What happens when you convert PSB to PSD
- ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, reads the flattened copy of the whole picture that Photoshop saves inside every PSB, the image you see with all layers visible, on our conversion server, and saves it as a PSD with a single layer and lossless RLE compression.
- Layers are not exported one by one: the result is the finished picture. A PSB saved with Maximize Compatibility turned off in Photoshop may have no usable flattened copy, and then comes out blank; resave it with that option on.
- The PSD has one layer holding the whole PSB, with any transparency kept, ready to open in Photoshop, GIMP or Photopea and build on.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert PSB to PSD online
- Press "Choose PSB files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to PSD". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each PSD with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your PSB and the PSD by then.
Why convert PSB to PSD?
PSB files usually come from panoramas, billboards, large prints and very high-resolution scans. People convert them to PSD because a PSD opens in Photoshop, GIMP and Photopea as a layer ready to retouch, mask or build a design on.
In short, PSB is good at what it was made for, and PSD is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. PSB does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and Photopea reads it, while PSD does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and GIMP, Affinity Photo and Photopea read most PSD files.
How to convert PSB to PSD on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your PSB files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PSD is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the PSB files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PSD files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose PSB files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PSD appears in Files, in the Downloads folder; to put it in your photo library, open it there, tap Share and choose Save Image.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose PSB files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PSD is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for PSB to PSD
There are no settings: the image keeps its full size.
If you need a single layer rather than the whole picture, hide the other layers in Photoshop and save a copy first.
PSB vs PSD: the differences
| PSB | PSD | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Photoshop Large Document Format | Adobe Photoshop document |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | Adobe | Adobe |
| First released | 2003 | 1990 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | up to 32 bits per channel, in RGB, CMYK, Lab or greyscale | up to 32 bits per channel, in RGB, CMYK, Lab or greyscale |
| What it holds | the same layers and masks as a PSD, at sizes a PSD cannot hold | layers, masks, adjustment and text layers, plus a flattened copy of the whole image |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and Photopea reads it | does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and GIMP, Affinity Photo and Photopea read most PSD files |
| Common uses | panoramas, billboards, large prints and very high-resolution scans | Photoshop artwork, photo retouching, mock-ups and design files |
| MIME type | image/vnd.adobe.photoshop | image/vnd.adobe.photoshop |
About PSB and PSD files
What is a PSB file?
PSB is the big brother of PSD, added in Photoshop CS: the same layers and features, but images up to 300,000 pixels a side and files larger than 2 GB. Far fewer programs open it than open PSD.
What is a PSD file?
A PSD keeps every layer, mask, adjustment and text layer separately so the work can be edited later, and stores a flattened copy of the whole picture beside them. A PSD is limited to 30,000 pixels a side and 2 GB; larger work is saved as PSB.
PSB to PSD not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Save the image at a smaller size first.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in PSB format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .psb is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert PSB to PSD from the command line
ImageMagick does the same on your own computer:
magick input.psb[0] output.psdConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
PSB to PSD converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting PSB to PSD?
No. PSD is stored losslessly, so every pixel of the flattened picture is kept. The separate layers are not.
Why is the PSD a different size from the PSB?
Usually larger than the PSB: a PSD stores pixels with simple RLE compression, far less compact than modern compression.
Are my PSB files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful PSB to PSD conversion needs ImageMagick, the open-source image toolkit, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the PSD as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several PSB files to PSD at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a PSD file?
PSD does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and GIMP, Affinity Photo and Photopea read most PSD files. PSD is common for Photoshop artwork, photo retouching, mock-ups and design files.
Is this PSB to PSD converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert PSB to PSD on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the PSD is saved to your Downloads folder.