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Larger file should mean better quality right?
By @Graysyn
Only when all other things are equal.
With image files, there are many variables that can affect file size, such as file type, pixel dimensions, bit depth, whether compression was used, what type of compression, how compressible various layers/masks are, etc. It is easily possible for two images to have the same file size and very different visual quality.
In this case, I was specifically watching for whether the Background layer is converted to Layer 0 by Photoshop on iPad, because I thought I had seen that in the past. That simple act alone would at least double the file size because it’s no longer a flattened document. But, in my test just now, I found that there was no file size difference from opening a PSD file, saving it as a Photoshop Cloud Document, opening it in Photoshop on iPad, and without making any changes, using the Publish and Export feature to save that out of iPad Photoshop back down as a PSD file. My PSD test file was 40.7MB both before and after that cloud-and-back, no-edits test.
I just checked one of the images - the edited image is actually more than twice the size of the unedited one.
By @Graysyn
In your example, does your editing change the layers in any way at all? That would include adding just one layer, or as I mentioned above, just converting the Background layer to a normal layer. Either of those is guaranteed to increase file size from a flattened (no layers) document, both just from adding the layer, and also (if used) from adding the “Maximum Compatibility” composite which is like another layer.
Ok so when I open PS I get this message about the 'background layer being promoted' as per screenshot. (not sure if that is pertinent.)
By @Graysyn
Oh yes, it’s pertinent!…that’s the message I remember seeing, but I couldn’t make it happen today. Fortunately you did. That is what I’m talking about, if the background layer becomes Layer 0, then the document is now un-flattened and capable of background transparency, but the tradeoff is the file size will at least double.
One other thing - when I got to save what is the best way to save on iPad - it gives me the option of 'standard', 'optimised' and 'progressive' - always at the max setting.
By @Graysyn
If you see those options, now you are in serious “comparing apples to oranges” territory. Those options are specifically for JPEG format only. If a copy is being exported that way, it’s no longer a PSD file so the file sizes can no longer be compared directly. A JPEG is capable of much smaller file sizes, with the tradeoff being lower quality.
When I get the same file size before and after, it is because I am saving a PSD file to the cloud, and then after opening that in iPad Photoshop, I am specifically choosing PSD format on the way out, as shown below. Same format in and out. This is shown in the picture below.
If you chose JPEG because the next step is uploading to Facebook, that is appropriate, but then the JPEG copy would be expected to be a much smaller file than a PSD.
For JPEG, Standard is OK, the other two are less commonly used. The Quality setting is what really determines file size; higher quality = larger file. Also, it is nonlinear: The closer you get to Maximum, the more the file size bloats but the visual difference is hard to see, so many photographers who do bulk uploads do not export JPEG at Maximum because they want faster, smaller high quality bulk uploads. For general use, a good sweet spot is around 8.
the more I save it as a jpeg and then work on it later I notice a degradation of the image in the final save/upload.
when I got to save what is the best way to save on iPad
By @Graysyn
1. That's the nature of a JPEG — it is a lossy format and will degrade every time you save or export. The more you save it and work on it later, the more it degrades. The best practice is to keep your image as a PSDC and export no more than once to JPEG. You can't actually save the image as a JPEG on the iPad, btw. You can only Export to JPEG.
https://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/using/create-open-save-ipad.html
2. The best way to save your image in PS for iPad is to tap the Home button in the upper left to close it. Saving is automatic and it will have the PSDC extension.
Jane
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