difficulty with photoshop previews

[sladeship]

When I edit an NEF file in Photoshop and return to Photo Mechanic with a PSD file, the preview image in the contact sheet is very pixellated. And when I double click to examine the photo in the preview window, the image takes some time to create and even then has much higher contrast and sharpness than when seen in Photoshop. Do I need to reset a preference somewhere to render Photoshop images more effectively?

[Kirk Baker]

When I edit an NEF file in Photoshop and return to Photo Mechanic with a PSD file, the preview image in the contact sheet is very pixellated. And when I double click to examine the photo in the preview window, the image takes some time to create and even then has much higher contrast and sharpness than when seen in Photoshop. Do I need to reset a preference somewhere to render Photoshop images more effectively?

You need to tell Photoshop to 'Maximize Compatibility' when saving PSD files.  You didn't mention your OS platform, but if it is Windows, you'll also need to install a fairly recent version of Apple's QuickTime which PM uses to render PSD files.

HTH,

-Kirk

[sladeship]

I am using an Intel iMac with 10.5.4, and all recent upgrades. I looked in my Photoshop preferences, under File Handling, and I have "Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility" set to "Always". Does it need to be set somewhere else as well?