Convert PSD to AVI

A legacy Windows editor or playback device may accept AVI but not a layered Photoshop document. Convert the PSD to a video of one still image, or prepare a sequence of frames if the content needs motion.

What PSD is

PSD is Adobe Photoshop’s native image format. It stores an editable composite along with elements such as layers, masks, text, and adjustment data; graphic designers and photographers use it to preserve work for further editing. PSD files do not define frame timing or motion, and other editors may not preserve every Photoshop feature.

What AVI is

AVI is a Microsoft video container used by legacy Windows applications, media players, and editing workflows. It can contain video encoded with different codecs, so the .avi extension alone does not guarantee playback compatibility. MPEG-4 Part 2 is a practical compressed choice when the target supports it; uncompressed AVI takes much more storage.

Convert a PSD to AVI

Use Photoshop to prepare the image and FFmpeg to encode the AVI. This works for a still image or for a sequence of exported frames; AniTuner is not a general-purpose PSD-to-AVI exporter.

1. Open the PSD in Photoshop, make the intended layers visible, and set the canvas to the target video dimensions. Add a background layer if transparent areas should not appear black or otherwise be handled by the video player.
2. Export the visible composite as a PNG with File → Export → Export As. Save it as frame.png. PNG preserves the image without introducing JPEG artifacts.
3. Install FFmpeg and run this command for a five-second, 30-fps clip, changing the duration, frame rate, and filename as needed:
   ffmpeg -loop 1 -framerate 30 -i "frame.png" -t 5 -vf "pad=ceil(iw/2)*2:ceil(ih/2)*2" -c:v mpeg4 -q:v 3 -pix_fmt yuv420p "output.avi"

The padding filter makes frame dimensions even for the selected 4:2:0 pixel format. To create motion, export each intended composition as a same-sized PNG, named consecutively, such as frame_0001.png, frame_0002.png, and so on. Encode the sequence with ffmpeg -framerate 24 -i "frame_%04d.png" -c:v mpeg4 -q:v 3 -pix_fmt yuv420p "output.avi"; each image becomes one frame, so the frame rate determines playback speed.

Quality and compatibility

AVI encoding flattens the PSD, and yuv420p does not preserve transparency. MPEG-4 Part 2 is lossy; lower -q:v values generally produce higher quality and larger files. Confirm that the receiving application supports the selected codec and frame dimensions, since AVI does not specify a single video codec.