Huge file size

[Karlchinnappa]

I am editing some simple portraits with an embedded smart object.

The PSBs are of the order of 80 Mb and the main psd is 50 Mb or so PS tells me. When the files save to Onedrive I notice and have checked in LR they are c. 485Mb !!!

The image mode is RGB 8 bit 300 ppi c. 3700 x 4700 px

Really half a gig for a simple portrait - gulp.

The psb has 11 layers

 One layer the orig image

 7 layers have corrections

3 curves layers

The PSD has 7 layers

One original image layer

One smart object with a liquify and CRF filter on it

The other layers are simple correction layers - i.e. not adjustment layers.

Any ideas anyone?

[c.pfaffenbichler]

»the main psd is 50 Mb or so PS tells me.«

How does it do that? 

If you are referring to the »Image Size« stated in the Image Size-dialog that’s irrelevant as it gives the size of a flat image and disregards the actual Layer-content. 

[D Fosse]

Sounds perfectly normal.

The problem is very often that people are used to jpegs, which are heavily compressed (and flat!)

[Dave Creamer of IDEAS]

Smart Objects can really increase file size. 

• Original JPEG: 3.8 MB
• PSD with one smart object layer with random filter gallery effects applied: 65 MB
• Fattened PSD with same filter gallery effects applied: 14.5 MB
• OneDrive won't change the file size. 
• Lightroom does not alter the file directly.

You can check your preferences to make sure you are compressing your PSD/PSB files. Also, if you are not importing the PSD file into other programs or older versions of Photoshop, you can turn off Maximize compatibility (it brought the 65 MB down to 50 MB).

BTW, unless your image is greater than 30,000 x 30,000 pixels (or > 2 GB), you don't need PSB. 

PSBs allow up to 300,000 x 300,000 pixels. (There is a technical file size limit, but it has no practical limit.)

[Karlchinnappa]

Thank you DC

I had a suspicion that the smart object usage was the culprit, when I have made corrections etc. I tend to leave as a PSB for future adjustments. By flattening the layer it reduces signifiantly roughly 50-60%

And thank you for the additional infor Re PSBs.