When you copy layers between documents, Photoshop writes a specific set of metadata associated with the original document. On the one hand, this is useful and allows you to track the chains of copying layers, and on the other hand (when you regularly copy the same set of layers across multiple documents), this can lead to a increase in the amount of metadata in each file. The maximum size of metadata in one file that I met was 97 (!!!) megabytes 😱
There are three options:
- disable metadata when export file
- save the file as is and than remove metadata with third-party utilities
- find the templates with junked metadata and clean it up using scripts
You can find solution in Metadata Bloat - Abnormally large PSD files when I save them, but when I faced the same problem and realized that I have a huge amount of files with junk metadata, I decided to write a script to batch delete such metadata (yes, you can do the same with imageMagik or exifTool, but I just love scripts).
Perhaps it helps you to cleanup metadata in your templates once and forever:
#target photoshop
var allFiles = [], junkedFiles = [], filter;
var w = buildWindow(), result = w.show();
if (result != 2) {
app.doProgress("", "removeMetadata(result)")
alert("Success!")
}
function buildWindow() {
var w = new Window("dialog")
w.text = "Batch ancestors remover"
w.orientation = "column"
w.alignChildren = ["fill", "top"]
var pnSource = w.add("panel")
pnSource.text = "Source:"
pnSource.orientation = "column"
pnSource.alignChildren = ["left", "top"]
pnSource.alignment = ["fill", "top"]
var grBrowse = pnSource.add("group")
grBrowse.orientation = "row"
grBrowse.alignChildren = ["left", "center"]
var etPath = grBrowse.add('edittext {properties: {readonly: true}}')
etPath.preferredSize.width = 300
var bnBrowse = grBrowse.add("button", undefined, "Browse...")
var chSubfolders = pnSource.add("checkbox")
chSubfolders.text = "get files from subfolders"
chSubfolders.value = true
var stTotalFiles = pnSource.add("statictext")
var pnTarget = w.add("panel")
pnTarget.text = "Document ancestors:"
pnTarget.orientation = "column"
pnTarget.alignChildren = ["left", "top"]
pnTarget.alignment = ["fill", "top"]
var stTotalMetadata = pnTarget.add("statictext")
var grFilter = pnTarget.add("group")
grFilter.orientation = "row"
grFilter.alignChildren = ["left", "center"]
var stFilter = grFilter.add("statictext")
stFilter.text = "process the following file types:"
var dlFilter = grFilter.add("dropdownlist")
dlFilter.preferredSize.width = 100
var stSize = pnTarget.add("statictext")
var grExport = pnTarget.add("group")
grExport.orientation = "row"
grExport.alignChildren = ["left", "center"]
grExport.alignment = ["center", "top"]
var bnExport = grExport.add("button", undefined, "Export statistics to CSV")
var grButtons = w.add("group")
grButtons.orientation = "row"
grButtons.alignChildren = ["center", "center"]
var ok = grButtons.add("button", undefined, "Remove ancestors metadata", { name: "ok" })
var cancel = grButtons.add("button", undefined, "Cancel", { name: "cancel" })
stTotalFiles.setText = function (s) { this.text = "total number of files: " + s }
stTotalMetadata.setText = function (s) { this.text = "number of files with ancestors records: " + s }
stSize.setText = function (s) { this.text = "approximate estimate of the occupied size: " + s + " Mb" }
chSubfolders.onClick = function (s) { enumFiles(etPath.text) }
bnBrowse.onClick = function () {
var fol = new Folder()
currentFolder = fol.selectDlg()
enumFiles(currentFolder)
}
dlFilter.onChange = function () {
if (!w.visible) return
filter = this.selection.text
if (junkedFiles.length > 0) {
var len = junkedFiles.length,
mCounter = 0,
fCounter = 0
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
if (isFileOneOfThese(junkedFiles[i].file, filter)) {
mCounter += junkedFiles[i].junkRecords
fCounter++
}
}
stTotalMetadata.setText(fCounter)
stSize.setText(Number(mCounter / 10000 * 0.7).toFixed(4))
}
}
bnExport.onClick = function () {
var fle = new File("DocumentAncestors"),
pth = fle.saveDlg("Save list of files to disk", "*.csv")
try {
if (pth) {
pth.open("w", "TEXT", "????")
var len = junkedFiles.length,
output = [];
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
if (isFileOneOfThese(junkedFiles[i].file, filter)) {
var msg = junkedFiles[i].junkRecords == 0 ? "" : ";" + junkedFiles[i].junkRecords
output.push(junkedFiles[i].file.toString() + msg)
}
}
pth.write(output.join('\n'))
pth.close
alert("Success!")
}
} catch (e) { alert(e, "", 1) }
}
ok.onClick = function () {
msg = "Select processing option:\n\n\[YES] - remove metadata from files without opening them in Photoshop\n(faster, file resizing not guaranteed)\
\n[NO] - open files in Photoshop and remove metadata \n(slower, file size will be updated)"
if (confirm(msg)) { w.close(1) } else { w.close(-1) }
}
w.onShow = function () {
stTotalFiles.size.width = stSize.size.width = stTotalMetadata.size.width = 300
stTotalFiles.setText(0)
stTotalMetadata.setText(0)
pnTarget.enabled = ok.enabled = false
dlFilter.add("item", "all files"); dlFilter.selection = 0
}
function enumFiles(currentFolder) {
if (currentFolder) {
allFiles = []
etPath.text = (new Folder(currentFolder)).fsName
findAllFiles(etPath.text, allFiles, chSubfolders.value)
var len = allFiles.length
stTotalFiles.setText(len)
countMetadata = len > 100 ? confirm("Selected directory contains " + len + " files.\nTry to calculate junked metadata size? (this may take several minutes)") : true
stSize.visible = countMetadata
app.doProgress("", "checkMetadata (countMetadata)")
}
}
function checkMetadata(countMetadata) {
var len = allFiles.length
if (len > 0) {
if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined) ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript")
junkedFiles = []
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
app.updateProgress(i + 1, len)
app.changeProgressText(allFiles[i])
try {
var xmpFile = new XMPFile(allFiles[i], XMPConst.UNKNOWN, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_READ),
xmp = xmpFile.getXMP();
if (xmp.doesPropertyExist(XMPConst.NS_PHOTOSHOP, "DocumentAncestors")) {
var shift = 0
if (countMetadata) {
do {
shift++
if (!xmp.doesArrayItemExist(XMPConst.NS_PHOTOSHOP, "DocumentAncestors", shift)) break;
} while (true)
}
junkedFiles.push({ file: allFiles[i], junkRecords: shift })
}
} catch (e) { }
}
if (junkedFiles.length > 0) {
pnTarget.enabled = ok.enabled = true
dlFilter.removeAll()
var ext = buildShortcutList(junkedFiles)
for (var i = 0; i < ext.length; i++) dlFilter.add("item", ext[i])
dlFilter.selection = 0
} else pnTarget.enabled = ok.enabled = false
}
}
return w
}
function findAllFiles(srcFolder, destArray, useSubfolders) {
var fileFolderArray = Folder(srcFolder).getFiles();
var subfolderArray = []
for (var i = 0; i < fileFolderArray.length; i++) {
var fileFoldObj = fileFolderArray[i];
if (fileFoldObj instanceof File) {
if (!fileFoldObj.hidden) destArray.push(fileFoldObj.fsName)
} else if (useSubfolders) {
subfolderArray.push(fileFoldObj)
}
}
if (useSubfolders) {
for (var i = 0; i < subfolderArray.length; i++) findAllFiles(subfolderArray[i], destArray, useSubfolders)
}
}
function buildShortcutList(srcArray) {
var typeObject = {}, len = srcArray.length
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
var fle = srcArray[i].file.toUpperCase()
var lastDot = fle.lastIndexOf(".")
if (lastDot == -1) continue;
var extension = fle.substr(lastDot + 1, fle.length - lastDot)
typeObject[extension] = "ok"
}
var reflect = typeObject.reflect.properties
var output = ["all files"]
len = reflect.length
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
if (typeObject[reflect[i].name] == "ok") output.push(reflect[i].name)
}
return output
}
function isFileOneOfThese(fileName, ext) {
if (ext == "all files") return true
var fle = fileName.toString().toUpperCase()
var lastDot = fle.lastIndexOf(".")
if (lastDot == -1) return false
if (fle.substr(lastDot + 1, fle.length - lastDot) == ext) return true
return false
}
function removeMetadata(mode) {
if (ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript == undefined) ExternalObject.AdobeXMPScript = new ExternalObject("lib:AdobeXMPScript")
var len = junkedFiles.length, target = [];
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
if (isFileOneOfThese(junkedFiles[i].file, filter)) {
target.push(junkedFiles[i].file)
}
}
len = target.length
switch (mode) {
case 1:
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
app.updateProgress(i + 1, len)
app.changeProgressText(target[i])
try {
var xmpFile = new XMPFile(target[i], XMPConst.UNKNOWN, XMPConst.OPEN_FOR_UPDATE)
var xmp = xmpFile.getXMP()
if (xmp.doesPropertyExist(XMPConst.NS_PHOTOSHOP, "DocumentAncestors")) {
xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_PHOTOSHOP, "DocumentAncestors")
if (xmpFile.canPutXMP(xmp)) xmpFile.putXMP(xmp)
}
xmpFile.closeFile(XMPConst.CLOSE_UPDATE_SAFELY)
} catch (e) { }
}
break;
case -1:
for (var i = 0; i < len; i++) {
try {
app.updateProgress(i + 1, len)
app.changeProgressText(target[i])
app.open(File(target[i]))
var xmp = new XMPMeta(app.activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData)
if (xmp.doesPropertyExist(XMPConst.NS_PHOTOSHOP, "DocumentAncestors")) {
xmp.deleteProperty(XMPConst.NS_PHOTOSHOP, "DocumentAncestors")
app.activeDocument.xmpMetadata.rawData = xmp.serialize()
}
closeDocument(true)
} catch (e) { }
}
break;
}
}
function closeDocument(save) {
save = save != true ? s2t("no") : s2t("yes")
var desc = new ActionDescriptor();
desc.putEnumerated(s2t("saving"), s2t("yesNo"), save)
executeAction(s2t("close"), desc, DialogModes.NO)
function s2t(s) { return stringIDToTypeID(s) }
}
* save the code into a text file, change the file extension to jsx and run it, or drag it into the photoshop window.
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