Guide

How to convert PSD to JPG without Photoshop

A designer sent you a .psd and you need a JPG for a website, a chat or a slide. You don’t need a Photoshop subscription for that. Here are four ways, with what each one keeps and loses.

Before you start: what a JPG keeps

• JPG has no transparency. Transparent areas become a solid colour, usually white. If you need transparency, save as PNG instead.
• JPG is lossy: files are small, but fine edges and text can get slightly soft. For screenshots and UI mockups PNG is often sharper.
• Layers are flattened into one image. Keep the PSD if anyone needs to edit it later.

1. In Photoshop

If you do have Photoshop: File › Export › Export As, choose JPG, set the quality and click Export. Save a Copy with JPEG works too.

2. In GIMP (free, desktop)

1. Install GIMP and open the .psd file with File › Open.
2. Check that the layers look right. GIMP doesn’t support every Photoshop effect.
3. Choose File › Export As, change the file name ending to .jpg and click Export.

3. In Chrome, offline, with PSD to PNG

1. Install the PSD to PNG extension and click its icon.
2. Drop one or more .psd or .psb files on the page.
3. Choose JPG under the drop zone.
4. Click Download, or download the whole batch as a ZIP.

The file is converted on your computer and never uploaded. When Photoshop saved the file with “Maximize Compatibility” (its default), the result matches Photoshop pixel for pixel; otherwise the extension combines the layers and warns you about effects it can’t reproduce.

4. Online converters

Websites that convert PSD to JPG upload your file to their server. That is fine for public images, but think twice for client work under NDA, unreleased designs or anything with personal data. Many also limit file size or add a queue.

Which one to use