PSD stands for Photoshop Document, the configuration in which files are saved on Adobe Photoshop. 

Photoshop automatically saves data using PSD. Once editing is completed on an image, the layers of it can be evened out and saved in other formats.

Once a PSD image has been collated into one image, it cannot be changed back to PSD, and the editor can no longer work with the image’s individual properties. So it is always important to save the PSD document and not overwrite it throughout the conversion

PSD mockup is a Photoshop template that is pre-made to give your designs a more realistic appearance. Simply open the PSD template in Photoshop, drop your own design into the Smart Layer, and then let the template do its magic in applying your design to the product.

How it works: 

Each image still has a separate layer if five pictures are collected and put in one document to be edited. It may look like one compressed image, but each layer has been separately edited to get the desired output. PSD files can be opened multiple times, and these can even be revised or edited several times without affecting the other layers. 

Capacity of PSD:

• PSD saves pictures, graphics, and artworks of superior quality. 
• PSD can hold large-size images of up to thirty thousand pixels. So it can accurately save images with their colors, depth, focus, etc. Experts often use it in the Industry to save and store high-resolution photos.
• PSD documents can be as large as two gigabytes. Most photographers use PSD for their editing, which can be carried out quickly in this format. Any editing, from color alteration to retouching, can be done promptly. 
• If you went and asked a photographer what software they utilized for their editing work, chances are seventy-five percent of them would say PSD. 

Since PSD is an advanced file format, it needs advanced software such as Creative Cloud to edit. Illustrator and Premiere Pro are some software that supports the PSD format so you can open them, but Adobe Photoshop will be required to edit the original document. 

While PSD is a handy file format, its utility depends on your requirements and tools. 

Like everything else, PSD also has its Pros and Cons.

Some Pros of PSD:

• High-resolution images can easily be stored and edited in this format. 
• Many images can be stored and edited on the same file. 
• It can be used across several Adobe products like Premiere Pro, Illustrator, etc.

Some Cons of PSD:

• It is a configuration founded initially by Adobe, so it isn’t easy to use it on other editing software like Pixlr, Photoscope, etc. 
• While photos of large sizes can be easily stored and edited, sharing or transporting them becomes problematic. 
• Processing systems like Windows do not support PSD format without Creative Cloud.

Free software which support PSD:

Some free photo editing software available are Gimp, Graphizy, Paint.NET, and Photopea.

• Gimp: Gimp is a well-known free editing software. It can be utilized to work on PSD files. Still, there could be a few issues because it has difficulty processing the multiple compressed surfaces and other newer elements that could have been utilized when the document was created.

• Graphizy – It is not a designing software but has a vast library of existing Vectors for designs. In short, a one-stop destination for all your design needs.

• Paint.Net: One more program which is also free of cost, like GIMP, that can open PSD files, is Paint.NET

• Photopea: Another highly suggested editing software that is also free of cost is Photopea. This software easily recognizes all the multiple layers of the images and is editable. So, various kinds of edits can be performed with ease. The images can also be saved back to the PSD format for storage. 

Conclusion

All the essential information is provided about PSD, how it works, its pros and cons, and which software supports it. Hope this article will help you to work on PSD smoothly.