Photoshop can sometimes be slow, especially when working with large images. That can be partly due to a slow computer - either processor or disk, or not enough memory. Here are some ways to change the settings on your computer and within Photoshop to optimize its processing time.
1) Configure Photoshop to use Virtual Memory, a.k.a. a scratch disk; here's how:
a) If you have multiple disks or partitions on your computer, determine which one has the most free space outside the main C: drive
b) From the Edit menu in Photoshop, select Preferences => Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks
c) Select the disk that has the most free space available (only select the C: drive if you have no other disks)
d) Optionally select secondary disks to be used, should the first disk fill up
e) Consider changing the Image Cache setting - a number closer to 8 will speed up image redraw time while slowing time to open images; a number closer to 1 will speed up image opening, but will cause image redraw to be slow
2) Configure Photoshop to use a medium percentage of your computer's RAM; making the percentage RAM too high will result in page swapping, which actually slows down processing time
a) From the Edit menu in Photoshop, select Preferences => Memory & Image Cache
b) Set the Memory Usage to 50-60 % for computers with up to 2GB RAM, and 70% for computers with more
c) Restart Photoshop to apply any changes made to Memory Usage
3) Defragment your hard drives to speed up opening and saving of files in Photoshop
a) For Windows users, select from the Start menu your program sub-menu, then Accessories => System Tools => Disk Defragmenter and follow instructions to defrag each hard disk
b) For Mac users, defragmentation is likely automatic, but check you user's manual for details
4) Configure Photoshop to reduce the number of actions saved in the History palette; by default it is set to 20, and each one slows down Photoshop
a) From the Edit menu in Photoshop, select Preferences => General
b) Reduce the number of history states from 20 (default) to the maximum number you think you'd use
5) Close other open programs, such as iTunes, Outlook, or graphically intensive applications to free up resources
For more photography articles, please visit Jennifer Clarkson's Photography website at http://www.jclarksonphotography.com. To read more about Jennifer's eSeries on Digital Photography, please visit the following sites: |
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