Browser-based Photoshop-grade editor for design & creativity
Photopea is a browser-based image and PSD editor that replicates many Photoshop features, ideal for designers who need a no-install, low-cost alternative. It serves freelancers and students who require Photoshop-compatible PSD import/export and layered editing, with a free ad-supported tier and an affordable Pro subscription to remove ads and support development.
Photopea is a browser-based image editor that runs in your web browser and edits raster and vector graphics without installation. It recreates core Photoshop-style workflows — layers, masks, blend modes, pen tool and PSD compatibility — making it a practical Photoshop alternative for users on Windows, macOS or Linux. Photopea’s key differentiator is full in-browser editing with direct PSD, Sketch and XCF file support, serving web designers, students, and content teams who need quick access to layered files. Pricing is accessible with an ad-supported free tier and a modest Pro subscription to remove ads.
Photopea is a web-native image editor first released by Ivan Kuckir and maintained as a single-page web application that runs entirely in the browser. It positions itself as a Photoshop-like editor without installation, aimed at anyone who needs layered raster and vector editing across platforms. The core value proposition is fidelity to common Photoshop file formats and workflows: you can open and save PSD files, work with layer styles, masks, text layers and vector paths, all inside a browser tab. Photopea is notable for processing files client-side by default, which reduces mandatory cloud uploads for basic editing tasks and lowers friction for one-off edits and education use.
Under the hood, Photopea includes a broad toolset that mirrors desktop editors. It opens and exports PSD, XCF (GIMP), Sketch and PDF files with layered content preserved; it also exports to PNG, JPEG, WebP and SVG. The Tools panel provides a Pen tool with Bézier paths, Brush, Clone Stamp, Healing Brush and Crop; layer features include blend modes (normal, multiply, screen, etc.), layer masks and adjustable layer styles (drop shadow, bevel, stroke). Photopea supports text layers with OpenType features and paragraph formatting, image adjustments (levels, curves, hue/saturation) and a Filters menu with Gaussian Blur, Sharpen and Noise. The interface exposes keyboard shortcuts and a History panel for undoing multiple steps.
Photopea’s pricing is straightforward. There is a free, ad-supported tier that provides the full editor but displays banner ads and a limited ad-based experience; files are still editable and saved locally. The Pro subscription removes ads and helps fund development; Photopea’s site lists Pro as a monthly option (approximate price shown on-site) and an annual option at a lower effective monthly cost. Photopea does not require creating an account to use the editor, and Pro purchases are single-user licenses applied via the browser. There are no tiered feature locks — Pro primarily removes advertising and supports the project financially, rather than unlocking large functional gates.
Photopea is used by a wide range of creators: freelance web designers open client PSDs in a browser to export web-optimized assets, and marketing coordinators crop and export social images without installing desktop software. Two concrete examples: a front-end developer using Photopea to export sliced PNG/JPEG assets from PSDs for responsive websites, and a university instructor preparing layered image assignments in a browser classroom. Compared to Adobe Photoshop, Photopea trades advanced native features like integrated cloud libraries and some Photoshop-only filters for instant accessibility and near-Photoshop file compatibility in a lightweight web app.
Three capabilities that set Photopea apart from its nearest competitors.
Current tiers and what you get at each price point. Verified against the vendor's pricing page.
| Plan | Price | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | Full editor with banner ads; no account required, no ad removal | Students or one-off users needing instant access |
| Pro (monthly) | Approx $9/month | Removes ads, supports development; single-user browser license | Regular users who want no ads and support |
| Pro (yearly) | Approx $49/year | Annual billing at lower effective monthly cost; ad removal | Power users wanting best annual value |
Copy these into Photopea as-is. Each targets a different high-value workflow.
You are Photopea, the in-browser Photoshop-style editor. Role: provide a one-shot, click-by-click export workflow to produce responsive web assets from the currently open PSD. Constraints: produce 1x and 2x outputs; preserve transparency for logos; use PNG for vector/logo layers and JPEG (quality 80) for photographic layers; include Windows and macOS shortcuts where possible. Output format: numbered steps exactly as to click/type in Photopea, then a concise file-naming table listing exported filenames, formats and pixel sizes. Example final line: "[email protected] — 200×100 — PNG". Do not include extra commentary beyond steps and the file list.
You are Photopea. Role: deliver a single-shot, minimal-context procedure to remove a product background and export a web-ready PNG. Constraints: use Select → Subject, refine the mask with Refine Edge brush when necessary, output with longest side = 2000 px at 72 DPI, and export PNG-24 with transparency. Output format: concise numbered steps listing exact menu names, tool names, parameter values, and final export dialog settings; final line must show resulting filename and pixel dimensions. Example: "product1_transparent.png — 2000×1500 px". Keep instructions short and actionable; no extra explanation.
You are Photopea. Role: produce a reproducible batch-export plan to resize a folder of PSD/XCF files into three social sizes. Constraints: output sizes 1080×1080, 1200×628, 1080×1920; use center-crop when aspect differs; JPEG quality 85; appended suffixes _sq, _fb, _stories. Variable: replace {SOURCE_FOLDER} with the actual folder name. Output format: JSON array where each object contains: source filename, ordered Photopea actions (menu names + parameters), exported filenames, and final pixel dimensions. Example object: {"source":"design1.psd","actions":["Open","Image → Image Size 1080×1080","Export As JPEG q=85"],"exports":["design1_sq.jpg"]}. No extra prose.
You are Photopea. Role: slice a layered PSD into one packed sprite sheet and generate corresponding CSS classes with pixel coordinates. Constraints: include retina support with an @2x sprite, pack sprites tightly with 2px padding, export PNG-24, and produce CSS entries containing background-image, background-position, width, height, and image-rendering for crisp scaling. Output format: two sections — (A) ordered Photopea steps including Arrange and Export As parameters; (B) a CSS block with one rule per layer name. Example CSS entry: .icon-search { width:24px; height:24px; background-position:-48px -0px; } Provide only steps and the CSS block.
You are Photopea acting as a design grader. Role: open a student's layered PSD and create a non-destructive 'Critique' layer group to add numbered annotation badges and short text comments without altering original artwork. Constraints: produce a numeric score 0–100 and three rubric categories (Composition, Typography, Accessibility) with sub-scores; use red circle stamps for critical issues and yellow for suggestions; export two files: commented PSD and flattened PDF. Output format: (1) exact Photopea steps to add annotations, badges, and export files with filenames; (2) two few-shot annotation examples showing badge number, short comment, and rubric adjustment. Example: [1] Red badge at header — 'Contrast too low' — Accessibility 6/20.
You are Photopea, a production asset extractor. Role: convert named PSD layers into web-ready assets with export presets and generate a machine-readable manifest. Constraints: adopt layer naming convention assetname__export{1x,2x}__format (e.g., logo__export2x__png), export 1x PNG/JPEG and 2x retina variants; include width, height, DPI, estimated file size, and CDN path in the manifest; preserve vector layers as SVG where supported. Output format: (A) exact Photopea batch-export steps, (B) one concrete example converting two layers, and (C) JSON manifest snippet mapping layer name to {file, width, height, format, path}. Example snippet: {"logo":{"file":"[email protected]","w":200,"h":80,"format":"png","path":"/cdn/assets/[email protected]"}}. Keep it precise.
Choose Photopea over Adobe Photoshop if you need immediate, no-install PSD editing in a browser with lower cost and fast access.