Convert PSD to SAI

PaintTool SAI users often receive layered artwork as Photoshop .psd files but need a native project for painting and editing in SAI. The reliable conversion path is to open the PSD in PaintTool SAI and save a separate SAI-format working copy.

PSD and SAI formats

PSD is Adobe Photoshop’s native project format. It is used by Photoshop and many illustration, design, print, and game-art workflows because it can retain raster layers, groups, transparency, text, vector shapes, Smart Objects, adjustment layers, masks, blend modes, paths, color profiles, and other Photoshop-specific data.

SAI is the native editable format of PaintTool SAI version 1. It retains the canvas and SAI-supported layers, opacity, transparency, blend modes, and SAI editing data; it is useful for continuing work with SAI brushes and layer tools. PaintTool SAI 2 also uses .sai2; use .sai when the recipient specifically needs compatibility with SAI version 1.

A SAI file is not an interchange format equivalent to PSD. It can preserve only the features that PaintTool SAI supports, and its file size is not predictably smaller than the source PSD.

Convert a PSD in PaintTool SAI

1. Keep the original PSD unchanged and work from a duplicate.
2. Before importing, make the duplicate an 8-bit RGB document if necessary. In Photoshop, use Image → Mode → RGB Color and Image → Mode → 8 Bits/Channel, then save the duplicate as a PSD.
3. In PaintTool SAI, choose File → Open and select the .psd file.
4. Inspect the imported image at 100% zoom. Check the canvas size, layer order, transparency, clipping relationships, opacity, blend modes, and the appearance of areas that used masks, effects, text, or Smart Objects.
5. Choose File → Save As. In SAI version 1, select SAI (*.sai), use a new filename such as painting-sai-working-copy.sai, and save. In SAI version 2, save as .sai2 unless a .sai copy is specifically required and offered by the installed version.
6. Close and reopen the saved file to verify its layers and rendered appearance.

PaintTool SAI is the preferred final conversion tool. It writes its own native project format directly; a raster export followed by import should be used only when a flattened result is acceptable.

Prepare PSD files that do not import cleanly

PaintTool SAI may reject or misread CMYK, Lab, indexed-color, high-bit-depth, unusually large, or feature-heavy PSD files. Open the PSD in Photoshop, Affinity Photo, Krita, or the browser-based Photopea editor, make an RGB 8-bit copy, and simplify unsupported content before retrying in SAI.

Rasterize or merge Smart Objects, text that must retain its appearance, adjustment layers, layer styles, and complex vector content. Apply or bake layer masks when their result matters. Preserve the original layered PSD because rasterizing these items removes Photoshop-specific editability.

For a one-layer SAI project, export the source artwork as a PNG, open the PNG in PaintTool SAI, and save it as .sai or .sai2. PNG preserves the visible raster image and transparency but discards the PSD layer stack.

Online services that advertise direct PSD-to-SAI conversion should be treated as flattened-image converters unless they explicitly document preservation of PaintTool SAI layers and their output has been tested. Photopea is a practical online option for preparing a compatible PSD or exporting PNG, but the final native save should be performed in PaintTool SAI. Do not upload confidential artwork to a web service without reviewing its retention and privacy terms.

Compatibility limits

Photoshop text, Smart Objects, linked assets, adjustment layers, layer styles, vector shapes, advanced masks, and Photoshop-only blend modes do not map reliably to SAI. They may be flattened, ignored, rasterized, or rendered differently while remaining as separate layers.

Review blend-heavy artwork visually, particularly groups using Photoshop’s Pass Through behavior and modes such as Linear Light, Vivid Light, or Color Dodge. SAI supports a different blend-mode set and may render clipped layers or group compositing differently.

Keep the PSD as the archival master when it contains Photoshop-specific editable content. Treat the SAI file as a PaintTool SAI working copy, not as a lossless replacement for the PSD.