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pdfconversionapi

PSB to TGA API

POST a .psb to /v2/convert/psb/to/tga to get a 32-bit Targa file as base64. The sample halves the banner with ImageWidth=192: 192 × 64 pixels after an 18-byte header, 49,170 bytes in all, alpha 255 throughout.

Endpoint
POST /v2/convert/psb/to/tga
Accepts
psb
Sample timing
91 ms median of 5 runsHow we measure
Request size
Up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files together

Request and response

Every sample below ran against the API before this page was published. Set PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY to your key and run it as is.

curl -sS -X POST \
  https://api.pdfconversionapi.com/v2/convert/psb/to/tga \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $PDFCONVERSIONAPI_KEY" \
  -F File=@ridge-loop-trail-banner.psb \
  --form-string ImageWidth=192 \
  -o response.json

# FileData is base64. Save the first file in converted/,
# or print the JSON error.
if jq -e '.Files' response.json > /dev/null; then
  mkdir -p converted
  name=$(jq -r '.Files[0].FileName' response.json)
  jq -r '.Files[0].FileData' response.json \
    | base64 --decode > "converted/$name"
else
  cat response.json
fi
200 OK91 ms median1 file, 48 KB
{
  "ConversionCost": 1,
  "ConversionTime": 0.091,
  "Files": [
    {
      "FileName": "ridge-loop-trail-banner.tga",
      "FileExt": "tga",
      "FileSize": 49170,
      "FileData": "AAACAAAAAAAAAAAAwABAACAo…"
    }
  ]
}

Response from our test run on 2026-11-03. ConversionTime shows the median of 5 runs. FileData is shortened here; the real response carries the whole file as base64.

The sample, converted

The same file the code sends. Download the input and the output and compare them yourself.

First page of ridge-loop-trail-banner.tga, rendered by the API
Input
ridge-loop-trail-banner.psb (171 KB)
Output
ridge-loop-trail-banner.tga (48 KB)
Source
A layered trail-map banner we drew for this site: 384 x 128 pixels at 16 bits per channel on an opaque Background layer, with seven layers including a smooth sky gradient and a hidden old route. Written in the large document (PSB) format by our own script from the published file format specification. (CC0-1.0). How it was made
Made by
2026-11-04, API build 9eeeb0640aba

Parameters

Send these as form fields next to the file. Names are case-insensitive. If you set one of the documented options below that we don't support yet, the request fails with a 400 that names it instead of returning a file made without it.

ParameterWhat it does
ImageWidthintegerTexture width; the height follows the banner's 3:1 shape. The sample's 192 gave 192 × 64. Scaling uses a Lanczos3 filter on the merged image.Values: 1–20000
ImageHeightintegerTexture height; together with a width, a bounding box.Values: 1–20000
ScaleProportionsboolean, default truefalse gives exactly the size asked for: 192 × 192 squeezed the banner into a square of 147,474 bytes.
ScaleIfLargerboolean, default falsetrue never scales a document up.
ScaleImageboolean, default truefalse crops from the top-left corner.
TransparentColorstringPixels of exactly this color get alpha 0. At full size #FFFFFF cut out the 295 white pixels of the label and markers; at the sample's 192 px, resizing leaves only 27 pixels exactly white, and only those were cut out.Values: #RRGGBB, R,G,B or a color name
ColorSpaceenum, default defaultgray stores gray values in the 32-bit layout, so the full-size file stays 196,626 bytes.Values: default, rgb, gray, monochrome; cmyk returns 400
FileNamestringBase name of the TGA file.
StoreFileboolean, default falsetrue returns a 3-hour link.

What carries over, and what doesn't

Kept

  • The visible layers, merged by the API; the hidden Old route stays out
  • An alpha channel in every file: 255 everywhere for this opaque banner, ready for TransparentColor keying
  • Top-left row order, stated in the header

Lost or not yet supported

  • 16-bit precision: TGA holds 8 bits per channel.
  • Compression. Pixels are stored raw, with no run-length option: the full-size banner is 196,626 bytes, the lossless WebP of it 16,340.
  • The 150 ppi setting, layers, and the TGA 2.0 footer.

Limits

  • One PSB per request.
  • Requests up to 10 MB on the Free plan or 100 MB on paid plans, all files and fields together.
  • Flattened documents up to 100,000,000 pixels, or 413.
  • Resize targets from 1 to 20,000 px per side.
  • Sides up to 65,535 px: a 70,000 × 2 test PSB returned 413 'TGA images can be at most 65,535 pixels on a side'; with ImageWidth=20000 it converted.
  • 120 seconds per conversion, then 504.
  • Our PSB tests use pixel layers, masks, groups and blend modes; type layers and layer effects are untested.

Where teams use it

Texture sheets kept as PSB

When a painted texture sheet is saved as PSB, a build step can turn it into a TGA at the size the engine needs, using ImageWidth and ImageHeight, without a manual export.

Background plates for compositing

Wide painted backdrops kept in PSB can go to compositing software that takes TGA, scaled down in the same request.

Questions

Why is there an alpha channel when my PSB is opaque?

The route always writes 32 bits per pixel. For an opaque document every alpha value is 255, so the texture looks the same in tools that use alpha and tools that ignore it.

Is the TGA compressed?

No. The route writes uncompressed true color (image type 2): 18 + 384 × 128 × 4 = 196,626 bytes for the full banner, 49,170 for the 192 px sample. All three readers we tried decoded the sample to the same pixels as the BMP route gives.

Can I keep 16 bits per channel?

Not in TGA. Use PSB to PNG or PSB to TIFF, which keep the banner's 16 bits.

Convert your first PSB file in a minute.