can photoshop .pdf files be edited in other software?

[DOAADI]

I was thinking exactly the same about your reasons for debating the opposite!

It matters little that layers can be preserved. What matters is are they?

A PDF file is not the ideal source for editable material and I suspect that fact is far more relevant to the OP's question than the nuances of what they could be used for... sometimes, maybe, perhaps, etc. As I said, a PDF is not a .xar anymore than a PS file is. The main purpose of PDFs is to show the final output.

The OP might be able to edit the file, but it's far more likely that they can't. They suggested they were having problems, and as gwpriester pointed out, trying it was "semi-successful". That's all I was tryng to get across

I know that I can open PDFs I've saved myself from Xara, but editing them has very unpredictable results on layout. I have no idea what the result would be on those saved from other applications.