Skip to main content
C
chris5FE3
Participant
February 17, 2021
Answered

Photoshop File Size Increasing by 3x After Saving

  • February 17, 2021
  • 2 replies
  • 578 views

Hi Adobe Community,

 

I'm running into a strange error with a project I'm currently working on. In the bottom left corner of the Photoshop window, where it shows your document size, PS is telling me that I'm currently at 469 MB. However, upon saving out, the file ends up at a whopping 1.6 gigs.

I've been using Photoshop for years in my profession, and I haven't done anything different as far as my workflow goes with this particular file. It's actually one of many files that I created for a coworker that all use the same elements for the most part, so I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around this one.

Anyone have idea ideas? I can share the file if need be. Thanks in advance!

Chris

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer davescm

Photoshop's document size indicator is a simple calculation based on pixels x 3 for 8 bits/channel (or x 6 for 16 bit)  x layers.

However in that count, smart objects are counted as a single layer and the count does not take into account their content , which can be multiple layers and even further nested smart objects.

This can lead to a much bigger , and more realistic, file size when the file is saved.

Dave

2 replies

davescm
Community Expert
davescmCommunity ExpertCorrect answer
Community Expert
February 17, 2021

Photoshop's document size indicator is a simple calculation based on pixels x 3 for 8 bits/channel (or x 6 for 16 bit)  x layers.

However in that count, smart objects are counted as a single layer and the count does not take into account their content , which can be multiple layers and even further nested smart objects.

This can lead to a much bigger , and more realistic, file size when the file is saved.

Dave

C
chris5FE3Author
Participant
February 17, 2021

That definitely makes sense to me. I do have multiple smart objects throughout the file; however it's such a dramatic increase in size that I felt like it had to be an error. It very well could be just that - I just know that I've made files similar in the past that never scaled up to that size. I'm going to rasterize all of them now as a test.

C
chris5FE3Author
Participant
February 17, 2021

Well it looks like we have a winner. The smart objects are to make the job easier for the one who will be updating the files, as there are three different artboards at different sizes. I guess he'll just have to update them manually one by one!!

Thank you for talking this sense into me!

JJMack
Community Expert
JJMackCommunity Expert
Community Expert
February 17, 2021

The may be a large abount of ancestor meta data you can   stript

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/calculating-file-size/m-p/11674163 

JJMack
C
chris5FE3Author
Participant
February 17, 2021

Thanks for responding, JJMack.

So I believe I ran the script properly according to your previous post; however, I'm not seeing any decrease in file size. If you care to give it a shot, here's the a download to the file: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6ro1py4y5pjtx9t/lineup_updated.psd?dl=0

I appreciate your help already, nonetheless!

 

Chris

Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices