You’re about to open a previous file you’ve been working on in PaintTool SAI when you get the error “Opening Canvas Failed.” Don’t worry. There are a few simple methods to get your canvas working again.
My name is Elianna. I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and have used PaintTool SAI for over seven years. I know everything there is to know about the program, and soon so will you.
In this post, I am going to list the possible reasons why you are getting the Canvas Failed to Open message and how to fix it.
Let’s get into it!
Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Check that you have enough memory in PaintTool SAI. The memory usage bar is located in the bottom right corner of the program.
- Make sure your canvas isn’t too big. PaintTool SAI’s size limit for a canvas is around 10,000 x 10,000px.
- If you have recently suffered an unexpected shutdown, power outage, or power surge on your device, your .sai file may be broken or corrupted. To fix this problem, try restoring your .sai file to a previous version or complete a system restore on your device.
- If you are using File > Open Recent to open your file, it may not open if you moved your file to a different location. Try using File > Open instead.
- PaintTool SAI does not support CMYK as a color mode. If the canvas you are trying to open is in this color mode, change it first before opening it in PaintTool SAI.
6 Reasons Why You Failed to Open Your Canvas in PaintTool SAI
Here are six common reasons cause opening canvas failed in PaintTool SAI, and I’ve listed the solution to each problem accordingly.
Reason 1: Memory Shortage
If the image or canvas you are trying to open is too big for the allocated memory in your PaintTool SAI it will not open and you will get the Canvas Failed to Open error message. You can see your PaintTool SAI memory in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Solution
If you have other canvases open in your program, try closing them first to free up some memory, and then try opening your canvas again.
If this doesn’t work and you are trying to open a large image in PaintTool SAI, try compressing your file using third-party file compression software. Once your image is compressed it may open on PaintTool SAI.
Reason 2: Canvas is Too Big
Currently, the maximum file size PaintTool SAI allows you to make and open in the software is 100,000×100,000 pixels (64bit) and 10,000 x 10,000 pixels (32bit). If you happen to try to open an image or .psd file over this limit, you will get the Canvas Failed to Open error message.
Solution
To fix this problem, resize your canvas to a size below 10,000 x 10,000 pixels before trying to reopen it on PaintTool SAI again.
Reason 3: Your Sai File is Broken
If you experience a hard drive malfunction, unexpected shutdown, power surge, or other events that compromise the data on your device, your sai file may not open because it’s broken or corrupted.
Solution
To fix this problem try restoring the file to a previous version or complete a system restore on your computer. Then try to reopen your files.
Reason 4: Your File is in the Wrong Place
If you try to open a file using Open Recent that you have moved, you will get the Canvas Failed to Open message.
This error occurs because although PaintTool SAI will list the most recent files you opened in Open > Recent it will not update the file location if you move it.
Solution
Try instead to open your canvas using File > Open and search for it in the specific folder where it is located.
Reason 6: Your File Color Mode is CMYK
Currently, PaintTool SAI does not support CMYK as a color mode. If you are opening a .psd or any other image that is in CMYK, PaintTool SAI will not open the file.
Solution
Change the color mode of the file to RGB before attempting to open it in PaintTool.
Final Thoughts
There are a variety of reasons why you can get a Canvas Failed to Open message in PaintTool SAI. Some of these reasons include your program not having enough memory, the canvas being over 10,000 x 10,000 pixels, your .sai file being broken or corrupted, and more.
PaintTool SAI only supports RBG as a color mode. If you try to open an image or canvas in CMYK it will not work. Change your color mode first before attempting to open it on PaintTool SAI.
What solution to fix Opening Canvas Failed worked for you? What other methods have you tried? Let us know in the comments below!