# How can I open this file? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 2, 2000, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328 "2000-11-02T00:29:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/1 "2000-11-02T00:29:14Z")
I have a GIF file that I had downloaded from the web, and want to save a version in Photoshop (on a Mac). I can open the file by double-clicking on it, but then I can’t save it as a Photoshop file. When I try to open it **from** Photoshop I get a message that says: “Could no open “\” because the file-format module cannot parse the file.” Is there any way of getting around this? ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/2 "2000-11-02T00:35:15Z")
Is it an animated gif? ---
**Author:** ![mblackwell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@mblackwell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mblackwell)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/3 "2000-11-02T00:35:23Z")
Can you open the file with your web browser and copy & paste it into photoshp? Also, you may need to reinstall photoshop. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/4 "2000-11-02T00:52:11Z")
panache45, Are you saving it as it’s original file format (aka gif) or saving it directly as a Photoshop file? The reason I ask is, if you don’t already know this, you need to save the file in the format it is initially then open it up in Photoshop then save as a Photoshop file. Just a thought since I don’t know the process you are doing to actually save the file to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/5 "2000-11-02T05:46:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Is it an animated gif? \*\* No, it’s not animated. > [@](#): > > \*\*Can you open the file with your web browser and copy & paste it into photoshp? Also, you may need to reinstall photoshop. \*\* I can’t copy the file with any browser. > [@](#): > > \*\*panache45, > > Are you saving it as it’s original file format (aka gif) or saving it directly as a Photoshop file? > > The reason I ask is, if you don’t already know this, you need to save the file in the format it is initially then open it up in Photoshop then save as a Photoshop file. > > Just a thought since I don’t know the process you are doing to actually save the file to begin with. > \*\* I had originally downloaded the file from a web site. It saved it as a gif. I resaved it as a gif, but I still can’t open it in Photoshop. Could the problem be that I’m using Photoshop 4.0, rather than a more recent version? ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/6 "2000-11-02T15:53:28Z")
It may not be a GIF but a JPG. Try renaming it with a \*.jpg extension. ---
**Author:** ![Odieman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a87d85/32.png) [@Odieman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odieman)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/7 "2000-11-02T16:00:04Z")
This is a bug in Photoshop and Windows 98 SE and Windows ME. You have to go to the Adobe web site and download a file called parser and it will solve your problem. Keith ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/8 "2000-11-02T17:12:38Z")
Could you use your browser to save as wallpaper? This works in Windows but saves it as a .BMP file ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2000, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-open-this-file/39328/9 "2000-11-02T19:48:45Z")
Download the shareware Graphic Converter from an Info-Mac mirror site (e.g., [http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html](http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive.html) ). Graphic Converter is far more versatile than Photoshop at opening files, and once you have it open you can save it in any one of a number of formats that Photoshop can open. (GIFs created by GC can be opened by Photoshop; do a Save As and give it a new name).