February 3rd, 2008 on Article

Photoshop CS3 Can Still Open Animated GIF Properly in Windows

Animated GIF of Ueto AyaI just used Photoshop CS3 for about 2 months or so until I finally figured out that Photoshop CS3 can’t open an animated GIF properly. As I thought, the matters are already up from the time this product released, it is already discussed in the Photoshop support forum. I don’t know whether Adobe takes this as a small flaw or serious matter, but they do have a reply… which makes us (their customer) a little bit disappointed.


The first time I knew this flaw is about 2 months ago when the plate is still hot. The time when Photoshop users would heavily tortured the software to try any new addition created in Photoshop CS3. I admire their concept to unite Imageready and Photoshop because the tools and interface as just the same. However, the developer seems “forgot” to lift the behavior that Photoshop does when opening an animated GIF:

Warning Sign That Prevent Animated GIF for being opened properly

The result after opening an animated GIF file directly from File > Open menu is an image file without animation sequence. All the information is lost and Adobe didn’t create a documentation to open such file. This post kinda late because the discussion topic already started since May 2007, here is the topic: Cannot open animated gif??

And here is how Adobe replies…
Adobe Replies on Animated GIF Issues

So, their solution is to use other Adobe products, which is Fireworks, to open an animated GIF profile properly. It appears that the feature is purposely lost and the development of Imageready is no longer continued. Most of the feature not included in Photoshop from Imageready is incorporated in Fireworks. Some people might found this as no problem at all, but IMHO, this will reduce efficiency and comfortableness in editing an animated GIF. Where else can we edit an animated GIF with outstanding filters and image effect like Photoshop? It’s a waste of time to edit each frame one by one from Fireworks to Photoshop.

However, there is still a solution to this, as mentioned by Brett Dalton, a member of the forum. Photoshop can still open the file correctly from the Import menu, however, its only applicable to Windows OS only.

Choose File > Import > Video Frames to Layers
In the file browser in Windows, type *.* in the File Name and press Enter or click Load.

It will not open any file, but it will view every file without restriction of Type of Files.
Open your animated GIF files, it will show you a dialog box regarding the imports. Press OK to import as default.
Voila! The file is opened in animation frames.

You can view the animation time frames from Windows > Animation

Updates!
can't open animated gif without quick time
Trel Smith has just told me that Photoshop CS3 won’t even open their import videos windows without QuickTime version 7.1 or above installed in your computer. You should download it first from apple site or you can get it from the latest k-lite codec package.

How about MAC? MAC can’t do like the above solution by typing *.* in the file name. But here is an alternative:

Change the animated GIF file you want to open into .MOV file. Therefore the Import Video Frames to Layers function will recognize it as a video file and will open it as animated sequence.
However, this method won’t always works and the quality of the file is questionable.

The conclusion is: either you use Fireworks as GIF editor or using Photoshop’s import Video to Layers feature. Just don’t waste your time on some trivia stuff like this. It’s too immaterial for a busy designer.

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28 Responses to Photoshop CS3 Can Still Open Animated GIF Properly in Windows


  1. comment from Ikonic at 10 February, 2008

    Great thanks to Brett and you for this solution !

  2. comment from firewalker at 10 February, 2008

    @Ikonic

    You’re welcome Ikonic. Let’s also wait for comments from MAC users.

  3. comment from grasshopper at 11 February, 2008

    Hi,

    That’s a good idea but I doesn’t work on Mac for me. If you have Quicktime Pro you could save an animated GIF as a movie and go back into photoshop but just changing the extension doesn’t work.

  4. comment from mengchiu at 13 February, 2008

    just wanna thank you about the clear conclusion :)

  5. comment from Big Tiger at 15 February, 2008

    Nice pictures, well at least you are learning from your mistakes early in the trip..

  6. comment from ice road at 15 February, 2008

    thanks for this post !

  7. comment from How-To: Open Animated GIFs with Photoshop CS3 at 19 February, 2008

    [...] came across these via the Firewalker blog at Photoshop CS3 Can Still Open Animated GIF Properly in Windows. He dug them up from the Adobe Forums. Choose File » Import » Video Frames to [...]

  8. comment from firewalker at 20 February, 2008

    @grasshopper:

    Thanks for your feedback! Hmm… it seems that there is no way for MAC users except choosing Fireworks to edit an animated GIF.

    @Mengchiu:

    You are welcome :)

    @Big Tiger:

    She is my idol!

    @ice road:

    You are welcome, also. :)

  9. comment from fusion at 28 February, 2008

    Fantastic. Thanks!

  10. comment from adit at 27 March, 2008

    lucky i didn’t instaling CS3 on my notebook, using CS2 is enough for me coz I’m not designer like you thanks for your article bang

  11. comment from Chris Lielasus at 7 April, 2008

    Brilliant, thanks. Silly of PS to not do this automagically as ImageReady did. Great work-around though!

  12. comment from Drag at 13 April, 2008

    Thanks a lot for this trick :)
    It’s very useful ^^

  13. comment from NathanaelB at 23 April, 2008

    Unfortunately doesn’t work for me … I don’t have admin privs on this computer to install QuickTime :-)

  14. comment from firewalker at 24 April, 2008

    @NathanaelB:

    You should use fireworkCS3 to edit animated GIF then. :)

  15. comment from NathanaelB at 24 April, 2008

    No Fireworks either LOL!

  16. comment from nawabra at 3 May, 2008

    wow

    wonderful

    thanks a lot …. *_^

  17. comment from chacher at 13 June, 2008

    I’m on mac os x 10.5 and used quicktime pro to save the animated gif as a mov file, and imported it no problems into photoshop cs3.
    thanks for the excellent blog. people like you make the internet a pleasure to use.

  18. comment from DS at 24 June, 2008

    I just want to know, HOW to prevent a gif from being opened?? is that possible?

  19. comment from firewalker at 24 June, 2008

    @DS:

    Well, you can always dismantle an animated gif into multiple frames. However, any effect will be rasterized. Even though people can modified your work, you won’t be bothered enough.

  20. comment from Photoshop CS3 at 4 July, 2008

    Aha - there is a flaw in Photoshop CS3 after all :)

    I noticed this as well quite some time ago. Since I use Fireworks regularly, no biggie anyway.

    Keep up the good work on the blog!

  21. comment from Chris Barrow at 10 July, 2008

    Thanks for all this info!

    I discovered an AMAZING trick in the Preview application that comes with OSX - it will show you the frames of an animated gif! You can then copy and paste or do a Save As… of the frames!

    Had to share after discovering this thread and wrestling with some animated gifs in PSD CS3!

  22. comment from lost at 25 July, 2008

    I have a problem, PS CS3 is now complaining about missing quicktime, I use the k-lite pack and it worked before, I installed quicktime (I hate it) and still have problems with PS, I’ve installed PS again with no luck, can’t we bypass this annoying thing? what do I need quicktime for if my only need is to open a gif, couldn’t adobe put a warning if we were opening .mov or anything with that codec but let us still use the import video to layers for other format???

  23. comment from firewalker at 25 July, 2008

    @lost:

    I currently running CS3 without quicktime since K-Lite Codec pack already have quicktime codec in it. No, you can’t bypass the warning, because Adobe have decided to stop the ImageReady development in PS CS3 and told the customer to use Fireworks.

  24. comment from Rob at 8 August, 2008

    Thanks, this is useful!

  25. comment from coxy at 12 August, 2008

    Thanks for this. :)

  26. comment from Daisy at 26 August, 2008

    Ok… but this doesn’t work for me… On my PC, the file types to open is a pull down window and doesn’t allow me to type anything in that box? Is there not anything you can do to open the GIF animations otherwise?

  27. comment from firewalker at 26 August, 2008

    @Daisy:

    There is a reason why I make a bold statement, there, Daisy. ;) Check again :)

  28. comment from Oxy at 27 August, 2008

    Hi,after reading so many posts that claim animated gifs can’t be opened in Photoshop CS3 I decided there had to be a way, and here it is Go File, Import Video Frames to Layers, then in the dialogue box type in *.gif to search your folder for the gif image. It opens up intactand is ready for playing or editing.

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