DICOM is the most common standard for receiving medical scans. Photoshop Extended allows you to open and work with DICOM (.dc3, .dcm, .dic, or no extension) files. DICOM files can contain multiple “slices” or frames, which represent different layers of a scan.

Photoshop reads all frames from a DICOM file and converts them to Photoshop layers. Photoshop can read 8‑, 10‑, 12‑, or 16‑bit DICOM files. (Photoshop converts 10‑ and 12‑bit files to 16‑bit files.)

Once you’ve opened a DICOM file in Photoshop, you can use any Photoshop tool to adjust, mark up, or annotate the file. For example, use the Notes tool to add a comment to the file, the Pencil tool to mark a specific area of the scan or the Dust And Scratches filter to remove dust or scratches from a scan.

You can also view and edit metadata for DICOM files in Bridge or in the Photoshop File Info dialog box. DICOM files support external automation through scripting (see About scripting).

For a video about DICOM files, see www.adobe.com/go/vid0028.