- How can this open a PSD without Photoshop?
- It doesn't rebuild your layer stack — it reads the flattened composite Photoshop already wrote into the file. Every PSD ends with an image data section holding the merged picture as displayed, stored channel by channel, either raw or run-length encoded. That section exists so other programs can show a preview without understanding layers, and it's exactly what a JPG needs. The tool walks the file's five sections, decodes those channels, and paints them on a canvas. Re-compositing the layers instead would mean matching every blend mode, clipping mask and smart filter, and any small mismatch would give you a picture the designer never saw.
- Will the JPG look like what I see in Photoshop?
- Yes, for the visible result. The composite is the flattened version of whatever was showing when the file was last saved, so hidden layers stay hidden, adjustment layers stay applied, and masks stay cut. What you lose is everything underneath: the JPG is one flat picture, and layers, text objects, smart objects and editability are gone. Keep the PSD if you'll need to edit again.
- What happens to transparency?
- It becomes white. JPG has no alpha channel — that's the format, not a choice this tool made. Photoshop's own Save As JPEG does the same thing. If you need the transparent background kept, you want a PNG instead; the Image Format Converter handles that once you have a flat image, or export a PNG from Photoshop directly. Files with an alpha channel show a note before you download so it isn't a surprise.
- Why was my file skipped for being CMYK?
- Because converting it here would shift your colors and we'd rather say so. CMYK files are built for a specific press and paper, and the numbers only mean something alongside the ICC profile the designer chose. Browsers don't apply those profiles, so a naive conversion comes out flat and dull compared to what Photoshop shows. Open the file, use Image → Mode → RGB Color so Photoshop does the profile math properly, save, and bring it back. The same reasoning applies to Lab and Multichannel files.
- Does it work with .psb files?
- Yes. A PSB is the large document format — the same layout as a PSD with 64-bit section lengths and a much higher size ceiling, used for anything past 30,000 pixels a side. Drop it in and it converts the same way. The one thing that doesn't change is JPEG itself, which tops out at 65,535 pixels per side, so a truly enormous canvas gets skipped with a note to resize first.
- My PSD says it has no flattened preview. What now?
- Photoshop only writes the composite when Maximize Compatibility is on, and some files — especially ones saved by other apps — come through without it. Open the file, choose File → Save As, tick Maximize Compatibility in the dialog, and save. The file gets a little bigger because it now stores both the layers and the flat picture, which is precisely what makes it readable everywhere else.
- What quality should I pick?
- Standard, which is 92%, unless you have a reason. It's the default browsers themselves use for JPEG, and on most artwork you won't see the difference from 100% at ordinary viewing size while the file is meaningfully smaller. Go to Best quality for something you'll crop into or print. Go to Smaller file for email attachments and quick previews. You can switch after converting — the files re-save at the new setting without re-adding them.
- Are my files uploaded anywhere?
- No. The browser reads the file from your device, decodes it in the tab, and gives you a download link. There's no server step, which matters when the PSD is a client's unreleased artwork or a layout under NDA. It also means it keeps working if your connection drops after the page loads. Close the tab and everything is gone.
- What are the limits?
- Up to 20 files per batch, 200 MB per file, and 500 MB in total, so a laptop doesn't run out of memory mid-batch. Images are capped at 60 megapixels for the same reason, and at 65,535 pixels per side because JPEG can't hold more. Color-wise: RGB, grayscale and duotone at 8 or 16 bits per channel convert; CMYK, Lab, indexed, bitmap and 32-bit HDR are skipped with instructions.
