PSD is a file extension associated with Photoshop documents, built-in Adobe Photoshop. While PSD files can be occasionally opened in other applications, they work most successfully when opened within Adobe Photoshop itself. PSDs are layered image files that store the individual layers used to construct the image, meaning they are editable within Photoshop itself. Designers often use PSDs for designing templates, digital painting, editing digital photos, and graphic design. Although editing PSD files is restricted to Photoshop and a small amount of other software, PSDs can be exported to and saved as a wide variety of other file types.
A GIF - or graphics interchange format - is a bitmap file widely used around the internet. GIFs contain up to 256 colors, so they’re not often used for photos, but as they have lossless compression, they work well for navigation buttons and logos on websites. A huge difference between a GIF and another bitmap image file, like a JPG, is that they can be saved as animated GIFs, which cycle between images to create a short, looping animation. These are primarily designed for - and used across - websites on the internet. You’ve definitely come across them before, particularly on social media and image sharing apps.
PSDs are layered Photoshop files that support transparency and let users edit files with color adjustments, masks, and other tools in Photoshop. They’re flexible, powerful documents that are designed for use in Adobe Photoshop, but they can also be huge. If someone sends you a large PSD file and you want to retain the transparent background but don’t have access to Adobe Photoshop or want to make any major amendments to the image, convert the PSD to a GIF file. Convert files quickly and easily using file management software like WinZip to speed up your workflow.
WinZip is more than just a PSD to GIF converter. We built WinZip to convert multiple file formats, including the formats below.
Check some of the other file management features WinZip has to offer by downloading a free trial today.
