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Participating Frequently
May 22, 2024

P: Grouped smart objects become too large when saved

  • May 22, 2024
  • 4 replies
  • 718 views

Photoshop 25.7.0
Windows 10

Since some versions of Photoshop there has been a rather annoying problem that costs a lot of storage space and often exceeds the storage size of PSD files. Grouped smart objects become too large without recalculation!

 

The simplest case in which the error occurs for me is as follows:

 

  1. I open from ACR  3* RAW files from a Sony camera as smart objects in Photoshop and arrange them as  layers in one image.
  2. When I save this image with 3 layers it is 1.47GB in size
  3. If I group/create and save these 3 smart object layers as a new smart object, it can only be saved as a psb file and is 2.3GB in size.
  4. However, if I now open the smart object grouping once and open a smart object in it again in ACR and have it recalculated without any changes by closing it, I can then also put it back into the grouped smart object with a recalculation without any changes. When I save this image again it is only 1.77 GB in size.

 

So the problem is this: When smart objects are grouped into a new smart object, the image becomes far too large when saved. If you trigger a recalculation of the grouped smart object, for example by recalculating an inner smart object, it will become smaller again.

 

The problem also occurs when an inner smart object is just deleted. The problem can be reproduced at any time and has occurred since several older versions of Photoshop.

 

I would be very happy if this annoying problem could be solved.

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

Rick Spaulding -
Legend
June 19, 2024

Thanks again for the detective work, folks. We could reproduce it and filed it.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 19, 2024

Thank you! 

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 19, 2024

@jane-e , please forgive the intrusion but could you please change this thread from »Discussion« to »Bug«. 

 

I can reproduce @frankb76907269 ’s issue – when converting the three RAW Smart Objects to a new Smart Objects the resulting file is larger than after opening the new SO and saving it anew. 

The size difference seems to be pretty much the difference caused by saving the SO with and without compression. 

So it seems the original new SO is created without compression regardless of the Preferences setting, a subsequent saving honors the setting, though. 

jane-e
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 19, 2024
quote

@jane-e , please forgive the intrusion but could you please change this thread from »Discussion« to »Bug«. 

By @c.pfaffenbichler

 

 

Done!

 

Jane

 

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 6, 2024

I don’t follow your description. 

Could you please post screenshots with the pertinent Panels (Toolbar, Layers, Options Bar, …) visible to clarify? 

Participating Frequently
June 6, 2024

Yes.

c.pfaffenbichler
Community Expert
Community Expert
June 6, 2024

I cannot observe a noticable change in filesize when updating a Smart Object containg 3 cr2-files.