8 Ways to Open PSD Files without Photoshop

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PSD (PhotoShop Document) is a file format that belongs to the popular image editing application Adobe Photoshop. With this format, the image that we process will be saved complete with layers, effects, and other features that we use in Photoshop.

But unlike other popular image formats, we can't just open a PSD file without Photoshop. This of course will be a little difficult, especially if we only want to see the image without the need to edit it.

Luckily there are several ways to open a PSD file without Photoshop. However, please note that most of the methods below can only be used to view Photoshop flat images. Even if you can edit it complete with layers, there are limitations to the file.

How to View and Edit PSD without Photoshop

Here are some ways

GIMP

(GNU Image Manipulating Program) has long been recognized as one of the best Photoshop alternatives that you can use 100% free of charge. In addition to having features that are no less abundant, GIMP is also available on many platforms ranging from Windows, Mac, or Linux.

Not only that, GIMP also makes it easy for Photoshop users to switch to the software they develop. One of them is the availability of features to import and export PSD files natively without the need for additional plugins and the like.

With this feature, you can open PSD files just like you would open files with other popular image formats. Even better, you can edit the PSD file complete with the layers you created in Phostoshop.

Even if there is a slight drawback, GIMP sometimes can't read some complex layers where you have to rasterize the layers before they can be used. In addition, saving files in PSD format via GIMP also often causes compatibility problems when opened in Adobe Photoshop.

Paint.NET

can also be an alternative software if you want to open a PSD file without Photoshop. Unlike GIMP, Paint.NET looks much simpler but still has complete basic features and supports multiple layers, making it suitable as an alternative to Photoshop.

One interesting thing, we can install additional plugins to add new features to this software. One of them is to add support so that we can open PSD files on Paint.Net.

To do so, first download the PSD Plugin. After that extract the file and copy photoshop.dll to the Paint.NET installation folder:\Program Files\paint.net\FileTypes.

Although it can open PSD files, this method still has many shortcomings, especially seeing the features of Paint.NET which are less complete than Photoshop.

For example, PSD files might have a little problem when saved in a color format other than RGB, are too large, use vector masks, and some other advanced features.

Photopea

If you prefer not to use additional software/applications, Photopea Online Image Editor can be the best way to open and edit PSD files without the need to install Photoshop. This application can even be used to open files from GIMP, SketchApp, or even CorelDraw

To do this, you just need to open the PSD file like you would open an image file in general.

Although free, this online application can be used to read multiple layers in Photoshop's default files. In addition, the appearance of this application is also very similar to Photoshop so it will make it easier for you to use it. The feature problem is quite complete and no less than other image editor applications.

PSD Viewer

If  you just want to open a PSD file without editing it, you can use PSD Viewer which can be used online or through Windows software.

Through PSD Viewer, you can view only the contents of the PSD file. The tools provided are very simple, namely zoom in / out and rotate only. The PSD file that you open later can be saved in various other image formats such as JPG, PNG, GIF, BMP, and TIFF.

XNView

XNView is an alternative Photos application that can be used to view photos and images on Windows. Compared to the Windows default Photos application, XnView has many advantages such as an image organizer feature to browse and view image collections more easily and many basic image editing tools such as filters, effects, rotation, and many others.

One interesting thing, this application can be used to read more than 500 different file formats and save images in 70 popular image formats.

Well, one of the files that can be read directly without the need to install a plugin or addons first is a PSD file from Photoshop.

Once installed, simply go to the File – Open menu, select the PSD file, then click the Open button to open the PSD file in XnView.

IRFANVIEW

Besides XnView, another image application that can also be used to open PSD files is IrfanView. Just like the previous application, IrfanView by default can also be used directly to open PSD files. Images that are already open can later be saved in a variety of other formats for easier viewing and editing.

Google Drive

Another way to open PSD files without Photoshop is to use Google Drive. Google Drive itself is one of the best online storage services that has many built-in features that can be used to open various types of files, including Photoshop's PSD files.

To use it, simply upload the PSD file into your Google Drive account. You can view the contents while saving the file online.

Online Converter

The final way to view the contents of a PSD file without installing Photoshop is to convert the file to another image format such as JPG or PNG. To do this, we can take advantage of some online converters where we only need to upload a PSD file and then select the desired output image.

If you want to convert a PSD file into another image format, here are some free online services you can use.

  • CloudConvert – Here you can convert PSD to BMP, ICO, GIF, JPG, PNG, WEBP, or EPS. You can also set the resolution and quality of image compression you want.
  • Go2Convert – You can convert PSD to dozens of other image formats. Output can also be adjusted based on the desired resolution and compression level.
  • Convertio – You can convert PSD files to various other formats, not only other image files but also documents such as PDF or SVG vector images. The conversion results can later be directly saved to Google Drive or Dropbox.

  • Iloveimg – Can only be used to convert images to JPG. You can convert several PSD files at once and save them in online storage such as Dropbox or Google Drive.

Those are some ways to open PSD files without Photoshop that you can try. So the next time you get a file in PSD format, there's no need to bother installing Adobe Photoshop, especially if you just want to see it without editing it first.