What's covered

• Recommended alternatives
• Photoshop CS5 and TWAIN
• Photoshop CS4 and TWAIN
• Install the TWAIN plug-in
• Troubleshoot TWAIN problems

TWAIN is an interface used to import from imaging devices, such as scanners. For more information, see the TWAIN Working Group's website at www.twain.org. The Photoshop TWAIN plug-in connects with compatible devices that are installed on your computer.

Recommended alternatives

Important: Because TWAIN is an older technology that is not regularly updated for new operating systems, TWAIN often causes issues in Photoshop. 

Adobe suggests that you scan images using another scanning application, such as the application that ships with your scanner, or a third-party utility such as VueScan (http://www.hamrick.com/). Then, save the scanned images as TIFF files, and open them in Photoshop. In Windows, you can also use a Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) interface for your device, if available.

Scanning into a separate application provides identical options and quality. This approach can also improve efficiency, letting you edit images in Photoshop while scanning continues in the background.

Photoshop CS5 and TWAIN

For Windows, the downloadable TWAIN plug-in is 32-bit only.

For Mac OS, the Photoshop CS5 12.0.4 update includes some TWAIN fixes, and a new downloadable TWAIN plug-in solves two more issues: you can scan multiple documents at once, and Photoshop no longer crashes on the second scanning job. 

In Mac OS 10.6.x, the TWAIN plug-in supports 64-bit operation of Photoshop CS5. However, the scanner manufacturer must provide a 64-bit scanner driver, and very few do. Contact your scanner manufacturer to determine if a 64-bit driver is available. If not, you must run Photoshop in 32-bit mode.

Photoshop CS4 and TWAIN

On 32-bit versions of Windows, the Photoshop TWAIN plug-in is installed by default. Because the plug-in isn't 64-bit, Photoshop does not install it on 64-bit editions of Windows.

In Mac OS, the Photoshop TWAIN plug-in is not installed by default. See below for installation instructions. Adobe strongly suggests that if you require the plug-in in Mac OS 10.6, you first install Rosetta. 

Install the TWAIN plug-in

Photoshop CS5 for Windows or Mac OS

1. Download the plug-in:
   Windows: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4688
   Mac OS: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=4904 
2. For Windows installation instructions, see the downloaded ReadmeCS5_Optionalplugin.pdf file. 
   For Mac OS, see the instructions on the download page above.

Note: For more information about the optional plug-ins, see Plug-in Changes with Photoshop CS5 (TechNote cpsid_82824).

Photoshop CS4 for Mac OS

1. Quit Photoshop CS4.
2. From your installation disc, copy the TWAIN plug-in from the /<language>/Goodies/Optional plug-ins/Import-Export folder to the
   Applications/Adobe Photoshop CS4/Plug-ins/Import-Export folder on your hard drive.
   
3. Restart Photoshop to enable the plug-in.

Troubleshoot TWAIN problems

When you use TWAIN to import from an imaging device, you may encounter problems like the following:

• Photoshop or your scanner application freezes or quits unexpectedly.
• You are unable to close the scanner window.
• You encounter errors during import.
• The preview of the imported image, or the imported image itself, appears incorrect onscreen.

Try the following solutions:

Windows

• On 64-bit Windows, use the Windows Image Acquisition (WIA) interface to import from your device. For instructions, see Windows Help or contact your device manufacturer.
• On 32-bit Windows, update the drivers for your device. For assistance with this process, see the website for the device manufacturer. If the problem persists with the most recent drivers, try one or both of the following:
  
  • Import from your device using WIA.
  • Using the software included with your imaging device, import and save images, and then open the saved images in Photoshop.

Mac OS

1. Update the drivers for your device. For assistance, see the website for the device manufacturer.
2. If the problem persists with the most recent drivers, import your image using another application, such as the Image Capture utility. See Mac OS Help or contact your device manufacturer for more information.

Products affected

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