But first, what exactly is a PSD file? When you save an image in Photoshop, the default format is PSD (short for Photoshop document). This PSD file contains all your images, layers, functions like color correction, etc store in original quality. Just like WMA is the propriety of Microsoft, but you can play a WMA audio file with most music players, similarly, PSD is owned by Adobe, but other programs can also open (and sometimes edit) a PSD file. So, let’s check them out.
Open PSD files without Photoshop
1. Google Drive
Google Drive is a beautiful and easy option if you just want to view the image inside the PSD file. Simply, open Google Drive, then after that drag the PSD file to your Google Drive. Now as soon as the upload will complete, you have a variety of options. Right-click on the archive and select Preview to watch the image. You can print the photograph or convert it using cloud convert. Google Drive doesn’t allow you to view layers of the PSD files.
Support for Layers – No, only gives you a preview of the PSD Availability – Google Drive can be accessed on any web browser. Visit Google Drive
2. Photopea
Photopia may seem new to you, but it’s an excellent online website to open PSD files. It is an online version of PhotoShop. You can open a PSD directly from your computer or from a link. It can access your webcam and take a picture directly. Photopia is available in eight different languages and you can customize the Photopia at any time. Even though it’s a web app, it opens heavy PSD files without any problem.
Support for Layers – It shows all the layers of a PSD file. You can also edit your layer with basic features like adjustments, transform the image, and is capable of applying various filters. Availability – It’s a web tool, which means you can access it from any platform whether it’s Windows, macOS, Linux, Chromebook, etc. We also tried it on Android and iPad and surprisingly it worked on mobile devices as well. Visit Photopea
3. IrfanView
IrfanView is for those who want more, not just displaying a PSD file. It can do a lot more things like conversion, optimization, scan, and printing and create slide shows. It can also play audio/video but you need to install appropriate plugins. There are a lot of options to save a PSD file and common are jpg, BMP, Raw, and PDF. Read: Best Photo Viewer for Windows 10
Support for Layers – There is no option to watch layers of PSD files in Irfan View. Available- IrfanView is available only for Windows. Download IrfanView
4. Artweaver
Artweaver is a fantastic tool to open PSD files without any hassle. You can easily watch the layers, create a new layer, and make basic changes to an image. Artweaver free version has filters like blur, distort, sharpen, and some other necessary filters. You can make adjustments such as increasing Hue/Saturation, Brightness, and change Levels of an image. And you can save PSD files to jpeg, TARGA, bitmap, tiff, and gif.
Support for layers – Yes, you can create a new layer and make basic changes to the existing ones. Available- Artweaver is free to use at home, but its commercial version is also available. Its file size is only 11.94 MB and available for Windows 7/8 and 10. Download Artweaver
5. Quick Look
If you want to open a PSD file on Mac OS, then you are in luck. Unlike Windows, macOS has a built-in program to open PSD files. All you have to do is select the PSD file and hit the space button and it will show you the top layer of your PSD file. Or you can also open the PSD file with Preview if you want to customize it a bit like — rotate, color, change the size, annotate, etc.
Also Read: Top 5 Free Online Image Editor Like Photoshop Support for Layers – No. Availability- Quick Look is exclusively available for macOS.
6. Art Master
Art Master is a simple image viewer that can open multiple file-formats including PSD. You can simply drag and drop files to the app interface to load the image. The app not only opens multiple formats like PSD, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, etc but it can also convert your PSDs to other formats like JPEG, PNG, etc.
Support for Layers – Art Master does not support layers. Available: Art Master is available for macOS on the Mac App Store. Download Art Master
7. Gimp
Gimp is the closest open-source alternative to Photoshop. The app looks quite similar to Photoshop in terms of layout. With Gimp, you can not only open a PSD file but also do basic edit just like you would do with Photoshop. The setup of Gimp is a bit heavy compared to all the other apps in this list. Of course, Gimp can never be as powerful as Photoshop but when it comes to basic image editing this is the best you can get for free.
Support for Layers – Yes, you can also edit your layer with basic functions like resize, crop, blur, etc. Available: Gimp is a cross-platform desktop tool available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Download Gimp
8. Testify PSD
Testify is a different app than others in this list. It doesn’t open the PSD files on your iPhone but fetches the image directly from Photoshop running on your computer. The app streams a live feed straight from the Photoshop software to the app where you can view the changes in real-time. The devices should be on the same network though. It works with Photoshop on Mac and Windows. If you’re going to use it with Windows, make sure iTunes is installed on the system. You can capture a screenshot, zoom in/out, create a new file with iPhone resolution, and add quick commands to the floating toolkit. It is a decent app if you want to check the real-time progress of Photoshop images on your iPhone.
Support for Layers- It transmits real-time footage from the computer and you can see all the layers and transitions. Availability- Testify PSD is only available for iOS on the App Store. Install Testify PSD
9. File Viewer for Android
A simple file viewer that supports more than 100 file types including PSD. Along with all the popular file types, it also supports raw photos, archives, email files, etc. You can browse through the device storage to navigate to the folder and tap a file to open up a preview. It lets you invert colors and rotate the photoshop but unfortunately, you can’t view separate layers. The app is free and has ads.
Support for Layers- It doesn’t support layers. Availability- The app is available for Android on the Play Store Install File Viewer for Android
10. Go2Convert
With all the previous apps, you can either view the image directly with image viewers that support PSD files or you can further edit them with editors that support PSD files. But you cannot just share a PSD file for everyone to view nor installing editors and exporting them as images is still a hectic task. There comes’ converter apps. Go2Convert is a web app where you can just upload and convert from 200+ image types including PSD. Just open the Go2Convert website, upload the PSD file that you want to convert. Select the quality you want from compressed to the best quality and click on convert now. On the next page, scroll down and click on the Download Now option. This will download the Zip file that has the JPEG image you need.
Support for Layers- No, it doesn’t support layers. Availability- Available on all the platforms that support web-browser from Windows, Mac, Linux, Chromebook, Android, and iOS. Open Go2Convert
Open PSD without Photoshop
While all the above methods work fine, but if you are in a hurry or just want to see the picture from a PSD file, then Google Drive and Photopea is the best option available. If you can take out some time and install the desktop software, then Gimp is a great option. Testify PSD streams the Photoshop window to your iPhone and is great if you’re editing for mobile screen size. So what are you waiting for? Select the best option which suits you and don’t forget to tell us your choice.
