Author Topic: Photoshop & Memory Usage... (Read 5378 times)

THP Creative · « **on:** December 27, 2012, 00:08 »

Perhaps someone with more I.T. know-how can explain this for me...

Running Photoshop CS5 on a Mac with 4GB RAM. I open say 12 large files (EPS converted to Raster), all the while having Activity Monitor (a resource usage program, for those who don't know Mac software) running and I watch the memory usage of Photoshop go up with each file that opens.

Fair enough.

Then as I do my work and close off each file, the memory usage stays the same, despite the number of open files halving, or even reducing completely. So Photoshop is now doing less work, but still eating as much memory.

Why would this be? Is this poor programming, or am I missing some technical reason that it makes good sense for it to keep that memory to itself?

red · « **Reply #1 on:** December 27, 2012, 01:43 »

The Mac OS is not designed to release inactive memory until it is needed. I wouldn't worry about it unless it becomes a problem. If Photoshop is slowing down it could be a video card problem not a ram problem. When you reopen a closed program (not just Photoshop) the memory cache retains processing ram so you can quickly reread and reuse the ram rather then starting from scratch - rereading it from the drive, processing it, and allocating it to the program again. Hence more efficient use of memory. That's the way that Photoshop has always worked. It reuses memory and will allocate up to the limit set in preferences (often set too high). If the OS needs more memory it will be freed as needed. I was told by an IT guy that it has something to do with the unix "fork" - the kernel keeps application space or parts of it pre-allocated in order to speed up processes. Free ram is essentially wasted ram. It is much better spent on caching and other performance-enhancing activities than simply sitting in the background.

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #2 on:** December 27, 2012, 02:54 »

There's quite a lot written about Photoshop and its memory management - see for example here, here and here. Note the references to using the purge command to clear a large clipboard item if you no longer need it.

And 4GB isn't very much RAM if you have a large file (I consider a file large if it's over 500MB; perhaps that number's different for you). Note the comments in the above about looking at the efficiency indicator to see if you're using a scratch disk - because you're out of physical memory.

trek · « **Reply #3 on:** December 27, 2012, 10:55 »

My macbook worked great with 4 gigs of ram and cs4. I found it to be sluggish with cs6 and large files. I upgraded to 16 gigs (apple only sells 8 gigs but after market companies sell 16 gig chips). Cost about $80- Snapped them in, works great now.

THP Creative · « **Reply #4 on:** December 27, 2012, 17:25 »

Very interesting, thanks for the info guys. I knew I must have been missing something.

Appreciate the links jsnover - although the adobe rep was a bit snarky in his replies in the first link!

Jo Ann Snover · « **Reply #5 on:** December 27, 2012, 17:50 »

I have often found the Adobe reps in the user forums to be pretty unsympathetic at best and snarky frequently. When you need their help, you put up with their bad attitude

Sort of like stock agencies - when they sell well, you put up with their SH*t...

RacePhoto · « **Reply #6 on:** January 03, 2013, 10:38 »

I don't know if someone answered this directly but if you have two drives in your computer, use a different one for Scratch Disc. If not use a partition. Since I'm MacDumb and have PCs I just use a second drive.

Edit > Preferences > Plug-Ins & Scratch Disks

Set it to the different drive from the software or separate partition and it will help speed things up.

cthoman · « **Reply #7 on:** January 03, 2013, 11:17 »

I usually just quit out of Photoshop after I do a large batch edit of files. That seems to help.

Poncke · « **Reply #8 on:** January 03, 2013, 12:27 »

Quote from: jsnover on December 27, 2012, 17:50

I have often found the Adobe reps in the user forums to be pretty unsympathetic at best and snarky frequently. When you need their help, you put up with their bad attitude Sort of like stock agencies - when they sell well, you put up with their SH*t...

I have to say I do have the exact same problem the OP in that Adobe thread is explaining about PS locking up all memory after working on a large pano. Even when I close the file. So I do restart PS as well, to clear up the memory and then its fine. So that admin in that thread is a bit thick imo as what he is saying is simply not true. PS does have a memory issue after having worked with really large files.

HerMajesty · « **Reply #9 on:** January 03, 2013, 13:05 »

Quote from: Poncke on January 03, 2013, 12:27

Quote from: jsnover on December 27, 2012, 17:50
I have often found the Adobe reps in the user forums to be pretty unsympathetic at best and snarky frequently. When you need their help, you put up with their bad attitude Sort of like stock agencies - when they sell well, you put up with their SH*t...
I have to say I do have the exact same problem the OP in that Adobe thread is explaining about PS locking up all memory after working on a large pano. Even when I close the file. So I do restart PS as well, to clear up the memory and then its fine. So that admin in that thread is a bit thick imo as what he is saying is simply not true. PS does have a memory issue after having worked with really large files.

edit -> purge -> all should do the trick.

pancaketom · « **Reply #10 on:** January 03, 2013, 14:05 »

Quote from: HerMajesty on January 03, 2013, 13:05

Quote from: Poncke on January 03, 2013, 12:27
Quote from: jsnover on December 27, 2012, 17:50
I have often found the Adobe reps in the user forums to be pretty unsympathetic at best and snarky frequently. When you need their help, you put up with their bad attitude Sort of like stock agencies - when they sell well, you put up with their SH*t...
I have to say I do have the exact same problem the OP in that Adobe thread is explaining about PS locking up all memory after working on a large pano. Even when I close the file. So I do restart PS as well, to clear up the memory and then its fine. So that admin in that thread is a bit thick imo as what he is saying is simply not true. PS does have a memory issue after having worked with really large files.
edit -> purge -> all should do the trick.

one would think so, but at least on my computer it doesn't appear to actually free up any memory - although maybe it is available for other uses after that. I usually just close photoshop after working on a big pano to clear it (although that might be entirely unnecessary).