Open PSD, PDF and other files
What a Photoshop file keeps when you open it, how PDF pages arrive as layers, and every other way to bring work into the Editor.
Intermediate4 min readUpdated 25 September 2026Editor · Import
You can open photos, Photoshop files, PDFs and Voidcanvas project files straight into the Editor. Everything is read inside your browser: nothing is uploaded, and opening a file never changes it. (A .void you open stays linked to its file, so pressing Ctrl+S saves your changes back to it.) This article explains what survives the trip, so you know what to check before you start editing.
Ways to bring files in
| Method | What it does |
|---|---|
| File, Open… (Ctrl+O) | Opens images, PSD, PDF and .void files. |
| Start screen, Open a photo | Click to choose, or drop files onto it. |
| Drop onto the canvas | Drag files from your computer onto an open design. |
| Paste (Ctrl+V) | Pastes an image from your clipboard as a new layer. |
| File, Place image as layer… (Ctrl+Shift+P) | Adds image files to the open design as new layers. |
When no design is open, the first image starts a new design at that image's size, named after the file. When a design is open, images are added to it as layers. On a Mac, use Cmd where it says Ctrl.
Photoshop (.psd)
A PSD opens as a real layered design, not a flat picture. Here is what comes through.
Kept and still editable
- Pixel layers, with their position, opacity, fill opacity, visibility and colour labels.
- Groups, including groups inside groups, with their blend mode and opacity.
- Layer masks and clipping.
- Locks: transparent pixels, pixels and position.
- Text layers, as editable type, when the whole layer uses one font, one size and one colour.
- Adjustment layers: brightness and contrast, levels, curves, exposure, vibrance, hue and saturation (including single colour ranges), colour balance, black and white, photo filter, channel mixer, invert, posterize, threshold and gradient map.
- Layer styles: drop shadow, inner shadow, outer glow, inner glow, stroke, colour overlay, gradient overlay, and bevel and emboss.
- Photoshop artboards, which become boards with their background colour.
Changed so it would open
- Text with mixed fonts, sizes or colours, warped text and text on a path are kept as pixels.
- Smart objects and vector shapes are kept as pixels.
- Blend modes Voidcanvas cannot draw (such as linear burn, linear dodge, vivid light, pin light and dissolve) use the nearest match.
- 16-bit files become 8-bit, and CMYK or other colour modes become RGB.
- Gradient or pattern strokes become a solid colour. Gradient overlays with more than two colours use the first and last.
- Group masks are left out. A black and white tint is left out.
- An adjustment clipped to one layer is unclipped, so it affects everything below it.
Not supported yet
- Satin and pattern overlay effects.
- Any adjustment layer type not in the list above.
When anything was changed or left out, a report opens titled Opened and the file name. It lists what was Kept, what was Changed so it would open and what is Not supported yet. Read it before you edit, so nothing surprises you later.
Missing fonts
If the PSD uses fonts that are not on your device or on Google Fonts, Some fonts are missing opens. For each font it shows how many text layers use it. Pick a replacement, keep the font with a stand-in for now, or click Add font file to load a .ttf, .otf, .woff or .woff2 file. Fonts you add are saved inside the design, so it looks the same next time.
Each page of a PDF becomes its own pixel layer, named Page 1, Page 2 and so on, with page 1 at the bottom of the stack. Only page 1 is visible at first. Turn the others on in the Layers panel. The design takes the size of page 1 and gets a white background.
- Pages are rendered at up to twice their printed point size. An A4 page comes in at about 1190 x 1684 pixels.
- Text in a PDF becomes pixels. You cannot edit it as type. Add new text layers on top instead.
- Password-protected PDFs will not open.
Voidcanvas project files
Two file types carry a whole editable design: layers, masks, groups, swatches and board layout.
| File | How to make it | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| .void | File, Save to disk… or File, Download project file (.void) | A self-contained project file. Good for backups and for moving a design to another browser. Save to disk keeps the file linked, so Ctrl+S updates it in Chromium browsers. |
| .void.png | Export dialog, Save editable file | A normal PNG preview of your design (up to 1600 pixels) with the full project hidden inside it. It previews anywhere; open it in Voidcanvas to get the layers back. |
Opening either one creates a new copy of the design on this device. In Chrome, Edge and other Chromium browsers, a .void opened with File, Open or dropped on the start screen stays linked, so Ctrl+S also writes your changes back to that file. A plain PNG with no project inside shows "That PNG has no Voidcanvas project inside it."
Common problems
- "Could not read that PSD." The file may be damaged or use something the reader cannot handle. Try saving it again from Photoshop, or save a flattened copy.
- "That PSD has no layers we can read." Flatten it first, then open it.
- Text looks slightly shifted. Photoshop and browsers set type a little differently. Compare against the original and nudge.
- Very large PSDs are slow. The Editor draws with the browser's 2D canvas, so big files take longer to open and edit.
- You need a PSD back. Voidcanvas does not export PSD. Export PNG, or keep a .void file for editing later.