{"id":"image-vnd-adobe-photoshop","mimeType":"image/vnd.adobe.photoshop","name":"Adobe Photoshop Document","shortName":"PSD","category":"Graphics \u0026 Layered Images","extensions":[".psd",".psb",".pdd"],"description":"The image/vnd.adobe.photoshop MIME type is the officially registered IANA identifier for Adobe Photoshop Document (PSD) and Large Document Format (PSB) files. It is the native file format for Adobe Photoshop and the industry standard for storing complex digital artwork, containing support for multiple image layers, layer masks, adjustment layers, vector paths, text, and embedded ICC color profiles.","seo":{"title":"image/vnd.adobe.photoshop MIME Type | Complete Developer Reference","description":"Complete reference for the official image/vnd.adobe.photoshop MIME type: magic bytes, browser support, HTTP headers, developer snippets, and technical specifications for PSD files.","faqs":[{"question":"What is the difference between image/vnd.adobe.photoshop and image/psd?","answer":"Structurally, they refer to the exact same file format (Adobe Photoshop Document). However, image/vnd.adobe.photoshop is the officially registered standard with IANA, whereas image/psd and image/photoshop are non-standard, unofficial aliases that were historically used before the official registration."},{"question":"What is the magic byte for a PSD file?","answer":"All valid Adobe Photoshop files (both PSD and the large-format PSB) begin with the 4-byte signature 38 42 50 53 in hex, which translates to the ASCII string '8BPS' (8-Bit Photoshop)."},{"question":"Can I display image/vnd.adobe.photoshop files in a web browser?","answer":"No. Modern web browsers do not possess native decoders for the PSD format. To render a PSD on the web, you must either convert it to a standard format (like PNG, WebP, or JPEG) on the server, or use a specialized JavaScript library (like psd.js) to parse the file and draw the layers onto an HTML5 \u003ccanvas\u003e."}]},"index":{"compression":["Uncompressed","RLE (Run-Length Encoding)","ZIP"],"browserSupport":{"score":1,"label":"None"},"commonUses":["Professional Photo Retouching","Digital Painting and Illustration","UI/UX Design Workflows","Graphic Design and Print Production"]},"technical":{"magicBytes":{"hex":"38 42 50 53","ascii":"8BPS"},"container":"Adobe Photoshop Document (PSD/PSB)","compressionAlgorithm":["RLE","ZIP (with or without prediction)","None"],"colorDepth":["1-bit (Bitmap)","8-bit","16-bit","32-bit (Float/HDR)"],"transparency":true,"animation":true,"metadata":{"exif":true,"xmp":true,"iccProfile":true},"alphaChannel":true,"progressiveLoading":false,"hdrSupport":true},"history":{"developer":"Adobe Systems","released":"1990","specification":"Adobe Photoshop File Format Specification"},"browserSupport":{"chrome":false,"chromeVersion":"None","firefox":false,"firefoxVersion":"None","safari":false,"safariVersion":"None","edge":false,"edgeVersion":"None","internetExplorer":false},"softwareSupport":[{"name":"Adobe Photoshop","logo":""},{"name":"GIMP","logo":"gimp.svg"},{"name":"Krita","logo":""},{"name":"Affinity Photo","logo":""},{"name":"ImageMagick","logo":"image-magic.webp"}],"conversion":{"convertTo":["png","jpeg","tiff","webp"],"convertFrom":["png","jpeg","tiff","xcf"]},"developer":{"httpHeaders":[{"header":"Content-Type","value":"image/vnd.adobe.photoshop"}],"htmlAccept":"image/vnd.adobe.photoshop, .psd, .psb","fileDetection":["Check the first 4 bytes for the standard Photoshop signature: 38 42 50 53 (8BPS)","Standardize backend MIME processing by mapping legacy aliases (image/psd, image/x-photoshop) to image/vnd.adobe.photoshop"]},"prosCons":{"pros":["The undisputed global standard for layered raster graphics and non-destructive image editing","Supports incredibly complex compositions combining raster data, vector shapes, live text, and adjustment layers","Full support for advanced color spaces (CMYK, Lab, multi-channel) and 32-bit floating-point HDR workflows"],"cons":["Proprietary format: while the specification is published, complete feature-parity is rarely achieved by third-party software (e.g., smart objects and complex layer styles often break)","Files can reach enormous sizes (gigabytes) due to the preservation of unflattened, high-resolution layer data","Zero support for native rendering in web browsers or standard mobile image viewers"]},"specifications":{"url":"https://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/image/vnd.adobe.photoshop","rfc":"","mimeAliases":["image/psd","image/photoshop","image/x-photoshop","application/x-photoshop"]},"developerSnippets":{"python":"import magic\n# Libmagic will typically output the official 'image/vnd.adobe.photoshop' for valid PSD/PSB files\nprint(magic.from_file('artwork.psd', mime=True))","nodejs":"const FileType = require('file-type');\nconst type = await FileType.fromFile('artwork.psd');\nconsole.log(type.mime); // Outputs 'image/vnd.adobe.photoshop'","go":"import \"net/http\"\n// Custom magic byte validation for the 8BPS header:\n// isPSD := bytes.HasPrefix(buf, []byte{0x38, 0x42, 0x50, 0x53})","php":"$mime = mime_content_type('artwork.psd');\necho $mime; // Standard setups correctly resolve this to 'image/vnd.adobe.photoshop'"},"relatedFormats":["tiff","png","xcf"]}