Skip to main content
steverap1
steverap1
Inspiring
May 22, 2026
Answered

I work with very large files containing many layers in photoshop. What should cache levels be set at?

  • May 22, 2026
  • 2 replies
  • 38 views

I work with large files - often 4+ GB - with many layers in P:hotoshop. I have a new MacBook Pro M5 Max with 128 GB RAM and a 4 TB SSD drive. What should I set cache levels at? 

    Correct answer D Fosse

    Just leave it at the default 4. 

     

    Theoretically, it affects the speed of screen redraw at different zoom ratios. It refers to the “image pyramid”, cached versions of the image at different scaling, used when calculating blending and adjustment previews.

     

    I honestly don’t think it matters much in practice. There may be bottlenecks, but this isn’t one.

     

    However, it is very important to be aware of the fact that blending/adjustment previews are in fact executed on these cached and scaled down versions. If the image is very noisy or “binary” (line art etc), this means the preview is based on these scaled down versions - and that introduces a lot of interpolated values that are not really there in the full data. The result can be an incorrect preview, usually with exaggerated adjustment effects. The way to avoid that is to always assess these images at 100% zoom to get a fully correct preview.

    2 replies

    Spas K.
    Community Expert
    Spas K.Community Expert
    Community Expert
    May 22, 2026

    The defaults should work fine for you. You can click on the use case optimize buttons for your situation (Web / UI, high dimensions, etc).

    You can experiment with higher values like 6 or 8, but your machine is pretty powerful so I doubt it will make much if any difference.

    D Fosse
    Community Expert
    D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    May 22, 2026

    Just leave it at the default 4. 

     

    Theoretically, it affects the speed of screen redraw at different zoom ratios. It refers to the “image pyramid”, cached versions of the image at different scaling, used when calculating blending and adjustment previews.

     

    I honestly don’t think it matters much in practice. There may be bottlenecks, but this isn’t one.

     

    However, it is very important to be aware of the fact that blending/adjustment previews are in fact executed on these cached and scaled down versions. If the image is very noisy or “binary” (line art etc), this means the preview is based on these scaled down versions - and that introduces a lot of interpolated values that are not really there in the full data. The result can be an incorrect preview, usually with exaggerated adjustment effects. The way to avoid that is to always assess these images at 100% zoom to get a fully correct preview.

    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices