PSD to PFM Converter
Processing entirely on your device — large files may take a moment.
Photoshop Document and Portable Float Map exist for different jobs: PSD is Adobe Photoshop’s native format: full layers, masks, effects and editable text in one file. Only Creative Cloud apps open it natively — everyone else needs a converted copy. Convert PFM to PNG or JPG to get a viewable tone-mapped preview of float data.
Because the whole conversion happens on your device, it is instant, unlimited and genuinely private — no accounts, no watermarks, no files on anyone's server. Multiple files are converted in one go.
How PSD compares to PFM
| PSD | PFM | |
|---|---|---|
| Compression | Lossless (RLE/ZIP layers) | None (raw floats) |
| Transparency | Per-layer alpha | Not supported |
| Animation | Timeline exists, exported as frames | Not supported |
| Metadata | XMP, EXIF, guides, paths | Minimal header only |
| Best for | Design source files | HDR interchange, render passes |
How to convert PSD to PFM
- 1
Select your files
Drag & drop your PSD files onto the area above, or click to browse. You can add multiple files at once for batch conversion.
- 2
Convert instantly
Click "Convert to PFM". The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly — no upload, no queue, no waiting.
- 3
Download results
Download each converted PFM file individually, or grab everything at once as a ZIP archive.
About the PSD format
PSD is Adobe Photoshop's native document format and the source-of-truth file of the design industry. It keeps everything editable: layers with masks, adjustment layers, smart objects, layer effects and live text. The format is big-endian and only partially documented, but its ubiquity means libraries in every language can read the common parts.
Two practical gotchas define PSD life outside Photoshop. First, files are enormous — hundreds of megabytes is normal for layered work. Second, the flattened composite other apps display is only embedded when the file was saved with “Maximize Compatibility” enabled; without it, converters that read the composite will fail. Sharing to non-designers means exporting a JPG, PNG or PDF copy.
+Strengths
- ✓Fully editable: layers, masks, effects and live text
- ✓The universal design source format
- ✓Smart objects allow non-destructive scaling and filters
!Limitations
- −Very large files
- −Full fidelity requires Photoshop or Creative Cloud apps
- −Composite preview may be missing without Maximize Compatibility
About the PFM format
PFM (Portable Float Map) stores pixels as raw 32-bit floating-point values — no palette, no compression tricks, just the numbers. It belongs to the Netpbm family (PBM/PGM/PPM) and is the lingua franca for handing high-dynamic-range data between renderers, tone-mapping experiments and radiance research scripts.
Because the values are floats, a PFM can hold sunlight and candlelight in the same image without clipping. Viewers rarely open it directly: convert to PNG or JPG to get a tone-mapped preview of the same data.
+Strengths
- ✓Full floating-point precision
- ✓Dead-simple text/binary layout
- ✓Widely read by research tooling
!Limitations
- −Enormous files (16 bytes per pixel)
- −Almost no viewer support
Why convert PSD to PFM?
Think of it as moving your file to the container that fits the job. Very large files PFM works differently: Full floating-point precision If any of that sounds like your task, run the conversion — it takes seconds and nothing leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is this PSD to PFM converter really free?
Yes — completely free, with no sign-up, no watermark and no daily conversion limits. The site is supported by advertising.
Are my files uploaded to a server?
No. The conversion runs entirely inside your browser using WebAssembly, so your files never leave your device — that is what makes it instant and private.
Does it work on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android?
Yes. Anything with a modern browser works: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS. No software installation is required.
Will I lose quality converting PSD to PFM?
No — PFM is a lossless format, so every pixel of the converted image matches your original PSD file. You can also adjust the quality/size balance before converting when the target format supports compression.
Will transparent areas survive the conversion to PFM?
Transparency is kept whenever PFM actually supports an alpha channel. If the target format has none (like JPG), transparent areas are flattened onto a white background — that is a property of the format, not of this tool.
What happens to EXIF data and other metadata?
Conversions here re-encode the image, and re-encoding generally does not carry the original metadata over. If the EXIF data of your PSD files matters (camera model, GPS, timestamps), keep the original file as the master and treat the converted copy as the shareable version.