How to create a layered PSD file from command line?

Question

I need to create a layered PSD file with ImageMagick or any other command-line tool available on Linux platform. Since I need to do this on Linux server, I can't use Photoshop scripting.

The ImageMagick command below creates PSD file with a single layer, where two images (here: plasma fractals) are positioned one below another. (I use ImageMagick 6.5.3-10 2009-07-31 Q16, latest available in MacPorts.)

convert -size 100x100 plasma:fractal plasma:fractal -append out.psd

How do I create a PSD file where each image is in its own layer, and one layer is directly above another?

Or, is there any other command line tool that would allow me to do this?

Update: Any other options than GIMP command line?

Answer 1

Hello Alexander,

Here is some useful links to you:

• ImageMagick and PSD images with layers
• Some PSD Useful Notes
• Psd Layers - ImageMagick Forums

The second link is to use with PHP, but it executes ImageMagick, only use the commands, not the all PHP syntax, only the line of exec code.

Hope i'm helping you!

Answer 2

If ImageMagick won't work, I'd look at Gimp command line.

The following commands created a 2-layer PSD file for me in the interactive console:

> (gimp-image-new 200 200 0)
(1)
> (gimp-layer-new 1 200 200 0 "layer-1" 100 0)
(2)
> (gimp-layer-new 1 200 200 0 "layer-2" 100 0)
(3)
> (file-psd-save 0 1 0 "test.psd" "test.psd" 0 0)
> (gimp-image-add-layer 1 2 -1)
> (gimp-image-add-layer 1 3 -1)
> (file-psd-save 0 1 1 "test.psd" "test.psd" 0 0)

That would need to be converted into a script-fu script (.scm file) and could be executed from the command-line with something like this:

gimp -i -b '(your-script-name "test.psd" 200 200)' -b '(gimp-quit 0)'

Answer 3

You can use the -adjoin to combine an image sequence.

convert -size 100x100 -alpha set plasma:fractal -alpha set plasma:fractal -adjoin out.psd

• The alpha channels are needed for the PSD coder.
• The order of the images is bottom layer to top layer.
• There are a lot of compatibility issues with Photoshop and GIMP depending on the settings.

Using:

• ImageMagick 6.5.4-6
• Photoshop CS2