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Question

16 bit vs. 8 bit Massive file

Forum|Forum|7 years ago
September 17, 2018
2 replies
887 views

I am working on a layered art project, much of which is heavily blended with a multitude of colors . I am working in 16 bit mode and my file may have end up with many 150 layers. Unfortunately the file size is getting unwieldy , so I an wondering if there is it really matters to the output if I continue to work in 16 bit mode. Working in 8 bit mode will cut the file size in half, speed my work flow and make my life easier.

Any thought from those of you who have worked on large file projects?

File specs are:

PSB file,

16 bit mode

9000 X 8000 pixel aspect ratio

56 layers and growing

OSX

iMac Pro 2016

32 Gigs of RAM

22 Gigs allotted to Photoshop

Using Graphic Processor

2 Scratch disks

:SSD Drive with 434 GB of Free Space

:7200 RPM Drive with 1.2 TB

This topic has been closed for replies.

gener7

Community Expert

One important thought: Keep incremental dated backups of this file. Set up Time Machine, use an external drive, or even cloud storage.

Complex files can get corrupted, and having those spares saves you from having to recreate the whole project again and especially if there is a deadline.

This is a very common problem with Ps users who ask if we know how to recover a broken file. Don't wait until it bites you.

SanpanzaAuthor

Known Participant

Hi gener7, thank you for your advice. I am not yet having BIG issues with the file but in the previous two projects, I had problems slowing down my work flow so PS could process very slowly; even tiny commands. I will heed your advise and do incremental backups and reset my preferences. The cross my fingers.

The main issue I was having was that when I flattened or did save copy to layer the image would change. I suspect because I had a speckled (stars) background. It has also started slowing down on small commands.

Currently the file size is 373M/4.25 GB and when I just get info on the file it says it is 1.58 GB. I take this to mean that if I flattened the image it would be 373M Megabytes and while it is open with all the layers active it is 4.25 GB.

D Fosse

Community Expert

Sanpanza wrote
The main issue I was having was that when I flattened or did save copy to layer the image would change.

This is normal with very noisy images such as e.g. a starry night sky. It's an artifact caused by on-screen scaling when you are not viewing at 100%. The preview is incorrect and when the calculation is performed on the full image data, you see a change. It is important to always judge previews at 100%, which maps exactly one image pixel to one screen pixel.

This effect is only an issue with very sharp pixel transitions. In a normal photograph you don't see it.

D Fosse

Community Expert

No, don't do that. Going to 8 bits means you'll see a lot of banding in gradients.

It's a big file, but not that big. Your system shouldn't have problems with this. Something else must be going on.

The prime suspect is usually the video driver. Try different settings and see if they make a difference. Also, disable any third-party plugins you may have.

It never hurts to try a preferences reset. Corrupt preferences may cause all sorts of diffuse problems.

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