How to open images in Photoshop CC

How to Open Images in Photoshop

Learn all the ways to open images in Photoshop, including how to use the new Domicile Screen and the difference between opening JPEG and raw files!

In the first lesson in this series on Getting Images into Photoshop, we learned how to set Photoshop as our default image editor so we can open images directly from File Explorer in Windows or Finder on a Mac. This time, we'll learn how to open images from within Photoshop itself.

Opening images may sound like a no-brainer. But when you lot're dealing with a program as massive as Photoshop, even a uncomplicated task like opening an image can be less obvious than you'd expect. And in the most recent versions of Photoshop, Adobe has added a new Home Screen that gives u.s.a. even more ways to open images. And so fifty-fifty if you've been using Photoshop for years, there'due south always something new to learn.

Two ways to piece of work in Photoshop

There are really two dissimilar ways to start working in Photoshop. I is to create a new blank Photoshop document and then import images, graphics and other avails into information technology. And the other is to open an existing epitome. In most cases, especially if you're a lensman, you'll desire to start by opening an paradigm, and that's what we'll be learning how to do here. We'll also look at the of import difference betwixt opening a standard JPEG file and opening a photo that was captured in the raw format.

To get the most from this tutorial, you'll want to exist using the latest version of Photoshop, and you'll want to brand certain that your copy is up to appointment.

Let's get started!

How to open an image from Photoshop's Home Screen

First, let'south look at how to open up images using a contempo addition to Photoshop known as the Home Screen. When we launch Photoshop CC without opening an prototype, or if nosotros close our document and have no other documents open, then Photoshop displays the Home Screen.

Opening a contempo file

If you've worked on previous images or documents, you'll see them listed on the Home Screen as thumbnails. To reopen a recent file into Photoshop so you tin continue working on it, just click on its thumbnail:

The Home Screen in Photoshop CC showing thumbnails of recent files.

The Habitation Screen lets y'all quickly view and reopen recent files.

Opening a new image from the Abode Screen

But if this is the offset time you've launched Photoshop, or yous've cleared your Contempo Files history, you won't see any thumbnails. Instead, the Abode Screen volition appear in its initial land with various boxes you can click on to learn more nigh Photoshop. The content on the Home Screen is dynamic and changes from time to fourth dimension, and so yours may look dissimilar from what we're seeing hither:

The Home Screen in Photoshop CC

The Home Screen without any recent file thumbnails.

To open a new image from the Habitation Screen, click the Open up push button in the column along the left:

Clicking the Open button on Photoshop's Home Screen.

Clicking the Open push on the Home Screen.

This opens the File Explorer on a Windows PC or the Finder on a Mac (which is what I'one thousand using here). Navigate to the binder that holds your images, then double-click on an epitome to open up information technology. I'll open up a JPEG image for now, but afterward on, we'll acquire how to open raw files equally well:

Selecting an image to open in Photoshop.

Selecting an image by double-clicking on it.

The epitome will open in Photoshop, set up for editing:

The image opens in Photoshop. Photo credit: Steve Patterson

The first image opens in Photoshop.

Closing an paradigm

To close the image, go up to the File menu in the Menu Bar along the top of the screen and choose Close:

Choosing the Close command in Photoshop.

Going to File > Shut.

Reopening the image from the Home Screen

Since no other images were open, Photoshop returns me to the Abode Screen. And I now see a thumbnail of the paradigm that was previously open up. To reopen information technology, I tin just click on its thumbnail:

Reopening a recent file in Photoshop's Home Screen

Clicking the thumbnail on the Home Screen.

And the same paradigm opens again:

The image opens in Photoshop. Photo credit: Steve Patterson

The commencement image reopens.

How to open a second image from the Home Screen

What if you lot've already opened an image, equally I take hither, and now you want to open a second image? We've already seen that nosotros can open images from Photoshop'southward Home Screen, and we can switch back to the Home Screen at any time by clicking the Home button in the upper left of Photoshop's interface:

Clicking the Home button in Photoshop to return to the Home Screen

Click the Domicile push to return to the Home Screen.

And then dorsum on the Home Screen, click again on the Open button:

Clicking the Open button on Photoshop's Home Screen.

Clicking the Open button to open another image.

Navigate to your images folder and double-click on your 2nd paradigm:

Doublec-clicking on a second image to open it in Photoshop.

Selecting a second prototype.

And the image opens in Photoshop:

A second image opens in Photoshop. Photo credit: Steve Patterson

The second paradigm opens.

How to switch between multiple open images

To switch between open images, click the tabs along the top of the documents:

Clicking the document tabs to switch between images in Photoshop

Use the tabs to switch between images.

What to do if Photoshop'southward Domicile push is missing

If you're using Photoshop CC 2019 or later and the Home button in the upper left corner is missing, cheque Photoshop's Preferences to make sure that the Dwelling house Screen has not been disabled.

On a Windows PC, go up to the Edit card. On a Mac, go up to the Photoshop CC carte du jour. From there, choose Preferences and and then General:

Opening Photoshop's Preferences

Going to Edit (Win) / Photoshop CC (Mac) > Preferences > General.

In the Preferences dialog box, look for the option that says Disable the Home Screen and brand sure it is non selected. If it is, uncheck information technology. Then click OK to close the dialog box. Annotation that you lot will need to quit and restart Photoshop for the modify to take effect:

The 'Disable the Home Screen' option in Photoshop's Preferences

Brand sure "Disable the Dwelling house Screen" is non checked.

How to open up images from Photoshop'south File Card

While the Home Screen is a great new feature and I use it all the fourth dimension, the more traditional way to open up an prototype in Photoshop is by going up to the File bill of fare in the Menu Bar and choosing Open. Or you can press the keyboard shortcut, Ctrl+O (Win) / Command+O (Mac). That's "O" for "Open":

Selecting the Open command from under the File menu.

Going to File > Open.

This again opens the File Explorer on a Windows PC or the Finder on a Mac. I'll double-click on a third prototype to select it:

Selecting a third image to open in Photoshop.

Selecting a third image to open up.

And only like the previous two images, the third image opens in Photoshop:

The new image opens in Photoshop. Photo credit: Steve Patterson

A third image opens.

And we tin run across in the tabs forth the elevation of the documents that I now have three images open. Photoshop only lets us work on one image at a fourth dimension but we can have as many images open as we need. To switch between images, just click on the tabs:

Switching between open images by clicking the tabs.

Switching betwixt open images by clicking the tabs.

How to close images in Photoshop

To close an prototype without endmost any other photos you've opened, start select the paradigm you lot desire to close by clicking its tab. Then, go up to the File carte du jour and cull Close:

Selecting the Close command in Photoshop

Going to File > Close.

Or a faster way is past clicking the pocket-size "x" icon in the tab itself:

Closing a tabbed document in Photoshop.

Click the "x" to close a single image without closing whatever others.

And to shut all open up images at once, rather than endmost individual tabs, go up to the File carte and choose Close All. This will close the images and return you to Photoshop's Home Screen:

Choosing the Close All command from under the File menu.

Going to File > Close All.

How to open raw files in Photoshop

Then far, all of the images I've opened in Photoshop have been JPEG files. We know they were JPEG files because each ane had a ".jpg" file extension at the cease of its name. But what about raw files? That is, images that were captured using your camera'south raw file format?

To open up a raw file from the Domicile Screen, click the Open up button:

Clicking the Open button on Photoshop's Home Screen.

Clicking the Open up button to open a raw file.

Then select the raw file you desire to open. Each camera manufacturer has its ain version of the raw format, with its own 3-letter extension. For example, Catechism raw files typically accept a ".cr2" extension, Nikon uses ".nef" and Fuji uses ".raf".

In my case, my raw file has a ".dng" extension which stands for Digital Negative. This is Adobe'due south own version of the raw format:

Selecting a raw file to open in Photoshop.

Selecting a raw file to open in Photoshop.

Photoshop's Camera Raw plugin

Rather than opening directly into Photoshop like JPEG files, raw files offset open in a Photoshop plugin known as Camera Raw. Photographic camera Raw is oft idea of as a digital darkroom because it's used to procedure the raw image (correcting exposure and color, adding some initial sharpening, and much more) before sending the image off to Photoshop.

If you're familiar with Adobe Lightroom, you lot'll be right at home in Camera Raw since Lightroom and Camera Raw both share the same image processing engine and the same editing options:

Photos captured as raw files open in Camera Raw.

Photos captured as raw files open in Camera Raw.

Related: Raw vs JPEG for photo editing

Closing Photographic camera Raw without opening the image in Photoshop

In fact, Photographic camera Raw offers so many epitome adjustments that in some cases, you'll be able to complete all your piece of work directly in Camera Raw and have no demand to ship the paradigm off to Photoshop. Editing images in Camera Raw goes style beyond the telescopic of this tutorial, so I'll cover Camera Raw in detail in other lessons.

For at present, if you're happy with the image and just want to shut Camera Raw without moving over to Photoshop, click the Washed button. All of your Camera Raw settings will be saved along with the raw file and will reappear the next time you open it:

How to close Camera Raw without opening the image in Photoshop

Clicking Washed to accept and close Camera Raw.

How to movement the image from Camera Raw to Photoshop

But if the paradigm needs farther editing in Photoshop, you can close Camera Raw and move the epitome over to Photoshop past clicking Open Epitome:

How to move an image from Camera Raw into Photoshop

Clicking Open Image to open up information technology in Photoshop.

The image opens in Photoshop with all of the edits y'all fabricated previously in Camera Raw:

The image open in Photoshop.

The epitome moves from Camera Raw into Photoshop.

Endmost the epitome

To close the prototype when y'all're washed, go upwards to the File menu and choose Close:

Selecting the Close command in Photoshop

Going to File > Shut.

And this once more returns us to Photoshop's Home Screen where we see all of our recent files equally thumbnails, ready to be reopened when needed:

Photoshop's Home Screen displaying all recent files as thumbnails

Back to the Abode Screen.

Where to go next...

And there nosotros take it! That'southward how to open (and reopen) images using the Home Screen and the File menu in Photoshop! But while the Home Screen makes it easy to reopen recent files, a better fashion to find and open new images is past using Adobe Bridge, the free file browser included with your Creative Deject subscription. Nosotros'll look at how to open images from Adobe Span in the next lesson.

You can also skip to ane of the other lessons in this Complete Guide to Getting Images into Photoshop. Or visit my Photoshop Nuts department for more tutorials!