What does the converter keep from a .clip file?
The PSD keeps the layer structure you see in Clip Studio’s Layer palette, with each raster layer’s pixels at full size.
| In the .clip file | In the PSD |
|---|---|
| Raster layers | Pixel layers with their names, in the same order |
| Layer folders | Groups, closed or open as they were |
| Blend modes | The same Photoshop mode; Through becomes Pass Through |
| Opacity and hidden layers | Kept |
| Clip to Layer Below | Clipping masks, including clipping to a folder |
| Layer masks | Layer masks, with disabled and unlinked masks kept as they were |
| Lock transparent pixels | Lock transparency |
| Paper layer and color fill layers | Solid pixel layers in the same colour |
| Text, vector and gradient layers | Pixel layers, as Clip Studio rendered them |
| Draft layers | Included but hidden, so they stay out of the flattened image |
| Resolution | The file’s dpi |
| Canvas over 30,000 px | Saved as PSB |
The PNG is the whole artwork flattened at the canvas size, made from the layers with the same blend modes, clipping and masks.
What doesn’t it convert yet?
This is a beta, and some parts of the .clip format are not read:
- Adjustment layers (Tone Curve, Levels, Hue/Saturation/Luminosity, Brightness/Contrast, Color Balance and others) are left out of both the PSD and the PNG. The notes list them by name so you can add them again in Photoshop.
- Layer effects such as Border are not included.
- Editable text and vectors. Text and vector layers come through as pixels.
- 3D layers, frame border folders, animation timelines and multi-page works are not supported. We have not tested files with them.
- Monochrome (1-bit) layers are not read yet and come through empty.
- Add (Glow) and Glow Dodge are saved as Add and Color Dodge, which can make glows look different.
If a file doesn’t open or looks wrong, the problem is on our side, not yours. The conversion still gives you the layers it could read.
How do I open a .clip file without Clip Studio Paint?
Drop it on this page and download the PSD. A .clip file is Clip Studio Paint’s own format, and the usual photo and painting apps don’t read it, but they all read PSD. Photoshop is one of them: native .clip support was requested on Adobe’s feature request forum in June 2025 and is still an open request. Open the PSD in Photoshop, Photopea, GIMP, Krita, Affinity, Procreate or Clip Studio Paint itself.
This is also the way to check a .clip file someone sent you, or to get the layers out of an old file when you no longer have a Clip Studio licence.
How do I save a PSD from Clip Studio Paint itself?
If you do have Clip Studio Paint, use File > Save Duplicate > .psd (Photoshop Document). Clip Studio’s manual says Save Duplicate keeps the layers for .psd and .psb, and shows a dialog where you choose the exported layers, the colour mode and the ICC profile (Clip Studio Paint manual, Save file). File > Export (Single Layer) flattens the image instead. Since version 1.12.0, Save Duplicate can also keep text layers as editable text when you tick Text in that dialog (Clip Studio tips, keep your text layers intact).
Clip Studio’s own export renders effects and adjustment layers, so it is the better choice when you have the app. This page is for when you don’t.
How does it read a .clip file?
A .clip file is a chunked container whose header reads CSFCHUNK. One chunk is an SQLite database with the canvas size, resolution, the layer tree and a small preview image. The layer pixels sit in other chunks as a grid of 256 by 256 pixel tiles, each compressed with zlib. The page reads the database with a small built-in SQLite reader, decodes the tiles of each layer and writes the PSD with the same PSD writer as the toPSD Procreate converter. The format notes come from the open-source clip_to_psd project (MIT licence), checked against real files.
How was it tested?
On 15 October 2026 we converted two openly licensed .clip files:
| File | Canvas | Layers | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feature test file from the clip_to_psd project | 928 x 647, 72 dpi | 111 layers in 12 folders, every blend mode | Flattened PNG differs from the image Clip Studio itself exported by 2.7 levels out of 255 per channel on average (about 1%); the visible gaps are the 6 adjustment layers and a border effect |
| Sample illustration from the clipstudio.js project | 2894 x 4093, 350 dpi, 87 MB | 52 layers in 10 folders | Flattened PNG, scaled down, differs from the 723 x 1023 preview stored in the file by 4.3 levels out of 255 on average (under 2%); 2 adjustment layers left out |
Both PSDs were read back with an independent PSD reader to check every layer’s name, blend mode, opacity, clipping and mask, and the pixels of a sample layer.