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Photo Editor (Layers, Masks & PSD)

Layer-based photo editor in your browser: layer masks, adjustment layers, groups, layer styles, healing brush, content-aware fill, free transform, pen tool and curves. Opens and saves PSD; exports PNG, JPG, WebP and more. Nothing is uploaded.

Overview

A layer-based photo editor that runs entirely in your browser. It has layers, groups and layer masks, adjustment layers, 27 blend modes, layer styles, a healing brush, content-aware fill, free transform and warp, a pen tool, curves per channel, and PSD import and export. Images are never uploaded.

How It Works

Drop, paste or open a JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or PSD file, or start a blank canvas from a size preset such as 1080 x 1080 or 1920 x 1080. Pick a tool from the left toolbar or press its shortcut key, and set its size, hardness, tolerance or font in the options bar above the canvas. The Layers panel adds, duplicates, reorders, hides, locks and merges layers. Adjustments preview live on the active layer and only take effect when you click Apply. Export PNG, JPG, WebP, AVIF, GIF, BMP, TIFF, ICO or a layered PSD, in several sizes at once, or save a .cruxphoto project that keeps every layer.

Step-by-Step Usage Guide

  1. Drop an image onto the editor, paste one with Ctrl+V, or choose File, New canvas and pick a size preset.
  2. Add layers from the Layers panel and set each layer's blend mode, opacity, visibility and lock.
  3. Paint, select, clone, fill or add text and shapes with the toolbar tools and their shortcut keys.
  4. Open an item from the Adjust menu, tune the sliders while watching the live preview, then click Apply.
  5. Crop or resize from the Image menu, then export a PNG, JPG or WebP, or save a .cruxphoto project to keep layers.

Technical Specifications & Standards

Each layer is a full-size RGBA pixel buffer, and edits never change a buffer in place: a brush stroke produces a new buffer for that one layer while every other layer is shared with the previous state. That is how the 30-step undo history stays affordable, and why the History panel can jump to any earlier step. Layers are composited with the browser's own canvas blend modes, so Multiply, Screen, Overlay, Soft Light, Difference, Hue, Color and Luminosity look the same on screen as in the exported file. Brush strokes track per-pixel coverage, so overlapping dabs inside one stroke never build up past the stroke opacity, matching how Photoshop brushes behave. Blur, curves, sharpen and the other adjustments run in a Web Worker on large images, which keeps the page responsive during the live preview. Selections are 8-bit masks, so adjustments, fills and the eraser stay inside the selected area. Text layers stay editable until you paint on them, at which point they become pixels. A .cruxphoto file is a ZIP of a JSON manifest plus one lossless PNG per layer, and the last project is autosaved to this browser's IndexedDB so a closed tab can be restored.

Targeted Use Cases

  • Retouching a product photo by cloning out dust and blemishes with the clone stamp.
  • Building a YouTube thumbnail or Open Graph image from photos, text layers and shapes.
  • Correcting exposure, white balance and contrast on a phone photo with levels and curves.
  • Cutting a subject out manually with the lasso and eraser to export a transparent PNG.
  • Making quick edits on a work laptop or Chromebook where installing Photoshop or GIMP is not allowed.
  • Pixelating faces or licence plates inside a selection before sharing a screenshot.

Notes & Gotchas

  • Save a .cruxphoto project before exporting if you may want to change layers or text later, because PNG, JPG and WebP exports are flattened.
  • Put retouching and text on separate layers so you can hide, lower the opacity of, or delete a change without undoing everything after it.
  • Use PNG or WebP when you need transparency; JPG has no alpha channel and fills transparent areas with the colour you choose.
  • Make a selection first when an adjustment, fill or blur should only affect part of the image.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can this photo editor do, and what can it not do?

It covers the common editing tasks: layers, groups, layer masks, clipping masks, adjustment layers, layer styles, healing and spot healing, content-aware fill, free transform, warp and liquify-style edits, the pen tool and PSD files. It does not do RAW development, CMYK or 16-bit editing, AI generative fill or subject selection, and it works on 8-bit sRGB images.

Are my photos uploaded to a server?

No. Decoding, editing and exporting all happen in your browser with the canvas API and a local Web Worker. The autosave copy is stored in this browser's IndexedDB on your own device and is never sent anywhere.

Can I keep my layers and come back later?

Yes. File, Save project downloads a .cruxphoto file, a ZIP holding every layer as a lossless PNG with its name, opacity, blend mode, lock state and editable text. Open it again later from File, Open. The last session is also autosaved and offered for restore when you return.

How many undo steps are there?

The history keeps the last 30 steps, and the History panel lists them so you can click straight back to any one. Unchanged layers are shared between steps, so long sessions on large images use far less memory than 30 full copies.

What is the largest image I can edit?

Up to 8192 pixels on a side and about 50 megapixels in total. Larger files are scaled down to fit when opened, and the status bar says so. Very large images with many layers need a desktop browser with plenty of memory.

How do I use the clone stamp?

Choose the clone stamp or press S, Alt+click the area you want to copy from, then paint over the area to cover. The source follows your brush at the same offset, and Alt+click again sets a new source. On touch screens the first tap sets the source.

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