p.2 #1 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
AdrianRogers wrote:
I'm running 64bit CS4 as mentioned in the OP so none of the paragraph about CS3 applies. It can use more than 6GB (i've got a little over 10GB assigned to CS4 alone in the preferances panel) just seemingly not when using the Liquify filter. Which is becoming quite fraustrating as it's never using more than 4-5GB of temp space when doing adjustments, so the ram could easily accomodate, it just insists on running the whole thing off the hardrive instead
ya I just realized that too...
Then the ram-disk should not even be needed. How big are the files you're working on with how many layers & histories?
p.2 #2 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
PSD file is currently just over 800mb, 20 history states, 6 cache levels, currently 17 layers of varying content. File is roughly 9500 x 5500px, currently using just under 7GB of ram.
p.2 #3 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
AdrianRogers wrote:
PSD file is currently just over 800mb, 20 history states, 6 cache levels, currently 17 layers of varying content. File is roughly 9500 x 5500px, currently using just under 7GB of ram.
So it sounds to me that of course the scratch disk is being used. given your current state, you have an 800MB file with 20 histories(800x20=16GB), and you assign 70% of your 16GB(that's about 11GB or less)to CS4...
p.2 #4 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
shinew7911 wrote:
So it sounds to me that of course the scratch disk is being used. given your current state, you have an 800MB file with 20 histories(800x20=16GB), and you assign 70% of your 16GB(that's about 11GB or less)to CS4...
I have to say none of that is adding up with any numbers I have here.. For example, if 20 history states are set, in show / scratch sizes (at the bottom of the window) I get 4.29G/10.1G with 417GB free on my hardrive. If 10 history states are set, Scratch sizes show 2.49G/9.92G with 420GB free on my hardrive.. with 100% efficiency in both scenarios.
None of this also explains why upon doing some things in Photoshop my ram usage will go up as normal (Adding more layers, upressing, sharpening, etc) yet when using Liquify the entire process is completely limited to the transfer speed of my hardrive.
p.2 #5 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
AdrianRogers wrote:
PSD file is currently just over 800mb, 20 history states, 6 cache levels, currently 17 layers of varying content. File is roughly 9500 x 5500px, currently using just under 7GB of ram.
I work on huge files also(sometimes up to 3 GB). Why run 20 history states? that's like having 19 copies of your image open. I never set this over 5 states and I rarely ever use one.
The Cache Levels setting in the Performance pane of the Preferences dialog box (see Figure 3) also has an impact on RAM usage. Increasing the image cache value speeds screen redrawing when you're working with larger files that contain a lot of layers. However, the image cache doesn't do much for small files. The default setting is six levels. If you routinely work with larger, multilayered files, try increasing the cache level to eight. If you work with smaller files, try reducing it"
p.2 #7 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
rhyder wrote:
I work on huge files also(sometimes up to 3 GB). Why run 20 history states? that's like having 19 copies of your image open. I never set this over 5 states and I rarely ever use one.
Edit: see below
I don't understand where this history states x image size equation comes from.. absolutely no numbers i can see or find suggest i'm using 20 x 800mb of resources anywhere?
Regardless, having the history state set to 1 or 50 makes no difference to the Liquify filter, which is the problem. And unfortunately neither does adjusting the Cache Levels. Ram usage is still relatively constant when opening Liquify and performing some edits, but hardrive transfer peaks at around 180mb/s. I think i may have just been able to edit for a little longer with Cache levels set to 8, but it could just be me.
Seems the only solution is a Ramdisk, one fast RAID0 scratchdisk setup, or both!
p.2 #9 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
AdrianRogers wrote:
I don't understand where this history states x image size equation comes from.. absolutely no numbers i can see or find suggest i'm using 20 x 800mb of resources anywhere?
Regardless, having the history state set to 1 or 50 makes no difference to the Liquify filter, which is the problem. And unfortunately neither does adjusting the Cache Levels. Ram usage is still relatively constant when opening Liquify and performing some edits, but hardrive transfer peaks at around 180mb/s. I think i may have just been able to edit for a little longer with Cache levels set to 8, but it could just be me.
Seems the only solution is a Ramdisk, one fast RAID0 scratchdisk setup, or both!...Show more →
FYI....Reduce the number of History states
In Photoshop CS4, each history state that includes an operation that affects the entire image (for example, when you apply Gaussian blur or unsharp mask to the entire image) creates a full copy of your image at its original size. If your initial image is 500 KB, and you apply Gaussian blur to it, your image will need 1 MB of scratch space. If your history states consist of operations that affect only part of the image, such as paint strokes, only the size of the tiles touched by the strokes are added to the image size. If you count up the number of histories you have where operations have affected the entire image, and multiply your original image size by that number, you'll have an approximate amount of scratch disk space needed by the image. If you have applied levels, a reduce noise filter, and an unsharp mask filter to your entire image 5 MB in size, the image will need 20 MB of scratch space. When you reduce the number of History states available, you potentially reduce the number of copies of your image using scratch space.
p.2 #10 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
AdrianRogers wrote:
I don't understand where this history states x image size equation comes from.. absolutely no numbers i can see or find suggest i'm using 20 x 800mb of resources anywhere?
as others have pointed out, it's on adobe website. Of course it doesn't take that much RAM if you just set the number of histories and not using it.
Seems the only solution is a Ramdisk, one fast RAID0 scratchdisk setup, or both!
I would only experiment with ram-disk as the last resort, as it adds another level of complexity which you shouldn't have to bother. If you have nothing else running on your OS with a freshly opened 800MB file and the HD speed is still the bottleneck while using the liquify tool, I would send an email to adobe support to clarify whether this is a bug or there is something else to it.
You might just consider copying the selection for the part you want to liquify to a separate layer and run the filter. I've never had the need to liquify the whole image and it is more efficient to do it this way anyway. Although maybe you really do need to liquify the whole image...
I might test this out myself just to see what happens...
p.2 #11 · Photoshop still using scratchdisk with 16GB of Ram
FEI, I run history states dependant on what sort of work I'm doing, 20 history states was merely something set probably on a previous document I've forgotten to change, but once again, this is not the problem I am having. The problem is the liquify filter not using any ram and needing to write every single operation to the hardrive. If anyone has a solution or explanation to this, please fire away, but for the love of god no more on history states, i've already said this makes no difference. Apologies if this comes off a little harsh but in two pages this topic has just veered off course and Ide quite like it back on track
so none of the paragraph about CS3 applies. It can use more than 6GB (i've got a little over 10GB assigned to CS4 alone in the preferances panel) just seemingly not when using the Liquify filter. Which is becoming quite fraustrating as it's never using more than 4-5GB of temp space when doing adjustments, so the ram could easily accomodate, it just insists on running the whole thing off the hardrive instead 
