What Is an EAP File?

Photoshop and Enterprise Architect use EAP files, but for different purposes

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Updated on August 8, 2022

What to Know

Most EAP files are project files or exposure settings.
Open one with Enterprise Architect (project file) or Photoshop (exposure file).

This article explains three formats that use the EAP file extension, including how each kind is used and how to open and convert your specific file.

What Is an EAP File?

Some files with the EAP file extension are project files created by the Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tool from Sparx Systems called Enterprise Architect.

Others are Adobe Photoshop exposure adjustment/settings files. These are used to store exposure, offset, and gamma correction values for images. The values are controlled within the program's Image > Adjustments > Exposure menu.

If it's not in either of those formats, it might instead be a C-more project file associated with programming software from AutomationDirect.

EAP files in Windows 10 that open with Photoshop

EAP is also short for some technology terms that have nothing to do with these file formats, such as Extensible Authentication Protocol and external auxiliary power.

How to Open an EAP File

EAP files that are project files can be opened with Enterprise Architect, or for free (but in read-only mode) with Enterprise Architect Lite.

Adobe Photoshop is used to open exposure settings files. This is done through the Image > Adjustments > Exposure menu. From the small menu in that window, select Load Preset to browse for the file.

You can also save your own custom exposure settings in Photoshop through the same process; just choose Save Preset instead.

When Adobe Photoshop is first installed, it comes preloaded with a few EAP files by default, called Minus 1.0, Minus 2.0, Plus 1.0, and Plus 2.0. They're stored in the \Presets\Exposure\ folder of the program's installation directory, making this another way to use them—just copy them to this folder and restart the program.

Here's an example path in Windows:

C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop 2022\Presets\Exposure

EAP files are also associated with eaDocX, which generates MS Word and Excel documents. It installs as an add-in within Enterprise Architect, so it's not a fully functional program in and of itself and doesn't have its own graphical user interface. You can find the user guide here.

C-more HMI programming software from AutomationDirect is needed if your file is in that format.

If you find that an application on your PC does try to open the file but it's the wrong application or you'd rather have another installed program open it, see our How to Change File Associations in Windows guide for making that change.

How to Convert an EAP File

An Enterprise Architect project file can be converted to a different file format with that software. You can, for example, save EAP to PDF through FILE > Print to PDF. Another supported conversion is XMI (XML Metadata Interchange), which is done through PACKAGE > Import/Export.

There probably isn't any reason to need to convert an EAP file that's used in Photoshop because it's just a set of exposure settings. If you did happen to get it in a different file format, it would change its file extension and structure, and prevent Photoshop from using it.

C-more has a File menu you can use to save the project to a different format. The program supports other files like EAP9, EPP9, EAS9, and EAS, so you might be able to convert your project to those formats.

Still Can't Open the File?

Keep in mind that some files just look like this one because the file extension is spelled similarly. In other words, you might not even have an EAP file, and that could be the reason it's not opening with the programs mentioned above.

Some examples of files that could be confused for an EAP file include EPS, EASM, EAS (RSLogix symbol), EAR (Java Enterprise archive), and EAL (Kindle end actions) files.

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