3/27/2015 HowtotunePhotoshopCS6forpeakperformance

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HowtotunePhotoshopCS6forpeakperformance
AdobePhotoshopCS6Performance
PromotingafasterPhotoshopexperienceforallusers

Usersofthepreviousversionsee:HowtotunePhotoshopCS5forpeakperformance

ThedepthandspreadoftoolsandfeaturesinAdobePhotoshopCS6andPhotoshopCS6Extendedsoftwaremakethetwoeditionsapplicabletoavarietyofwork
environmentsandsuitableforawiderangeoftasksbyimagemakersofallskilllevels,fromenthusiaststoprofessionals.Insomeenvironments,Photoshopis
employedinadedicated,standalonefashion,whileinothers,itisapivotalpartofalargersuiteofprograms.Makingsurethatyourcomputermeetstheminimum
systemrequirementsisanessentialfirststepinensuringthatallfeaturesfunctioncorrectly.OptimizingyourPhotoshopCS6setuptosuityourworkenvironmentand
thetasksyouregularlyperformisthenextstep.Alluserswillbenefitfromsuchoptimization,butthosewhoworkwithvideo,3Dcontent,orotherlargefilesorthose
whoprocessmultiplefilesatoncewillseethegreatestperformancegains.ThispaperprovidesguidanceonbestpracticestooptimizePhotoshopCS6performance
withacombinationofcarefulhardwareselectionandinformedprogramsetup.

WhattypeofPhotoshopuserareyou?
DetermininghowyoutypicallyusePhotoshopwillhelpyoumakemoreinformeddecisionsaboutthebestwaystooptimizeyoursetup.Forinstance,the
photographerwhoregularlyprocesseshighresolutionimageswillgreatlybenefitfromincreasingtheamountofsystemRAMavailabletoPhotoshop,
whereasthedesignerwhoworkswith3DmodelswillobtainfarbetterperformancebyinstallingafastervideocardcontainingmorevideoRAM.So,
itemizethetasksthatyouregularlyperforminPhotoshopandthenusetherecommendedsetupdetailscontainedinthispaperasthebasisfor

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optimizingyoursystem.

Essentialhardware
Computersarebuiltwithavarietyofcomponents.Eachperformsadifferentfunction,andtogethertheyaffecttheoverallperformanceofPhotoshop.Thefollowing
sectionsdescribesystemcomponentsandtherolestheyplayintheimageeditingandenhancementprocess.

TableofContents:

64bitarchitecture
Memory(RAM)
Storage(harddisk):

Startupdrive
Scratchdisks
DataDrive

Processor(CPU)
Videoorgraphicscard
ScreenorMonitor
KeystepstooptimizePhotoshopCS6performance:

1. Allocateyourscratchdiskcorrectly
2. SeparatethePhotoshopscratchdiskfromoperatingsystemvirtualmemory
3. SettheRAMpercentageusedbyPhotoshop
4. Defragmentyourdrivesregularly
5. MinimizeHistoryStates
6. AvoidOutofRAMerrorswhenrunningmemoryintensivefeatures
7. Reducethenumberofopenfiles
8. Clearallavailablememory:PurgeUndo,Clipboard,orHistories
9. RunPhotoshopbyitself
10. OptimizeCacheLevelandCacheTilesettings
11. Reducepatternsandbrushtips
12. OptimizeGPUsettings
13. ChoosetheappropriatePhotoshopfiletype

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14. SettheMaximizeFileCompatibilityoption
15. Turnoffthumbnaildisplay
16. Reducecolorbitdepth
17. DeselectExportClipboard
18. Adjustorturnofffontpreview
19. Optimizeimagefiles

AdditionalInformation

64bitarchitecture
PhotoshopCS6provides64bitsupportonbothMacandWindowssystems.SubstantialperformancegainscanbeachievedbyswitchingfromrunningPhotoshop
in32bittothe64bitversionoftheprogram,especiallywhenworkingwithlargeorcomplexfilesorwhenprocessingmultipleimagesatatime.The64bitarchitecture
supportsmanagementoflargeramountsofRAMandbetterprocessingoflargeramountsofimagingdata.NotethattorunPhotoshopCS6in64bitmode,your
hardwareandoperatingsystemmustbothbe64bitcompatible.

MicrosoftWindows7shipsin32bitor64bitversions,andPhotoshopCS6willonlyworkin64bitmodewhenthe64bitversionofWindows7isrunning.Youcan
checkwhichversionyouarerunningbyviewingthesystemtypeinformationintheSystemsectionofWindowsControlPanel.

OntheAppleplatformrunningMacOSX,asystemthatsupports64bitmodeisrequiredforPhotoshopCS6astheapplicationis64bitonly(allbuttheveryfirst
generationofInteliMac,MacBook,andMacBookProsystemssupport64bitmode).

TheeasiestwaytocheckwhichversionofPhotoshopisrunningistoviewthedetailsonthesplashscreenthatisdisplayedwhentheprogramstarts.Nexttothe
versionnumberyouwillseex64for64bitmodeorx32for32bitmode.

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PhotoshopCS6SplashScreen

Recommendations
Ifyouregularlyworkwithlargefiles,processmultilayeredPhotoshopdocuments,and/orenhancemultiplehighresolutionrawfiles,thenrunningthe64
bitversionofPhotoshopCS6willincreaseyourproductivity.Yourcomputerhardwareandoperatingsystemmustsupportthe64bitstructurebeforeyou
canruntheprograminthismode.NotethatMacuserswith64bitcapablehardwarebutrunningMacOSXin32bitmodecanstillrunPhotoshopCS6
in64bitmode.

Memory(RAM)
RAMistheshorttermmemorywherePhotoshop(andotherprograms),imagedata,andvariousUndostepsandHistoryStatesarekeptduringtheimageeditingand
enhancementprocess.RAMisdifferentfromharddriveorDVDdiskmemory,astheinformationstoredinRAMislostwhenyourcomputerisswitchedoff.For
efficientphotoediting,theamountofRAMyourcomputercontainsisjustasimportantastheoverallprocessingpowerofyoursystem.Ingeneral,moreRAMmeans
betterPhotoshopperformance.Thisisespeciallytrueof64bitsystems,wherelargeramountsofmemorycanbeaddressedandusedmoreefficiently.Keepinmind
thatPhotoshopwillbesharingavailableRAMwiththecomputersoperatingsystemaswellasotherprogramsandutilitiesrunningatthesametime.Sonotallthe
RAMinstalledinthesystemcanbeusedbyorshouldbeallocatedtoPhotoshop.HowPhotoshopsharesthememoryiscontrolledbythesettingsinthe
PerformancepanelofthePreferencesdialogbox.RefertotheKeystepstooptimizePhotoshopCS6performancesectionfordetailsaboutoptimizingthesettings
inthePreferencesdialogbox.

ThetotalamountofRAMthatcanbeinstalledonyoursystem,andusedbyPhotoshopCS6,isdeterminedbythehardwarespecificationsofyourcomputerandyour
operatingsystem.WhenPhotoshopisrunningin32bitmode,itcanonlydirectlyaccessuptoapproximately3GBofRAM.Ona64bitoperatingsystemrunningona
compatible64bitarchitecturewithPhotoshopCS6runningin64bitmode,theprogramcandirectlyaccessasmuchRAMasthecomputersupports,butforbest
performance,youshouldleaveroomfortheoperatingsystemandotherprogramstorun.
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ChecktheamountofRAMyouhaveinstalledbyviewingtheinstalledmemoryvaluesintheSystemsectionoftheControlPanel(Windows)ortheApple>About
ThisMacdialogboxforMaccomputers.

NotethattheperformancegainsobtainedbyincreasingRAMaremorenoticeablewhenaddingRAMtoasystemwithalowamount,suchas1GB,andareless
dramaticonsystemswithhigheramountsofinstalledRAM,like32GB.Also,userswhoregularlyprocesslargefiles(over500MB)and/orcomplexdocumentswith
manylayerswillseegreaterperformanceimprovementswiththeadditionofextraRAMthanthoseworkingwithsmaller,lesscompleximages.Formoredetailsabout
howtodetermineifyoursystemcouldbenefitfrommoreRAM,readtheKeystepstooptimizePhotoshopCS6performancesection.

Recommendations
Ingeneral,youshouldbuyasmuchmemoryasyoucanaffordandyoursystemcansupport,sinceaddingmoreRAMisoneofthesimplestwaysto
improveoverallPhotoshopperformance.Butrememberthatonly64bitsystemscaneffectivelyaddressmorethan4GBofRAM.

Storage(harddisk)
Theharddriveinyourcomputerperformsthreekeyfunctionswhenprocessingyourimagefiles:

ProvidesaccesstotheoperatingsystemandprogramslikePhotoshop
Storesyourimagefiles
Givesextramemoryresources(calledvirtualmemoryorscratchdisks)toPhotoshopwhenprocessingrequirementsexceedavailableRAM

Allthreetasksareessentialforimageprocessingandensuringthatyourharddriveisfasthasplentyofsparespaceisfreefromerrorsandisregularly
defragmented,whichwillimproveperformanceinallthesekeyareas.Formaximumperformance,afast,dedicateddriveshouldbeallocatedforeachofthesetasks.
Atypicalsetupwouldincludeastartupdriveforsystemandprogramfiles,adatadriveforstoringallimageandprojectfiles,andascratchdiskdriveforvirtual
memory.

StartupDrive

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BothPhotoshopCS6andyouroperatingsystemhaveminimumrequirementsforharddrivefreespace.ForPhotoshop,itis2GB,andformostoperatingsystems,
theminimumrequirementis20GB.Butkeepinmindthattheseareminimumrequirements,andthemorefreespace,thebetter.Speedisalsoafactorwiththisdrive,
andmanyhighperformancesystemsnowusesolidstatedrives(SSDs)forstartup,astheyprovideveryfastreadandwriteaccess.

ScratchDisks
WhenPhotoshopneedsmorememorythanthatavailable,itusesaportionoftheharddriveasvirtualmemoryorscratchdisks.Thisprocessallowsyoutoworkwith
largeimagechangesthatexceedthecapacityofyoursystemRAM.Themoreharddrivespaceavailableandthefasterthedriveaccessspeed,themoreefficient
thisprocessbecomes.Asaruleofthumb,aimforharddriveswithfasterdiskrotation(usuallyclassifiedinRPM)andfasterread/writespeeds.Ifyouhavethe
budget,thentakealookatSSDs.Ideally,youshoulduseadedicated,emptyharddrivethatisnotyourstartupdisk,butifemptydrivesarenotpossible,atleast
makesurethatthefreespaceonyourscratchdisksisnotfragmented.

Tovieworadjustyourscratchdisksettings,choosePhotoshop/Edit>Preferences>Performanceandlookatthescratchdisksareainthemiddleofthepanel.The
panelwillshowyoualistofallharddrivesattachedtoyoursystem,andyoucanarrangeboththeorderinwhichPhotoshopusesthemandwhichdrivestouseatall.
Upto64EBofscratchdiskspaceissupportedonatotaloffourvolumes(anexabyteisequalto1billiongigabytes).Ifyouhavemorethanonedriveandyouwantto
includeyourstartupdriveaspartofthescratchdisk,besureitislastinorderformaximumefficiency.Youshouldalsouseharddriveswithfastaccess(read/write)
speedsandasageneralruleavoidremovableornetworkeddrives,whichcauseperformancelagsduetothetimerequiredforcommunicationtoandfromthedisks.

Assignthedrivestobeusedasascratchdisk,andthesequenceinwhichtheywillbeused,withthesettingsinthePerformancesectionofthePhotoshop
Preferencesdialogbox.

FasterdriveaccesscanbeachievedbyusinganSSDorbyinstallingmultipledrivesinaRAIDsystem.RAIDsetupsrequiretwoormorediskdrivesandaspecial
harddrivecontroller.ManymotherboardsnowhaveRAIDcontrollersbuiltin,reducingtheneedtobuyandinstallaseparateboard.WhenfirstcreatingtheRAID
setup,PhotoshopusersshouldsettheirscratchdisktooperateinRAIDlevel0.Thismodeusestwoormoredrivestoprovideextraperformancebywriting
informationacrossmultipledrives.

HowdoIknowwhatisthetotalamountofmemory(bothRAMandscratchdiskspace)availabletoPhotoshopduringeditingoperations?
PhotoshopdisplaysRAMandscratchdiskusageandallocationintheScratchSizessectionofthestatusbar.Thenumberontheleftrepresentsthe

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amountofmemorycurrentlybeingusedbytheprogramtodisplayallopenimages.ThenumberontherightrepresentsthetotalamountofRAM
availableforprocessingtheseimages.

DataDrive
ThespeedofyourdatadrivewillaffecthowlongittakestoopenandsavefilesfasterdriveswillincreasereadandwriteperformanceinPhotoshop.Forthisreason,
manyprofessionalsalsoemployaRAIDdrivesystemtostoretheirphotosandprojectfiles.Butkeepinmindthatwithdata,itisalsoimportanttoensurethatthe
filesaresecureandregularlybackedup.SelectadifferentRAIDmodesuchaslevel1,whichmirrorsthefilesoverthedisks,orlevel5,whichcombinesperformance
andsecuritymeasures.Forthebestperformance,avoidnetworkorexternaldrivesduetotheirrelativelyslowaccesstimes.

Recommendations
Formaximumperformance,useseparate,dedicatedphysicaldrivesforstartup,data,andscratchdrives.Alldrivesshouldbefastandregularly
defragmented.Also,whenpossible,multipledrivessetupinaRAID0arrayshouldbeusedforyourscratchdisksanddatadrives,andanSSDshould
beusedforstartup.

WhichRAIDsettingshouldIuse?

RAID0:ThefastestRAIDsetupislevel0,butitoffersnodataprotection(ifoneofthedrivesgoesbad,youloseallthedata).Thissettingistypicallyusedfor
scratchdisks.
RAID1:RAIDlevel1mirrorsyourdataacrossmultipledrives(ifonefails,youstillhaveyourdata).Thisoptionisbestforstoringyourimagefiles.
RAID5:RAIDlevel5combinesthetwoforfasterperformanceandredundantdatastorage.ThismakesRAID5agoodoptionfordatastorage.

Processor(CPU)
CPUchipsaretheengineofyourcomputerand,assuch,determinehowquicklymanyofthefeaturesinPhotoshopwillfunction.Formanyyears,processor
performancewascategorizedintermsofclockspeed.Thehigherthevalue,themorepowerfulthechip,andthebettertheimageprocessingperformance.But
processorspeedalonenolongertellsthewholestory.Someofthebestchipsforintensiveimageeditingtasks(filteringinparticular)arenotthosewiththehighest
clockspeeds,butratherthosewithmultiplecoresand64bitarchitecturesupport.ThisisespeciallytrueforspecificPhotoshopprocesses,likeRadialBlur,thathave
beenoptimizedformulticorehardware.Otherfunctions,suchasfileopeningandclosing,areprocessedwithasinglecoreonly,soyouwillnotseeaperformance
improvementintheseareas.Notealsothatthegreatestperformancegainwillbeexperiencedbyuserschangingfromasinglecoresetuptoamulticoremachine.
Usersmigratingfromamulticoresystemtoonewithevenmorecoreswillseeanimprovement,butnotofthesamemagnitude.

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Photoshopusesmultiplecores,orCPUs,tosplittheprocessingworkload.

Recommendations
Ifyouregularlyprocesslargefilesbuildcomplex,multilayeredPhotoshopdocumentsorworkwithmultipleimagesatatime,thenamulticore64bit
processorwillreducethetimetocompletecomplexenhancementsteps.

Videoorgraphicscard
Thevideocardistheessentiallinkbetweencomputerandmonitor.Atthemostbasiclevel,thiscomponentdeterminesthenumberofcolorsandtheresolutionthe
screenwilldisplayaswellasthespeedatwhichimageswillberefreshed.Increasinglythough,Photoshopistakingadvantageofthepowerfulprocessorcontained
onthesecards(calledthegraphicsprocessingunitorGPU)tohelpspeedupperformanceandactivateasetofspecialGPUacceleratedfeaturessuchascanvas
rotation,panningandzooming,aswellasavarietyofGPUenabledfilterslikeLiquify,AdaptiveWideAngle,OilPaint,andthenewBlurfilters(FieldBlur,IrisBlur,
andTiltShift).

PhotoshopCS6usestheGPUwhentheinstalledvideocardsupportstheOpenGLstandardandhasaleast256MBofVRAM(512MBormoreisbetterfor3Dwork
andwillberequiredforfutureversionsofPhotoshop).Mostbasicmodelssoldbyleadingcomputermanufacturerstodaymeettheseminimumrequirements,butthe
simplestwaytoverifyistochecktheGPUSettingsareaofthePerformancepanel.IfPhotoshopCS6detectsacompatiblevideocard,itwillbedisplayed,andthe
EnableOpenGLoptionwillbeactivated.YoucanviewtheamountofVRAMpresentonyourvideocardbyreferringtotheVideoCardMemoryinformationdisplayed
intheSystemInfodialogbox(chooseHelp>SystemInfoinPhotoshop).FordetailsaboutoptimizingGPUaccelerationinPhotoshopCS6,refertotheKeystepsto
optimizePhotoshopCS6performancesection.

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CompatiblevideocardswillberecognizedanddisplayedintheDetectedVideoCardsectionofthePerformancesectionofthePreferencesdialogbox.

Recommendations
Forbestperformance,pickacardfromthePhotoshopCS6supportedvideocardlist(http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/photoshopcs6gpu
faq.html#tested_cards)thathasafastprocessorandasmuchmemory(VRAM)asyoucanafford.Ifyoureworkingwithvideofilesandwanttotake
advantageofGPUaccelerationinAdobePremiereProCS6software,youshouldalsoconsultthesupportedvideocardlist
(www.adobe.com/products/premiere/systemreqs)forthatprogramtofindanoptionthatsuitsbothPhotoshopCS6andAdobePremiereProCS6
environments.

GPUacceleratedfeaturesinPhotoshopCS6

PhotoshopCS6harnessesincreasinghardwarepowerandspeedbyintroducingnewfeatures,likethenewBlurfiltersthattakeadvantageofmodernvideocard
technology.GPUfeaturesaddedinPhotoshopCS6include:

AdaptiveWideAngleFilter(compatiblevideocardrequired)
Liquify(acceleratedbycompatiblevideocardwith512MBofVRAM)
OilPaint(compatiblevideocardrequired)
WarpandPuppetWarp(acceleratedbycompatiblevideocard)
FieldBlur,IrisBlur,andTilt/Shift(acceleratedbycompatiblevideo
cardsupportingOpenCL)
LightingEffectsGallery(compatiblevideocardrequiredwith512MB
ofVRAM)
New3Denhancements(3DfeaturesinPhotoshoprequireacompatiblevideocardwith512MBofVRAM):
DraggableShadows
Groundplanereflections

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Roughness
Oncanvasuserinterfacecontrols
Groundplane
Lightwidgetsonedgeofcanvas
IBL(imagebasedlight)controller

ScreenorMonitor
Therolethemonitorplaysasapreviewmechanismcannotbeunderstated.InadditiontoenablingafullycolormanagedPhotoshopworkflowfromcapturetooutput,
thequalityofyourmonitoranditsregularcalibrationareessentialtoensuretheaccuraterepresentationofyourimagesonscreen.BothWindowsandMacsystems
shipwithsoftwarebaseddisplaycalibrationutilitiesdesignedtoneutralizecolorcastsandstandardizecontrastandbrightness.Formoreaccuratecalibration,usea
combinedhardwareandsoftwaresolutionthatmeasuresthecolorsandtonesonscreenandthencreatesacustomprofileforyourmonitor.

Theminimumpixeldimensionsformonitorsis1024768pixels,with1280800pixelsrecommended.Butdisplayswithhigherdimensionswillallowmoreefficient
arrangementofthePhotoshopapplicationframework(forexample,panels,menu,andtoolbar).YoumayalsobenefitfromspreadingthePhotoshopworkspaceover
morethanonescreen,whichprovidestheoptiontoworkwithimagesononescreenandpanelsonanother.

Therangeoftonesandcolorsthatcanbedisplayedbyyoursystemisdeterminedbytheabilitiesofboththevideocardandthemonitor.Theminimumspecification
forcolordepthis16bitcolor,butmostvideocardandmonitorcombinationsexceedthisrecommendationbyusinga24bitcolorsystem.Thisequatestoan8bits
perchannelpathwayforred,green,andbluechannelsfromcardtomonitor,whichismorethanenoughformostusers,asitispossibletodisplayupto16.7million
colors.ButPhotoshopiscapableofworkingwithhigherbitrateswhensupportedbyhigherbitratecapablecardsandmonitors.Employingavideocardandmonitor
combinationcapableof10bitsperchannelincreasesthedisplaypalettetoapossible1.07billioncolors,makingitsuitableforcolorconsciousprofessional
photographerswhowanttoseesmoothergradationsoftonesandcolors.Moredetailsaboutactivatinghighbitdisplaymode,currentlyavailableonlytoWindows7
users,canbefoundintheKeystepstooptimizePhotoshopCS6performancesection.

Windows7userswithcompatiblevideocardandmonitorscantakeadvantageofextracolorandtonalrenditionbyactivating10bitmodeinthedriversettingsforthe
card.

Recommendations
Alwaysemployafullycolormanagedandcalibratedsystem.Ifyouareworkingwithhighresolutionorcompleximages,consideremployinga

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multimonitordisplaysystem,butmakesurethatthevideocardyouuseiscapableofsupportingamultimonitorsetup.Windowsuserswhowantthe
ultimateincolorandtonalrenditioncanoptforacardandmonitorsetupthatsupports10bitsperchanneldisplay.Lookfordisplayportconnections
whensearchingforcardsandmonitorsthatsupporthighbitdisplay.

KeystepstooptimizePhotoshopCS6performance
Knowingwhichhardwareworksbestforyourworkenvironmentisjustpartoftheperformancestory.Toensurethatyourcarefullyselectedhardwareworkstoitsfull
potential,optimizePhotoshopandfinetuneyouroperatingsystem.Andifyoureunabletochangehardware,usethefollowingguidelinestoadjustPhotoshopand
youroperatingsystempreferencestorealizeperformancegainswithoutaddedexpense.

1.Allocateyourscratchdiskcorrectly
Tosetyourscratchdisk,chooseEdit>Preferences>Performance(Windows)orPhotoshop>Preferences>Performance(Mac).Then,intheScratchDisksection
ofthepanel,selectthedrivethathasthemostfreespacepreferablynotyoursystemorstartupdrive.Ifyouhaveotherdriveslisted,youcanalsoallocatetheseas
extrascratchdrives.Photoshopwillusethedrivelistedfirstuntilitisfullandthenmovetothenextdriveifevenmorememoryisneeded.Youcanchangetheorder
inwhichthedriveswillbeusedbyselectingadriveandthenusingtheUporDownArrowkeystochangeitspositioninthelist.Placeyoursystemorstartupdrivein
lastposition.TheperformanceofsystemswhoseEfficiencyresult(seeboxoutbelowfordetails)regularlyfallsbelow95%whenconductingsimpleoperationswillbe
improvedbythecorrectallocationoffastscratchdisksortheadditionofextraRAM.

2.SeparatethePhotoshopscratchdiskfromoperatingsystemvirtualmemory
AsmostoperatingsystemsemployavirtualmemorysystemsimilartotheoneinPhotoshop,itisrecommendedthatscratchdisksbepositionedonadifferentdrive
thantheoneyourcomputerusesforitsvirtualmemorysystem.Ingeneral,theoperatingsystemsvirtualmemory,orswapfile,isstoredonthestartuporsystem
drive.TohelpwithoverallPhotoshopandWindows/Macperformance,ensurethatyoudontpositionthescratchdiskonthesamedrive.

HowdoIknowifmysystemcouldbenefitfrommoreRAM?
PhotoshopcontainsasimplebuiltinmonitorthatcanhelpyoudeterminehowefficientlytheRAMinyoursystemisbeingusedtoprocessyourphotos.
Totestthecurrentmemorysettings,selecttheEfficiencysettingfromthepopupmenuoftheStatusBaratthebottomofthedocumentwindow(orthe
Infopalette),andthenperformaseriesofstandardeditingactionsinPhotoshop.IfonlyRAMmemoryisbeingusedduringtheseeditingsteps,thenthe
Efficiencyresultdisplayedwillbe100%.
Thevalueactuallyrepresentsthepercentageoftimespentperformingtheoperationinsteadofreadingorwritingdatatothescratchdisk.Ifthevalue
fallsbelow100%,PhotoshopisusingthescratchdiskinplaceofRAMandisthereforeoperatingmoreslowlythanifmorememorywereavailable.
Regularoccurrencesofvaluesbelow95%meansthatyouneedtoallocatemoreRAMtoPhotoshop,closeprogramsrunningatthesametimeas
Photoshop,orinstallmoreRAMmemory.

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SelectEfficiencyfromthedisplaymenuintheStatusBar.Checkthevaluesdisplayedafterdifferentprocessingstepstoensurethattheyarecloseto100%.

3.SettheRAMpercentageusedbyPhotoshop
PhotoshopsharestheRAMonyourcomputerwiththeoperatingsystem(WindowsorMacOSX)andanyotherprogramsrunningatthesametime.Thepercentage
designatedintheMemoryUsagesectionofthePreferencesPerformancepaneldeterminestheupperamountofRAMmemorythatcanbeusedbyPhotoshop.Most
newuserspushthissettingashighaspossible,someasmuchas90%,thinkingthatthiswillspeeduptheprocessingoftheirfiles.Butifthisallocationissettoo
high,boththeoperatingsystemandPhotoshopmayneedtomoveinformationfromthefastRAMmemorytotheslowerharddrivememorywhileprocessing.This
actioniscalledpageswapping,asthedataismovedbackandforthbetweenthedifferentmemoryspaces,anditcausesPhotoshoptorunmoreslowly.

UsetheRAMsliderinthePerformancesectionofthePreferencesdialogboxtoadjusttheamountofmemoryallocatedtoPhotoshop.

WhenadjustingtheamountofmemoryallottedtoPhotoshopinthePerformancepanel,itsbesttokeepwithintheidealrangedisplayed.ChecktheEfficiencyvalue
ontheStatusBartotestwhetherthesettingscurrentlybeingusedareoptimal.IfyoudochoosetoadjusttheMemoryUsagesettings,changethembynomorethan
5%atatime,andthenrestartPhotoshopandtestthenewsettingsbeforechangingthemagain.

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RememberthatwithPhotoshopCS6runningin32bitmode,theprogramcanonlydirectlyaccessupto3GBforWindowsevenifmoreisinstalled.Incontrast,on
64bitsystemswithcompatible64bithardware,PhotoshopCS6candirectlyaccessasmuchRAMasisinstalledonyoursystem.

4.Defragmentyourdrivesregularly(WindowsOSonly,notrecommendedforMacOSX)
Pleasenotethatthisrecommendationonlyappliesifyoureusingatraditionalharddrive(nonSSD)onaWindowsbasedsystem.Asimagesandfilesaresavedand
resavedtodisk,theytendtobecomefragmented.Thismeansthatratherthanthewholefilebeingsavedinonecontinuousspaceontheharddrive,theinformation
isbrokenintobitsandstoredinseverallocations(whereverthereisemptydiskspace).Whenthefileisreopened,thedocumentisreconstructedfromeachofthe
individualpieces.Thisfilefragmentationslowsdowntheopeningandsavingoffiles,aswellastherunningofprogramssuchasPhotoshop,iftheywerefragmented
wheninitiallyinstalled.Theefficiencyofscratchdisksisalsodegradedifthespaceusedforvirtualmemoryisfragmented.Youcanachieverealperformancegains
byregularlydefragmentingthedrivesyouuseforscratchdisks,imagestorage,andapplicationloading.

AllWindowsoperatingsystemshavedefragmentationutilitiesbuiltin.ConsultyourcomputersHelpfilestoensurethatutilitiesareactivatedand,ifneedbe,perform
amanualdefragmentationofalldrivestoensuretheircontinuedperformance.

TheWindowsDiskDefragmenterutilityallowsyoutoanalyzeanddefragmenttheharddrivesinstalledonyoursystem.

5.MinimizeHistoryStates
TheabilitytojumpbackwardandforwardthroughtheeditingstepsstoredintheHistorypanelinPhotoshopisaveryusefulfeature.Photoshopimplementsthis
featurebystoringadditionalcopies,calledHistoryStates,oftheimageonyourharddrive.
Afullcopyattheoriginalsizeisstoredforeveryoperationyouperformthataffectstheentireimage.Smallerchanges,likeindividualpaintstrokes,requireless
informationperstate.Themoreeditingyoudo,themoreharddrivespacewillbeusedfortheHistoryStatesofthedocument.TheHistoryStatessettinginthe
Performancepanelissettoadefaultof20butcanbeadjustedfrom1to1,000,dependingontheamountofscratchdiskspaceavailableandthecomplexityofyour
normalimageeditingwork.IfyoufindthatPhotoshopisrunningslowlyafteryouvemadeafeweditingchanges,thentryreducingthenumberofstates.Fewer
HistoryStatesdoesmeanlessopportunitytoreverseeditingchanges,butthisactionfreesupmemoryresourcesandcanbringnewlifebacktoaslowrunning
machine.

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ThenumberofHistoryStatesusedbyPhotoshopcanbealteredviatheHistoryStatessettinginthePerformancesectionofthePreferencesdialogbox.

6.AvoidOutofRAMerrorswhenrunningmemoryintensivefeatures
SomePhotoshopfeatures,suchasContentAwareScaling,3D,andLiquifyandfilterssuchastheDistortfiltersaremorememoryintensivethanothers.Ifwhen
youreworkingwiththesefeatures,Photoshopstartstorespondslowly,doesntrespond,orreturnsOutofMemoryorOutofRAMerrors,thenincreasetheamount
ofRAMandscratchdiskspaceandcloseanyotherprogramsrunningatthesametimeasPhotoshop.Iftheproblempersists,thenswitchtoa64bitsystemwith
moreavailableRAMandscratchdiskspace.

7.Reducethenumberofopenfiles
ThemorepicturesyouhaveopeninPhotoshop,themoreresourcesyourmachineisusingjusttomaintaineachopenfile.Tospeedupprocessing,makesurethat
youopen(andkeepopen)onlyfilesthatareessentialforyourcurrenteditingtask.

8.Clearallavailablememory:PurgeUndo,Clipboard,orHistories
TheEdit>PurgecommandcanbeusedtofreeupRAMspacethatisbeingusedtostoreUndo,Clipboard,andHistoriesentries.Sincethiscommandcannotbe
undone,itshouldbeyourlastresortwhenyouneedtoeliminateanOutofRAMerrorduringamemoryintensivetask.

UsetheEdit>Purgecommandtoremoveinformationcurrentlybeingstoredinmemory.

9.RunPhotoshopbyitself
UsetheEdit>Purgecommandtoremoveinformationcurrentlybeingstoredinmemory.
AsimplewaytospeedupPhotoshopistomakesurethatnootherprogramsorutilitiesarerunningatthesametime.Afterclosingunnecessaryprograms,useyour
operatingsystemtoolstodeterminewhichutilitiesarestillrunninghiddeninthebackground.Thegoldenruleisthatiftheprogramorutilityisnotessentialforthe

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editingtask,thenclosethesoftware.
ThisisespeciallytrueifyouareusingfeaturesthatrelyheavilyontheGPU(mainly3D).HavinganotherapplicationthatalsoreliesontheGPUandVRAMopen
whileusingtheseGPUfeaturesinPhotoshopCS6willsignificantlydegradeoverallperformance.

10.OptimizeCacheLevelandCacheTilesettings
Wheneveryoumakeachangetoanimageonscreen,yourcomputermustredrawtheimage.Thelargertheimage,themoreprocessingpowerandtimerequired.To
makescreenredrawingasfastaspossible,PhotoshopCS6usescachingtocontinuouslyupdatealowerresolutionversionasyouwork.Thedefaultsettingisfour
cachelevels,butifyouroutinelyworkwithimagesthathavelargepixeldimensions,youcanimproveredrawingperformancebysettingthelevelhigher.Conversely,
ifyoutypicallyworkwithsmalldimensionimagesthatcontainmanylayers,youmaywanttosetCacheLeveltoaleveloftwo.Asthecacheisalsousedforother
operations,suchastheHealingBrush,itisnotrecommendedtosetavalueofoneasthiswillturnoffcachingcompletely,reducingperformanceintheseallied
areas.

WhenPhotoshopprocessesaphoto,itsplitsthepictureintosmallerimagesectionscalledtiles,anditworksoneachinturn.Bydefault,thesizeofeachtileis
128Kb.YoucanaltertheamountofmemoryallocatedfortheprocessingofeachtileviatheoptionsintheCacheTileSizepulldownmenuinthePerformancepanel.
LargertilesizesreducetheamountoftimePhotoshoptakestoprocessanimage,especiallyoncomputerswithmorethan1GBofRAM.

YoullnoticeimprovementsinthespeedwithwhichimagesaredrawntoscreenwhenbothCacheLevelandCacheTilesettingsareoptimized.Tohelpwith
accuratelysettingvalues,theHistory&CachesectionofthePerformancepanelinthePreferencesdialogboxnowcontainsthreebuttonstohelpmatchsettingswith
yourworkenvironment.ThevaluessetbythesebuttonswillvarydependingontheamountofRAMandnumberofprocessorsinyourcomputer.Clicktheoptionthat
bestfitsyourworkflowtosetbothLevelandTilesettings.

TallandThinBestforusersworkingwithimageswithsmallerdocumentdimensionsandmanyeditingandenhancementlayers.
DefaultDesignedforgeneralusewhenauserwillbeworkingwithavarietyofdocumenttypes.Thisisthedefaultsetting.
BigandFlatWorkswellwithlargeimagesandfeweditingorenhancementlayers.

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SettingtheHistoryandCachevaluesiseasierinPhotoshopCS6thankstotheinclusionofthreebuttonsTallandThin,Default,andBigandFlatinthe
PerformancesectionofthePreferencesdialogbox.Selecttheoptionthatbestmatchesyourworkload.

11.Reducepatternsandbrushtips
EachcustompatternandbrushtipyouloadincreasestheoverallRAMrequiredtorunPhotoshopCS6,increasingthescratchdisksizeintheprocess.Ifyouloadup
allthepatternsandbrushtipsthatshipwithPhotoshopCS6,yourscratchdiskfilewillgrowbyhundredsofmegabytes.ToreducethetotalRAMused,minimizethe
numberofpatternsandbrushtipsandreducethenumberofpatternsusedinLayerStylesthatuseBevelandEmbossTextureorPatternOverlay.

12.OptimizeGPUsettings
WiththeincreasingabilityofPhotoshoptouseofthevideocardGPUforextraprocessingpower,thePreferencesdialogboxnowincludesdedicatedGPUsettingsin
bothitsPerformanceand3Dsections.

Ifasuitablevideocardisinstalledonyoursystem,itwillappearintheGPUSettingsareaofthePerformancesection.ToenableGPUacceleration,makesurethat
theEnableOpenGLDrawingoptionisselected.Tofinetunethecardsperformance,clicktheAdvancedSettingsbuttonandselectBasic,Normal,orAdvanced,
matchingtheoptionwithyourrequirements.

BasicUsestheleastamountofGPUmemorytorunthemostbasicOpenGLfeatureswhensharingtheGPUwithotherapplicationsorwhenexperiencingslow
responsiveness.SelectthisoptionifyouhaveotherprogramsrunningthatalsousetheGPUorifyounoticebadscreenredrawsorslowerperformancewhen
usingGPUacceleratedfeatures.
NormalIsthedefaultsetting.ItusesalargeamountofGPUmemorytosupportadvancedOpenGLfeaturesandshouldbeselectedifyouregularlyusethe

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GPUacceleratedfeaturesinPhotoshop.
AdvancedUsesthesameamountofmemoryastheNormalmode,butenablesmoreadvancedfeaturestoimprovedrawingperformance.Thissettingisbest
whenworkingin3DorwhenworkingextensivelywiththeGPUacceleratedfeaturesinPhotoshopCS5

KeepinmindthatmodechangeswillonlytakeeffectafterPhotoshopisrestarted.

The3DsectionofthePerformancesdialogboxcontainsaVRAMslidersimilartothememorycontrollocatedinthePerformancesection.Usetheslidertodetermine
theupperlimitofVRAMavailabletothePhotoshop3Dengine.ThetotalvalueisapercentageoftheoverallVRAMavailable.Asettingof100%willstillreservea
portionoftheoverallVRAMforusewiththeoperatingsystem.Highervalueswillhelpwithoverall3DperformancebutmaycompetewithotherGPUenabled
applications.

Thesliderinthe3DsectionofthePreferencesdialogboxadjuststhe
amountofVRAMavailabletoPhotoshop.

13.ChoosetheappropriatePhotoshopfiletype
Thefiletypeyouchoosewilldetermineboththefunctionsandfeaturesthatcanbesavedwiththefileaswellasthemaximumsize.PSDandPSBfilesmaintainthe
mostfunctionalitybutatthecostoffilesize,especiallyiftheMaximizePSDandPSBFileCompatibilityoptionisselected.Themaximumimagesizespossiblein
standardPhotoshopCS6documentsareasfollows:

PSD(Photoshop)2GB
PSB(LargeDocumentFormat)4EB(Fourexabytesequals4millionterabytes,whichisordersofmagnitudelargerthanavailableharddrivestoragespace,but
theformathasbeenbuilttoaccommodatefutureinnovation.)
TIFF4GB(NotethatmostotherapplicationscannotworkwithTIFFimageslargerthan2GB.)
PhotoshopPDF10GB(Individualpagesarelimitedto200200inches.)

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14.SettheMaximizeFileCompatibilityoption
PhotoshopCS6isthe13thversionofthesoftwareandincludesmanychanges,additions,andenhancementssinceitsinitialrelease.Inaddition,todaymanyother
softwareapplicationsarecapableofopeningPhotoshopPSDdocuments,suchasAdobeAfterEffectsCS6andAdobePhotoshopLightroom4software.Tohelp
ensurethatearlierversionsofPhotoshoporotherapplicationssuchasPhotoshopLightroomcanopenyoursavedfiles,PhotoshopCS6bydefaultstoresaflattened
copyoftheimagewithinthePSDorPSBdocumentwhenitissaved.TheadvantageofthisfeatureisbackwardscompatibilitywithPhotoshopitselfandbetter
integrationwithotherapplications,butthetradeoffislargerfilesizesandsloweropeningandsavingofdocuments.Bydefault,PhotoshopCS6willaskifyouwantto
maintaincompatibilitywheneveryousaveaPSDorPSBfile,butthisbehaviorcanbeadjustedbychoosingPhotoshop/Edit>Preferences>FileHandling.Inthe
FileCompatibilitysection,youcanusethemenulabeledMaximizePSDandPSBFileCompatibilitytosetPhotoshoptoeitheralwaysorneversavethisextra
flattenedimagewithinthefile.

15.Turnoffthumbnaildisplay
SomeofthepanelsinPhotoshopCS6displaypreviewthumbnailsofcontent,suchastheLayers,Channels,andPathspanels.Asyoueditanimage,these
thumbnailsaredynamicallyupdatedtoreflectthenewcontent.Themorelayersorpathsinadocument,themorethumbnailsneedtobebuilt,drawn,andupdated,
eachrequiringsystemresources.Tofreeuptheresourcesallocatedtothistask,openthepanelmenuandchoosePanelOptionsandthenselectNonetoturnoff
thumbnaildisplay.

SelectNoneintheLayersPanelOptionsdialogboxtofreeuptheresourcesPhotoshopusestodrawthumbnailpreviews.

16.Reducecolorbitdepth
InPhotoshopCS6,thenumberoffunctionsthatcanbeperformedon16and32bitimageshasbeenincreased.However,theseimagesrequireconsiderablymore
processingpowerandharddrivespacethanstandard8bitimages.Forimagesdestinedforoutputtostandarddevicesortheweb,youcanusetheImage>Mode
menutolowerthebitdepthto8bitformaximumperformance.Theexceptiontothisgeneralruleiswhenyouareworkingwith3Dimages,astheRayTracerengine
rendersat32bitcolordepth.Soifyouareworkingwith3D,startwitha32bitfilewitharesolutionof72ppi,andwhenitcomestimetooutputthefinisheddocument,
usethetonemappingfeaturesinPhotoshoptoreducethebitdepthto16or8bits.

17.DeselectExportClipboard
WheneveryouexitPhotoshopCS6,anythingyouhavecutorcopiedisplacedontheoperatingsystemclipboard.Thebenefitofthisfeatureisthatthecontentis

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thenavailabletopasteintoanotherapplication,butexportingtheimagetotheclipboardistimeconsumingandprocessorintensive.Ifyoudontrequireorusethe
systemclipboardtocopyandpastebetweenPhotoshopandotherapplications,youcanturnoffthisfunctionbydeselectingExportClipboardintheOptionsarea
underPhotoshop/Edit>Preferences>General.Notethatdragginglayersorentireimagesbetweendocumentsbypassestheclipboardentirelyandismoreefficient,
evenifExportClipboardisenabled.

DeselecttheExportClipboardoptionintheGeneralsectionofthePhotoshopPreferencesdialogboxtostopstoringcopieddocumentstotheoperatingsystem
clipboard.

18.Adjustorturnofffontpreview
Eachactivefontonyourcomputerrequiressystemresources.PhotoshopCS6alsousesresourcestodrawpreviewsofeachfontinthefontandstylemenusinthe
CharacterpanelandintheOptionsbarwhenaTypetoolisenabled.Tomaximizeperformance,usefontmanagementsoftwaretoactivateonlythefontsthatyou
need.Inaddition,youcanadjustthesizeofthefontmenupreviews,orturnoffpreviews,bychoosingPhotoshop/Edit>Preferences>Type.UnderFontPreview
Size,usethemenutoadjustthesizeofthepreviews,ordeselecttheoptiontoturnthemoffaltogether.

Turningofffontpreviewsorselectingasmallerpreviewsizehelpsreducetheresourcesusedforthistask.

19.Optimizeimagefiles
ManyfactorsimpactthesizeofyourPhotoshopCS6imagefiles,includingresolutionandpixeldimensionscolordepthandmodenumberandcomplexityoflayers,
channels,andpathsnumberofSmartObjectsandmore.Verylargefilestakelongertoopen,andtheyredrawmoreslowlyasyouworkwiththem.Theyalsorequire
muchmoreharddrivespaceforstorage.Waystooptimizeimagefilesinclude:

MinimizefiledimensionsResizetheimagetothedesiredsizeforoutputratherthanworkingwithaverylargeimageandresizingitdownwardattheendof
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editing.
MinimizecomplexityMergelayersthatnolongerneedtobekeptseparate,andeliminatechannelsandpathsthatarenolongerneeded.Notethatthisincludes
blanklayers,whichalsousesignificantdiskspace.
ChooseRGBoverCMYKIfyourimagesaregoingtothewebratherthanoffsetprinting,usetheRGBcolormodel.Withonelesscolorchanneltosaveand
maintain,anRGBimageis25%smallerthananequivalentCMYKimage.
MinimizeprintresolutionKeepyourimagetotheoptimalminimumsizefortheoutputdevice,rangingfrom72dpiforscreendisplayto600dpiforhighquality
laserprinting.Neverusearesolutionhigherthantheprintingdeviceiscapableofoutputting.
Startwithlowresolution3DfilesandresizetosuitWhenworkingwith3Dcontent,startwithsmaller,lowresolutiondocumentssuchasthosegenerallyusedfor
theweb.Thesmallersizewillprovidebetterandmoreresponsiveperformancewhenmanipulatingandeditingthe3Dcontent.Asthe3Dcomponentsarevector
basedimagery,thecompletedimagecanberesizednondestructivelytoadifferentresolution.

AdditionalInformation
Optimizeperformance|PhotoshopCS4,CS5

HowtosetupagreatPhotoshopmachine

SaveLargePhotoshopFiles20XFasterinPhotoshopCS5

29ResponsestoHowtotunePhotoshopCS6forpeakperformance

RobertoBlakesays:
October12,2012at8:37am

Thisisthepostmostofushavingbeenwantingforalongtimenow.Ipersonallywasusingmostofthesebutlittlethingslikethepurgeoptionslippedbyme.For
anyonelookingtooptimizephotoshopthisisdefinitelyamustread.

Iwouldaddthatusinga4harddriveminimumsetupisideal:

OSonSSD
ProgramsonSSDalsousedas(ScatchDisk)
SourceFilesonHDD7200
FinalFilesonHDD7200

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Iwouldprefera6Drivesetup

OSLevelSSD
Scratch/TempSSD
ProgramLevelSSD
2XDataLevelHDD7200RPMonRaid01
1XDataLevelHDD7200RPMforFinalFilesonSwapBay.
Reply

MartinDoerschsays:
October14,2012at10:44am

Hi!

Thanksforthisgreatpost.
EspeciallythepartwiththeCachewasalittlebitfuzzyformeinthepastbutnow,everythingisexplainedfineandImgoodtogo!

Martin
Reply

scottsays:
October14,2012at7:45pm

thisisgreat.

ItisamazinghowIcanreadthroughitandmissimportantpartsonfirstreading,butIthinkIamrightabout

onmyMacCS6FontPreviewSizeisnotinPreferencesbutintheTypepulldownmenu.
Reply

ScottBurrowssays:

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October15,2012at2:38pm

Veryusefultohavethiscomefromanofficialsource!HavejustbeenthroughtheprocessofbuildingaPhotoshopspecificPCoptedfor32GbofRAMandnearly
trippedupthinkingIwassavingmoneyontheOS:

Windows7HomePremium64bitislimitedto16GbofRAM(source:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en
us/library/windows/desktop/aa366778(v=vs.85).aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_7)

Allversionsabovethisdonthavesuchalimitation!
Reply

Ronsays:
October15,2012at7:37pm

ItwouldbeniceifwecouldgetthisinaPDFformatthatwecouldprintoutforuseasweworkwithCS6.Ifthisispossible,thenitisnotobvioustome,havingdonea
carefulreviewofthissite.

Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
October15,2012at9:11pm

YoucanprinttheHTML,oronmacyoucanchooseFile>PrintthenclickthePDFpopupinthelowerleftandselectSavePDF
Reply

DaveEtchellssays:
October17,2012at1:09pm

SSDsarerecommended,butnocautionisgivenaboutdefraggingthem.AFAIK,youdontwanttodefragSSDswithanyregularity,becausea)itgreatlyincreaseswear
ontheflashmemory,andb)itsnotreallynecessaryanyway,becausetheresrotationallatencyorheadmovementtimetoworryaboutwithanSSD.

Greatarticlegreattohaveitalltogetherinoneplace,fromanauthoritativesource!

Reply

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vphotoshopsays:
October21,2012at1:09am

really,thanksforthisgreatpost
Reply

Andreysays:
October30,2012at11:55am

Okay.Soweshouldnotuseoursystemdriveforscratchdiskpurposes.ButwhatifoursystemdriveisSSD,andadditionaldriveisHDD?Whatshouldweusefor
scratchdisk?InthishelptutorialfromAdobehere:http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/optimizeperformancephotoshopcs4cs5.html#main_Scratch_Diskswecan
seethatusingsystemSSDdriveasScratchdiskisfine.
Reply

PeteGreensays:
November1,2012at6:10pm

IthinkifyouhavetheextraspacetospareontheSSDforinitialscratch,thatllbefineandyoullstillseesomescratch/PSspeedimprovementsduetoit.Itof
courseisalsogettingreadandwrittentobytheOSandanyotherapplicationsthatmaybewritingtothedrivesoitwontbenefitfromthatdedicatedspeed
likeiftheOSwerentonit.
So,IfyoudonthaveplentyofspacetospareontheSSDforscratchtothepointthatifitgetsfull,theOSwilldefinitelyslowtoacrawlandyouwontbenefit
somuchfromtheSSDsperformanceboost.
PuttingthescratchonthesecondarydrivewillalleviatetheOSread/writesharedprocessesandpotentialtofillupandhamstringtheOS.
Reply

DBCsays:
January16,2013at8:40am

Thankyouforthisveryinformativepost.ThishasbeenmosthelpfulasIthinkabouthowIcanbestconfiguremynextcomputerpurchase.

IusebothLightroomandPhotoshop.Iaminterestedtoknow:1.isitrecommendedtohaveseparatescratchdisksforeachprogramorisonesharedscratchdiskmore
thanfine?
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Thanksinadvanceforanyhelpwiththis!
Reply

FrancoGuerrisays:
January17,2013at6:33pm

JustbuiltaPCforPhotoshopandPremiere/Ae,etc.Aftermuchresearch,thereseemstobemoreconfusionouttherethanthereneedstobe.Mychoicewastohavea
220gbSSDforaOS/programdrive,and4x1TBHDsinRAID5arrayforrenderandsourceandscratch.

Storagesolutionsareoneofthebiggestsourcesofconfusion.SomevendorspushseparatesingleHDsforseparatesourceandrenderdrives,orasanupgrade,two
RAID0arraysoftwoHDseach.Singledrivesseemslow,andRAID0doublesthechancesoffailure.Whynotgoto3or4HDsinasinglearrayforsource/renderboth
athighspeedandenoughparitytobeabletorecoverfromadrivefailure?Onadvicefromvideoguys.comIconcludedthatseparatingsourceandrenderdrivesisnot
importantaslongasyourRAIDsolutionisfast.

AnotherissueistheAdobeapprovedlistofGPUs.IfinallysettledonanAsusGTX6704GB,(alongwiththei73930kandAsusP9X79Pro6gbMOBO)whichseems
tobeperformingadmirably,butofcourseisnot(yet?)ontheapprovedlist.
Reply

Jerminexsays:
January25,2013at2:53am

Hellothereadminidownloadtheadobecollectionusingadobedownloadassistangandmylaptopis32bitandwhyifinishinstalliconsideredthattherearesome
problemwheretheupdatemenuatHelp>Updateicantclickitingreywordandthe3Dmenuismissingonphotoshopcanyouhelp?oristhereanymistakenthingi
do?

Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
January27,2013at4:18pm

PostmoredetailsonthePhotoshopforum,wecanhelpyouthere:http://adobe.ly/PSU2U

Thesystemrequirementsfor13.1.xdorequire512MBofVRAM.

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http://helpx.adobe.com/photoshop/kb/newsystemrequirementsphotoshop131.html
Reply

abhisays:
February7,2013at4:56am

Hey
HowcouldIpossiblyincreasethesizeof3drenderingboxeinphotoshopcs6
Reply

SusanKoopsays:
February26,2013at12:24pm

WithCS6,thepasteboardstaysopenwheneverIcloseanimage,requiringmetoclosebothwindowseverytime.Thepasteboardalsohastobeclosedmanually.Grrr.
HowdoIsetthepasteboardtoclosealongwiththedocumentImclosing?
Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
February26,2013at1:02pm

ThePasteboard?Areyoureferringtothegreyapplicationframe?ThiscanbedisabledbyselectingWindow>ApplicationFrame

Ifthatsnottheissue,pleasepostmoredetailsonthePhotoshopforum,wecanhelpyouthere:http://adobe.ly/PSU2U
Reply

SusanKoopsays:
February26,2013at4:03pm

Blessyourexpertheart.Thatwasexactlytheproblem!
Reply

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abbassays:
March17,2013at3:41pm

Hi.PleaseAreferencebookForPhotoshopGetintroduced?
Comprehensivetrainingisonemovie?

thankful
Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
March17,2013at8:37pm

ThisisgoodbookifyourenewtoPhotoshop:http://www.amazon.com/AdobePhotoshopCS6ClassroomBook/dp/0321827333/Otherwise,heresabunch
ofawesomeFreePhotoshoplearningresources(videotutorials,usermanuals,etc)fromAdobe:http://adobe.ly/iczlLh
Reply

DavidGoodwinsays:
April29,2013at1:21am

Thanksforthepost Ihaveaquestionaboutsomethingspecificandsofarunabletofindananswer.Doyouknowofanyreasontherotatecanvastoolwouldnot
workatsometimesandthenworkatothers?Imeanonthesamefilesometimesinmidsession?

Thanks
D
Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
February12,2015at9:57am

WhatOSareyouon?Aflakygraphicsdrivermaycausethis.
Reply

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Cliffsays:
June13,2013at2:47pm

IseeyoumentionsomethingsthatcanonlybedoneinPSwithWindows7.NowthatWindows8isout,Imassumingthateverythingthatatthetimethisarticlewas
writtencouldonlybedoneinWindows7cannowbedoneinWindows8.Ismyassumptioncorrect?Ifnot,pleaseletmeknowwhatdeficienciesrelativetoPSuse
Windows8maypresentrelativeto7.

Also,Imassumingthatusing64bitWindows7or8,onecaninstallenoughRAMthatascratchdiskwouldntbenecessary.Ifso,howmuchmemorywouldneedtobe
installedforphotoeditingtoeliminatetheneedforascratchdisk?Howaboutforphoto+videoeditingandforphoto+video+3Dwork?

Manythanksforyourhelphere.
Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
June14,2013at5:12pm

Thatscorrect.Win7andWin8areverysimilar,sothesameadviceappliestoWin8.

Reply

esmereldasays:
May20,2014at7:44am

thankyou

Reply

DirkUrbansays:
September19,2014at9:01am

Thankyousomuchforthisenlighteningpost.Whathasbeenonlymysteryisnowveryclear.ImjustsettingupanewMacProtoworkwithsomeverylargemural
imagefilesandIbelievethatInowknowthebestmannertoproceedandorganizemypreferences.Idohaveonequestionthough:RegardingtheCacheandHistory
Statespalette,whatifoneshypotheticalfileisofaverylargedimensionandalsohasmanylayers,makingitBigandTall,wouldchoosingthedefaultsettingbebest
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here?Idbemuchobligedifyouhadanyinsightonthispoint.Allinall,ImwayaheadofwhereIwaswhenIopenedupthisarticle.Thanks!
Reply

svahidesays:
February11,2015at10:51pm

biglike!
Reply

Vipinsays:
February23,2015at11:26am

DearJeff,
DoesthisapplytoPhotoshopCC2014too?IhaveaWindows8Systemwith8GBRAM,RadeonDualGraphicsSystemwithanAMDprocessor.IuseLightroomand
PSsidebyside,andsometimesPSCC2014seemstoslogtoomuchandsometimesitjustplainlyrefusetodoatask(likeaContentAwareFill!!!).(Lightroomisfast
thoughallthesetime.Iwonderwhy,sincemanypeoplehavereportedtheotherwayround.PhotoshoprunningfastandLightroomslogging.)
Iftheresanyotherblogorwriteupyoumaywantmetosee,thatshouldbefinetoo.

Vipin

Reply

JeffreyTranberrysays:
February23,2015at11:28am

HiVipin,thisshouldapplytoCC2014aswell.Doyouhavealltheupdatesinstalled?Haveyoutriedrestoringtheprefs?Trythesestepstofixmostissues:
http://bit.ly/Troubleshoot_PS
Reply

Byajerugim

Comments(29)

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