I can't open old QuickDraw PICT files...

[Reukeboom]

I'm on a 2018 Mac Mini running the latest OS... and am trying to open some old QuckDraw PICT files. Even my updated Photoshop CC won't open them and I can't find anything with a web search. Any ideas?

 

[krs]

I don't have any PICT files.but here are several suggestions on apps to open them or on-line options to convert them to a more recent format.

What's a PCT File and How Do You Open One?

A PCT file is a Macintosh PICT image file. Learn how to open a .PCT file or convert PCT to PNG or some other file format.

www.lifewire.com

BTW - I jusr did a search on my Mac and it turns out I do have a set of .pict files
Turns out they all open fine with Preview on Mojave

 

[Reukeboom]

Thanks for the help... I gave all the options in the article a try, but nothing worked.

However, upon reviewing the files (scans from 1997!) I think I might be better off re-scanning them anyway. I wasn't as good as scanning back then so this might be a good thing that I have to go over this again.

Also, that conversion site the article referenced is really neat, I bookmarked it for future use!

Thanks again!

I don't have any PICT files.but here are several suggestions on apps to open them or on-line options to convert them to a more recent format.

What's a PCT File and How Do You Open One?

A PCT file is a Macintosh PICT image file. Learn how to open a .PCT file or convert PCT to PNG or some other file format.

www.lifewire.com

BTW - I jusr did a search on my Mac and it turns out I do have a set of .pict files
Turns out they all open fine with Preview on Mojave

 

[krs]

Preview didn't work?
Are your file extensions .pct or .pict? Not that it should matter.
Sounds as if you are on Catalina; I'm on Mojave.
Maybe that's why Preview can no longer open PICT files.

See if you can open the attached file with Preview.
Hmmm...the forum doesn't seem to recognize a .pict file, even when I try to attach as "files" rather than as an image.
Let's try zipping the test file which is baseball.pict to see if that can be attached as a file.

----

OK, that seems to work.
Just unzip the file and then try Preview.

If Preview in Catalina no longer opens .pict files (but it does in Mojave), I think that would be good for the community to know.

 

[chscag]

I just tried it and it opens and views with Preview. I'm on Catalina 10.15.6.

 

[Reukeboom]

Your pict came through just fine!

Mine are sized right when opened in Preview, they are just solid white.

I am running the latest macOS Catalina, I updated earlier this week.

Luckily, this forces me to re-scan these items, which fortunately I still have. There were actually more to do that never got scanned, so it'll be a good thing to have some consistency in scanning when I scan the unworkable pics again along with the unscanned pics.

Amazing that Apple wouldn't have taken care of this, it doesn't seem to me like it would be that hard for them to do, but then again what do I know about the technical side of this. Fortunately I didn't save many other files, or actually any other files than these in .pict or I would have run over this issue earlier. Most of my image files are TIFF, Photoshop or jpg (and now HEIC), I'd totally forgotten about PICT until today!

Thanks again!

Preview didn't work?
Are your file extensions .pct or .pict? Not that it should matter.
Sounds as if you are on Catalina; I'm on Mojave.
Maybe that's why Preview can no longer open PICT files.

See if you can open the attached file with Preview.
Hmmm...the forum doesn't seem to recognize a .pict file, even when I try to attach as "files" rather than as an image.
Let's try zipping the test file which is baseball.pict to see if that can be attached as a file.

----

OK, that seems to work.
Just unzip the file and then try Preview.

If Preview in Catalina no longer opens .pict files (but it does in Mojave), I think that would be good for the community to know.

 

[AggiePhil]

This is still a problem. Wife and I just bought brand new MacBook Pros (14") running Mac OS Ventura 13.1. Preview on them will not open PICT files, despite it working just fine on my Unibody MacBook running Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.6. Very frustrating.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

This is still a problem. Wife and I just bought brand new MacBook Pros (14") running Mac OS Ventura 13.1. Preview on them will not open PICT files, despite it working just fine on my Unibody MacBook running Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.6. Very frustrating.

You can convert your PICT files into a more useful format for free using this online converter:

https://convertio.co/pict-jpeg/

The old tried and true Graphic Converter can open, work with, and convert your PICT files:

Graphic Converter ($40, free demo available)
https://www.lemkesoft.de/en/products/graphicconverter/

 

[AggiePhil]

You can convert your PICT files into a more useful format for free using this online converter:

PICT to JPEG (Online & Free) — Convertio

The old tried and true Graphic Converter can open, work with, and convert your PICT files:

Graphic Converter ($40, free demo available)
Lemke Software: GraphicConverter

Thanks, I appreciate those resources. Still don't understand why Preview won't do it, since it works on my older Mac!

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Thanks, I appreciate those resources. Still don't understand why Preview won't do it, since it works on my older Mac!

The PICT format was deprecated by Apple with the move to OS X... over 20 years ago. I'm stunned that Apple supported it for so long. Apple isn't one for allowing their software to become bloated with outdated code.

 

[Slydude]

The old tried and true Graphic Converter can open, work with, and convert your PICT files:

Graphic Converter ($40, free demo available)
Lemke Software: GraphicConverter

I have to agree Randy. I've had this program on various Macs for years. I haven't used it much recently but there was a time when I preferred some of its tools to similar tools in PhotoShop.

@AggiePhil If you have a lot of pictures to convert I think it has a batch convert feature that might prove useful.

 

[RangerJoe]

LibreOffice may be able to open those old QuickDraw files. I was able to open one using that I had made back in 1998.

 

[PapaArt]

The ones that I'm trying to convert are "QuickDraw picture" (as Kind: in info); is that different than PICT?

 

[Randy B. Singer]

The ones that I'm trying to convert are "QuickDraw picture" (as Kind: in info); is that different than PICT?

QuickDraw files are PICT files.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_file_format

 

[Slydude]

Did you try the GraphicConverter program mentioned earlier in the thread ?Lemke Software: GraphicConverter

 

[PapaArt]

LibreOffice worked for me, but only individually; is there a batch mode in LO?

 

[pm-r]

Is this still an ongoing problem or are they recent posts to a much older problem?

If still current, maybe something in this article helps:

What's a PCT File and How Do You Open One?

A PCT file is a Macintosh PICT image file. Learn how to open a .PCT file or convert PCT to PNG or some other file format.

www.lifewire.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[PapaArt]

Thanks, but I am already able to convert them individually; I am asking for help in converting in LibreOffice using batch mode. (BTW...This problem occurred very recently when the Reunion program began to refuse QuickDraw photos -- and Finder shows then as blank sheets, too.)

 

[pm-r]

I am asking for help in converting in LibreOffice using batch mode.

Maybe start here and add some conditions if you need to such as application compatibility and operating system version:

mac batch conmvert pict files - Google Search

But, maybe you've already been there. My apologise if you have already done so.




- Patrick
=======

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Thanks, but I am already able to convert them individually; I am asking for help in converting in LibreOffice using batch mode.

You can pretty easily use Automator (part of the Mac OS) to batch convert your files:

https://www.macrumors.com/how-to/make-image-converting-folder-macos/