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petere21960639
petere21960639
Inspiring
February 17, 2019
Answered

WHY THE JUMP IN FILE SIZE?

  • February 17, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 1780 views

Hi, I have a pretty large Photoshop file that was around 3GB and worked on it for a short while. Next time I saved the file it was 35GB! I certainly hadn't modified the image a great deal and have no idea why the file suddenly grew so big.

There was a recovered file state at some point and at various times my Mac tried to boot out of Photoshop for a scheduled update, but apart from that, nothing unusual occurred.

I can't see how this massive increase in file size can be possible given how little I have changed it since it was 3GB?

Many thanks.

PS: In Photoshop 'Document Sizes' it states the file is 35.6GB, but in the Finder preview window it states the file is now 72.91GB!

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer petere21960639

I’ve figured this out now, I did various tests adjusting the preferences, especially ‘File Handling’

Somehow, the file size had gone from a reasonable 3GB to a massive 73.2GB.

I tested by saving and switching ‘Maximise PSD and PSB File Compatibility’ to ‘Never’ (It was on ‘Always’) This resulted in a small file size reduction to 72.15GB

I then saved the file again, keeping the ‘Never’ setting and I also unticked the ‘Disable Compression of PSD and PSB Files’. The resulting file was a far more sensible 4.32GB!

Finally, I saved the file with ‘Disable Compression of PSD and PSB Files’ still unticked but ‘Maximise PSD and PSB File Compatibility’ back on ‘Always’. The file size was now 5.41GB

By disabling compression, the file size had become massive. This makes sense but I had no idea it would become such a huge file. The option to disable compression, I believe, is to reduce save time but it’s obviously at the expense of the huge files.

A few days ago, I inadvertently opened an older version of Photoshop so this may have prompted me to change the settings to ensure compatibility. I may have checked the Disable Compression box too!

4 replies

petere21960639
petere21960639Author
Inspiring
February 18, 2019

Thanks for the replies. I guess it all depends on your workflow, the type of files you are using and the time pressures you are under. I found that both the compressed 3GB file and uncompressed 73GB file took less than 5 minutes to save. The uncompressed file was only 1-2 minutes faster to load and save. For me personally, saving uncompressed for this slight increase in speed doesn't outweigh having the much larger file size.

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
February 17, 2019

I really don't know why there is an option to disable compression at all. It's a very simple, lossless compression, which uses virtually no CPU time. But it is ideal for compressing repeated areas of one colour (as found especially in masks etc.). Otherwise every layer has an image preview which is the maximum size.

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 17, 2019

https://forums.adobe.com/people/Test+Screen+Name  wrote

I really don't know why there is an option to disable compression at all. It's a very simple, lossless compression, which uses virtually no CPU time.

Try it on very large and layered files (3-10GB), and you'll think otherwise. There is a massive reduction in save/open times with compression disabled. It can be from one full minute down to 5 seconds or so. Compressing adjustment layers is particularly slow.

Yes, the price is substantially larger files.

davescm
Community Expert
davescmCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 17, 2019

I also have PSD/PSB compression permanently disabled. Disk space is cheap - my time is not.

Dave

petere21960639
petere21960639AuthorCorrect answer
Inspiring
February 17, 2019

I’ve figured this out now, I did various tests adjusting the preferences, especially ‘File Handling’

Somehow, the file size had gone from a reasonable 3GB to a massive 73.2GB.

I tested by saving and switching ‘Maximise PSD and PSB File Compatibility’ to ‘Never’ (It was on ‘Always’) This resulted in a small file size reduction to 72.15GB

I then saved the file again, keeping the ‘Never’ setting and I also unticked the ‘Disable Compression of PSD and PSB Files’. The resulting file was a far more sensible 4.32GB!

Finally, I saved the file with ‘Disable Compression of PSD and PSB Files’ still unticked but ‘Maximise PSD and PSB File Compatibility’ back on ‘Always’. The file size was now 5.41GB

By disabling compression, the file size had become massive. This makes sense but I had no idea it would become such a huge file. The option to disable compression, I believe, is to reduce save time but it’s obviously at the expense of the huge files.

A few days ago, I inadvertently opened an older version of Photoshop so this may have prompted me to change the settings to ensure compatibility. I may have checked the Disable Compression box too!

T
Test Screen Name
Legend
February 17, 2019

Where do you see “document size” in Photoshop (Photoshop never shows you file size, document size is something entirely different).?

What format do you save the file in, with what options and menu item?

petere21960639
petere21960639Author
Inspiring
February 17, 2019

Thanks for getting back to me.

I was looking under Status Information for file size :

"The number on the right indicates the file’s approximate size including layers and channels."

I may have misunderstood this to mean file size in GB? This is, I assume, incorrect as the file size is actually far bigger than this!

I'm saving as Large Document Format and Layers.

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