# PDF file icons in Photoshop CC **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614 "2016-12-25T20:52:23Z")\ **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:** [December 25, 2016, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/1 "2016-12-25T20:52:23Z")
In previous versions of Photoshop, any saved PDF got a thumbnail icon. With Photoshop CC, all I get is a generic PDF icon for every file. How can I save PDFs and retain the thumbnails? (The option “Embed page thumbnails” doesn’t accomplish this.) ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2016, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/2 "2016-12-25T23:34:16Z")
Not in front of my mac, but perhaps “Save Preview”? ---
**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:** [December 26, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/3 "2016-12-26T04:17:49Z")
I’m not seeing “Save Preview” as an option anywhere. In Preferences, under File Saving Options, Image Previews is set at “Always Save,” and “Thumbnail” is checked. You’d think these would create a thumbnail for each file, but they don’t. It’s amazing, how complex and unwieldy Photoshop has become. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2016, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/4 "2016-12-26T08:13:08Z")
It seems Adobe changed this feature deliberately. There’s a long thread about it [here](https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1812515?start=280&tstart=0), and it seems it’s Acrobat itself that has to be updated to solve it. ---
**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:** [December 26, 2016, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/5 "2016-12-26T09:57:41Z")
I’m just in Photoshop, not even using Acrobat. And I’m on a Mac. This is a major PITA. I have to open every damn file to see what it is. Of course I can copy/paste each one into the “info” window, but that’s yet another PITA. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/6 "2016-12-27T05:34:00Z")
There are third party extensions that add thumbnails in explorer. Try looking up SageThumbs on Google. ---
**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:** [December 27, 2016, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/7 "2016-12-27T06:45:02Z")
I don’t even use Explorer. I’m on a Mac. All I want to do is edit PDFs in Photoshop, and I want each file to have a thumbnail, so I don’t have to open every goddamn file to see what it is. I’m not using Acrobat or any other program, I’m just editing images in Photoshop. All I want to do is open a PDF, edit it and save it, with a thumbnail. 20 YEARS AGO THIS HAPPENED AUTOMATICALLY, BUT THERE’S NO WAY TO DO IT TODAY? I’m paying $53 a month for Creative Cloud, and it won’t let me do a simple task that I could do in the '90s. And I can’t discontinue the Creative Cloud, because then EVERY ADOBE FILE I EVER CREATED WILL BE LOCKED. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/8 "2016-12-27T14:07:12Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > And I can’t discontinue the Creative Cloud, because then EVERY ADOBE FILE I EVER CREATED WILL BE LOCKED. Wait. What do you mean by this part? Is this just a PDF thing? ---
**Author:** ![albino\_manatee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/albino_manatee/32/2_2.png) [@albino\_manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/albino_manatee)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2016, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pdf-file-icons-in-photoshop-cc/775614/9 "2016-12-27T15:35:02Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I don’t even use Explorer. I’m on a Mac. All I want to do is edit PDFs in Photoshop, and I want each file to have a thumbnail, so I don’t have to open every goddamn file to see what it is. I’m not using Acrobat or any other program, I’m just editing images in Photoshop. All I want to do is open a PDF, edit it and save it, with a thumbnail. 20 years ago this happened automatically, but there’s no way to do it today? I’m paying $53 a month for Creative Cloud, and it won’t let me do a simple task that I could do in the '90s. And I can’t discontinue the Creative Cloud, because then every adobe file i ever created will be locked. simple answer, panache … stop paying. programs, and the companies designing them, continuously evolve. as long as the consumer accepts terms of the product … there is supply. cut the demand … the product withers 'n dies. i constantly land on forums … invariably, i find comments/posts where consumers are begging for support unto this vehicle or that … and how they would gladly pay for this 'n that. or, another scenario … the consumer makes big deal of the latest release … stating _“i’d happily pay twice the price … your product is so great!”_ it’s not only the companies that are driving up the market … the consumer is as much to blame. veritably, the consumer is the catalyst. _“And I can’t discontinue the Creative Cloud, because then every adobe file i ever created will be locked.”_ prove it. where’s your corroborating evidence? i use adobe-cc as well as previous versions _(mac and pc)_ … no such thing as _“cannot open file if cc is discontinued”_. and, there are previous versions of photoshop\*(pre-cc)\* still available … use those. notwithstanding … there are some adobe products _(indesign being one)_ which substantiate your claim _(even pre-cc)_ … photoshop is not one of them. photoshop has always been backwards compatible. as for opening \*.pdf files in photoshop … why do you want to do that, panache? that method obfuscates the whole premise behind the pdf model _(portable document format)_. pdf files are great … why edit them using photoshop? opening pdf in photoshop rasterizes the content. there _are_ pdf editors on the market … the good editors retain the pdf model. in any case … even though it won’t do any good, you can lodge complaint with appl … the issue is with apple and not adobe: _[ref link is listed below]_ notice: [boards.straightdope.com](http://boards.straightdope.com) website seems to have been compromised by something called [optimize.viglink.com](http://optimize.viglink.com) … pls use caution when clicking on my proffered links. in other words … highlight the complete text of the link with your mouse … copy the text _(not the url)_ … then paste that text into your browser’s address portal _(new window)_. ref: [discussions.apple.com/thread/5608336](http://discussions.apple.com/thread/5608336) **edit:** the viglink hijack seems to be caused by the [discussions.apple.com](http://discussions.apple.com) domain … for instance, [apple.com](http://apple.com) is fine.