NO SCRATCH IN PHOTOSHOP – IS THAT POSSIBLE?

M
Posted By
mikelima
Dec 23, 2003
Views
703
Replies
25
Status
Closed
Hi all,
is that possible not to use any scratch disk in Photoshop? I can guarantee I will not need any scratch disk space, cause I have 2GB of memory and I cannot imagining working beyond that…
Any solution for that?
I think companies have to look for that… memory are becoming cheap and as soon as we think we will have big non volatile RAM disks…
thanks.

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DM
dave_milbut
Dec 23, 2003
I can guarantee I will not need any scratch disk space, cause I have 2GB of memory and I cannot imagining working beyond that…

wrong. Happens all the time.
M
mikelima
Dec 23, 2003
I use windows since release 386, an obscure version on the time computers were powered by coal. I work with large files and never, in more than 13 years working with computers, reached that limit.

The day I suspect I will reach the point I will just buy more memory. Scratch disks, swap and things like that, are crap created to substitute lack of memory. That’s why windows is far away from linux and unix, that are systems that knows how to manage swap, putting it at zero, when not needed. On windows, your swap size is proportional to your memory. 2GB of memory, 2GB of swap. Ridiculous. I had to force it to zero, and I am working perfectly well without it. On the other hand, Photoshop still creates its own scratch file.
RL
Robert_Levine
Dec 23, 2003
I can guarantee I will not need any scratch disk space, cause I have 2GB of memory and I cannot imagining working beyond that

You have a very poor imagination.

Bob
H
Ho
Dec 23, 2003
NO SCRATCH IN PHOTOSHOP – IS THAT POSSIBLE?

NO!

What you fail to understand is how PS’s scratch system works. Scratch is not where data goes after RAM is full, it is where data goes as soon as the app is opened, i.e., it is Photoshop’s main memory. RAM is used for caching frequently used information.

I am not currently a programmer, nor do I profess any special knowledge about the plumbing underlying Photoshop, I just know that you can never run it without scratch. Accept it and move on.

And by the way, unless all you are using PS for is tiny web graphics, you can eclipse the 2G limit without even breaking a sweat. Even as I write this, I have a single 16-bit image open. It has 5 layers and I’ve probably performed 4 or 5 operations on those layers. Scratch size: 1015.5Mb. I’ll hit 2G easily before I spend 30 more minutes on it.
M
mikelima
Dec 23, 2003
I know that PS opens a scratch as soon as you run it, so that’s the point. If PS works that way, so it is poor designed, what it is not the point. Simply Photoshop was created on a time where memory are expensive and scratches are necessary. Nowadays memomry is becoming cheap and Adobe forgot to use it’s power. Using 2GB or more memory to cach frequently used information and scratch to open files, is a poor design. Sorry, but if you think that this is the best way, you’re completely wrong.
RL
Robert_Levine
Dec 23, 2003
It’s not a matter of right or wrong. It’s a matter of yes or no. You asked. The answer is no, you can’t do it.

Bob
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 23, 2003
so it is poor designed

no it’s well designed, very smart using the ram for operations that need the speed and storing junk like styles and brushes etc in scratch. like the cache inside a processor.
M
mikelima
Dec 23, 2003
Sorry, but instead of flaming, you should give solutions to what I have asked.

Between these flames I imagined a solution for the problem, that will correct the poor ability of PS to deal with memory at that level. The solution is to create a RAM disk and put the PS scratch on it. Simple.

Thank you anyway.
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 23, 2003
<sigh>
R
RELIEFC
Dec 23, 2003
Photoshop use RAM first. 2Go of RAM is quick full when i work with 700 Mo or 1 Go pictures. When RAM is full, PS use the scratch disk, it could be a RAM DISK. It’s the best solution for speed. BUT it is IMPOSSIBLE to disabled the scratch disk.
DJ
dennis_johnson
Dec 23, 2003
Edit: deleted due to inability to frame a useful response. Stunned into silence.
DG
Dion_Geaney
Dec 23, 2003
What’s a "Go" of RAM?

It’s something that puts the shizzle in your nizzle! 🙂
L
LenHewitt
Dec 23, 2003
Relief,

That is ENTIRELY wrong! Photoshop’s PRIMARY memory is the scratch disk. Installed RAM is used as a cache for that disk image.
Y
YrbkMgr
Dec 23, 2003
Using 2GB or more memory to cach frequently used information and scratch to open files, is a poor design

What is the alternative? Would you like history states limited to 4 events, or would you like the choice to determine how many history states to record? Would you like to disable snapshots? Where exactly would you recommend that Photoshop store this type of information?

If you don’t want it to use a scratch (hard) drive, then create a ram disk with your whopping two meg and see what happens. I routinely use 5 gigs of scratch space. If you have a better suggestion on where to store the information, or a better idea on how to manage the information without using the mechanism it does… by all means, let’s here it.

It may be poor design, but it’s the best that a whole host of programmers have been able to come up with. Submit your idea to feature requests. In the meantime, that’s what we have.

Peace,
Tony
PC
Pierre_Courtejoie
Dec 23, 2003
Also, Mike, you should not run windows without its pagefile. it is calling for trouble…

You made the relation with 3 dprograms… what is the size of the textures they use? In PS, you have all the history, the presets, the image cache (to be able to zoom in/out faster)

With a ramdisk you’ll still hit the scratch disk after the 2gigs of ram(disk) are used…

PS, some people have reported por results using ramdisks… maybe a solution like a solid state disk might be a good alternative.
CW
Colin_Walls
Dec 23, 2003
The day I suspect I will reach the point I will just buy more memory.

Interesting idea. And what OS will you use? [Given that Windows limits an apps memory usage to 2GB.]
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 23, 2003
Photoshop use RAM first.

‘fraid not sport.
G
graffiti
Dec 23, 2003
Did I mention how much more entertaining it is over here?

Just wondered if I had. 🙂
RL
Robert_Levine
Dec 23, 2003
Sorry, but instead of flaming, you should give solutions to what I have asked.

Hello, McFly. Anyone home?

You were given the solution. Give up your hope of running the app without a scratch disk. Either that or write your own photo editing software.

Bob
PH
Photo_Help
Dec 24, 2003
Colin,

And what OS will you use? [Given that Windows limits an apps memory usage to 2GB.]

That all depends on what version of Windows you are talking about. For Example the upper limit for XP is 16 GB while Windows 2003 Datacenter Edition is between 64-512 GB.
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 24, 2003
PH… per application?
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 24, 2003
xp pro and 2k server can go to 3 gig per w/ the /3gig switch (is that the right spelling?) in boot.ini, but ps still can only use 2.
PH
Photo_Help
Dec 24, 2003
Dave,

I know, but they were taking about RAM disks etc…
DM
dave_milbut
Dec 24, 2003
oh. sorry. 🙂
CW
Colin_Walls
Dec 24, 2003
PH/Dave

My comment was in response to mikelima’s comment prior to any discussion of RAM disks. He was still banging on about not using a scratch drive.

The 2Gb limit is somewhat obvious with a 32 bit processor …

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