I don't know how to work on this large Photoshop file (300 inch x 320 inch). Please help!

[Mike308316488hfi]

Hey, please, I need help with this issue:
I am working on a large Photoshop file that has 32 artboards with varying dimensions. This is for a specific project that requires these dimensions. The whole project has dimensions of 300 inches in height by 320 inches in width, and each board takes an area of that large area. When I work on the file, my 2TB SSD disks fill up to the max. I have 32 Rams, and they also fill up to the max. MY CPU and GPU are good, but I don't notice a lot of CPU and GPU consumption. I can't even work on the file because it takes a really long time to adjust a tiny thing on the project.  What seems to be the problem here? How can I fix it? Is it a PC problem like low specs? What is an alternative approach I could use to continue working? I would appreciate any help.

[davescm]

Photoshop does not work in inches, it works in pixels. So the big question is what are the pixel dimensions of your image.

If your ppi is set to 300ppi then the pixel dimensions will be  90,000 x 96,000 = 8.6GPixels

However, normally such a large image is viewed from a distance away in order to take in the image. The greater the viewing distance, the less pixels per inch are needed. That is why billboards are not printed at 300 ppi or produced with GigaPixel images. In fact ordinary cameras are used.

There is a formula for working out what ppi is required at a particular viewing distance. It is :

ppi required  = 6878/Viewing distance in inches. Any higher ppi is wasted as the extra resolution cannot be seen with a good human eye.

So if your viewing distance is around 20 feet - which would not be unusual for such a large image. Then your ppi required = 6878/240 = 29 ppi That would reduce your required pixel dimensions to just 8700 x 9280 pixels, i.e. an 80Mpixel image

If your viewing distance is 10 feet that becomes 6878/120 = 57 ppi and your image 17,100 x 18,240 pixels = 311MPixels

300ppi is only needed for viewing at 22.9 inches, i.e. close reading distance, which would be a rare case indeed for an image of the size you describe.

So start with your required viewing distance and work out the ppi required and from that the pixel requirements for your image. It will save you having to work on huge files, which in turn require huge RAM and scratch disk capabilities.

Dave

[Mike308316488hfi]

Hey Dave,

Thank you so much for your response! It gave me a clear idea of how to set the appropriate PPI or resolution for my file. What I am working on is a large stained glass project for a church. I will attach some pictures similar to what I am working on. My file was initially set at 300 ppi with the dimensions 320 inches (96,000 pixels) x 300 inches (90,000 pixels). This explains why the file size was insanely large. I think the view distance will be in the range of 5 feet to 20 feet. People will be standing and looking at the design. The images of the project have a lot of details because they include people, faces, and other details that I want to be clear in the final print. What do you think would be the best ppi in this case? Do you have any other advice that would help in this project?
Thanks 

[davescm]

Those examples that you show emphasise the point that you are not going to view these close up. Use the formula to work out what  you really need, remembering that if you half the viewing distance you quadruple the pixels in the image, so be realistic.

Then print an A4 section of the image on paper at that PPI value, stick it high on the wall and view from that natural viewing distance. This is not about what it looks like viewed in your hand but what it looks like in its final location. You could try higher and lower PPI test samples and see if you can tell the difference when viewed that way. If you go too low the pixel structure will become visible, too high and you will see no difference at the intended viewing distance so the extra pixels are wasted.

One other things to consider,  how will this image be printed? Chances are you are going to have to split it up for printing anyway - unless you have found a digital printer that can print 300 inches wide. So can you work at those split sizes when you create the image.

Dave

[Mike308316488hfi]

Hey Dave,
The image will be printed using vinyl printing. The printed design will be installed on the window to give it the look of stained glass. I already set up my document to have multiple separate Artboards in Photoshop so it can be ready to split up the final image when I send it for printing. I have to be working on it this way because the design is a big picture spread across all of these windows, and I must make sure it is all connected properly. I will attach similar work to what I am doing, and I will show you an image of my project setup. Should I work on it in a 100% scale using my viewing distance PPI or work on a smaller scale (50%) at a higher PPI and let the printing company scale it up before printing?

[davescm]

You are misundertanding PPI and scaling. All that matters in Photoshop for performance and detail is the size in pixels. PPI is just a value used to tell a printer how big to print the image on paper. Literally - how many pixels should take up 1 inch on the print media

As an example , if you start with an image at 10 inches x 10inches at 100ppi it will contain 1000 x 1000 pixels i.e. 1M pixel for Photoshop to process.

If you scale it to 5 inches x 5 inches at 200ppi it will still contain 1000 x 1000 pixels i.e. 1 M Pixel.

If you scale it to 20 inches x 20 inches at 50ppi, it will again contain 1000 x 1000 pixels.

All three are the same to Photoshop - all that changes between them is the ppi value sent to the printer to tell it how big to print the physical image.

Dave

[Trevor.Dennis]

Mike, are you aware of Bert Monroy's mamouth Times Square illustration?  It took him three years to do, had 750,000 layers, and the flattened file was 6.5Gb in size.  There were litterally thousands of individual files making up the seperate tiles, and he only worked on one at a time.  So the finished version only consisted of the flattened tiles with just the one layer for each tile.  If I ever had to do a project that big, then that's how I would approach it, and systems are massively more powerful today compared to what Bert used.

Can you break your project down into manageable tiles?

[Mike308316488hfi]

Hey Trevor, 
I really like the example of Bert Monroy's mamouth Times Square illustration that you brought up. I am kind of doing a similar thing but on a much bigger scale. I am working on a stained glass project, and it would look better if visualized in the same file. It would be difficult to connect the pictures for the large size I mentioned if broken down into separate smaller tiles. Now I am facing the problem of not being able to edit the file due to its size. Any ideas on how to solve that?

[Test Screen Name]

Since the file is just impossibly large, your choices seem to be to make it smaller (lower ppi) or to divide it up, no matter how inconvenient.

[Mike308316488hfi]

Should I work on the project at a 100% scale (320 inches x 300 inches) with a low ppi (100-150 ppi for example) or scale down like 1/2, 1/4, or 1/10 the size with a really high ppi? If you recommend scaling down, what size dimensions and ppi would be the best based on (320 inches x 300 inches) at 150 ppi?

[Test Screen Name]

Scaling the project or changing the ppi amount to the same thing - reducing the number of pixels. That's what counts. A lot of projects go for 300 ppi, but that's designed for a high quality printed book, to be viewed from close up, with photographic detail. There is a formula in davescm's post - let us know if you have problems applying it.

But first - I think to give you really good advice we need to understand your project. Stained glass windows is not the typical design job! What can you tell us about the print technology you will use? Is it going to be an actual stained glass window/window panels - so the design is translucent? Or is it a printed rendering of a stained glass window, shown on paper/plastic? If you can point us to the technology used it will help. 

[Mike308316488hfi]

The printing technology is vinyl printing. The printed design will be installed on the window to give it the look of actual stained glass. The design doesn't have to be translucent. It is kind of similar to the paper/plastic printing technique you mentioned. The whole design should be showing a whole image, but the glass windows are separated by walls/columns. I will attach picture examples of similar work, and I will attach how my project should look like. (it is much bigger in size than the example pictures). It would be great if you help me with what ppi is best in my case. Should I work on a 100% scale or lower? What is the best way to work on it (artboards in Photoshop, or use something else)? Please let me know!

[Trevor.Dennis]

Making accurate tiles that would snap into position is going to be quick and easy using New Guide Layout.

Stretch your image to fill the document, and zoom in one tile at a time to construct thhe high res version.  Save the layered PSD and a flattened JPG.  As you add each tile, flatten  the document to prevent file size building up out of control.

What resolution do you think you'll need and why?  Is this going to be a template for the window, or what?   Incidentally, stained glass suggests areas of identical colour which will compress well and keep file size way down.

[Mike308316488hfi]

Hey Trevor, 
Thank you for flattening the image tip to reduce the file size. The view distance of my final project is around 4 to 5 feet. I am guessing the resolution will be in the range of 100 to 150 ppi. The design will be a large vinyl print sticker instead of actual stained glass. I will attach an image showing the project tiles in Photoshop.