A designer sends you a .psd file: a banner, a product mockup, a logo draft. Without Photoshop, your computer shows a generic icon and nothing opens it. You do not need the layers; you just need to see the design and use it as an image.
This converter reads the PSD on our server and saves the flattened picture inside it as a PNG at the document's full size. Before you upload, it reads the file header in your browser and tells you the pixel size, color mode and bit depth, so you know what you are getting. Here is how it works, why some PSDs come out blank, and when you need a different tool.
How to convert PSD to PNG
- Drop the .psd file onto the box, or click to choose it.
- Read the details under the file name, for example 3000 x 2000 px · RGB · 8-bit. Notes appear if the colors will change (CMYK) or the bit depth will be reduced.
- Click Convert to PNG.
- The PNG downloads on its own, and a preview with its pixel size appears under the result.
- If the preview is blank or white, see the Maximize Compatibility section below.
What you get, and what you do not
A PSD holds two things: the layers you edit in Photoshop, and, if it was saved with Photoshop's compatibility option, a ready-made flattened copy of the whole design. This tool uses that flattened copy.
| In the PSD | In the PNG |
|---|---|
| Visible layers, effects, adjustment layers | Included exactly as they looked when the file was saved |
| Hidden layers | Not included |
| Text layers | Included as pixels; you do not need the fonts |
| Smart objects | Included as rendered when saved |
| Separate layers | Not available; the PNG is one flat image |
| Document size | Same pixel size as the PSD |
| CMYK color | Converted to RGB; bright colors can shift slightly |
| 16 or 32 bits per channel | Reduced to 8 bits per channel |
Because the flattened copy was rendered by Photoshop itself, it is pixel for pixel what the designer saw. Fonts, layer styles and blend modes cannot go wrong, which is a real advantage over tools that try to rebuild the design from its layers.
Why PNG and not JPG?
PNG is lossless, so every pixel of the design comes through exactly, and it supports transparency, which logos, icons and cut-out product images often need. Text and sharp edges, which designs are full of, also look cleaner in PNG than in JPG. The trade-off is file size. Convert the PNG to JPG afterwards when the design is a photo-heavy image without transparency and you need a small file.
Why the PNG is blank: Maximize Compatibility
Photoshop only stores the flattened copy when the Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility preference allows it. If the file was saved with it turned off, the PSD contains the layers but no usable flattened image, and the PNG comes out white or empty.
The fix has to happen in Photoshop:
- Open Photoshop's preferences: Edit > Preferences > File Handling on Windows, Photoshop > Settings > File Handling on a Mac.
- Set Maximize PSD and PSB File Compatibility to Always, or to Ask and answer yes when saving.
- Open the PSD and save it again. The file gets a little larger, because it now carries the flattened copy.
- Convert the new file.
If you are not the designer, send them these steps, or simply ask for a PNG export, which takes them seconds.
Note: Large documents (PSB format, over 30,000 pixels on a side or over 2 GB) are not accepted. Ask for a PNG or a smaller PSD instead.
Other ways to open a PSD
| Tool | Layers | Cost | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| This converter | No, flattened image | Free | A quick full-size PNG of the design |
| Photoshop: File > Export > Export As | Yes | Subscription | Exporting exactly what you need |
| macOS Preview | No | Free on a Mac | Viewing and File > Export as PNG |
| Photopea (web) | Yes | Free with ads | Editing layers in a browser |
| GIMP | Yes, with some effects lost | Free | Editing layers on Windows and Linux |
If you need to change text or move a layer, use a layer-aware editor. If you only need the picture, this converter is the fastest route.
After converting
- Make it smaller for the web: a full-size PNG from a print design can be many megabytes. Resize it with the image resizer and compress it with the image compressor.
- Need a JPG: convert the PNG with PNG to JPG for photos and email attachments.
- Remove a background: if the design has a solid background you do not want, the background remover can cut out the subject.
Example: a banner from a freelance designer
You hired a designer for a store banner and received banner-final.psd, 2,880 x 960 pixels, plus a promise of PNG exports "later". You want to see it on your store today.
- Drop the PSD into the box. The details show 2,880 x 960 px, RGB, 8-bit.
- Convert it. The preview shows the finished banner with all text and effects.
- Upload the PNG to your theme's banner slot to see it in place, after compressing it.
- Send the designer any feedback with a screenshot, and ask for the final exports for every size you need.
If you source product images from many places, AM Jarvis has a Chrome extension that imports products, with their images, from AliExpress, Amazon and other store pages straight into Shopify or WooCommerce.
What to ask a designer for instead
PSD files are working files. If you are the client, it is reasonable to ask for finished exports alongside them, in the formats each job needs:
| Use | Ask for |
|---|---|
| Website banners and product images | PNG or JPG at the exact pixel sizes your theme uses, plus WEBP if your site supports it |
| Logos | SVG for the web, PNG with a transparent background, and a PDF for print |
| Social posts | JPG or PNG at the platform's sizes |
| Print (flyers, packaging) | A print-ready PDF with bleed, as the print shop specifies |
| Future edits | The layered PSD, saved with Maximize Compatibility |
Mockup templates from design marketplaces are also usually PSDs with smart objects for your own artwork. Placing your design in one needs a layer editor such as Photopea or Photoshop; this converter then turns the finished mockup into a PNG.
Troubleshooting
- "Not a PSD inside": the file name ends in .psd, but the file does not start the way every Photoshop document does. It may be damaged, an incomplete download, or a different file renamed.
- The upload is too large: layered PSDs can be hundreds of megabytes. Ask for a flattened copy, or a PNG.
- Colors look dull: the document is CMYK, made for print. The note under the file name says so. For screen use, ask for an RGB export.
- The conversion fails: the file may be damaged or saved in a way our reader does not support. Opening and saving it again in Photoshop or Photopea usually fixes it.
What happens to your file
The header details are read in your browser from the first few bytes of the file. When you click Convert, the PSD is sent over HTTPS to our server, flattened to PNG and deleted: the upload as soon as the job ends, the PNG 30 minutes after it is ready. A daily number of free conversions and a maximum file size apply, both shown in the tool.