Photoshop CC 2017 PSD files are heavier!

[Kinsi]

Hello.

I have a great concern with the new photoshop version:

The psd files it produce are far heavier!

For example, for the same work, i have 25 mo psd file with the 2015 version and 125 mo with the 2017 version...

It's really a problem: I lose really a lot of time with the files transfers!

I had to come back to a 2015 version.

I discussed this with other webdesigner and graphics specialists, and they have the same problem.

It is normal? A update can repair this???
Simply why it is so heavier???

Thank you for your time

[JJMack]

Yes that is in the work document image window title.  When you open a smart object by double clicking the layers content icon in the layers palette. Photoshop writes a temp work file into your user id temp space in its native file type a .psb file with the objects content and then opens it in Photoshop for you to work on. If you modify the work document and use menu File>save or use close and save.  Photoshop will save over the work file and use it to update the smart objects layer's object and render new pixels for your smart object layer  you now have an updated object in the smart object layer and new pixels to use for its content.

That temp psb file will be deleted when you close the open document or when you close down photodhop.

[Kinsi]

That is good to know. So if i follow, it don't matter the size of this psb?

[JJMack]

The .psb work file would usually not be big. Photoshop most likely always just creates .psb file in case an object may be a large object.  A .psb can house any size object.   The psb file is just a temp work file.  However if you update that file that file content will be put into your smart object layer object.  Not the PSB file its contents.

[Kinsi]

But it changes the smart object weight right?

[JJMack]

Yes and the new weight may be bigger or smaller or equal to the old weight.

[davescm]

Hi Kinsi

There can be various reasons for a file size increase when dropping an image into Photoshop. For example if I just open a jpeg (compressed) image and don't change it but just save it as a PSD file then it will be larger file size. However none of that explains your original issue which was that files saved as PSD are larger from CC2017 than CC2015.

PSB is a red herring here - as JJMack said that is just another document format for large layered image files.

I don't think we are going to get very far with this until you can find a file, that is non copyright and therefore can be shared, saved in both CC2015 and in CC2017 and shows these size differences. That way we can look at what might be causing the differences that you are seeing but that we are having difficulty replicating.

Dave

[Kinsi]

Ok so this is it
I ll use 2015 and it's good like this.

[davescm]

Using CC2015  may be a short term solution for you, but when you get the chance please try and upload (or link to)  a couple of comparative files. There are many on this forum who can try and help you but without an example we are all kind of poking around in the dark and trying to "guess" what the cause might be.

Dave

[Kinsi]

I aware and grateful for your patience... but really i have just the case here and i cannot show you... i don't want to be a nuisance here.

[davescm]

Kinsi kindly allowed me to examine two images - which could not be published here due to copyright issues.

On the face of it they looked similar - but the difference was the content which was hidden in a nested smart object.

File A- 27Mb

​Contained some text layers and vector layers and three smart object images.
Opening the smart objects showed :

​Image 1 2415 x 510 px 4.7MB
​Image 2 1080 x 807 px   3.32MB
​Image 3 2415 x 2000 px 18.4MB

​


File B - 112MB

​Contained some text layers and vector layers and  single smart object image.

Opening the smart object showed :

​Image 640 x 427 =800kB however that smart object image was also  contained a smart object. Opening that nested smart object showed a TIF image measuring 7360 x 4912px  103.4MB.

​
​Moving that smart object into any other document, using CC2015 or CC2017 resulted in the same jump in file size. In short the issue is not CC2015 vs CC2017 but a nested smart object containing a base image of 103MB


​

​Dave

[Kinsi]

Thanx... but i don't see how u did to find this.
I want to be capable to see that myself (for future projects)... so how did u do? 😉 (just double click?)

[davescm]

i don't see how u did to find this.
I want to be capable to see that myself (for future projects)... so how did u do? 😉 (just double click?)

Yes,

In the layers panel you can see that an object is a smart object by the symbol in the corner of the thumbnail image

Double clicking opens up the smart object and the layers panel now shows the content.

In your file, when I opened the first smart object, the layers panel now showed another smart object. Double clicking that took me to the base image.

You can check the size at each stage by setting the info panel to display the document dimensions and document size (click on the menu at the top right of the info panel and choose from the "Panel Options" what you want it to display)

I hope that helps

Dave

[Kinsi]

perfect thnx

[JJMack]

You can also reduce the weight of smart of smart object layers.   Once you start editing your image in Photoshop and add layers Lightroom is basically out the nondestructive image editing picture.  You can not only do nondestructive editing by choice in Photoshop because lightroom does not support layers all lightroom can use in your PSD file is the full composite image in the PSD which does not contain you images RAW data.  Nothing Lightroom did developing the image can now only be adjusted in Photoshop using ACR.

Destructive Editing also is not always a bad thing. A little destruction will help you produce smaller PSD files and speed up your processing.  You just saw that some smart object layers can have a high overhead.  Sometimes you can reduce this overhead and sill maintain you layers and workflow.  The is very easy when you creating web graphics and are starting with RAW file. 

Every RAW image you place in has high overhead.   The Smart object Layer content consist of a copy of your RAW file, ACR settings you developed for your image.  A full size pixel image rendered for the image and a transform to sized it for your document.  If you are satisfied  with your raw conversion.    You can greatly reduce the weight of this smart object layer.  By simple Raserizing the smart object layer and then convert the layer to a smart object layer.  You still have a smart object layer to work on  the has much less weight the the original smart object layer.  Gone is the copy of your RAW file, Gone are the RAW conversion setting. Gone is the full size pixel image.  The Smart object now is a RAW conversion pixel image resized for the web. 

[Trevor.Dennis]

Can you translate 'mo' for us?  I'm guessing that it is what we would write as Mb

[JJMack]

I do not do English well even though its me native toung,  My French I may knowe four ot five worde.  Octet I would guess 8 and be a Byte

[Kinsi]

= megabyte for u 😉