managable file sizes

[miss jane]

being a new kid on the block around here, i'm gonna being asking a lot of very ordinary questions. i don't really know many people i can confer with on these matters, so i'm just stumbling along trying to figure it out for myself. any help would be greatly apprectiated.

Q. is it normal to be working on 500-600mb files while restoring??

i've been doing restoration work for about 6 months now and this is a constant battle- keeping my files managable! i end up with so many layers that i save my images as 'stage_1', then re-save it as 'stage_2', flatten it, then build it up from there with more layers, etc... i usually end up with somewhere between 5 and 8 'stages'.

i know it's bad to flatten (that's why i save in stages) but the computer can't handle the ever growing ram-eating monster.

i am very interested to see how other retouchers approach this deliema. cheers!

[Caitlin]

How big is the file you are starting with Jane? What file size, dimensions ppi etc?

[miss jane]

hi caitlin,

for example, my original scan of one particular image was 70.3mb.... which is pretty normal for what i work at. it's pixel dimensions are 2953 x 4160. i like to scan images at 600 ppi. i like to have as much info as possible to work with (i hold myself back from scanning any higher).

i've started burning my files to dvds since i filled 4 cds with this one particular image. i just wondered if this was normal.

[FrannyMae]

Jane, I sometimes find myself with images in the 500-600mb range. This is usually when it is a large image to begin with. One way around the issue is to create a "merged visible" layer (shift+ctrl+alt+N then shift+ctrl+alt+E) then drag your new merged layer to a new document for further work. You still have all your layers in your original document, but can greatly reduce the file size by going back to just one layer. Of course you would only want to do this when you are happy with your results and don't forsee any changes.

Another way to keep file size down is to use adjustment layers. So instead of having to duplicate an entire layer and then using a levels adjustment on it you can just use a levels adjustment layer. (You could very well already be doing this!)

One of my favorite ways to cut down on unneccessary duplication of layers is to use an empty layer for cloning and healing. That way I don't add size to the file with every correction.

As for scanning at 600ppi, I don't always do that. I let the OUTPUT size dictate the scanning resolution. So if I am scanning a 8x10 image that is never going to be enlarged past 8x10, I scan at 300ppi. If I am enlarging an image then I go with a higher dpi.

I hope this helps a bit!

[miss jane]

thanks for the tips frannymae! i do already use adjustment layers, but i'd never thought of clonning on an empty layer.... i will definately give that one a go.

thanks for the help, i'll let you know how i go