> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-6/import-a-photoshop-file.md). # Import a Photoshop file Bring a layered Adobe Photoshop file (`.psd`) into the Designer with its structure intact: text arrives as editable text, vector artwork can arrive as editable shapes, and a review step lets you decide — layer by layer — what shows, what becomes a variable, and what each variable controls, before anything lands in your graphic. ## Before you start * PSD import is a Designer feature. The menu item appears only when your license includes the import-PSD entitlement. * Captivate reads **RGB and grayscale** documents at **8 or 16 bits per channel**. If your file is CMYK, Lab, or 32-bit, convert it in Photoshop (**Image > Mode**) first. `.psb` (large-document) files are not supported — save as `.psd`. * Layers hidden in Photoshop still appear in the review step, marked **hidden in Photoshop**, so you can choose whether to bring them in. ## Import the file 1. Open the graphic in the Designer. 2. Choose **File > Import > PSD...**. 3. In the **Choose Photoshop Document** dialog, select a `.psd` file and click **Open**. 4. The **Review Imported Layers** dialog opens — one row per layer, with a live preview of the design as it will import. Adjust anything you want to change (next section), then click **Import**. A single-layer PSD imports directly with no review step. After import, the Designer scales the imported graphic to fit the canvas with aspect ratio locked, and everything arrives inside one group named after the file. ## The Review Imported Layers dialog The table shows every layer with six columns. The preview on the right stays in sync — click artwork in the preview to select its row, or toggle a row’s **Show** to see the picture update. | Column | What it does | | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Name** | Double-click to rename. The name applies to both the imported object and its variable. Renaming one member of a repeating set (names like `Player.1.Name`) renames the matching part of every sibling that still follows the pattern. | | **Show** | Whether the layer is visible after import. | | **Variable** | Creates a variable for the layer. Captivate pre-checks the rows it recognizes as data: text layers (a layer the designer renamed becomes a variable named **by** the designer; members of a repeating set get composed `Set.N.Field` names) and named image slots. A text block of four or more lines is read as a list of values, not one field, and starts unchecked. | | **Live** | Appears when **Variable** is checked. A live variable pushes new values straight to the output, without a Take. | | **Kind** | What an image layer’s variable controls: **image** swaps the picture, **color** drives a fill color, **visibility** toggles the layer, and **video**, **media**, and **graph** turn the layer into a live video, media file, or data-graph surface. Text rows are always **text**. | | **Notes** | Why the row is classified the way it is — **named by the designer**, **part of the Player set**, **alternate — item 1 is showing**, **vector artwork — can import as editable shapes**, or which Photoshop effects the layer imports without. | Checkboxes above the table apply to the whole document: * **Import vector artwork as editable shapes (N layers)** — on by default; the checkbox appears only when the file contains vector layers (see below). * **Include the original text images as hidden reference layers** — off by default; turn it on to keep Photoshop’s rendered text bitmaps alongside the editable text, hidden, for reference. If any variable names collide — with each other or with variables the project already has — Captivate offers to rename them with number suffixes before importing. **Cancel** imports nothing. ## What arrives, and how **Text layers** become editable Captivate text, carrying the font family and bold/italic, exact size, fill color, leading, and justification from Photoshop. If the original font isn’t installed, the text stays editable with the closest mapping — substitute the font in the **Style** tab after import. Two caveats: a paragraph with several styles imports with its first style throughout, and justified text imports left-aligned. **Vector artwork** — layers placed from Illustrator — imports as editable shapes rather than pixels when **Import vector artwork as editable shapes** is on. A layer that can’t convert cleanly keeps its bitmap instead, and the **Notes** column says why (for example, artwork that overhangs the canvas keeps its image so Photoshop’s crop is preserved). For vector logos delivered as EPS files, see [Import vector artwork as EPS](/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-6/import-vector-artwork-as-eps.md). **Layer effects** are read and rendered for **Color Overlay, Gradient Overlay, Drop Shadow, Inner Shadow**, and **Outer Glow** — on vector layers, a color or gradient overlay becomes the shape’s own fill. Stroke, Bevel & Emboss, Satin, Inner Glow, and Pattern Overlay are not supported; a layer that uses them imports without those effects, and the **Notes** column names what was left out. **Groups** flatten into the single file-level group — Photoshop’s folder hierarchy is not preserved. A group whose compositing can’t be reproduced (blend modes, clipping, group effects) imports as one flattened image named ` [flattened]`, and the layers inside it are represented by that plate. **Alternates**: when a design carries several stacked versions of the same element — say three sponsor lockups occupying the same footprint — Captivate recognizes them as alternates. The topmost imports visible and the rest import hidden, one visibility toggle away. To switch on air, set the alternates' **Kind** to **visibility** so variables drive them, or tick **Show** on a different alternate before importing. ## Limitations * Artwork that overhangs the Photoshop canvas is cropped to the canvas, matching what Photoshop shows. A fully off-canvas layer is dropped — unless it carries a variable, in which case it imports uncropped at its authored position. * An adjustment layer never imports as a layer of its own. When it sits inside a group, the group imports as a flattened image with the adjustment’s grading baked in; a top-level adjustment layer is dropped. * Re-importing the same PSD into the same project collides on variable names; accept the numbered-suffix rename when prompted. * Extracted images are written to the project’s `textures/` folder (or next to the `.psd` if the project hasn’t been saved yet). ## Related * [Import vector artwork as EPS](/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-6/import-vector-artwork-as-eps.md) — for logos and shapes delivered as EPS. * [Import designs from other tools](/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-6.md) — the full chapter index. --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://captivatehelp.newbluelive.com/design-and-customize-graphics/chapter-index-6/import-a-photoshop-file.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.