A group above your image
Your original layers are left untouched underneath, so hiding the group shows the original for comparison.
Split an Image into Layers in Photoshop
LayerGrab for Photoshop is a Photoshop plugin that splits an image into layers with AI: it turns the open document into separate, named pixel layers and adds them as one group above your image, so you can edit a flat picture as if it had been built in layers.
Photoshop 24.2 or laterOne undo stepNamed layer group
Install
Coming to the Adobe Creative Cloud Marketplace
In testing. It will be installed through the Adobe Creative Cloud Marketplace, where Get installs it into Photoshop for you. Meanwhile the web app exports a layered PSD you can open in Photoshop.
Step-by-step guide
From installing the plugin to your first layers. The pictures are simplified; the ringed numbers mark what to click.
1Open the panelOpen the panel from Plugins › LayerGrab. 
2Log in with GoogleThe first time, click Log in with Google in the panel. 
3Approve on layergrab.comYour browser opens layergrab.com. Sign in with Google if asked and click Approve. 
4Run the splitWith your image open, click Split into Layers. The panel shows each step and the seconds elapsed. 
5Edit the new groupA LayerGrab group appears at the top of the Layers panel, one named layer per element, in a single undo step.
How it works in Photoshop
1
Log in with Google
The first time, click Log in with Google in the panel. Your browser opens layergrab.com; sign in with Google and click Approve.
2
Open your image
Open the flat image in Photoshop as an 8-bit RGB document.
3
Click Split into Layers
Optionally type what to separate, then click the button. The panel shows each step and the seconds elapsed; it takes about a minute and Photoshop stays usable.
4
Edit the new group
A group named LayerGrab appears at the top of the layer stack with every element on its own named layer.
What it puts in your file
One undo step
The whole split is recorded as a single history state, so one Undo removes it completely.
Layers in place
Each element is placed at its original position and scaled to your document size, over a background with the hidden areas filled in.
Requirements
- Adobe Photoshop 24.2 (2023) or later, on Windows or macOS
- An 8-bit RGB document; convert other modes first
- A LayerGrab account with credits
- An internet connection while the split runs
When not to use it
- Recovering the original designer’s file: fonts, masks and effects are not restored.
- Keeping cast shadows: they are not separated and can look missing after you move an element.
- Editing text as type: text arrives as a pixel layer.
The plugin runs the same AI as the web app and uses the same account and credits. Want the layers as files instead of inside Photoshop? Export them as a layered PSD or single PNGs from the web app.
Frequently asked questions
Can Photoshop split an image into layers automatically?
Photoshop's own tools can select a subject or remove objects, but they do not take a whole flat image apart element by element with the background rebuilt. The LayerGrab plugin adds that as a single button inside Photoshop.
Does the plugin change my original layers?
No. It only adds a new group above them. Hide or delete the group to get back to exactly what you had.
Why does it need 8-bit RGB?
The AI works on 8-bit RGB images, and converting inside the plugin would silently change your document. If your file is CMYK or 16-bit, the panel tells you which menu item converts it.
Does it use the same credits as the web app?
Yes. You sign in once in the browser and the plugin uses the same account, plan and credits as layergrab.com.
Last updated 2026-09-29