Can I open my Photoshop documents with GIMP?

The software sector dedicated to photo editing is full of very interesting solutions. We choose one or the other depending on our needs and previous knowledge. Among the most complete we can highlight two programs of the importance of Photoshop and GIMP.

Both solutions are especially suitable to offer all kinds of image retouching functions for novice users and professionals. This means that the programs that we are commenting on are designed for those who are just starting out in this type of work, as well as being helpful for the most advanced. But of course, we must bear in mind that the main difference between the two is that Photoshop is paid and GIMP is free.

Can I open my Photoshop documents with GIMP

With everything and with it, for many users around the world, the free open source project is one of the main competitors of Adobe‘s proposal. It may not come close to the functionality of this one, but the free GIMP program is capable of meeting the needs of most. This is something that has been achieved little by little based on updates and new functions that have been arriving.

It is worth mentioning that one of the main concerns that the regulars of the open source project for photo editing have, is everything related to compatibility . We must take into account that we can receive files opened and edited with the Adobe program and that we need to deal with here. Something that is especially evident with the native file format and that is usually used in Photoshop. Specifically, we are referring to PSD formats , so you may be wondering if we have the possibility to open these photographic documents in GIMP .

How to Open PSD Photo Files in GIMP

As we mentioned before, most photo editors need to open PSD files in GIMP at some point. Therefore, it is interesting that you know that you will not have any problem opening this particular format in the open source project. In this way they will be able to continue working with their image files generated or treated in Photoshop without any problem. In addition, they will be able to view these contents without the need to install any additional plugin or extension .

For all this, we can initially use the Open function that is usual in this type of program. Moreover, in order to have greater control over these files that we are talking about, GIMP offers us another way to open them from its main interface. Thus, for what we are telling you, that is, when opening a PSD in GIMP , we recommend you click on the File menu option. Among the functions available here, what is recommended in this case is to make use of the call Open as layers .

capas gimp

And it is that in most cases these files created in Photoshop contain several layers that are part of the same image. Therefore, if we open them through this commented function, we will have the possibility to continue working with the same layers of the photograph, but in this case from GIMP without any problem.