Skip to main content
michaelr3127192
michaelr3127192
Participating Frequently
January 20, 2021
Question

error opening tiff file 2.2gb and 30,000 pixels

  • January 20, 2021
  • 4 replies
  • 2268 views

I know there is a 2gb and 30k pixel limit on psd, but I want to open my tiff file and save as psb.

But it won't open.

Anybody got a fix?

fyi this is a saved tif file from an Epson V800 scanner.  Can't save as psd or psb...

Thanks!

This topic has been closed for replies.

4 replies

Ussnorway7605025
Ussnorway7605025
Legend
January 20, 2021

you can save a large tiff as a psb but yes, by design Photoshop assumes psd and will block a file bigger than 2G... the work around is to open Photoshop, create and save a new blank doc as psb then open that and 'place linked' the tiff file

 

however large files cause other problems and should be avoided when your work flow allows it

michaelr3127192
michaelr3127192Author
Participating Frequently
January 21, 2021

Thanks Ussnorway! I'll try this!

 

What worked best for me today was to crop out the black film guide and do a tight 6400res scan of my 4x5 film. File size was 1.96gb and the tif file opened just fine.

    michaelr3127192
    michaelr3127192Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 27, 2021

    Unfortuately, this did not work for me.  I got the same error messsage as before.

     

    Thanks anyway for the suggestion.

    michaelr3127192
    michaelr3127192Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 20, 2021

    So, I partially solved this problem....and confirmed file size is the issue.

    I rescanned one of the sheets of 4x5 film at 6000dpi instead of 6400dpi which produced a slightly smaller file in both the largest pixel dimension (28,xxx instead of 30,000+) and 1.9gb instead of 2.2gb.  PS 2021 opened this slightly smaller file with no problem whatsoever.

    But I would like to scan at a higher resolution, open in PS, then save as a psb file.  Epson Scan will not allow saving in a lossless format other than tiff, and PS won't seem to import tif files larger than 2.0gb or 30,000 pixels.

     

    There seems to be an assumption that psb files will be created by importing smaller files and increasing the size during the editing process, making the file bigger and necessitating saving as psb instead of psd.  But what if you are starting with a bigger than 2.0gb file and need to open it to get started editing???

    Does anyone have a workaround for this?

    Thanks!

    T
    Test Screen Name
    Legend
    January 20, 2021

    You are assuming this is a Photoshop bug, and it might be that. But there is another possibility: that it is an Epson Scan bug. (That is, when scanning to a TIFF that needs to be more than 2GB, that the TIFF is wrong). Can you open that TIFF made by Epson in any other app ok? Worth checking for Epson updates too.

    michaelr3127192
    michaelr3127192Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 20, 2021

    The real resolution of Epson scanners is much lower than what Epson claims.

    The Epson prosumer scanners have two lenses, one that scans the entire bed at a claimed resolution of 4800 ppi, and a higher resolution lens that scans a smaller area at 6400 ppi. These numbers are totally unrealistic for a scanner in this price class.

    Tests have shown the real resolution of the first lens to be around 2200 ppi, so I would expect the the resolution of the second lens to be less than 3200. I have scanned a lot of 6½ x 8½" film at 2400 ppi - using 4800 did not resolve more detail or produce sharper files.

     

    You can easily test this by making two scans – one at 6400 ppi, and one at 3200.

    Then reduce the pixel dimensions of the 6400 scan so it matches the pixel dimensions of the 3200 scan, and compare them at 100%.

    Using 3200 instead of 6400 will reduce the file size to a quarter, and will also allow you to scan in 16-bit, and still have files well below 2 GB. (actually just over 1 GB)

    Scanning in 16-bit is strongly recommended – it allows for heavy editing without any quality loss.

     

    Also, if you're scanning black & white film, scan in 16-bit grayscale, which will reduce the file size to one third of RGB. There is no advantage in scanning black & white film in RGB.

    The Vuescan scanning software will let you choose what RGB channel to make gray from, the green channel is supposed to be sharper than the other channels, but I have not found that to be the case with my negatives.


    Hi Per,

    Many thanks for your response.  I am aware of the effective resolutions of Epson scanners and the hi/lo rez lenses.  I'm using the hi rez lens, which I understand has ~2,900 effective ppi.  However, I have not found any tests of scanning at the higher resolultion (say 6400) as compare to up rezzing in PS.  Do you have any sources on this?  If not, then I will continue to try to make my own tests.  But to do these tests, I need to open the bigger file in PS.  Hence, my issue as described above.

    T
    Test Screen Name
    Legend
    January 20, 2021

    What is the full error message when you try to open the larger file?

    Can any other app open it?

    michaelr3127192
    michaelr3127192Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 20, 2021

    "Could not open [filename.tif] because an unexpected end-of-file was encountered."

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    JJMackCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    January 20, 2021

    Can any application open it? Is it good or corrupted file?

    JJMack
    michaelr3127192
    michaelr3127192Author
    Participating Frequently
    January 20, 2021
    I don’t believe the file is corrupt. It’s every one of 8 similar scans I did today, while all 200 1.3gb tiff files I’ve scanned in the past few weeks open with no problem.
      Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
      Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices