PSD file

PSD file is a layered image file used in Adobe PhotoShop. PSD, which stands for Photoshop Document, is the default format that Photoshop uses for saving data.

PSD is a proprietary file that stores an image with support for most imaging options available in Photoshop and allows the user to work with the individual layers of images even after the file has been saved. The PSD file type supports all image modes (Bitmap, Grayscale, Duotone, Indexed Color, RGB, CMYK, Lab, and Multichannel), which is part of the reason it is so widely used.

The PSD file type also supports clipping paths, channels, transparency information as well as it preserves a design as layered images which is extremely useful for future editing (and re-editing) of different parts of a design. Each layer can be worked on individually, without affecting the rest of the elements in a design. Thus saving as layered images is quite handy as it allows to edit different parts of an image at a later date far easier. This is in contrast to many other file formats (e.g., JPG or GIF) that restrict content to provide streamlined, predictable functionality.

A PSD file has a maximum height and width of 30,000 pixels, and a length limit of 2 Gigabytes. Photoshop can convert PSD files to other formats, such as PNG, JPG etc. So you can export a design for a wide variety of uses, like web graphics.

Because of Photoshop’s popularity, PSD files are widely used and supported to some extent by most competing software. However, programs other than Photoshop will not be able to fully edit or even read the complex layers utilized in many PSD files. Other advanced features within a PSD design may not be properly recognized, either.