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MahaB82A
August 4, 2024
Answered

Canvas Size

  • August 4, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 641 views

This may be a Math. How to calculate this. 

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer Conrad_C

You cannot calculate it using Canvas Size as shown, because to work out the file size, you must know how the pixel dimensions of the image, so Width and Height must be set to pixels.

 

I determined the specs using Image Size. If a document of those dimensions in cm is set to 72 ppi, then it will have a 51.3MB file size if it is set to 8 bits per channel.

 

 

The math is not specific to Photoshop, it works in all digital image editing in any application. If compression and layers are not involved, the file size is always:

Number of pixels wide

times

Number of pixels tall

times

Bits per channel

times

Number of channels

 

If a document is

182.88cm wide

121.92cm tall

set to

72 ppi

then it is

5184 x 3456 px

which equals

143,327,232 bits

times 3 RGB channels, which equals

429,981,696 bits, which equals 53,747,712 bytes,

or around 54MB

…which is close to the file size shown at the top of your Canvas Size screen shot.

(I haven’t worked out why it’s more than your 51.3MB unless your actual pixel dimensions are different than my educated guess of 5184 x 3456 px)

2 replies

Conrad_C
Community Expert
Conrad_CCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
August 4, 2024

You cannot calculate it using Canvas Size as shown, because to work out the file size, you must know how the pixel dimensions of the image, so Width and Height must be set to pixels.

 

I determined the specs using Image Size. If a document of those dimensions in cm is set to 72 ppi, then it will have a 51.3MB file size if it is set to 8 bits per channel.

 

 

The math is not specific to Photoshop, it works in all digital image editing in any application. If compression and layers are not involved, the file size is always:

Number of pixels wide

times

Number of pixels tall

times

Bits per channel

times

Number of channels

 

If a document is

182.88cm wide

121.92cm tall

set to

72 ppi

then it is

5184 x 3456 px

which equals

143,327,232 bits

times 3 RGB channels, which equals

429,981,696 bits, which equals 53,747,712 bytes,

or around 54MB

…which is close to the file size shown at the top of your Canvas Size screen shot.

(I haven’t worked out why it’s more than your 51.3MB unless your actual pixel dimensions are different than my educated guess of 5184 x 3456 px)

MahaB82A
MahaB82AAuthor
August 5, 2024

Thanks.

D Fosse
Community Expert
Community Expert
August 4, 2024

Photoshop's native unit is the pixel. Physical sizes are derived from whatever ppi (pixels per inch) number is assigned. Ppi is a way to translate from pixels into physical measurements, but Photoshop itself works only with pixels.

 

If you get into the habit of thinking in pixels and setting up your documents by pixels, everything becomes much simpler. Then megapixel count is just width x height.

MahaB82A
MahaB82AAuthor
August 4, 2024

There are many YouTube videos about canvas & Image size but those are conviently slient about calculating the size.