P: support for un-maximized PSDs

Yes, it is.

That size difference doesn't make sense to me. At that pixel size, a fully-rendered image even in 16 bit should be 62MB. In 8 bit, it should be half of that.

Hi Steve,

The maximized file is 208MB, the unmaximized file is 89MB. Pixel size is 2448 x 4288.

I organize in Lightroom, but do re-touching in Photoshop. It's not unusual to re-edit in Photoshop several times, so lightroom needs to be able to see the edited file.

Up until recently I didn't save the layers so compatability wasn;t a problem. But a new work flow has everything done in layers and saving them makes sense for future edits.

I can tolerate a few extra MB for compatibility, but a 120MB compatibility penalty is a lot.

It's worth noting that Adobe Illustrator can read the non-maximized file, though it collapses thd layers. Is it asking too much for Lightroom to do the same?

Just to make sure, what is an Un-maximized PSD? I assumed you meant a PSD saved without Maximize Compatibility turned on, right? To make LR see it you just turn on maximize compatibility when you save it. There is a preference to always, never or ask about this when you saev. Do you not know how to do this or have you decided you don't want to do this, or does it not work when you try it?

What are the dimensions in Pixels of the PSD? Do you need the PSD to work on in Photoshop after you edit a copy in LR, or is it just a stage in your workflow that isn't optimal, yet, and Photoshop won't need to see it, anymore after LR sees it?

The problem are layers! Lots and lots of app’s don’t support em. Probably only Photoshop if you consider all the differing layers, blend modes etc. A flattened version is required.

I tried compressed TIFF and it's still 170Mb (almost double the unmaximized PSD file) and it's incredibly slow (and that's on fast computer).

Again, I just don't see what the problem is with Adobe providing some compatibility with unmaximized files for two apps that are supposed to work closely together.

>Since TIFFs hold what PSDs with maximize on hold, maybe you could use TIFFs instead, and use one of the compression options. I don't know.

Exactly. That’s why I never use PSD and always TIFF. There’s nothing PSD provides, other than duotone support that TIFF doesn’t as far as I know. Add Zip compression, the files are smaller albeit slower to open and save. TIFF is an open format, vastly more compatible in other applications. PSD is a proprietary format. Why use PSD?

"Isn't the maximize option supposed to put a composite file in there for other apps to use?"

Yes.

"If so, why is it so big?"

I would guess because it's an uncompressed image.

Perhaps your request belongs in Photoshop, and it should be to have an option to include a JPEG in a PSD instead. Perhaps that would cause other interoperability problems.

Since TIFFs hold what PSDs with maximize on hold, maybe you could use TIFFs instead, and use one of the compression options. I don't know.

What Photoshop features could I use to allow LR to see the PSD? I need to edit the PSD from LR, but that's tough since LR can't see it.

It just seems amazing to me that LR can't see my PSDs unless they are more than twice as big as they need to be.

Isn't the maximize option supposed to put a composite file in there for other apps to use? If so, why is it so big?

A more imaginative request that will likely occur sooner and be more useful but still allow for accomplishing what you want would be to request an Import Plugin Framework for Lightroom or an Import Photoshop Action where a Photoshop droplet could be invoked to, in this case, add a composite layer to each incoming PSD. It would keep the bulk of Photoshop's processing out of LR, itself, but make it available to people who needed it. Right now droplets and plug-ins are only part of Ligthroom's Export processing.

Is there a reason you're insisting on Adobe adding a feature to LR instead of using existing features of Photoshop in your workflow to accomplish the same thing?

Not suggesting LR needs to decode Photoshop's complex layers. But LR could at a minimum show the file exists and perhaps Photoshop could put a composite file in the Unmaximized file to let LR present an image of what's in the file. I thought that what was what maximize did, but it shouldn;t take 100+MB to do so.

Right now maximized is 200+ MB, Unmazimized is 89MB. I'll settle for 90MB with a 1MB composite image. I would not expect LR to be able to make changes to the file.

It's ludicrous to waste 100+ MB just so LR can see it.