What are PSD files for?

It allows you to edit the appearance to everything on the web design. You need photoshop to edit it. If you plan on changing the appearance of the web-design then you should but if you're not going to change it's appearance don't bother..

PSD files are layered with Photoshop. They are graphic files, templates. It means you can edit the PSD files, however you need Adobe Photoshop to edit PSD files.

Yeah, everyone is right. This is a way to basically charge people MORE. In the OLD days, they had html files designed with graphics to fill in the more difficult spots, like rounded corners, or complex graphics like pictures. THEN someone got the idea of creating a graphic OF the site, almost like a screenshot, slice it up, and through mapping images, and using HTML code, they can handle this picture like an old fashioned site. But that was kind of difficult. Photoshop is one of the programs that automates that.

But there is a DIFFICULT problem! Suppose that you want/need to change a photo, or font? it is VERY difficult! You would have to restore the background to cover the old info, ln the old graphic, put a new photo on, and slice it up just so. Well, Photoshop makes that a walk in the park ******IF****** you have the PSD!

The PSD, like everyone said, is LAYERED! If you have IT, and photoshop, you click on the old photo, hit delete, put the new photo on, tell it how to slice it, press a button, and BANG! Instead of taking HOURS to do an OK job, it is seconds to do a GOOD job.

But if the graphic designers give you the PSD, they can lose work, so they sometimes want to charge a LOT for it. If you don't want to do that, they are only so happy to give you the sliced version for a lower price. They KNOW you will likely be back!

Steve

I would actually have an up front agreement that if you are not satisfied with the work, you get at least one redesign. My wife has been a web designer since 2000, and this is what she offers her clients. The reason why I urge you to negotiate a redesign, is because design is subjective, and Photoshop is not an easy program for a casual designer to use. Trust me on this

Nonetheless, if you have the PSD files, you essentially have all layers of the design, which can be resigned. However, as indicated above, you need to have Photoshop, which is about $150-$180 for a decent version of the program.

Even if you do not have photoshop yourself, if you EVER want to hire anyone to make revisions, or do a redesign, or change something subtle, they will need the PSD

My advice: GET IT

If your design comes with a logo and you have the PSD file (and photoshop) you can open up the PSD file, find the layer with the words and change them to whatever you want.

So for example, if you buy a blog about Yachting. The designer created a logo with the words YachtingOnline on it. The logo features the name on a yacht riding the waves with the sun behind. But you want the logo to say I Love Yachts. If you have the PSD file you can change this easily.

The PSD file may have 4 layers:

The background
The image of the yacht
The words "YachtingOnline"
The image of the sun

Here's what you do:

Open up photoshop > open the PSD file in photoshop > select the layer with the words > click the type button > highlight the words > replace them with I Love Yachts > save.

You now have a new logo.

If you kept the same filename (like logo.png) all you need to do is upload it your site and the logo will change from the one the designer made to the one you created.

P.S you can download a trial of photoshop for and use it for free for 30days.

**********

I also suggest to get the psd files... you can use it to edit your site...in case.

The real value of having the PSD files is that if your designer gets hit by a truck, you can outsource the work to a different designer.

ALWAYS get the PSD files.