September 23rd, 2007
Structuring .PSD Files
So we have structured HTML/XHTML, we have structured CSS but it seems like a rarity to find a structured .PSD file.
Recent projects have me working with Photoshop documents not created by myself, which, I have been finding rather confusing. Unlabeled layers, elements that are no longer needed, no general structure that relates to the document on the canvas. It makes trying to find some small element rather difficult to say the least.
I do admit, many of my PSD files are not structured (hypocrite!). Not to surprising (and I guess this may be the issue behind non structured files) because I know where all the elements are, add to the fact that 95% of my PSD files will never see the light of day in the hands of other users. However if I was sending my files to another designer, I would be sure to tidy them up.
- Label layers
- Group elements into folders and label (i.e., text layers)
- Remove any outdated elements that are no longer needed
- Structure the layers and folders to make sense (when possible).
Course for the latter, if your layers are labeled well anyway that isn’t so much of an issue. Five minutes structuring and labeling a file can save 10 minutes trying to find a element (especially on files that are substantial in size).