HEIC and PSD formats are used daily for graphic design, web development, and printing. However, choosing the best image format demands a comprehensive understanding of each file type's features, cons, and pros.
The article compares PSD vs. HEIC features, including compression, storage, structure, performance, image quality, file size, browser support, transparency, and animation support.
When is HEIC better than PSD?
HEIC images are smaller and highly web-responsive, requiring minimal storage space, while PSD images are larger and less web-responsive, requiring more storage space than PSD format.
A HEIC file can be used for action shoots or live photo functionalities, capturing various high-quality actions of objects in motion with a click.
When is PSD better than HEIC?
PSD images are detailed, high-quality, and widely supported across different web browsers, platforms, and operating systems, while HEIC images are data-rich and high-quality but unsupported by most web browsers and non-Apple products.
PSD file type can be used for photo retouching and editing, website designs, and professional printing to support print-ready content or materials, including business cards, posters, and brochures.
PSD versus HEIC Comparison Table
| Element | PSD | HEIC |
| Transparency | Supports transparency. | Supports transparency. |
| File Size | Larger files compared to HEIC files. | Smaller files than PSD files. |
| Image Quality | High-quality images. | Excellent image quality than PSD images. |
| Performance | Slower image loading times than HEIC. | Faster image loading times than PSD. |
| Structure | Raster-based with color mode data, file header, image resources, mask, layer data, and image data. | Raster graphics with comments, tags, image series, EXIF/TIF files, and indicators. |
| Animation | Does not support animation. | Supports animations. |
| Storage | Needs more storage space than HEIC. | Needs less storage space than PSD. |
| Compression | Uncompressed files. | Supports lossless and lossy compression. |
| Browser Support | Wider web browser support compared to HEIC. | Limited web browser support compared to PSD. |
Differences and similarities between HEIC and PSD images
The HEIC versus PSD comparison table reveals that both formats support transparency but differ in compression, structure, image quality, file size, performance, storage needs, web browser support, and animation support.
Transparency
HEIC and PSD file types have inherent support for transparency. PSD file type supports alpha channel transparency by enabling images with multiple structures and transparent backgrounds to be created and assimilated perfectly into other animated objects, live photos, and projects.
Similarly, HEIC supports transparency the same way the PNG format does. HEIC supports alpha channel transparency by allowing artwork and graphics to merge properly with the dominant website background. Distinct from PSD format, HEIC images support plane transparency data or elective alpha mask.
File Size
HEIC files are significantly smaller than PSD files. While both formats are very detailed and multilayered, HEIC uses the innovative and most advanced compression technique, HEVC, which significantly minimizes its files compared to uncompressed PSD files.
A single HEIC file stores complex metadata and data like a PSD file. However, the uncompressed PSD file can be 2GB, implying that multiple such files pooled and stored together can be larger than the lossy and lossless HEIC files.
Image Quality
HEIC and PSD images are high-quality, although HEIC image quality is superior to PSD. HEIC supports 10-bit and 16-bit color profiles rendered as 48-bit per color channel by default. HEIC also supports innovative image features such as Wide Color Range and High-Dynamic-Range color profiles.
Conversely, PSD files support 1-bit, 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit per color channel. PSD uses the 24-bit RGB color mode, which can be changed via the 'Image Mode Menu.' Its files support multichannel color modes such as Indexed Colors, LAB colors, RGB, Monochrome, Duotone, Grayscale, Bitmap, and CMYK.
Performance
HEIC and PSD are multilayered, yet PSD files are larger. The uncompressed PSD stores multiple files, each 2GB. Multiple PSD files are larger than the lossy and lossless HEIC, which uses the innovative HEVC to compress and store smaller files with low bandwidth costs and use fewer bytes than PSD.
HEIC files demand less memory space, increase online user experience, and improve web performance, giving them a competitive edge over PSD. As such, users, including web developers and graphic designers, prefer the HEIC file type for high website responsiveness.
Structure
HEIC and PSD are raster-based image formats but differ in structures, making it necessary to compare both formats to help users choose the best file type. A PSD file has a header, image resources, color mode, mask, layer, and image data. Its header defines the file version, image channels, and color depths.
The PSD color mode data defines the bit depth of color profiles, such as the processed and stored indexed and duotone color information. Its image resources show a series of blocks with resource data types and IDs. Each block stores non-pixel data allied to the PSD image, including the pencil tool paths.
The PSD has a mask and layer data section with mask factors, merger ranges, effect layers, layer channels, and numbers. Its image data includes the actual image data, the compression method, and the image pixels' data. Conversely, HEIC’s structure has images, image series, and metadata in a container file.
HEIC has Exif metadata with tags and comments supported by EXIF and TIFF. The embedded TIFF files lack image data but store specific image files and mark them as items. However, they allow image series (tracks) stored in EXIF/TIF files. It has an indicator that displays files as colonnades or animations later.
Animation
PSD files do not support animations, while HEIC stores multiple images in a single file and creates short animations. Graphic designers and web developers can create looped animated images or image sequences using HEIC extensions, which is impossible with PSD files.
Whereas PSD hardly permits the creation of live photos, still images, or animations, it is a high-quality definition and multilayered file type that can be integrated into the design structure of different file formats to support animations or lively image content.
Storage
HEIC files support lossy and lossless compression with HEVC algorithms to reduce file sizes, resulting in smaller files than uncompressed PSD files. PSD is multilayered with detailed image data like graphical elements that need more storage than efficiently compressed HEIC files.
PSD and HEIC image data and metadata can be stored forever in EXIF/TIFF files and ISO Base Media Files, Cloud, Hard Drives, Content Delivery Networks, and Base64 Encoding. The storage period for both formats depends on the handling procedures and storage conditions.
Compression
HEIC supports lossy and lossless compressions, while PSDs are uncompressed. HEIC uses High-Efficiency Video Codec (HEVC) algorithms, which reduce file sizes and boost storage space compared to PSD files. Lossless HEIC files are smaller than PSD files but retain all image data or details.
Lossy HEIC deletes duplicate data, slightly degrading image quality. Nonetheless, the HEVC compression method ensures vital image details are preserved, giving rise to smaller and higher-quality HEIC images than PSD images. Thus, HEIC is the preferred image format because of its efficient compression technique.
Browser Support
PSD format files are more widely supported and compatible with various web browsers than HEIC files. PSD is supported by top legacy and modern web browsers such as Opera, Chrome, Vivaldi, Edge, Safari, and Firefox. Conversely, HEIC files are only supported by Safari, Google Workplace, and Google Marketplace.
HEIC is unsupported by most web browsers, while PSD files are incompatible with Discord, Brave, and Internet Explorer. However, PSDs can be viewed in the last three web browsers by installing additional plugins or extensions, which display PSDs as thumbnails.
Convert HEIC to PSD or PSD to HEIC
Use Convertjack to convert HEIC to PSD online. PSD files are scalable and high-quality, allow future non-destructive editing, and are multilayered to control and provide the flexibility needed for complex structures and image manipulation.
Convertjack is a reliable and free online PSD to HEIC converter that preserves all image features during conversion. The HEIC format uses HEVC compression, resulting in smaller, high-quality images with enough storage space, comprehensive image metadata, and enhanced web performance than the PSD format.