PSD to HDR Converter
Convert PSD to HDR in your browser. PSD files usually come from Photoshop and apps that save Photoshop documents, such as Affinity Photo, GIMP, Photopea and Krita; HDR is the better fit for 3D lighting and environment maps. You get a Radiance RGBE (.hdr) file, with the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light. Nothing is uploaded.
- Processed locally
- No upload, no wait
- No sign-up
- No watermark
Drop images here
or choose files · paste with Ctrl/⌘ V
PSD expected · other image formats also work
How to use PSD to HDR
- 1
Add your PSD files: drop them here, choose them, or paste from the clipboard.
- 2
Pick the colour that replaces transparent areas, since HDR has none.
- 3
Click Convert. Each file is decoded and encoded in a background thread on this device.
- 4
Download the .hdr files one at a time or together as a ZIP.
Why use Aback Images for psd to hdr
Where the HDR goes next
HDR opens in Blender, Photoshop, Houdini, Unreal Engine, Unity and Affinity Photo.
HDR next to PSD
Both sides are lossless, so the size depends on how well the HDR encoder handles this picture compared with the PSD's raw or RLE (PackBits) channel data, ZIP in some 16 and 32-bit files.
Written without a lossy pass
The HDR is written losslessly, so the pixels decoded from the PSD arrive unchanged, apart from precision beyond 8 bits per channel.
Processed on your device
Your images are decoded, edited and encoded inside this browser tab by Web Workers. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
PSD vs HDR
What changes from PSD to HDR
Encoding: the PSD uses raw or RLE (PackBits) channel data, ZIP in some 16 and 32-bit files; HDR uses run-length encoded RGBE scanlines, and the download is a Radiance RGBE (.hdr) file, with the 8-bit sRGB values converted to linear light.
Bit depth: 8, 16 or 32 bits per channel in the PSD; HDR allows an 8-bit mantissa per channel sharing an 8-bit exponent (RGBE), 32 bits per pixel, and the HDR written here has RGBE, 32 bits per pixel. 16 and 32-bit documents are reduced to 8 bits per channel.
Colour: RGB, CMYK, Lab, greyscale, indexed or multichannel in the PSD; HDR supports linear RGB (or XYZ in the XYZE variant), written here as linear-light RGB.
Transparency: the PSD stores it as transparent layers plus extra alpha channels; the HDR has none, so transparent areas are filled with the colour you choose.
Other images: the PSD can hold layers, masks, adjustment layers and smart objects; only the main image is converted.
Metadata: the PSD can carry XMP, EXIF, IPTC and ICC in image resource blocks; HDR can carry a text header with FORMAT, EXPOSURE and optional comments, but nothing is copied across.
About PSD
PSD is Adobe Photoshop's layered working format. It keeps layers, masks and effects, but almost nothing outside Photoshop can display it, so finished designs are exported to PNG or JPG.
A PSD has five sections: a header ('8BPS', channel count, size, depth, colour mode), colour mode data, image resources (thumbnail, ICC, XMP, resolution), layer and mask information, and finally the merged composite image that the Maximize Compatibility option saves.
PSD files usually come from Photoshop and apps that save Photoshop documents, such as Affinity Photo, GIMP, Photopea and Krita.
About HDR
Radiance .hdr stores high dynamic range light values, widely used for 3D environment maps and HDRI lighting.
A Radiance file starts with '#?RADIANCE' (or '#?RGBE'), text lines such as FORMAT=32-bit_rle_rgbe and EXPOSURE, a blank line, a resolution line like '-Y 2048 +X 4096', then the scanlines.
When converting PSD to HDR makes sense
HDR is the better choice for 3D lighting and environment maps, while PSD suits editing in Photoshop.
HDR strengths: True high dynamic range; Standard for HDRI environment maps. Drawbacks to weigh: Needs tone mapping to view on normal screens.
Limitations
- The merged composite is converted, so hidden layers stay hidden and visible ones are flattened together.
- Files saved with Maximize Compatibility turned off may hold no full-size composite; then only the small embedded thumbnail is available.
- No range is added: the HDR holds the 8-bit picture in linear light, and nothing in it is brighter than the original white.
- 3D software treats the file as linear light, so an ordinary photo used as an environment map may need its exposure raised to light a scene well.
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Frequently asked questions
Does converting PSD to HDR lose quality?
HDR is written losslessly, so the pixels are stored exactly as decoded. 16 and 32-bit documents are reduced to 8 bits per channel. Not carried over: any layers.
What happens to transparency when converting PSD to HDR?
PSD stores transparency as transparent layers plus extra alpha channels. HDR has no alpha channel, so transparent pixels are composited onto a solid colour, white unless you pick another. To keep transparency, convert to PNG, WebP or AVIF instead.
Are PSD layers kept?
No. The flattened composite that Photoshop saves inside the file is converted, so the result looks like the PSD with all visible layers merged. Files saved without Maximize Compatibility fall back to the embedded thumbnail.
Does saving as HDR make a real HDRI?
No. A real HDRI is merged from several exposures. This file holds an 8-bit image in linear light, so 3D software reads it correctly, but it has no more range than the source.
Which apps open HDR files?
Blender, Photoshop, Houdini, Unreal Engine, Unity and Affinity Photo. It does not open in web browsers.
Are my images uploaded anywhere?
No. Processing happens inside your browser with WebAssembly and Web Workers. The site only downloads the app code and codecs; your files never leave your device. You can confirm this with the live upload counter on the tool, or in your browser's network panel.
Can I process many files at once?
Yes. Drop a whole selection or folder. Files are processed in parallel on several worker threads, each result can be downloaded on its own, and everything can be saved as one ZIP.
Is it free? Is there a file limit or watermark?
It is free with no account, no watermark and no daily limit. The only limit is your device's memory: very large images (over roughly 100 megapixels) may be refused to keep the tab from crashing.