I'm working with the latest version of PS in Windows 10, processing very large files (e.g., 35+GB) on a very capable computer (e.g., 96GB RAM).  When I perform certain operations, like duplicating a layer from one .psb file into another or converting a smart object to layers, PS sometimes performs the operation almost instantaneously.  At other times, PS will cycle several times through a series of loading>preparing>scaling>preprocessing operations, often taking several minutes.  I can't identify any trigger that differentiates the instantaneous vs. the long-cycle operation.  Does anyone know if there is any way to circumvent these endless processing cycles? ... View more

See image below: If I use the Dell/XRite software to calibrate my monitor, the first parameters I have to specify are RGB Primaries and White Point.         Regarding RGB Primaries: As I understand it,  if I specify "Native" as the RGB Primary, I am choosing to calibrate based on the monitor's full gamut.  If I specify, say, "AdobeRGB," I am calibrating for the range of colors within that Adobe gamut.         Regarding White Point: If I specify "Native," I am specifying the white point of the monitor's full gamut.  That might be substantially higher than 6500K.        In some of the XRite tutorials available online, I'll see "Native" specified for the RGB primaries and "CIE Illuminant D65" specified for the White Point.  It seems to me that this misaligns the white point with the color space.  I would expect that if I choose AdobeRGB as the RGB Primary, I would choose D65 as the white point.  If I choose Native as the RGB Primary, I also would choose Native as  the White Point.  Does that make sense?     ... View more

Hoping someone can provide a knowledgeable perspective on an issue regarding display calibration.  PS provides a choice of working space (Edit>Color Settings>RGB Working Space).  Usually, I select Adobe RGB rather than my monitor profile.  I create the profile using Dell/XRite software on a U2713H (has a LUT).  My understanding is that the profile/calibration process enables the monitor to reproduce a MacBeth chart as closely as possible.  Once that is done, I can choose any working space in PS, and the monitor will display that working space as accurately as possible.  I had always been advised NOT to choose the monitor profile as the working space in PS.  However, I was reading an article which states, with respect to PS working space options: “You'll see a line with "Monitor RGB - xyz." The file listed instead of xyz is the monitor profile Photoshop displays all images in. This is important to check, as some profiling software packages can write invalid profiles. If this occurs, Photoshop ignores the profile and displays in a default space that is guaranteed not to match your monitor.” (https://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/monitor_calibration.htm) This seems to suggest that the working space should be the monitor profile.  Can anyone weigh-in on this? ... View more

I posed a question to Wacom technical support, which their tech was unable to answer.  Given that many PS people use Wacom products, I'm hoping someone in this forum can answer the question.     The latest driver update for my Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 is WacomTablet_6.3.41-1.exe.  Does that executable generate an .inf file?  For example, when I run an executable to update a driver for my Dell U2713H monitor, the executable creates an .inf file in Windows (C:\Dell\Drivers\MKTX9\U2713H.inf).  Does WacomTablet_6.3.41-1.exe create an .inf file?  If so, what is the name of the file and where is it located (i.e., what is the path)?   For context: My understanding is that, before color calibrating a monitor in Windows, it is preferable to check that Windows is communicating through the monitor's proper driver rather than through a Generic PnP driver.  If I see that Windows does recognize a monitor as a Generic PnP, I can update the driver and manually direct Windows to the .inf file (e.g., C:\Dell\Drivers\MKTX9\U2713H.inf).  In Windows>Device Manager, my Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 appears as a Generic PnP monitor; however,  I can't find any Wacom .inf file.  So, I'm trying to find out if Wacom does generate an .inf and, if so, where is it located? ... View more

Often, I’ll have an image open across the full expanse of my Cintiq, with the PS interface on another monitor.  I may want to bring a smaller reference image into PS.  If I open that smaller reference image, it will not open within the PS interface.  Instead, it will open on the Cintiq, and the Cintiq window will resize to the smaller image.  (Example below: Owls4v, which was expanded across the Cintiq, has been resized when LOwl3 was opened.) I then have to drag the reference image to the other monitor and restore the image on the Cintiq to its size prior to opening the reference image.  Is there a way to prevent that?  I would like to keep the image unaltered on the Cintiq and simply have that second image open in PS on the other monitor. ... View more

I'm using PS release 22.0.0.  I'm having a problem I've never had before with the patch tool.  This image provides an example: Just a single layer.  If I select with the patch tool in the yellow box (source) and drag to the blue circle (destination), a blue area appears in the yellow box, as expected.  However, when I release the mouse, nothing happens.  Doesn't matter whether I use Normal or Content Aware. Resetting Preferences doesn't fix the problem.  Any suggestions?   ... View more

I'm hoping someone can help me develop a better understanding of how PS 2021 handles .abr files.  The first image shows my brush menu.  Below that, the results of a system search for .abr files.  My impression was that PS could only access brushes in the ...Presets\Brushes folder.  However, other than General Brushes, none of the other brush sets available in PS appears in the Presets\Brushes or, for that matter, in the AppData..\... folder.  Of course, I do have these files stored on an external drive.  But they are nowhere on the OS drive.  Can anyone explain how PS is accessing these other brush sets? ... View more

I’m trying to copy a group from one Photoshop document to another.  Usually, I either drag the group into the other open document or R-click and choose “duplicate.”  What’s happening now is that, while the group duplicates, it’s empty.  None of the subfolders or their layers have transferred.  It’s not a case of their being hidden.  The folder is just empty.  Any idea what the cause might be? ... View more

I've run into a really weird problem.  I might be using the brush or clone stamp.  Suddenly, my brush cursor turns to a standard white arrow and stays there regardless of what tool I select. True whether I use my Cintiq and pen or whether I use a mouse on another monitor.  If I open a new file, the brush will work for a time before it reverts to the white cursor.  My only recourse is to shut down Photoshop and restart, which is annoying as hell.  My efficiency is 100%.  Does anyone know what is happening?  Better yet, how to correct it? ... View more

I'm hoping someone can explain to me how Photoshop uses a graphics processor.   I often work with very large, complex, multilayered 16-bit files (large meaning ~ 30GB). I realize there are strategies for reducing file size, including the use of "feeder files" (a la Bert Monroy).  But there are times when I want to work with the entire file, so I can toggle layers on/off while making edits.   Because of problems with brush lag, I recently purchased a desktop with 96GB RAM and a Quadro RTX 5000 graphics card.  Photoshop is installed (along with my OS) on a 1 TB class 50 SSD.  I have a 960 GB Intel Optane drive that hosts only one folder, which contains only the file I'm working on.  My Performance settings allow 86% memory use, Huge Pixel Dimensions, 8 cache levels and 1028K tile size.  I keep 25 history states.  I don't load a large number of brushes, textures, etc.  My scratch disks are set up as a D drive (Optane drive), C: (OS drive), then an external SSD.  With all that, I sometimes still get brush lag, even when efficiency is at 100%.  Similarly, redraw is sometimes slow when I toggle a layer on/off.     When I researched the brush lag problem, I came across advice to the effect: uncheck the Use Graphics Processor in Preferences.  That does greatly mitigate the problem.  Of course, it also disables certain desirable features like rotation and scrubby zoom.     My research, prior to buying this new computer, indicated that Photoshop, as it evolves, is assigning a greater number of functions to GPU.  I'm very curious as to why disabling the use of the graphics processor would improve the situation.  I would think the opposite.  Does disabling the graphics processor mean Photoshop is bypassing the Quadro and using the graphics capability on the motherboard?  If anyone can educate me, I'd love to know. ... View more

Can anyone tell me whether grouping layers has a substantial effect on file size? ... View more

I realize that, when using the clone stamp, if I alt+ double tap (to sample with my pen) rather than alt+single tap, I will turn on the "align" option.  I am very carefully avoiding the double-tap.  However, "align" still turns on by itself.  It's diabolical.  Is there any way to prevent that? ... View more

I like Photoshops Lighting Effects filters (Filter>Render>Lighting Effects); however, they are limited to 8-bit, and I prefer to work in 16-bit.  I had been looking at this PTC depth map video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxbVU9LD_J0 ), and it occurred to me that perhaps I could bring either a scene or individual layers (16-bit) into the 3D environment, then use the 3D lighting apparatus.  In the video, Jesus Ramirez brings an image of a wall into the 3D environment as a postcard.  The postcard stays true in its representation of the original layer.  However, when I bring my image into 3D, the layer appears as if I had changed the blending mode to color burn.  Very dark.  Very high contrast.  If I convert the image to 8-bit (just to see what happens), the change is much less drastic, but still not true to the original layer.  There are workarounds.  I can, for example, make a duplicate image, convert it to 8-bit, use the lighting effects filter to play with the lighting, then reproduce that effect "manually" in the 16-bit image.  But I'm just wondering if there is a better way. ... View more

I ordered a Wacom Cintiq Pro 24 to replace my legacy Cintiq 21UX.  My main motivator is that the Pro 24 covers 99% of the Adobe RGB gamut whereas the 21UX covers <80%.  So, my set-up will be the Cintiq Pro 24 plus two Dell monitors (U2713H and U2720q) operating in Windows 10.  I use an X-Rite i1 Display Pro with the X-Rite/Dell calibration software to calibrate the Dell monitors.  (I recently posted a question about that.  Thanks for the responses.)  My understanding is that X-Rite also worked with Wacom to create a color manager, designed for the Wacom  27 QHD, which also can be used with other Wacom products.  However, I read in one Wacom Forum post that "Owners of X-Rite i1PRO2 and i1Pro spectrophotometers can also use this program for display calibration. However, you will not be able to use the Wacom Color Manager software with an X-Rite branded i1Display PRO."  One option, apparently, is to by an  X-Rite i1Display Pro for Wacom, nearly identical to the instrument I'm using for the Dell monitors.  Another option would be to spring for ~ $1500 for an X-Rite i1Pro/Pro2 spectrophotometer, which, as I understand it, can be used on either the Cintiq or the Dell monitors using the respective X-Rite/Wacom or X-Rite/Dell calibration software.  (I always thought a spectrophotometer was used primarily by digital artists who calibrate their monitors to their own printers.  I don't do my own printing.)  A third option might be to use DisplayCAL.  My impression is that DisplayCAL does not address the hardware calibration built in to devices like the Dell monitors or the Cintiq Pro 24, but it does a very good job and is, in some ways, more capable than much of the vendor-supplied software (e.g., https://imagescience.com.au/knowledge/displaycal). Any thoughts? ... View more