Extract text from GUIDES files
To convert your GUIDES file to another format, you need Adobe Premiere Pro or other Settings software.
To convert other file formats to the "Composition Template" file type, you need software like Adobe Premiere Pro or a similar tool.
A .guides file is primarily a composition template used by Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects. It stores the exact pixel coordinates of horizontal and vertical rulers (guides) used to ensure consistent alignment of text, graphics, and safe margins across video projects.
The main friction users encounter is that .guides files are strictly data containers, not visual media or documentation. Users often mistake them for PDF manuals or video files, but double-clicking them will not launch a media player. Because the file is internally formatted as JSON, it is human-readable but requires specific software to interpret visually.
For most users, the best practical solution is to convert the file to JSON (to restore syntax highlighting) or TXT (to view the raw coordinate data). If you need to share the guide specifications with a team member who doesn't use Adobe software, converting the data to CSV allows the coordinates to be viewed in Microsoft Excel.
Convert.Guru analyzes your GUIDES file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted PEK, PRSL and KYS files.
If you want to convert GUIDES file to TXT, RTF, DOC, DOCX, ODT, PAGES, TEX, LATEX, MD, MARKDOWN, LOG or NFO, you can use Adobe Premiere Pro or similar software from the "Video Composition Layout" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert PDF, DOC, ASC, TODO, NFO, MEMO, README, DOCX, JPG, TXT, NOTE or RTF files to GUIDES, try Adobe Premiere Pro or another comparable tool in the "Video Composition Layout" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our GUIDES converter.