.70mb BUT when i see the thumbnail from the folder where it's located, i still see my original image! here is what you see...

oh wait nevermind.. NOW when i opened it i see my image again (i think maybe my computer had too much junk in it... i just virus scanned & defrag my comp a few days ago)
but theres another icon with the icon.. is all my layers group ? i had like 30 layers.. here is the little icon..

<http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/5277/testing1dt3.jpg>