How to import a layered Photoshop file into a video editor

Bring the .psd into Video by Zaweba as you would any picture, then right-click it and choose Place the layers on separate tracks. Each layer goes onto its own video track, keeping its opacity and blend mode, so you can animate the parts of your design separately. If you just want the finished picture, leave it as it is: a .psd imports as one flattened image.

Designers often build title cards, thumbnails and lower thirds in Photoshop or a similar app, and then the video editor needs to make them move. Having every layer arrive as a separate clip is what makes that possible. The headline can slide in while the background fades up and the logo pops in last.

What works and what to check

Video by Zaweba reads 8-bit RGB and greyscale .psd files. If your file is in another mode, such as CMYK for print or 16 bits per channel, convert it to 8-bit RGB in your image editor before importing.

Each layer's opacity and blend mode come across. Video by Zaweba has all 26 standard blend modes, so multiply, screen, overlay and the rest look as they did in the design. Live text layers and layer effects from Photoshop are not described in the facts here, so expect to see each layer's picture rather than editable text. If a word needs changing often, make it a title in Video by Zaweba instead.

Illustrator .ai and EPS files are drawn too, and SVG files can come in as shapes or as masks, so vector logos have a route in as well.

From layered file to moving card

Prepare the file. Name the layers clearly, since you will be finding them on the timeline. Merge layers that should always move together, and keep separate the parts you want to animate on their own.

Import the .psd. It arrives in the media bin as one picture.

Right-click it and choose Place the layers on separate tracks. Each layer lands on its own video track as a separate clip, carrying its opacity and blend mode.

Animate. Select a layer's clip and use the Inspector. Position, scale, rotation, opacity and crop can all be keyframed with the stopwatch and diamond buttons, and eases such as ease in and ease out make movement feel natural. For quick entrances, Animate in and out is available on any picture clip.

Group or nest when it is done. Select all the layer clips and choose Clip > Nest (Ctrl+Alt+N). The design becomes a single clip you can place anywhere, trim, or reuse, and nested pictures keep their transparency so it still sits over your footage.

Designing layers that animate well

Design at video size. A 1920 by 1080 canvas for a 1080p project means layers land where you expect, at the size you expect.

Leave room for movement. A layer that slides in from the edge needs to start outside the frame. Keep the full shape of each element on its layer rather than cropped to the canvas.

Stagger the timing. Moving everything at once looks flat. Offsetting each layer's keyframes by a few frames gives a card depth and a sense of order.

Keep the original. If the design changes, re-import the updated .psd and place its layers again, or replace single layer clips with Replace with the selected bin file.

When to build it in Video by Zaweba instead

For simple text and shapes, a Graphic with layers built in the app can be quicker than a round trip through Photoshop. It holds any number of text and shape layers in one clip, with a layer list in the Inspector, and the text stays editable. Use .psd import when the design leans on photographs, textures or painted work that is easier to make in an image editor.

Video by Zaweba is free software that runs offline on Windows, with no account and no upload of your design files.