What happens when you convert XCF to PSD
- The XCF is opened by GIMP, the open-source image editor that made it, on our conversion server, and its visible layers are flattened into one picture on a white background, with their opacity and blend modes applied.
- ImageMagick saves the flattened picture as a PSD with a single layer. Hidden layers are left out.
- Because the layers are flattened onto white, the PSD has no transparency. The PSD holds the finished picture as one layer; GIMP's layers are not carried over one by one.
- 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 XCF to PSD online
- Press "Choose XCF 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 XCF and the PSD by then.
Why convert XCF to PSD?
XCF files usually come from work in progress saved from GIMP, the free image editor. People convert them to PSD to hand the picture to someone who works in Photoshop, which cannot open XCF files.
How to convert XCF to PSD on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your XCF 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 XCF 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 XCF 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 XCF 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 XCF to PSD
There are no settings: visible layers are flattened onto white at the image's full size.
To keep transparency or a single layer, hide the other layers in GIMP and use File, Export As to write a PNG yourself. Keep the XCF as your working copy.
XCF vs PSD: the differences
| XCF | PSD | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | GIMP image (eXperimental Computing Facility) | Adobe Photoshop document |
| Type | image | image |
| Created by | the GIMP developers | Adobe |
| First released | 1997 | 1990 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossless |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Animation | No | No |
| Vector or raster | Raster | Raster |
| Colour | 8 to 32 bits per channel with alpha, in RGB or greyscale | up to 32 bits per channel, in RGB, CMYK, Lab or greyscale |
| What it holds | layers, masks, channels, paths, guides and the current selection | layers, masks, adjustment and text layers, plus a flattened copy of the whole image |
| In a browser | does not open in browsers; GIMP opens it, and a few editors such as Krita and Photopea read simple XCF files | does not open in browsers; Photoshop opens it, and GIMP, Affinity Photo and Photopea read most PSD files |
| Common uses | work in progress saved from GIMP, the free image editor | Photoshop artwork, photo retouching, mock-ups and design files |
| MIME type | image/x-xcf | image/vnd.adobe.photoshop |
About XCF and PSD files
What is an XCF file?
XCF is GIMP's own working format, named after the eXperimental Computing Facility at Berkeley where GIMP began. It saves everything GIMP knows about an image, layers, masks, paths and even the selection, but it is not meant for sharing: almost nothing else opens it.
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.
XCF 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 XCF format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .xcf is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert XCF to PSD from the command line
GIMP can do the same from the command line, without opening a window:
gimp-console -i -b '(let* ((img (car (gimp-file-load 1 "input.xcf" "input.xcf"))) (d (car (gimp-image-flatten img)))) (file-png-save-defaults 1 img d "output.png" "output.png") (gimp-quit 0))'Converting 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.
XCF to PSD converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting XCF to PSD?
No pixels are lost: PSD is stored losslessly. The layers are merged, so they can no longer be edited separately.
Why is the PSD a different size from the XCF?
It depends on the image; PSD compresses little or not at all, so a large picture makes a large file.
Are my XCF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful XCF to PSD conversion needs GIMP and ImageMagick, two open-source tools, 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 XCF 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 XCF 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 XCF 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.