Ghosting? Remnants of closed files showing in new file

Question

I have created a new file, the only one open, and when I added a photo to the file, 'ghost' images from closed files show up. Before creating the file, I had opened another file and noticed that there were two large patches of red and blue on the screen. I closed that file since it seemed to be affecting my computer memory (not sure really what was going on, but there was a problem). Now I get this image.

The two images I notice are a photo of my front door I had edited and another graphics file I created.

The new file is 3000px x 2250px, RGB, 8 bits, transparent background.

My RAM is good: 25040 MB and ideal range says 13772-18028, with photoshop using 70%.

I am on a Windows 11 64 bit PC (V. 24H2, OS build 26100.4946) running Photoshop 26.10.0 CC.

My graphics card is working right and no issues: Pass: DirectX available Pass: DirectX feature level 12.2 available, feature level 12.0 required Pass: Above required VRAM (12115 MB of 1500 MB required) GPU Detected: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (NVIDIA).

I saved, closed, and reopened the file and the problem persists. This isn't the first time I have noticed these red/blue patches and I am not sure how to resolve the problem. It seems to be a memory/cache issue??

Anshul_Saini · Answer

Hi @LottieGuhl,

Sorry for the delayed response. Thank you for the detailed report and the screenshot. The symptoms you’re describing (ghost images, red/blue patches, remnants of previously closed files) point to a graphics rendering or cache-related issue in Photoshop rather than a memory shortage.

Here are a few steps to try:

Go to Edit > Preferences > Performance and temporarily disable Use Graphics Processor. Restart Photoshop and check if the issue persists. If disabling resolves the ghosting, re-enable it and click on Advanced Settings to try different Drawing Modes (Basic, Normal, Advanced).
Go to Edit > Purge > All to clear any cached data that may be causing display remnants. Note that this will delete the undo history, so save your work first.
Even though your NVIDIA RTX 3060 is recognized and passes requirements, try updating (or rolling back if you recently updated) your Studio Driver from NVIDIA’s official site. The currently installed driver version might be contributing to the artifacts.
Try creating a new file and then dragging in an image from the desktop or Finder/Explorer instead of placing it from inside Photoshop to see if ghosting repeats. This helps determine if the issue is tied to cached document data or general rendering.

If none of these steps help, could you please share:

Whether this happens across all files or only certain image types (e.g., PSD, TIFF, JPEG).
A short screen recording of the workflow from file creation to the point where ghosting appears.
Also, please share the System Info (Help > System Info > Copy & paste here).

That will help us narrow this down further.

Best,

Anshul Saini

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