What image file formats does PhotoDemon support?

PhotoDemon opens and saves the common formats you'd expect from a photo editor, plus several that matter for cross-software work: Adobe Photoshop (PSD), Corel PaintShop Pro (PSP), and GIMP (XCF). If your workflow involves moving files between those programs, PhotoDemon can read them directly rather than forcing an export first. The site describes this as "expansive support for image files from other software," and recent releases have kept expanding it.

Formats confirmed by the developer

The PhotoDemon homepage and its release notes name these formats specifically:

The pattern here is worth noting: PhotoDemon tends to add or improve formats in response to real compatibility gaps. HEIF/HEIC support arrived in late 2024, which matters if you're working with photos from recent iPhones or other devices that default to that format. Legacy PCX support came in 2025.4, which is useful if you're dealing with older scanned or archived images.

What this means in practice

If you're deciding whether PhotoDemon fits your workflow, the format list answers a few concrete questions:

• You edit in Photoshop, GIMP, or PaintShop Pro and want a free portable option. PSD, XCF, and PSP support means you can open layered files from those programs without a conversion step. Whether every layer feature survives the round trip isn't specified on the site, so test with your own files before relying on it for critical work.
• You shoot HEIF/HEIC on a phone or newer camera. As of the 2024.12 release, you can import and export those files directly.
• You work with game textures or specialized images. DDS support was improved in 2025.12, which is relevant if you're editing textures rather than photographs.
• You have old archived images. PCX import/export since 2025.4 covers a format that most modern editors have dropped.

How to check a specific format

The homepage doesn't publish a complete format list, and the excerpt here only names the formats above. To confirm support for something not listed:

1. Download the current stable release (PhotoDemon 2025.12, a 22 MB zip) from the site's Download section.
2. Since it's portable, you can extract and run it without installing — useful for testing on a machine where you don't want to commit to a setup.
3. Try opening your file. If it loads, you're set; if not, the nightly builds on the download page may have newer format code.

The developer explicitly invites contact for missing languages, which suggests format requests are handled the same way — worth trying if you hit a gap.

A caveat on "supported"

The site says PhotoDemon supports these formats, but "support" can mean different things: reading only, writing only, or full round-trip editing with layers and metadata intact. The release notes distinguish between "import/export support" (HEIC, PCX) and "improved file format support" (DDS, JPEG-2000, PNG), which hints that the depth of support varies by format. For PSD, PSP, and XCF, the homepage groups them under general file support without specifying whether layer structures are preserved. If layered editing across programs is central to your work, verify with a test file rather than assuming parity with the original application.

For straightforward tasks — opening a HEIC photo, saving a PNG, converting a PSD for viewing — the format coverage is broad enough that you likely won't hit a wall.