Time saving tip for saving layered files in Photoshop
Reader Goodloe S from Chapel Hill, NC wrote regarding my consulting help, and in particular one time-saving tip which has really speeded up his workflow. The time-saving referred to is Speed up Opening and Saving Large files.
This is a quick note to thank you again for being a great resource !!! I have been touching up images of insects in PS CS4 for about 4 weeks now - very dirty specimens - each image takes a day or two of work to clean up. Shot with the Hasselblad H3D, the files start out at 225MB and end up between 800MB and 1.2GB depending on how many layers I need along the way.
On my old dual G5, I would have saved my working file every few hours in PSD format, because (a) I didn't know about TIFF vs PSD file I/O speed differences; (b) I didn't know you could save PS layers in a TIFF format; and (c) the saving operation would have taken a minute or two, at least. On my new 4 core MacPro with the SoftRaid-Hitachi drive arrangement, I save my work every few minutes, and the saving operation takes about 2 seconds - a non-event!
Also, using Carbon Cloner and some eSATA Hitachi's running in an enclosure enables me to save my work for the day in about 10 seconds per backup. The CS4 configurations you recommend result in a smooth and robust operation; I use 4 history states to enable quick reversal of clone attempts that don't look quite right, and see no speed difference whatsoever vs. 1 history state. Finally, the Hitachi drives and the Voyager enable me to clone my Master photo file, and other files as well, and ship it to a photo-interested relative in NE for quarterly rotation; this part of my backup plan was missing before I learned about cloning and Hitachi drives from you.
Of all the items above, the large file TIFF I/O speeds standout as the huge win in my daily workflow; perhaps you already knew this from other clients. I am so pleased I just had to tell someone who would appreciate the sheer delight that derives from using a tool that works like it ought to !!!!!!
Thanks again and again for your consulting and confidence building - your advice is far better than golden !
