Can Photoshop Open WebP files?

As the world of digital media continues to evolve, so do the file formats used to store and transmit this media. One such file format is WebP, a relatively new format compared to the veteran JPG, which is slowly gaining popularity due to its smaller size and better compression.

Can Photoshop, the industry standard for image editing, open WebP files? The answer is yes, but with some nuances.

What is a WebP file?

WebP is an image file format developed by Google. WebP files are typically smaller than other image file formats, such as JPEG or PNG, but retain the same quality.

WebP files are an ideal format for images to be used on the web, where file size is often a concern and a major factor in page load time.

Advantages

WebP combines and perfects the best qualities of the JPEG and PNG formats by offering advanced lossy and lossless compression. This means that image file sizes are reduced without sacrificing image quality.

The main advantages of WebP are: it increases the performance of a website, saves bandwidth, improves search engine optimization, displays high quality images, and supports transparent and animated images.

WebP is an excellent choice for website designers who want to optimize image file size without sacrificing quality. It is compatible with WordPress and is ideal for improving the loading time of WordPress CMS pages.

Animated WebP

In addition to being a good substitute for JPG for static images, WebP is a format that can replace the GIF format, reducing the size by more than 60% compared to animated GIF if compressed lossy, and almost 20% if compressed lossless.

Disadvantages

WebP is an image format created with the aim of improving image quality without affecting size. All major web browsers support this format, such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, Microsoft Edge and Safari.

However, there are some software that still do not support this format, such as some viewers and image editing tools. Fortunately, Adobe has relatively recently solved the compatibility problem, allowing Photoshop users to work with this format without the need for plugins or converters. Definitely good news for many web designers who use Photoshop.

Can Photoshop Open WebP files?

Photoshop can open or save WebP files natively since version 23.2. To open WebP files in earlier versions you need to install the WebPShop plugin, downloadable from Github.

How to open WebP files in Photoshop?

WebP files can be opened like any other image file supported by Photoshop, as long as it is a version of the software equal to or later than 23.2.

How to save WebP files?

To save any image directly in WebP format, simply use the “Save As” option. Select the WebP format and check the desired quality options, then click on save.

What functions are available when opening WebP files in Photoshop?

This format can be edited just like other types of image files, such as JPG or PNG. However, the WebP format does not support saving layers, for that it is better to use other formats such as TIFF or PSD, although these are not supported by browsers.

How to convert a WebP file to another format?

Now that Photoshop can open WebP files, it is easy to save them as another format. To do this, you must first open the file in Photoshop. Then, choose the Save As option and select the desired format.

In addition, converters can be used to convert other image types to the WebP format. The online conversion tool Convertio can convert almost any file format and WebP is one of them.

What other software supports WebP files?

All major Internet browsers support this file. More and more image editing software is incorporating it as a standard due to its popularity and the advantages it offers to users.

The main image editing software that support the WebP format are Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, CorelDRAW, GIMP, Paint.NET and Microsoft Windows Photos. There are also several web applications that support the WebP format, such as Pixlr, SumoPaint and Canva.

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