PNGs used to save small, now they don't!

[Alice Mori]

So PNGs (YouTube thumbnails) I have been creating for four years in Photoshop have always saved under 2MB, even complex ones with many layers. Lately they have been saving at over 2MB (which is the YouTube limit) so I have had to save them as JPEG files instead, which makes them look awful.

Upon closer inspection, I found a PNG I made a few months ago and the file size was 670KB. I just re-saved the file, exactly the same with no changes whatsoever and the file size is now 2.15MB!! How?!

At least I know now that it isn't me making a boo boo, but is Photoshop suddenly deciding to save these files larger than it did. But why? And how do I get it save them smaller again?

I tried saving as a small PNG (using the option popup on save) but it isn't a significant difference in size.

Any ideas?

[Kevin Stohlmeyer]

Hi @Alice Mori how are you saving your file? Save for Web Legacy export or Export or Save as?

Save as generally is not a good workflow as it saves a ton of metadata and can lead to bloat. Try save for web or Export.

[Alice Mori]

Hi Kevin,

I appreciate your response! I have been using 'save as copy'. I do not use the cloud and save everything on my own computer. I have been using this method for literally years, with no issues whatsoever. It is only in the past few weeks that I have been experiencing PNGs saving as considerably larger files.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

If you are not able to isolate the problem yourself based on the existing posts then please provide one of the affected files. 

Sorry, I missed your last post. 

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Please provide such a file. 

Following up on @Kevin Stohlmeyer ’s post, is there an inordinate amount of text under 

File > File Info > Raw Data

? 

[Alice Mori]

Interestingly, no but it does say this - "Cannot display raw metadata, contents too large".

What I find REALLY weird about this is that this is the thumbnail that I saved on 1st Sep 2023 file size 672KB. When I just simply opened the working file in Photoshop and saved a fresh copy, no edits made at all, file size 2.19MB and now the Raw Data states the above.

I've attached the two files below...  'Paranormal Storytime Thumb' is the original, 'Paranormal Storytime Thumb1' is the new save.

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Please try this Script. 

https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/metadata-bloat-abnormally-large-psd-f...

[Alice Mori]

YESS you absolute geniuses! All! Thank you so much - file now saves at smaller than it even did orginally, amazing. Thank you!

[Stephen Marsh]

@Alice Mori 

Yes, it's as detailed at my blogpost.

Excessive photoshop.DocumentAncestors metadata from successive copy/paste or place operations. The metadata snowballs and grows with each successive file.

Is this a template where you combine or swap out multiple images and save, before save as to make a derivative version?

[Stephen Marsh]

Perhaps:

https://prepression.blogspot.com/2017/06/metadata-bloat-photoshopdocumentancestors.html

[Alice Mori]

Aha! You are defintitely on to something here.. I'll give one of these scripts a go! Thank you!

[c.pfaffenbichler]

Another alternative would be using (as @Kevin Stohlmeyer indicated) using Save for Web to remove metadata on exporting.