How can I save layered files over 4 GB?

Forum|Forum|5 years ago
February 26, 2021
3 replies
614 views

I'm so frustrated! I'm trying to save a file with many layers and it won't let me save in TIFF format because it's over 4GB. I tried saving multiple ways (LZW/ZIP and ZIP/ZIP) without luck. I also obviously can't save in PSD because that has a limit of 2GB. I currently have Elements 21 running on Windows 10. I used to work with Elements 11 and NEVER EVER had this issue. I was forced to upgrade because I could not install Elements 11 on my new computer. I assumed I was upgrading, but I'm not understanding why 21 has this limit and 11 doesn't. It's imperitive I save this as a LAYERED file. What can I do?

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Phil Pickering

Legend

I think you must be mistaken that Photoshop Elements 11 allowed you to save TIFF files bigger than 4GB in size as the TIFF file format has always had a limit of 4GB (it uses 32bit offsets).

- What is the total file size of the image?

- Do you have the correct image size dimensions?

- Are there any layers which are not visible and not needed any more?

- Can you merge any layers together which won't really affect future editing?

Phil Pickering

Legend

Plus, is the image you're working on for print or for screen? You can reduce the resolution down if it's just for screen (72 Pixels/Inch). Print needs between 150 and 300 Pixels/Inch, depending on your printer. Most professional printers use 240 or 300 Pixels/Inch. Some online photo services get away with 150 Pixels/Inch. My old, cheap inkjet printer produced good-enough results at 150 Pixels/Inch.

B

boomersgirlAuthor

Participating Frequently

I do digital scrapbooking for albums for my kids so I do print them. The pages are 12x12", but I make them as double pages so they match - the dimensions are 7200x3600 dpi or 24x12". The resolution is 300 dpi for printing purposes. I've always used that - I thought that was the standard for printing, but it's good to know I can go a bit lower if needed. I save the pages periodically while I'm working so the layers need to be saved. Also, I like to save them in the layers until I'm completely done in case I see mistakes. I've been doing this for over a decade and never had an issue with the files being too large until today - which is coincidentally the very first time I did scrapbook pages in PSE 21. I was able to merge some of the layers to bring it down to 3.62 GB in size.

Peru Bob

Community Expert

If you are saving to an external hard drive, make sure it is not formatted to FAT32.

(Don't reformat it unless you have its contents backed up well, as reformatting deletes the data.)

Greg_S.

Community Expert

Are you trying to save to a FAT32 formatted drive? What are the pixel dimensions of the image? If you are over the 30k x 30k limit, will reducing the dimensions allow you to save the file?

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