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When I open a .gif image in Photoshop - non animated - it always locks automatically and you cannot unlock it. Aside from that when try try to add text it will make a red block and convert the text to bitmap.

You annoyingly have to copy and paste the document into a new document. Then layer from there.

enter image description here

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1 Answer

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It's due to the Index Color mode. GIF and PNG8 use a locked color palette, therefore the layer gets locked to prevent unsupported changes. It's also why the layer is titled Index.

To unlock it choose Image > Mode > RGB from the menu.

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Can this be as a default? – TheBlackBenzKid Dec 3 '12 at 22:04
No. GIF and PNG8 images will always open in Index color mode, that's simply how those images work. When you save a GIF or PNG8, it gets saved to Index mode as well. – Scott Dec 3 '12 at 22:05
Thank you. Appreciate your input. – TheBlackBenzKid Dec 3 '12 at 22:22

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