How to make Photoshop support WebP: The WebP format has become surprisingly dominant for sharing images online. We do not mean a specific platform or site. Instead, it is inevitable that you once downloaded a photo to your computer, only to discover that it is not in a well-known format, whether PNG, JPG, or GIF, but WebP, which does not have Windows provides no application to view other than a web browser. The WebP image format developed by Google is not new at all, and we explained in a previous article all the details about it and its advantages compared to other forms. In general, WebP is characterized by its high efficiency in compressing images without affecting the quality. However, when working in Photoshop, you cannot open images saved in this format, as you will get an error message. Solving this annoying problem is simpler than you can imagine! Adobe offers two ways around this.
Update Photoshop to version 23.2 or higher.
Adobe did not provide essential support for the WebP image format in Photoshop until after Photoshop 23.2, which was released last year. Starting from this version, users can add WebP images and make modifications to them within the program just like the rest of the other supported formats; in addition to that, the program also allows converting the original form of the image to WebP through the window that appears after pressing File and then Save as and if you modify the image WebP During saving, a window will appear allowing you to select the image compression ratio and compression method according to your preferences. All this confirms the full support of the format in Photoshop.
So the easiest way to add WebP support in Photoshop is to update it, and it’s straightforward. All you have to do is open the Creative Cloud program responsible for managing Adobe applications. From the left side menu, go to the “Updates” section, and on the next page, click on the “Update” button in front of Photoshop to download the latest version. As of this writing, the newest version of Photoshop is 24.3 or 2023, which will support WebP.
Download the WebPShop add-on.
Google provides Photoshop 23.1 users with an add-on called WebPShop, which allows WebP images to be opened directly in Photoshop and treated as any other image format supported in the program. The plugin is free, of course, and can be found on GitHub and is available for both the Windows and macOS versions of Photoshop. Installing this plugin is very simple, as all you need to do is move it to the plugins folder of Photoshop. The location of this folder differs according to the operating system; follow the path below for Windows and Mac, respectively:
C:\Program Files\Common Files\Adobe\Plug-Ins\CC\File Formats
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Plugins/CC
In the folder, drag and drop the “WebPShop_0_4_3_Win_x64” or “WebPShop_0_4_2_Mac_Universal” file into the folder, and the add-on has been installed successfully.
Once you have finished copying the plugin into the folder, open Photoshop (if the program is already available, please close it and reopen it). You should now be able to open and view WebP images within the program without problems, as you can usually make modifications. Also note that when saving any images in WebP format or converting an image from its original form to WebP using Photoshop, a window related to adding WebPShop will appear that allows you to set the percentage of the compression effect on image quality as well as the method of reduction. There will be an actual preview to get an idea of the final result of the image after adjustments.
That’s it, indeed. Don’t forget to share the article with friends and include a comment below…
