.pws

Extension: Painter Workspace File

Developer: Corel

The ‘.pws’ file, or Painter Workspace file, is a crucial element within the Corel Painter digital art software. It acts as a personalized snapshot of your entire workspace configuration. This includes not just the visible elements like your palettes (color, brush, etc.) and tool panels, but also the underlying settings that govern how those tools behave. Think of brush sizes, opacity levels, paper textures, and even the positioning of every window on your screen—all of this is meticulously saved within the .pws file. This allows artists to maintain consistency across projects, instantly recalling a preferred setup instead of painstakingly recreating it each time. Losing a .pws file can mean losing a significant amount of customized workflow. Therefore, regular backups are highly recommended.

You can’t open a .pws file directly like an image file; it’s not designed for viewing. Instead, it’s loaded within the Corel Painter application itself. To open a previously saved workspace, simply launch Corel Painter. Then, navigate to the “Workspace” menu (the exact location might vary slightly depending on your Painter version). Look for an option like “Open Workspace” or “Load Workspace,” and select your desired .pws file from its saved location. Corel Painter will then load all the settings and configurations contained within that file, restoring your workspace to its previously saved state. Remember that .pws files are specific to Corel Painter and are incompatible with other software.