What image and file formats do IMG.LY SDKs support?

Support tracks what each SDK is built to edit, which is why CE.SDK reads and writes the most formats, PE.SDK focuses on images, and VE.SDK on video. The sections below list import and export for each, then cover the gaps that come up most often.

CE.SDK

It reads and writes the widest range, since it edits images, video, audio, and page layouts in one engine.

For import, it accepts:

• Images: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, SVG, and BMP
• Video: MP4 and MOV (H.264 or H.265) and WebM (VP8, VP9, AV1)
• Audio: WAV, MP3, M4A, and the audio inside MP4 or MOV
• Animation: Lottie (JSON)
• Design files: IDML from InDesign, PSD from Photoshop, and PPTX from PowerPoint, plus its own scene and archive files

For export, it produces:

• Images: PNG, JPEG, WebP, and TGA
• Vector: SVG, with text saved as paths, which lets it display without the original fonts
• Print: PDF, with spot colors and an underlayer for print workflows
• Video: MP4 or MOV, using H.264, and H.265 where the platform supports it
• Audio: WAV, or AAC inside MP4
• Scene data: a scene file, or a single archive that bundles the scene with all of its assets

You can see the complete list on the file format support page, and the export options for how each output is configured.

PDF import is not part of the core. It runs through the @imgly/pdf-importer plugin, which converts a PDF into an editable scene with text, vector paths, images, and colors preserved. For setup and the cases customers hit, see does CE.SDK support PDF or EPS import. When you import from InDesign, export the file as IDML first, because it reads the IDML interchange format rather than the native INDD file. The import from InDesign guide walks through this. For any format outside the lists above, the Scene and Block APIs let you build a custom importer for anything you can parse in code.

Two points come up with video export. MP4 has no alpha channel, which means transparent areas render as black. Export also needs a browser that includes the required codecs: Firefox can edit video from version 130 but cannot export it, because it does not ship the H.264 and AAC encoders. The browser support page lists the versions.

PE.SDK

It works with standard raster photos. JPEG and PNG are supported across web, iOS, and Android, and are the formats to rely on for both input and output. On the web, export is limited to JPEG and PNG, because browsers do not include the encoders for other formats, as noted on the supported image formats page. On iOS and Android, it also reads HEIC and HEIF images from the device camera.

VE.SDK

It edits and exports video. Export produces MP4 or MOV, using H.264 or HEVC (H.265) compression, and MP4 is the default because it plays back the most widely across platforms, since MOV is Apple's own container. Export resolution and frame rate follow the video you load in, while the codec, bit rate, and container are configurable. See the save and export video guide for the options. For input, it reads common video files, including MP4 and MOV.

What is not supported

A few formats are asked about often and are not part of the SDKs.

• TIFF is not a supported input format on any of them. Convert a TIFF to PNG or JPEG before you bring it in. In CE.SDK, a custom importer built on the Scene and Block APIs is the other route.
• EPS import is not available. CE.SDK reads PDF through its plugin and exports to PDF, and other vector sources can go through a custom importer.
• GIF is import only in CE.SDK. It imports GIF images but does not export to GIF. For output, use MP4 or an image format instead.