The recovery toolbox for Photoshop Mac is a powerful utility that can help users recover deleted or lost Photoshop files on Mac operating systems. Photoshop files such as PSD, PDD, and PSB files can become corrupted or accidentally deleted, resulting in loss of work and time. The recovery toolbox is designed to locate and restore these lost Photoshop files quickly and efficiently.
How does the recovery toolbox work?
The recovery toolbox utilizes advanced scanning algorithms to search Mac hard drives and storage devices for residual traces of deleted Photoshop files. Even if a file has been deleted, portions of its raw data often remain on the hard drive until being overwritten by new data. The toolbox scans these areas of the hard drive and reconstructs parts of the original PSD or PSB file. While it may not be able to recover the entire file, the toolbox can often recover substantial portions of the image and layers.
In addition to deleted files, the recovery toolbox can also recover previous versions of Photoshop files and those which may have become corrupted. By scanning the Photoshop backup folders, it can identify earlier iterations of a PSD and restore them. For corrupted files, the software isolates the intact portions of the file and extracts them for recovery.
What file types can the recovery toolbox restore?
The recovery toolbox is designed specifically for Photoshop files of the following types:
- PSD – Photoshop Document, the standard Photoshop file
- PDD – Large Photoshop Document, for files over 30,000 by 30,000 pixels
- PSB – Photoshop Big, for files over 4 GB in size
By focusing on these Photoshop-specific file types rather than generalized image formats like JPG or PNG, the toolbox is optimized to extract layered graphics, text effects, adjustable transparency, and other features specific to Adobe Photoshop. This makes for more successful restoration ofdeleted PSD files.
How to use the recovery toolbox
Using the recovery toolbox involves just a few simple steps:
- Download and install the recovery toolbox on your Mac.
- Run the toolbox once installed. It will prompt you to select the drive or volume to scan.
- Select the desired drive(s) and click “Start.” The deep scanning will initiate.
- When scanning is complete, preview and select the Photoshop files you wish to recover.
- Indicate a destination folder for the restored files.
- Advanced settings like scan filtering and file overwriting protection are also available.
- Click “Recover” to restore your lost Photoshop files.
The whole process is designed to be quick and straightforward. Scans can be completed in just minutes, depending on drive size and the number of deleted files present.
Recovery Capabilities
The recovery toolbox is capable of restoring Photoshop files deleted or lost in a variety of scenarios:
- Accidental Deletion – If a PSD or PSB file is accidentally deleted, the toolbox can retrieve it from the hard drive’s residual data.
- Empty Trash – Even if the Trash has been emptied, the toolbox can dig into the hard drive’s unallocated space to find deleted files.
- Hard Drive Formatting – The toolbox can recover PSD and PSB files from a drive that has been completely formatted or erased.
- File Corruption – Portions of corrupt Photoshop files can be extracted and repaired.
- OS Failure – Files lost due to system crashes, boot failures, or OS errors can be salvaged.
- Previews – Photoshop’s auto-save feature preserves periodic previews. These can be restored as earlier versions.
As long as the original file data still resides on the physical drive, the recovery toolbox has a high probability of being able to restore all or most of the PSD or PSB file.
Additional Features
In addition to its core recovery capabilities, the Photoshop recovery toolbox offers some useful supplemental tools and options:
- Scanning Filters – The toolbox scan can be filtered to only detect certain file types, speeding up overall scan time.
- Pause/Resume – An in-progress scan can be conveniently paused and resumed at a later time.
- File Preview – Recovered files can be previewed within the toolbox interface before restoration.
- Snapshots – For additional protection, snapshots can be taken before beginning the recovery process.
These extras help make the recovery process more streamlined while offering protection for user data. Advanced users can also adjust low-level scan parameters for customized file hunting.
Benefits
Utilizing the recovery toolbox for Photoshop provides several key benefits for Mac users:
- Saves Money – Avoid expensive data recovery fees by restoring files yourself.
- Saves Time – Quickly resurrect lost images rather than recreating work from scratch.
- Ease of Use – The toolbox’s simplified interface makes recovery accessible for any user.
- Photoshop Specialization – Designed solely for PSD, PDD, and PSB maximizes restore potential.
- Reliability – Industrial-strength recovery algorithms provide dependable file restoration.
Limitations
While powerful, the Photoshop recovery toolbox does have some limitations to bear in mind:
- It can only recover files that still have residual data on the physical drive. Files shredded by a secure delete utility cannot be restored.
- Severely corrupted PSD/PSB files may only be partially recoverable.
- It is not a full-scale data recovery solution. Generic deleted files like documents and media are unrecoverable.
- Scans can take substantial time to run on extremely large drives holding terabytes of data.
Within these constraints, however, the toolbox provides an invaluable utility for recovering lost and deleted Photoshop work.
Pricing
The Photoshop recovery toolbox is affordably priced for both personal and business use. Current pricing is as follows:
| Personal License | $49.95 |
| Business License | $99.95 |
| Extended Business License | $299.95 |
Volume discounts are also available for bulk business purchases. A free trial version can be downloaded to evaluate the software’s capabilities before purchasing.
Customer Support
The recovery toolbox developers provide extensive customer support resources:
- Knowledge Base with searchable technical articles
- User forums for exchanging questions and information
- Support tickets for issues requiring one-on-one attention
- Remote assistance for troubleshooting difficult problems
- Technical advisors reachable via phone and email
Support is included with license purchase. Users can expect prompt, courteous responses from knowledgeable support staff.
Conclusion
The recovery toolbox for Photoshop Mac fills a vital role in restoring lost and deleted PSD, PDD, and PSB files. Its specialized algorithms provide a quick, efficient, and affordable solution for recovering Photoshop work that may otherwise be lost forever. While no utility can recover every deleted file under any circumstance, the Photoshop recovery toolbox offers an invaluable last line of defense against accidental data loss.