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Bill Junk
Inspiring
April 26, 2025
Answered

My Photoshop 26.6 and Beta are generating very large PSD files.

  • April 26, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 1186 views

I normally run the Beta version of Photoshop.  The last few days I noticed that it was taking a long time to store files.  I eventually decided to take a look and after checking the size of the PSD files being saved I was shocked to find that many were more than 800 Mb and a few even over 1 Gb.  The files I was editing were NEFs and typically in the range of 50 Mb each.  I had been using Topaz AI to remove noise and sometimes sharpening the image.  This was done as a Smart Filter applied to a Smart Object version of the image on Layer 0.  I was also using a Camera Raw filter on the Smart Object.  Other layers were added above, but not more than around 10.  Based on my past experience I expected the file size to increase by 50% to 100%.  Once I noticed the huge files being generated I tried both the Beta and Production version with a simple edit of a NEF file.  No smart objects were created and I did not use Topaz or the Camera Raw filter.  I just added a couple adjustment layers and saved the files.  Both tests produced very large saved files in excess of 800 Mb.  I'm running on a Dell computer with Windows 11 Pro and all updates installed.

Here's some data from another test I ran with resulting file sizes:

   Nikon Raw (NEF) file:                                                                                                                            47.236 Mb

   File opened in PS 26.6.0 then immediately saved:                                                                           211.870 Mb

   Above file - edited by adding a Brightness/Contrast layer then saved:                                         398.972 Mb

   Above file - Layer 0 made into a Smart Object then saved:                                                            685.542 Mb

   Above file - Camera Raw Filter (brightness adjustment) added to Smart Object then saved:    870.542 Mb

   Above file - Topaz AI denoize filter added to Smart Object then saved:                                        843.032 Mb

 

Has anyone else notice a similar situation?  Is this NORMAL?  Is there some option that might have been changed that would have produced this result?

Correct answer D Fosse
quote

Just out of curiosity does Lightroom have the same propensity to gobble up storage space?


By @Bill Junk

 

Lightroom is a parametric editor, meaning that all edits are stored separately as text instructions. The instructions are stored in the Lightroom catalog. ACR stores it in a separate "sidecar" file, or the file header. Text instructions don't take up space.

 

The original file is never touched at all.

 

Every time an image is pulled up in the Lightroom Develop module, the full chain of adjustments are executed in the background. Make a change, and the whole chain runs again.

 

Photoshop is a pixel editor where everything is stored in the file itself, so it grows as you go.

 

When you say "efficient ways to store information", that's exactly what file compression is. But there is no free lunch - the price is that it takes a long time to save and open because there's a lot of math to do. Some compression algorithms are fast and efficient but degrade the file withe every save. Others are non-destructive, but slower and less effective. There's always a price. 

 

2 replies

Trevor.Dennis
Community Expert
Trevor.DennisCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 27, 2025

I have Topaz Photo AI so can compare.

 

Canon R7 .CR3 file 20MB

Opened in ACR, into Photoshop as a Smart Object and save as PSD (Compression turned off) - 457MB

Photo Ai NR and sharpen - 772MB

 

Looks like Dag is right and your file sizes are normal.

Do you have PSD/SPB compression enabled?  They save noticably faster with it turned off.

 

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity Expert
Community Expert
April 26, 2025

This looks perfectly normal to me.

 

First of all, a raw file is a single channel at 14 bit depth. Just encoding it into a 3-channel RGB at 16 bits will roughly quadruple the size.

 

Smart objects have a lot of overhead, so do layers. A further 200% - 400% increase is normal, depending on the smart object and exact layer structure.

 

Finally, as for save times, PSD compression is extremely slow. It's not about writing to disk, it's about encoding and packaging for disk. If you look in Task Manager you'll see that the time is all spent in the CPU, not disk.

 

PSD/PSB compression typically increases save/open times by 5x-8x depending. I disable all compression for this reason.

 

The irony of the situation is that you only need compression for really big files, which is exactly where the save times become unbearably long. But image files are by nature big. I usually say that if you worry about file sizes, you're in the wrong business. It's a reality you have to deal with.

B
Bill JunkAuthor
Inspiring
April 27, 2025

I suppose you have better knowledge of what to expect than I have.  However, It seems like their ought to be a more efficient way to store the information contained in a PSD image file.  The larger the files get the more disk space I have to purchase.  That makes keeping things backed up a pretty big headache.  Just out of curiosity does Lightroom have the same propensity to gobble up storage space?

D Fosse
Community Expert
D FosseCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
April 27, 2025
quote

Just out of curiosity does Lightroom have the same propensity to gobble up storage space?


By @Bill Junk

 

Lightroom is a parametric editor, meaning that all edits are stored separately as text instructions. The instructions are stored in the Lightroom catalog. ACR stores it in a separate "sidecar" file, or the file header. Text instructions don't take up space.

 

The original file is never touched at all.

 

Every time an image is pulled up in the Lightroom Develop module, the full chain of adjustments are executed in the background. Make a change, and the whole chain runs again.

 

Photoshop is a pixel editor where everything is stored in the file itself, so it grows as you go.

 

When you say "efficient ways to store information", that's exactly what file compression is. But there is no free lunch - the price is that it takes a long time to save and open because there's a lot of math to do. Some compression algorithms are fast and efficient but degrade the file withe every save. Others are non-destructive, but slower and less effective. There's always a price. 

 

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