Vector conversion
Convert AI to PSD
Updated Jul 2026
AI is the vector format Illustrator uses for logos and artwork built from paths, and PSD is Photoshop's native raster format. To convert AI to PSD, open the file in a converter and export it as PSD, rasterizing the artwork into pixels at the size you set. Doing that on your own computer keeps the file off other people's servers.
- Extension
- .ai
- Type
- Vector
- Typically
- Illustrator files
- Transparency
- None
- Extension
- .psd
- Type
- Images
- Typically
- Photoshop files
- Transparency
- Supported
- Metadata
- Carries EXIF
Convert AI to PSD on your own computer. Nothing uploads.
How to convert AI to PSD
- Open Morphjet and drag in the AI file, or a whole folder of them, to convert several at once.
- Choose PSD as the output format and pick the size or resolution you want the artwork rasterized at.
- Convert. The PSD is written next to your original AI file, and nothing leaves your machine.
AI vs PSD: what actually changes
| AI | PSD | |
|---|---|---|
| Editable as vector paths | Yes, scalable paths and text | No, flattened into pixels |
| Scales without quality loss | Yes, no fixed resolution | No, locked to the size you export at |
| File size | Usually small, geometry only | Larger, especially at high resolution |
| Transparency | Yes | Yes |
| Layers | Yes, Illustrator layers and artboards | Often flattened to one layer, depending on the converter |
| Opens in | Illustrator, or apps with Illustrator support | Photoshop, and most image editors |
When to convert, and when not to
Convert AI to PSD when you need to bring vector artwork into Photoshop to composite it with photos, add pixel based effects, or hand it to someone who only has Photoshop.
Keep the original AI file if you still need to edit the paths, resize the artwork without quality loss, or reopen it in Illustrator later, since a PSD can't be turned back into clean vector shapes.
Why not just use an online converter?
Illustrator files often hold client logos, unreleased packaging, or branding work that hasn't shipped yet. Uploading one to convert it means that artwork sits on someone else's server, even if only briefly. Converting on your own computer keeps the file, and whatever it's for, private to your machine.
Questions
Does converting AI to PSD lose the vector paths?
Yes. PSD is a pixel format, so the paths, shapes, and text in the AI file get rasterized into pixels at the size you choose. You can still edit those pixels in Photoshop, but you can't get the original vector shapes back from the PSD.
What size should I export the PSD at?
Pick a size based on how you'll use the image, and lean larger rather than smaller. A PSD can't be scaled up later without losing sharpness, the way the original AI file could.
Does the PSD keep transparency?
Yes. Areas outside the artwork stay transparent in the PSD, so it drops cleanly onto other backgrounds in Photoshop.
Will my Illustrator layers carry over?
That depends on the converter. Many flatten the artwork into a single layer during rasterization, so if you need separate layers in Photoshop, check that before you convert your only copy.
Can I convert AI to PSD without uploading the file?
Yes. A desktop app like Morphjet rasterizes the artwork on your own computer, so the file never gets sent anywhere. It works the same with the network off.
Morphjet converts AI, PSD, and 1,800+ other formats, all on your machine. Launching this July.