Guide to Saving PSD Files as PDFs in Photoshop

In this tutorial you will learn how to create a pdf file from a PSD file using Adobe Photoshop and how to configure the settings in save as option.

Sometimes you need to open the PSD file in a format which is easily supported in all computers because photoshop format files cannot be opened in any other software. The best way is to create a pdf file which can be easily viewed in different computers. You can easily save as pdf in photoshop following only few steps. It's doesn't take lot of time to create a pdf in photoshop and becomes very handy as pdf file can easily be viewed on computers which doesn't have Photoshop software.In these few steps you will learn how to create a pdf file in Photoshop.

Step 1 -- Save as your document

For starters who are creating pdf in photoshop for first time, if you are working on a multi-layered document, you must flatten the image first.
With that taken care of, move to the file menu and click on the "Save as" option.
Once the new window opens up, move to the drop down menu next to the Format option and select the "Photoshp PDF" option.
Now when you click on the save button.

Step 2 -- Configure the file

A new window will open up where we can configure the PDF file. In this window we will set the Adobe PDF Preset to "press quality" and the compatibility to "Acrobat 9/10" This is so that the file can open up even with older versions of Adobe Acrobat. Then we will come down to options and make sure all the four options are enabled.

Step 3 -- Reduce the size of the file

Next we will go to compression section from where we can reduce the size of the file. Over here, we will use the Bicubic Downsampling feature which is better than your basic average method of compression. The compression is a slower process but you will get better gradients and sharper colors. Next, we will change the compression option to "ZIP". This option works well with large images.

Step 4 -- Preserve the color of the file

Next, we will move to the "Output" section and set the "Color Conversion" option to "No conversion". This option basically preserves the color of the document. Next, we will move to the "Profile Inclusion Policy" option and select "Don't include profile" from the drop down menu. This is because we don't want a color profile to be added to the file.

Step 5 -- Save the PDF file

In the end, click on the "Save PDF" button. You will notice that a notification window is displayed. This is because we had enabled the "Preserve Photoshop editing capabilities" option right at the start and it's not supported by earlier versions.
Simply click on Yes, and the pdf document will open up.
And this is how you save as pdf in Photoshop.