PaintShop Pro Image
image/x-paintshoppro
Released 1990
· by Jasc Software / Corel Corporation (Alludo)
The image/x-paintshoppro MIME type represents the PaintShop Pro image format. Originally developed by Jasc Software in 1990 and later acquired by Corel (now Alludo), the PSP format serves as the native working project file for PaintShop Pro. Similar to Adobe's PSD format, PSP and PSPIMAGE files are highly complex containers capable of storing multi-layered raster and vector graphics. They preserve non-destructive editing features including adjustment layers, layer masks, alpha channels, ICC profiles, and text paths. While early versions used the .psp extension, PaintShop Pro 8 (released in 2003) and newer versions introduced the .pspimage extension alongside a modified chunk-based architecture.
Technical Specifications
.psp.pspimage.tub.pat
RLELZ77
image/pspimage/x-pspapplication/pspapplication/x-paintshoppro
Magic Bytes & HTTP Headers
~BK\x00
Browser Support Matrix
| Browser | Status | Min Version |
|---|---|---|
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | — |
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Not Supported | Legacy |
Advantages & Limitations
- Provides robust, non-destructive editing capabilities with full support for vector layers, adjustment layers, and layer blend modes
- Historically offered a highly capable and affordable alternative to Adobe Photoshop's PSD format for Windows users
- Features proprietary support for 'Picture Tubes' (.tub), a unique brush technology that paints sequential or random raster objects along a path
- Deeply proprietary format tied exclusively to the Corel/Alludo ecosystem
- Third-party software support (like GIMP or ImageMagick) is often limited to parsing older .psp files, frequently failing to render complex layers in modern .pspimage files
- No support in modern web browsers; must be exported to a flattened web format (JPEG/PNG) for online viewing
Developer Code Snippets
File Detection Steps
How to programmatically detect a image/x-paintshoppro
file by reading its raw bytes:
- 1 All PaintShop Pro files (including .psp, .pspimage, and .tub) begin with a very distinct 4-byte signature.
- 2 Check the first 4 bytes for the ASCII string '~BK\x00' (Hex: 7E 42 4B 00).
- 3 Following this magic byte header, you will typically find a version block (e.g., minor/major version integers) and a series of data chunks defining the workspace, layers, and embedded ICC profiles.
Software Support
ImageMagick
Conversion Tools
Share & Embed
[](https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/paintshop-pro-psp)
<iframe src="https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/paintshop-pro-psp/embed" width="100%" height="280" style="border:1px solid #cbd5e1;border-radius:8px;" title="PaintShop-Pro-PSP Specs"></iframe>
JSON API
All data on this page is available as a free, open JSON API. Use it in your project, documentation, or tooling.
GET https://freewebptojpg.com/mime/image/paintshop-pro-psp.json
Open JSON
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a .psp or .pspimage file?
These are native project files created by Corel (formerly Jasc) PaintShop Pro. They store complex, multi-layered images, allowing graphic designers to preserve their vectors, text, masks, and adjustment layers for future editing.
What is the difference between .psp and .pspimage?
They are fundamentally the same file format family. The .psp extension was used by early versions of Jasc PaintShop Pro (up to version 7). Starting with PaintShop Pro 8, the default extension was changed to .pspimage to differentiate its updated, chunk-based internal architecture.
Can Adobe Photoshop open PaintShop Pro files?
No, Adobe Photoshop does not natively support .psp or .pspimage files. To move a project from PaintShop Pro to Photoshop while retaining layers, you must export the file as a .psd from within PaintShop Pro.