How can I speed up Photoshop when editing very large layered files?
Asked 9/8/2020
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2 answers
0
I edit 60MP+ RAW files by doing initial adjustments in Lightroom, then finishing in Photoshop with around 10 layers. The resulting files are often 2–3GB, sometimes requiring Photoshop's large document format, and performance on my iMac becomes sluggish. Saving can take about 1.5 minutes even to a local SSD.
Is there a proxy-style workflow for stills, such as editing a downsized version and then applying those edits back to the full-resolution file later? If not, what settings or workflow changes can help Photoshop handle very large files more smoothly?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
5y ago
2 Answers
1
There are many parameters that you can tune to get the most out of your machine in Photoshop SOURCE
Some highlights from the official source above:
- Check the cache settings and make sure the settings are at optimum
- Reduce the number of history states
- Don't have any other program that can consume your available memory running in the background.
- Allocate separate space for your scratch disk
Originally by user67252. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user67252
5y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
There isn’t really a true proxy-editing workflow in Photoshop like in video editing for layered PSD/PSB files. Based on the advice shared, the practical way to improve speed is to optimize Photoshop and your system for large files.
Helpful steps include:
- Check Photoshop’s cache settings and make sure they’re set appropriately for large image editing.
- Reduce the number of history states, since keeping many undo steps uses extra memory and scratch space.
- Close other apps and background processes so Photoshop has as much RAM available as possible.
- Use a separate drive/location for the scratch disk if possible, rather than competing with the OS or other activity.
Since your files are extremely large, some slowdown is expected, especially with many layers and frequent saves. In general, the best gains come from memory/scratch-disk optimization and keeping the working environment as lean as possible while editing.
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