PSD

File Format
Name	PSD
Ontology	Electronic File Formats Graphics PSD
Extension(s)	.psd
MIME Type(s)	image/vnd.adobe.photoshop
PRONOM	x-fmt/92

PSD is the file format used by Adobe in its Photoshop program line. The format has gone through multiple versions, each being downwards (but not always upwards) compatible.

See Also

• PSB
• Photoshop brush
• Photoshop Image Resources

Identification

PSD files begin with bytes '8' 'B' 'P' 'S' 0x00 0x01.

Specifications

• Adobe Photoshop File Formats Specification (current version)
  • Other versions (from archive.org): 2010-07, 2012-06, 2012-12, 2013-06
• Photoshop File Formats Specification V6.0 Release 2
• PHOTOSDK.PDF - Adobe Photoshop 3.0.4 SDK
  • ADOBE.TXT - Photoshop 3.0.4 File Format
• PHOTOSHP.TXT - Adobe Photoshop 2.5 File Format

Software

• Adobe Photoshop
• ImageMagick
• XnView

Sample files

• "Free PSD" websites are abundant. Some examples:
  • PsdKing
  • psdGraphics
  • Freepik → PSD
• tombexcavator samples

Resources

• Adobe Photoshop File Format Summary, from the Encyclopedia of Graphics File Formats
• Open-Source PSD import code from GIMP
• Adobe Photoshop 1.0.1 source code

Commentary

• Photoshop you are a liar (video)
• Why Stop at Banning Photoshopping?
• Some thoughts about the PSD format
• Rant about PSD format in comments of a program's source code
• Your Favorite Photoshop Experts Open Photoshop 1.0