What is PSD?

What is PSD?

PSD is an image format used by Adobe. The software which has its own format is used by many people for graphic designing and image editing.

A PSD file contains multiple objects including images, shapes, text, filters and other objects often used in graphic designing/editing. This allows Photoshop users to save, transfer and make further changes to their work in the future.

The file name extension for PSD files is: .psd

Here are some other questions about PSD you might also want to ask. If you have any other questions, please feel free to contact us and we will try to answer.

What does PSD mean?

PSD stands for "Photoshop Document“.  This is a document file extension in an image format. PSD is native to Adobe Photoshop and is especially advantageous for image files with multiple layers as it maintains a high quality whilst being compressed in a lossless format to reduce the file size.

What are PSD Files used for?

PSD files, or Photoshop Documents, are the native file format of Adobe Photoshop used primarily for working with complex, layered images.

They retain multiple layers, masks, effects, text, and editing information, making them ideal for non-destructive editing and intricate image manipulation by designers and artists.

Some of their uses cases may included:

• Graphic design projects that require multiple layers and effects for detailed editing.
• Photo editing and retouching with non-destructive adjustments to layers and masks.
• Web development layouts where designs are created and sliced into smaller images for web pages.
• Creating marketing materials like posters, flyers, and digital advertisements with editable components.
• Storing working drafts and versions of complex designs allowing iterative edits over time.
• Designing logos, icons, and other scalable graphics using smart objects to avoid quality loss.
• Multimedia production that benefits from layering text, pixel-based images, vector paths, and effects in a single file.

What is the difference between PSD and PNG?

Both PNG (portable network graphics) and PSD benefit from lossless compression so they are both high-quality image files. PSD (Photoshop Document) has multiple layers that can be edited but PNG files are flat.

PSD files tend to be much larger so converting PSD to PNG is ideal for retaining image quality whilst making the size of the file smaller.

How to read this file type in Java?

Our JDeli library allows you to read PSD files. Other than PSD support, JDeli also offers support for a range of image formats which you can learn more about on our support site. JDeli is the best enterprise-level Java image library for performance and efficiency.

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(avifImageFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(dicomImageFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(heicImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "heic", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(jpegImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "jpeg", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(jpeg2000ImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "jpx", outputStreamOrFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "pdf", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(pngImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "png", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(tiffImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "tiff", outputStreamOrFile);

// Read an image
BufferedImage bufferedImage = JDeli.read(webpImageFile);

// Write an image
JDeli.write(bufferedImage, "webp", outputStreamOrFile);