Photoshop won't let me save my file as a jpeg

[kakes420]

Hello, I'm new here and looking forward to learning on this site but first, I have a question (or course) that I hope someone can help me with.
I have an old version of Photoshop (CS, version 8.0) on my Mac. I've been making some photo collages by cropping and copying & pasting 2 different photos onto a new document, resulting in a third photograph. For some reason, I'm unable to save these new photos as jpegs. I've flattened the images, but that doesn't seem to matter. I only have Photoshop files, Tiffs, PNG, and some others that I don't recognize as options. I need to be able to open these photos in Power Point on a PC. If I try to save these as Tiffs, it crashes my PS (I know, i need a new computer and an upgrade all around!)

Anyone have any suggestions? Why can't I save them as jpegs?
Thanks in advance!

[iDad]

what are they to start with?

[Steve]

Go to Image|Mode and make sure it's not set to 32bits per channel.
It has to be 8 or 16 bit to save as a JPG.

[kakes420]

I just checked -- it's set on 16 bit. They were originally jpegs straight out of my camera. I have no trouble saving anything else as a jpeg. Basically, I'm cropping them in half and joining 2 separate halves together in a new blank document. I'm also using the lasso tool to "cut" out certain parts and paste them onto the new document.

[Steve]

Try resetting the preferences file.
Start Photoshop and immediately hold down Ctrl+Alt+Shift (Windows)
or Command+Option+Shift (Mac OS X).

Then, click Yes to the message, "Delete the Adobe Photoshop Settings file?"

[kakes420]

hi Steve,
Ok, I did that, but nothing seems to have changed.
I need to save the file to something that will open in any system operating Power Point.
I don't understand why it won't convert to a jpeg!

[DoTTGaMMa]

If none of the solutions above have worked for you, you can try this (my diagnosis)

To ensure that the settings on the image are not the issue, do the following:
- Open Photoshop, create a new document with the following settings
Width: 1000 [pixels]
Height: 1000 [pixels]
Resolution: 72 [pixels/inch]
Color Mode: [RGB Color] [8 bit]
(advanced)
Color Profile: [Don't Color Manage this Document]
Pixel Aspect Ratio: [Square Pixels]

These settings should support the .JPEG/ .JPG File Format, check to see if you can save the document as the file .JPEG/ .JPG
If it does not save than your file format file which came embedded in your version of Photoshop is currupted, or missing- So download a replacement online.
If it does work, than the problem with your last image you were editing is that the file you imported them as carried over some native features that the .JPEG/ .JPG File Format does not recognize or support, to fix this create a new document with the same settings as above, change the resolution of the image from 1000x1000p to whatever is the resolution on your image.
Now, open the photo you want to edit in Photoshop in a New Document, once you have done so Right-Click the background layer of the "background" layer and Choose "Duplicate Layer" >> The duplicate layer window will appear, now change the Destination to the other document you have already created.
Once you are finished with this task, go back to the previous document and do whatever you needed to do to the image, and then try saving it as the .JPEG/ .JPG file format... It should work, if not and if it still does not work after you have tried all the suggestions on this thread + mine than you may have more of a problem on your hands- You can try re-insalling your Photoshop, that may work for you.

Also you said you have the option for .PNG have you tried using that? I know Office 2007++ Supports it (at least on Windows XP, and Windows 7)

Hope it works out,
DoTTGaMMa

[kakes420]

Hi DoTTGaMMa,

Wow, it worked! Thank you!!

The only thing is that when I followed your directions to the duplicat layer window and clicked OK, I got this warning: "The target document has a different depth than the source document. This may result in lower than expected quality. Are you sure you want to proceed?" I clicked Yes, and the photo looked fine, or at least the same, on my monitor as the original. AND, I was able to save it as a jpeg!

Do you know what the different depth refers to? I flattened my photo before duplicating the layer.

I must be doing something that isn't "allowed" when making these collages. I think what you said must be right: "the problem with your last image you were editing is that the file you imported them as carried over some native features that the .JPEG/ .JPG File Format does not recognize or support
The collage I made is made up of 2 photographs I took myself, and I don't have this problem with any other photos I've worked on in Photoshop. The only thing I can think of is that somehow in creating a 3rd combination out of the 2 does something that the jpeg file format doesn't support, as you say.

Do you have any advice as to how I can avoid this problem in the future?

Thank you so much. I really appreciate the help the three of you have offered so far.

[DoTTGaMMa]

What it means about depth is that the original picture had extra details and when you convert the image to the settings I made above it will remove those, and sometimes it can make the image look undesirable because you wanted those extra details, other times it will not matter to you- Really the difference is hard to notice most of the time. So thats why Photoshop prompted you to ensure that is what you intended on doing.

I believe the problem happened because you are using a camera that has a high-quality specialized format, which Photoshop has limited abilities to modify. You can avoid this by changing your cameras Save File Format to a basic file format, such as .JPEG, etc... (Some cameras have that option)
Or by using a different camera that you have used before that has never had the problem.

Glad to help,
DoTTGaMMa

[Steve]

Wow, some great detective work Matt.