I'm sure this is covered somewhere, so feel free to point me in the right direction! I'm trying to get all my stuff organized. This entails files on both my PC here at work, and my Mac at home. I'm using Dropbox to go back and forth making sure I have everything on both computers as well a main file in Dropbox once I get it all together.
When I unzip a file, I sometimes see both .png files and .psd files with an occasional .jpg thrown in. Is it necessary to keep both? What about the .jpg file? I kind of see that one as just a "viewing" file. I've seen where the .png files are better because they can be used in both PSP and PSE. Unless I'm missing something, I don't see the need to keep them both.
Oh, also I occasionally see what looks to be an additional .png file made for Mac (I think I've seen these from Brooke). Is that any different than a .png file for a PC? What about a .csh file?
I'm almost up with my trials of PSP X6 and PSE12. I think I'm going to stick with my old PSP8 on the PC and go ahead and buy PSE12 for my Mac. So, I'll be using two different programs for now - do I just keep the .png files?
One other thing - I'm already finding I have a few similiar items, like crumpled paper overlays. Do you usually keep them all or just keep one?
Thanks 
-Lisa
Anybody?? Nobody???
I should have put this in the Software Forum, and I think when I wrote it, I thought that's where I was.
What kind of file are you talking about? Templates packs where there are .psd .tiff and individual .png for every template? Also, your psp read the .psd correctly?
Yep, pretty much. When I download a zip file (sometimes here at PS or other places, like a pattern or overlay zip file, for example), there will be the same image with a .psd, .psp, .png, and sometimes one with a .csh extension. I know it's so they can be opened in the different graphic programs, but I hate to have to keep them all and was wondering what others do.
My PSP (both the oldie and the newer trial) will usually open a .psd file, but will say that something is missing, which when comparing it with the sometimes included screenshot, there is. PSE won't open .psp images.
I'm learning as I go. Having worked with PSP exclusively all these years all I ever had to keep was a .psp or .png file. It's PSE's fault because I'm liking it more and more! I guess I need to keep whatever necessary to work in PSP or PSE accordingly, and begin getting rid of whichever files I see I never open. I thought the .png files would be universal but even those sometimes don't look right in either program!
I've got big computers and nice sized EHD, but I'm always trying to save room!
.csh files are photoshop shapes. PSD are photoshop layered files. .png files include transparency and should work for both programs.
It really depends on what you use & want to keep. I know a lot of people get rid of Psd files and keep the tiff (also layered but not specific to photoshop) because they take up less room.
Bree gave an wise answer
What I do, and that may, or may not, help you:
-In any kit, where there is a folder saying MACOSX or something like it, I delete without looking at it. I don´t know what exactly are they used, just know it happens because it was zipped by a MAC user;
-In layout template kits that have .psd .tiff .png I delete all the .png; If there are .page or .sbpage, I delete them too (these are for a small scrapbook software).
-In CU stuff templates I usually keep all the file formats.
Thank you both for responding and for the tips, they do help!
In the templates from here, sometimes there are PSD files and PNG files - I keep both because the PNG file can act as a preview (because the PSD will just have a generic icon) for when I am browsing through the files trying to pick out what template I want to use.
For templates I noticed some designers put in layered files like psd and tiff, with jpg or png only for preview purposes, as Mollie suggests. I think in some softwares you can use the seperate png files to stack your own version of the template - probably because it can't open layered files. I do as Lorien does, chuck them all, except for the tiff (which is generally smaller than a psd file) and since I am on a Mac, I don't bother with preview files, because the tiff gives me an instant preview too. Waaay back when I used to work on a PC, I did keep the preview files however.
You know, I've rarely gotten anything with a .tiff file in it!
Thanks, Mollie and Melo. I know it'd be easier working on just one machine, but I can't talk my boss into getting Macs here at work!
-Lisa
I got tired of not knowing what my psd files were about so I converted them all to tiff. That way, I get a preview of what's in the file and it works the same way (layered), AND takes less room to store. Once done I delete the psd files. When I have jpg and png, I only keep the png (I like to keep the transparency). I don't keep the mac folder files as they are no use to me, a pc user.
Thanks, Andrea. Interesting turning the .psd files into .tiff.
You're most welcome Lisa Marie
Personally, I always use .tiff files instead of .psd because they include a preview of what they are and are usually smaller in file size,
however, I make .psd files when making templates here at DigitalScrapbook.com because not everyone knows about .tiff files or
or are very familiar with them, and I don't want to confuse people. The .png files are usually for previews for the psd files. So if
you want layered files to work with in pse, then you want the .psd files and .png for preview purposes, or you can convert
the .psd into .tiff and you won't need the png. I am not familiar with psp, but I think you can even use some .psd files
for that as well.
Oh I totally agree Sheila. I always give out a psd file for templates and layouts. I never give out tiff files; those are for my personal use.
The standard way to offer templates in commercial sites is to offer, at least, the .tiff, the .psd and individual PNGs for each layer in a way people with a small software can re-buiild them in a editable way. There are lots of designers who also offer page files.
To offer a .tiff that actually take less space than the same file on .psd, use image compression lzw and file compression zip.
Very informative, ladies. I need to hang on to this thread for when I begin to offer things.
@Lórien great tips there. I didn't know that compression sequence. I'll have to try it! Thank you!
You are welcome ladies! I just updated my last post to correct an information.
By the way: I was answering a question in other topic and saw that Marisa just put up a new designer challenge that is to make a geometric paper template. What if we join it, make layered templates, and test saving in these formats? Then, if we license it as CU, we can use each other´s templates to make papers later. Just remember to check for jagged edges...