6 Replies Latest reply: Aug 13, 2010 3:32 PM by John Joslin RSS

    Scratch Disks

    Shan-Dysigns Community Member

      Photoshop CS4

      Windows XP

      2.25 GB Usable RAM

       

      I've taken notice lately when it comes to the file that is created (as a scratch file) while running Photoshop. Maybe I'm just noticing this becuase I'm currently working on a quite large psd (600 MB), and PS has been slowing down the longer I work on this file. Just from opening PS, a 2.4 - 4 GB scratch file is created (which seems like an odd range based on the fact I'm opening PS the same each time but getting different scratch file sizes).

       

      I "do" have several plugins, shapes, brushes, styles loaded at startup (maybe this is the main reason for such a large scratch file), but even working on a single psd, I've seen that file pass 10 GB. One time I received a notice from the particular hard drive I've assigned for my scratch disk that "I've run out of storage space". I almost fell to the floor when I saw there were 3 different scratch files, and each were about 100+ GB. I exited PS, and 1 of those files went away, and I had to manually delete the other 2.

       

      So the question: What is the normal range of a scratch file (especially upon first run of PS), and what are the determining factors for how large that file gets?

        • 1. Re: Scratch Disks
          Curt Y Community Member

          What you are seeing is normal.  History states is a big driver on

          how much scratch space is needed.  If you have a 100 meg file and modify the whole layer, like with a gausian blur your image file is now 200 meg.  Each operation adds to it.

          • 2. Re: Scratch Disks
            Shan-Dysigns Community Member

            I've got my preferences to allow 10 states in History to be kept (down from the default 20 - I think).

             

            Here is another recent example:

             

            I open Photoshop - a scratch file of 2+ GB is created. When I'm done with that particular file and close it, the scratch file is now 7+ GB. Why wouldn't that scratch file drop back down (kind of like how available RAM is used)?

            • 3. Re: Scratch Disks
              Noel Carboni Community Member

              Adobe may reuse parts of the file to make it more efficient.  We as users simply can't know, but we can say that what you're seeing is pretty typical.

               

              -Noel

              • 4. Re: Scratch Disks
                Noel Carboni Community Member

                Just curious:  Why are you worried about the scratch file size, anyway?

                 

                -Noel

                • 5. Re: Scratch Disks
                  Shan-Dysigns Community Member
                  Why are you worried about the scratch file size, anyway?

                  I'm more curious than worried. I had never really paid any attention to the scratch file until I happened to open the drive I've assigned the scratch file and noticed such a large file. Like I said, this particular project I'm working on is quite large, and Photoshop seemed to be struggling more than usual - that's what lead me to look around to see what might be causing this - that's when the scratch file was 100+ GB and there were 3 of them. If such a large scratch file is common, I will let it be...

                  • 6. Re: Scratch Disks
                    John Joslin Community Member

                    Shan-Dysigns wrote:

                    that's when the scratch file was 100+ GB and there were 3 of them. If such a large scratch file is common, I will let it be...

                     

                    If there were three you maybe had a couple that failed to delete after previous sessions.


                    Save your work and close PS, then see if there are any left. You can safely delete them when PS is not running.