Supported photo formats
Every file type the order workspace accepts, the 500 MB limit per file, when a preview appears, and what happens to a file that is not added.
The order workspace takes the file types listed below, straight from your camera or your editing software. An empty order shows the short version in its upload area: JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF, PSD and camera RAW (CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG and more). Up to 500 MB per file. If your account has a photo limit per order, the same line ends with, for example, This project holds up to 500 photos.
Everyday image formats
| Format | Extensions |
|---|---|
| JPEG | jpg, jpeg |
| PNG | png |
| WebP | webp |
| Bitmap | bmp |
| Apple HEIF / HEIC (iPhone) | heic, heif |
Layered and print formats
| Format | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Photoshop document | psd |
| TIFF | tiff, tif |
Camera RAW
| Camera brand | Extensions |
|---|---|
| Canon | cr2, cr3, crw |
| Nikon | nef |
| Sony | arw, sr2, srf |
| Samsung | srw |
| Panasonic | rw2 |
| Fujifilm | raf |
| Olympus | orf |
| Hasselblad | 3fr |
| Sigma | x3f |
| Adobe DNG (used by many cameras and by Lightroom) | dng |
There is no need to convert a RAW file to JPEG or TIFF before you upload it.
Sidecar files
| Format | Extensions |
|---|---|
| XMP sidecar | xmp, xmp.zip |
An .xmp sidecar carries the develop settings you applied to a RAW file. Safari renames a sidecar to .xmp.zip while uploading, and that name is accepted as well. A sidecar never counts as a photo. See RAW files and XMP sidecars.
When a preview appears
Every photo gets a preview in the workspace — RAW and PSD files included — but the preview is made on our side after the upload finishes, so it can take a few seconds. The page checks for it by itself; you do not need to reload.
- JPG, PNG and WebP show a quick, smaller preview straight away and swap in the finished one when it is ready.
- RAW, PSD and the other formats show a grey tile with the file extension while their preview is being made, for example
.CR3withNo previewunderneath. The tile turns into the photo once the preview is ready. - In the Table view, a photo whose size has not been read yet shows
Reading pixels…instead of its width and height. - If a preview cannot be made, the tile says
Preview could not be generated; if it was made but cannot be loaded,Preview unavailable.
None of these is an upload problem. The file itself is stored in full, it is counted and charged like any other photo, and your editor works from the original. You can still open it, leave a note and mark areas on it: in the photo viewer a RAW file shows This file type can’t be shown in the browser. Notes and marked areas still work and use the original file’s pixels.
Rules and limits
- 500 MB per file. The limit is per file, not per order.
- Files are checked as you add them. A file that cannot be taken is not quietly dropped: it is listed on the page under a heading such as
1 file was not added, with the reason next to its name, and a message says1 file was not added. See the list on the page.The rest of your selection keeps uploading.- Wrong type:
Not added. This file type isn’t supported. - Too big:
Not added. Files can be up to 500 MB.
- Wrong type:
- Every file you add lands in Photos to edit first. To use one as a free example instead, move it into Reference images — see Reference images.
- The file picker only offers the extensions on this page. Dragging files onto the page accepts anything, and the check above sorts out what cannot be used.
- Your account may also have a limit on photos per order, shown in the workspace header as, for example,
12 / 500 photos. See My upload fails or is slow for what happens when an order is full.