What is the psd format? How to Open a PSD File Without Photoshop
The PSD extension is the default format used to save data in Adobe Photoshop. The abbreviation in the name is deciphered accordingly - PhotoShop Document.
Although some PSD files contain only one image, the purpose of creating them is not just to store photos. The PSD extension supports storing multiple images, objects, filters, text, etc., as well as using layers and vector tracks.
How to open a .PSD file
The best programs for opening and editing PSD files are Adobe Photoshop And Adobe Photoshop Elements. Popular alternatives to the standard are CorelDRAW And Corel's PaintShop Pro.
Other programs from Adobe Systems can also use PSD files, such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. However, these apps are mainly used for video or audio editing rather than graphic files, like Photoshop.
Other ways to open .PSD files
For those looking for a free program to open PSD files, it is recommended to install GIMP. This is a very popular and completely free image editing/creation tool that will also open PSD files. You can also use GIMP to edit PSD files, but you may encounter problems because the program does not recognize the complex layers and other advanced features that were used in Photoshop when creating the file.
Paint.NET(with Paint.NET PSD plugin) - another one free program, which can open PSD files. If you need to quickly open a PSD file without Photoshop, we recommend using Photoopa Photo Editor - free online editor photos, which works in the browser and allows you not only to see all the PSD layers, but also to perform basic editing, although it is far from the capabilities of Photoshop. You can also use Photopea to save PSD files on your computer.
Graphic files that many users work with almost every day, in modern world presented in the most different formats, some of which cannot interact with each other in any way. But not all image viewing programs can easily open files of various extensions.
First, you need to figure out what it is PSD file and how to open such a format using various programs for viewing and editing graphic documents.
A file with a PSD extension is raster format storage graphic information. It was created specifically for Adobe Photoshop. The format has one important difference from standard JPG – the document is compressed without data loss, so the file will always be in the original resolution.
Adobe has not made the file format publicly available, so not all programs can easily open and edit PSD. Let's look at several software solutions that are very convenient for viewing a document, and some of them also allow you to edit it.
Method 1: Adobe Photoshop
It is logical that the very first program that will be mentioned in the methods of opening a PSD file will be Adobe application Photoshop, for which the extension was created.
Photoshop allows you to perform the most various actions, among which standard view, simple editing, layer-level editing, converting to other formats and much more. Among the disadvantages of the program, it is worth noting that it is paid, so not all users can afford it.
Opening a PSD through an Adobe product is quite simple and quick; you only need to complete a few steps, which will be described in more detail below.
The application from Adobe has a free analogue, which is no worse than the original version from the famous company, but absolutely everyone can use it. Let's analyze it in the second method.
Method 2: GIMP
As mentioned above, GIMP is a free analogue of Adobe Photoshop, which differs from paid program only some nuances that are especially unnecessary for almost all users. Any user can download GIMP.
Among the advantages, it can be noted that it supports all the same formats that Photoshop can open and edit; GIMP allows you not only to open PSD, but also to edit it in full. On the downside, users notice that the program takes a long time to load due to large quantity fonts and a rather inconvenient interface.
Opening a PSD file through GIMP is almost like using Adobe Photoshop, only with some features - that's all dialog boxes open through the program, which is quite convenient when the computer is not the fastest.
Unfortunately, there are no longer any decent programs that allow you to not only open PSD files, but also edit them. Only Photoshop and GIMP allow you to work with this extension “in full force”, so let’s look further convenient means PSD viewing.
Method 3: PSD Viewer
Perhaps the most convenient and simple program for viewing PSD files is PSD Viewer, which has a clear task and works with highest speed. Comparing PSD Viewer with Photoshop or GIMP is pointless, since the functionality in these three applications is significantly different.
Among the advantages of PSD Viewer are: fast speed work, simple interface and lack of unnecessary things. We can say that the program has no downsides, since it exactly fulfills its function - it gives the user the opportunity to view a PSD document.
Opening a file with an Adobe extension in PSD Viewer is very simple; even Photoshop itself cannot boast of such simplicity, but this algorithm also needs to be covered so that no one has any questions.
PSD Viewer is one of the few solutions that allows you to open graphic images because even standard applications Microsoft is not capable of this.
Method 4: XnView
XnView is somewhat similar to PSD Viewer, but here it is possible to perform some manipulations on the file. These actions have nothing to do with image encoding or deep editing; you can only resize and crop the image.
The advantages of the program include a number of editing tools and stability. Of the minuses, you should definitely pay attention to the rather complex interface and English language, which is not always convenient. Now let's see how to open PSD through XnView.
XnView works very fast and stable, which is not always the case with PSD Viewer, so you can safely use the program even on a busy system.
Method 5: IrfanView
Last thing convenient solution, which allows you to view PSD – IrfanView. It’s worth saying right away that there are almost no differences from XnViewe, so the pros and cons of the program are the same. It can only be noted that this product supports Russian language.
The algorithm for opening a PSD file is similar to the previous method, everything is done quickly and simply.
Almost all the programs from the article work the same (the last three), they quickly open the PSD file, and the user can view this file with pleasure. If you know any other convenient software solutions that can open PSD, then share it with us and other readers in the comments.
All programs in the collection are free. Of course, they cannot compare with the functionality of Photoshop, but with simple tasks will cope. At a minimum, you can simply open the PSD file as an image, and some of these programs even open layers.
1. GIMP
- Operating system: Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Russian language: supported.
This is one of the most interesting free analogues of Photoshop. GIMP reads PSD files without installing additional plugins, so you can open the file in the same way as regular images: File → Open.
GIMP opens the layers of the PSD document for editing. But there are pitfalls here: the program does not read all layers; some need to be rasterized. GIMP may also not save changes to PSD correctly. After this, the file may not open in Photoshop. The latter should not bother you if you opened the file for minor edits and saved the image as a JPEG.
- Operating system: starting from Windows 7.
- Russian language: supported.
Paint.NET is better standard Microsoft Paint, but just as clear and easy to use. If you don't know what to do with a file in GIMP, open Paint.NET.
The program reads PSD, but only after installing the appropriate plugin. For this:
- Download the plugin.
- Extract the files from the downloaded archive.
- Copy the PhotoShop.dll file.
- Go to your Paint.NET installation folder (for example, C:\Program Files\paint.net).
- Paste the PhotoShop.dll file into the FileTypes folder.
- Launch Paint.NET.
- Operating system: any, since the application opens in the browser.
- Russian language: supported.
Photopea is an online service whose interface resembles Photoshop or GIMP. Its advantage is that you don't need to install anything. The program will open in a browser on any device. But online applications are often not as practical as installed programs. Photopea is no exception, but it allows you to work with layers in a PSD document.
- Operating system: Windows (there is a version for Linux and macOS).
- Russian language: supported only in Standard and Extended versions.
XnView is a kind of graphic organizer in which you can open and organize collections of images on your PC. XnView has primitive editing functions: you can change color palette, add a filter or effect.
The program is unpopular, but for good reason: it can open images in more than 500 formats and save them in another 70. So install it as a primitive PSD editor or converter.
IN basic version Only English, French and German languages are supported.
- Operating system: Windows.
- Russian language: supported.
The IrfanView program, like XnView, is designed for viewing and converting graphic files. But IrfanView supports fewer formats. The program opens the PSD as an image. You can't edit layers, but you can edit a regular image. To get more processing options, the PSD file must first be converted to another format.
IrfanView works quickly and is lightweight ( setup files take up a little more than 3 MB).
If none of the options suits you, you can convert PSD to JPG using Go2Convert or any other converter. You can also open the PSD as an image in Google Drive.
All programs in the collection are free. Of course, they cannot compare with the functionality of Photoshop, but they will cope with simple tasks. At a minimum, you can simply open the PSD file as an image, and some of these programs even open layers.
1. GIMP
- Operating system: Windows, Mac and Linux.
- Russian language: supported.
This is one of the most interesting free analogues Photoshop. GIMP reads PSD files without installing additional plugins, so you can open the file in the same way as regular images: File → Open.
GIMP opens the layers of the PSD document for editing. But there are pitfalls here: the program does not read all layers; some need to be rasterized. GIMP may also not save changes to PSD correctly. After this, the file may not open in Photoshop. The latter should not bother you if you opened the file for minor edits and saved the image as a JPEG.
- Operating system: starting from Windows 7.
- Russian language: supported.
Paint.NET is better than standard Microsoft Paint, but just as clear and easy to use. If you don't know what to do with a file in GIMP, open Paint.NET.
The program reads PSD, but only after installing the appropriate plugin. For this:
- Download the plugin.
- Extract the files from the downloaded archive.
- Copy the PhotoShop.dll file.
- Go to your Paint.NET installation folder (for example, C:\Program Files\paint.net).
- Paste the PhotoShop.dll file into the FileTypes folder.
- Launch Paint.NET.
- Operating system: any, since the application opens in the browser.
- Russian language: supported.
Photopea is an online service whose interface resembles Photoshop or GIMP. Its advantage is that you don't need to install anything. The program will open in a browser on any device. But online applications are often not as practical as installed programs. Photopea is no exception, but it allows you to work with layers in a PSD document.
- Operating system: Windows (there is a version for Linux and macOS).
- Russian language: supported only in Standard and Extended versions.
XnView is a kind of graphic organizer in which you can open and organize collections of images on your PC. XnView has primitive editing functions: you can change the color palette, add a filter or effect.
The program is unpopular, but for good reason: it can open images in more than 500 formats and save them in another 70. So install it as a primitive PSD editor or converter.
The basic version only supports English, French and German.
- Operating system: Windows.
- Russian language: supported.
The IrfanView program, like XnView, is designed for viewing and converting graphic files. But IrfanView supports fewer formats. The program opens the PSD as an image. You can't edit layers, but you can edit a regular image. To get more processing options, the PSD file must first be converted to another format.
IrfanView works quickly and is lightweight (installation files take up a little more than 3 MB).
If none of the options suits you, you can convert PSD to JPG using Go2Convert or any other converter. You can also open the PSD as an image in Google Drive.