Get a quick preview of a large file—open a composite version (CS2/CS3/CS4/CS5)

Isn’t it a pain when you have to open a big, multi-layered file just to take a quick look at it? For example, you may need to sample a color from a multi-layered high-resolution TIF or PSD file, but don’t want to wait for the 100MB file to render onscreen. Whenever you need to take a quick peek at a file but don’t need to edit the layers—and don’t intend to save over the file—open a composite of the file instead and skip the wait.

Whether you select the file from the Open dialog box, Adobe Bridge or from the File Browser, the command is the same. Press and hold [option][shift] ([Alt][Shift] in Windows) and double click on the file to open a single layer composite of the image.

Tip: Always select the Maximize Compatibility checkbox when saving PSD files. If you don’t, this feature may not work.