Image format
A Photoshop working document carrying image channels, layers, masks and document resources.
Explore the format
Choose a target format for your PSD images.
Marked paths may need steps such as flattening, rasterization, tone mapping or animation loss.
Choose a source format to convert to PSD.
Adobe Photoshop Document
PSD stores a Photoshop image document rather than only a finished photograph. Its structure separates the header, colour-mode data, image resources, layer-and-mask information and image data. This preserves a working representation for editing while also permitting a composite image representation for consumers that do not interpret every layer.
Channels can include alpha, and supported document depths include 8, 16 and 32 bits per channel. Raw, RLE and ZIP-based storage encode channel data without ordinary photo-style lossy compression. Layer blending, masks and application-specific resources add editing meaning that a generic flattened image cannot retain.
Use PSD for ongoing compositing, retouching and layered artwork in a compatible editor. A viewer that shows the composite does not prove it can preserve every editing feature. Keep the document as the working original and export a rendered delivery image separately; animation and timeline data should not be assumed to behave as a portable GIF-style sequence.
PSD channel compression is lossless, but a document may contain previously lossy source assets. Composite rendering and layer editing are different capabilities; this page does not claim portable animation playback.
PSD evolves with Photoshop documents. Adobe’s published format specification distinguishes the established PSD structure from the later large-document PSB variant.
Different formats, different trade-offs. Choose for the image and the workflow.
TIFF provides tagged raster storage with multiple images and several sample types and compression schemes. It is a useful interchange choice for scanning and high-precision editing, but the receiving tool must support the particular TIFF variant.
PNG preserves decoded pixels losslessly and can carry alpha. It is useful for transparent graphics and screenshots; it does not preserve editable document layers or camera sensor data, and photographic files can be large.
JPEG makes a compact photographic delivery file, but ordinary JPEG discards detail and has no alpha. Keep the richer source for editing and use JPEG when the receiving workflow expects an opaque photo.
OpenEXR keeps high-dynamic-range channels with half, float or unsigned integer samples. It suits compositing and render passes; channels, deep data and compression choices need a compatible reader and deliberate export settings.
PSD stores a Photoshop image document rather than only a finished photograph. Its structure separates the header, colour-mode data, image resources, layer-and-mask information and image data. This preserves a working representation for editing while also permitting a composite image representation for consumers that do not interpret every layer.
PSD channel compression is lossless, but a document may contain previously lossy source assets. Composite rendering and layer editing are different capabilities; this page does not claim portable animation playback.
No. A composite preview is rendered pixel data. Layers, masks and resources require a PSD-aware editor; exporting the preview cannot recreate them.
Check the document depth, colour mode and editing features supported by your editor. PSD and the larger PSB variant have different limits; successful composite display is not a complete editing round trip.
Raster export flattens the chosen visible composition. It can lose masks, text editability, blend settings and extra channels. SDR targets may need tone mapping for a 32-bit document; JPEG also removes alpha.
Use PSD for ongoing compositing, retouching and layered artwork in a compatible editor. A viewer that shows the composite does not prove it can preserve every editing feature. Keep the document as the working original and export a rendered delivery image separately; animation and timeline data should not be assumed to behave as a portable GIF-style sequence.