May 17th, 2007

Photoshop: PSD 75% lighter

by Sergio Ordonez at 10:31 am on Photoshop

Photoshop seems to me like a marvellous software, in my opinion isby far the best out there… is the most powerful, versatile, the greatest. But it still has a problem since previous versions, the weight of the files is huge, we could think that for the information it has the size is reazonable but…

Did you know that we can reduce the weight of the PSD up to 75%?

This is something to think about, if we can reduce so much the information in a PSD it would be because this format is not very optimized, right?. Most people think that’s why there are files with compression, TIFF or JPG… but they agree that keeping the original files in PSD format is much more comfortable than working with TIFF (i don’t think we need to compare it with JPG).

Well, how can we do this? Something as simple as hiding the layers before saving the file, if after that you compress it with Winrar or Winzip you will save a lot more.

Capas ocultasCapas ocultas

Here you have the information of the experiment:

  1. Normal PSD: 49,2 MB
  2. PSD saved with the hidden layers: 38,9 MB
  3. PSD saved with the hidden layers and zipped: 11,5 MB

The new version of Photoshop CS3 is out and we still have the same problem… we will have to wait a little more. Now, if you have to send a PSD via ftp or email… you have no choise than doing this.

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20 comments »

  1. Very simple but useful trick!

    Comments de Barkeeper — May 26, 2007 @ 2:18 pm

  2. […] Read More… […]

    Pingback de Make Photoshop 75% Lighter at Imaging Insider — May 31, 2007 @ 9:37 am

  3. I’m not sure what kind of work you’re trying to do with photoshop but the difference of 11 MB is nothing. In the world of print, which photoshop is used for the most, we deal with files in excess of 100 MB (and that’s Tiffs sometimes).

    Hiding layers saves space because it means that programs no longer have to draw whatever is on them, this is all well and good for transfering files and wanting to save space, but if you have PSDs placed into an InDesign document, you can’t just flip layers off to save space. Things like that get transfered into the layout programs and it means you have to turn them back on.

    Bottom line: if you want to save space when sending files use a tiff image instead. It’s less hassle than managing what could end up being 30 some layers, and it prevents problems later on with visibility in other programs.

    Comments de Logar — May 31, 2007 @ 2:36 pm

  4. Wow. Great tip!

    Comments de Kaos Hybryd — May 31, 2007 @ 2:50 pm

  5. Hi Logar, if you have a file of 100mg, it would become 23mb… Its a big difference, specially if you have to transfer files to lot of clients by ftp

    Like I say in the article keeping the original files in PSD format in my opinion is much more comfortable than working with TIFF files.

    Anyway the KEY of the article is the bad compression of PSD files… then you can use the tip if its useful.

    Thanks for sharing your opinion, much appreciated.

    Comments de Sergio Ordonez — May 31, 2007 @ 4:21 pm

  6. […] FOUND ON: SOSNEWBIE.COM […]

    Pingback de Reduce Photoshop File Size by 75 percent! « Graphic Design Today — June 2, 2007 @ 9:28 pm

  7. It is not a bug - it is a feature. What you’re doing is deleting the composite image that allows other software to use the psd without having to flatten it first or having to create a composite image from individual layers, which would require a lot of time and compatibility with the Photoshop version the psd-file was saved from.

    You get the same effect when you flatten an image that only has one layer (i.e. you’re turning “layer 1″ into “Background layer”).

    This will never be “fixed”, as the composite is required for compatibility, but yours is a good solution for ftp, as you describe.

    Comments de Janne — June 11, 2007 @ 9:51 am

  8. Hello Janne,

    If you are right, and we are “deleting” the composite image then the file would be lighter but we would lost the features (ie: allows other software to use the psd without having to flatten it first or having to create a composite image from individual layers)

    But it really happens? If it happens I guess you are right, if not why the hell we need a feature like this?

    Comments de Sergio Ordonez — June 11, 2007 @ 10:17 am

  9. I’m not sure if I understand your reply, but psd is a somewhat standard format these days, and the composite image is what we can thank for that - even the operating systems use the composite image to create an icon for the file and that’s what allows all these little apps to open them. But you can actually turn the feature off from Photoshop preferences - just set “Maximise psd & psb compatibility” to “off”. (I remembered the setting was somewhere! Just found it now…) This also makes opening and saving a lot quicker.

    It probably still makes sense to zip or rar the files, as that also makes the files less prone to break when sending over an ftp connection or by mail.

    I guess compression could be more effective but it would also make saving a lot slower.

    Comments de Janne — June 11, 2007 @ 10:32 am

  10. this tip is really good
    here is another way of doing it

    Flatten all layers and save it as a BMP
    yes, you lose everything including text editing, etc, but image is saved as lossless pic.

    the psd can b saved seperately for only editing purposes

    for guyz working with 100meg+ filez ,
    dude its WORTH the Space it takez

    Photoshop Rulez

    Peace ya all

    Comments de gdsfgsdf — June 13, 2007 @ 10:32 pm

  11. To the above, no. Just no. BMP is a HORRIBLE file format: it’s huge for a flattened image. If you want a smaller size with a lossless pic, save it as a PNG.

    Comments de |S|iri|S| — June 23, 2007 @ 10:34 pm

  12. Good advice. Personally it apply the custody use in psd files:)

    Comments de zilwit — August 25, 2007 @ 2:30 pm

  13. So in general, no actual data is lost if you use this method or the one that Janne suggests?

    Comments de Nino — November 8, 2007 @ 8:36 pm

  14. Hello Nino, its just saving like a psd… you can keep editable your text and layer styles.

    Comments de Sergio Ordonez — November 8, 2007 @ 8:55 pm

  15. […] » Photoshop: PSD 75% lighter Posted in January 3rd, 2008 by adobeperson in Photoshop News SOSNewbie » Photoshop: PSD 75% lighter Sosnewbie is a resources communitty for freelance designers, here you can find articles, tutorials […]

    Pingback de SOSNewbie » Photoshop: PSD 75% lighter | More Free photoshop tutorials,resources and news — January 3, 2008 @ 12:57 am

  16. […] Източник: http://www.sosnewbie.com/en/photoshop/photoshop-psd-75-lighter/  […]

    Pingback de ::ivaylo-petrov.com:: emptywords » Blog Archive » Оптимизиране на .PSD файлове - до 75% намаляване на теглото. Светкачивен резултат! — April 13, 2008 @ 2:04 pm

  17. Really a good tweak.
    Good solution who Upload and Download the PSD on regular basis, specially prepress operators.

    Comments de Mini — November 12, 2008 @ 9:15 am

  18. There is another solution that is quicker and reduces even further without any loss and hassle of using the zip program. Hide layers save as tiff choose zip as compression and you will find the file is smaller than the above route. I tested this with a 171 meg psd file
    Psd… hide layers …zip……..79 meg
    impressive????
    Save as Tiff tick zip boxes …….61 meg
    saving time to upload and unzip

    Comments de Paul — November 30, 2008 @ 4:37 pm

  19. Hello Paul, the thing is you are compresing the file, you lose a certain amount of compatibility with other programs, since not all programs, that accept tif-files in general, are able to work with these compressions.

    Also looks like the level of compresion depends on the sort of image. It doesnt save too size for photos.

    Did you try with LZW compresion?

    You can follow an interesting thread here: http://photo.net/digital-darkroom-forum/00NaW5

    Cheers.
    Sergio

    Comments de Sergio Ordonez — December 1, 2008 @ 8:03 am

  20. Simple but useful tip. Thanks.

    Greetz from Latvia! :)

    Comments de Tomy — December 16, 2008 @ 2:04 pm

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