I am processing a few hundred raw images with a Photoshop CS3 action. It opens the files using ACR, does some minor adjustments, and then saves the files as JPGs. However, after a hundred or so files, the batch throws up a dialog box witth the following message:
Could not save as "K:\Photos\…\IMG_9044.jpg" because there is not enough memory (RAM). Try saving without optimization or as baseline JPEG.
When I restart Photoshop, and run the batch again, it runs for a while, and stops again. This looks like a memory leak to me.
For what it’s worth, I’m using the default RAM allocation on a system with 2GB of RAM, a dual-core AMD 64 X2 3800, and the PS scratch is on a dedicated disk with about 250GB free.
Any suggestions? Anyone else having the same problem?
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I am processing a few hundred raw images with a Photoshop CS3 action. It opens the files using ACR, does some minor adjustments, and then saves the files as JPGs. However, after a hundred or so files, the batch throws up a dialog box witth the following message:
Could not save as "K:\Photos\…\IMG_9044.jpg" because there is not enough memory (RAM). Try saving without optimization or as baseline JPEG. When I restart Photoshop, and run the batch again, it runs for a while, and stops again. This looks like a memory leak to me.
For what it’s worth, I’m using the default RAM allocation on a system with 2GB of RAM, a dual-core AMD 64 X2 3800, and the PS scratch is on a dedicated disk with about 250GB free.
Any suggestions? Anyone else having the same problem?
Thanks,
David
Perhaps it is a memory leak. However, the allocation/deallocation routines in the operating system usually wait until the program ends before deallocating the unused memory back to the operating system. As allocating/deallocating memory is a time consuming process, the reason for doing it this way is to reduce processing time.
What deallocation means to a compiler is to mark the memory as unused. But, unused memory may not be released until much later.
You may be helped by the /3GB switch, but you will still run into the problem if your batch file processes enough files.
I’ve seen posts before about memory leaks but don’t recall the details, yet I’d not expect them to be related to the choice of using an AMD processor unless there have been clear statements made to that effect. I’m pretty certain I’ve seen some Adobe reps state that they’ve got some PCs with AMD processors that they’ve done some testing on as well Intel. In any case, in the specs they do include the catch phrase "(or compatible)", which is intended to mean any processor class of similar performance as the Intel processors which they specifically call out.
Given the abundance of AMD-based PCs in use, Adobe really does the buying public an injustice by citing specs that seem to indicate an Intel bias, be it valid or not. They really should simply state the minimum Intel or AMD processor class recommended.
And I say this as an Intel user who recognizes that both AMD and Intel put out processors that should well serve the needs of a Photohsop user.
Your AMD processor is not the problem. Try running your action on a smaller set of files at a time. There may be a memory leak when processing a large file set.
Mark, thanks for pointing out the spec. I seriously doubt, however, if the differences between AMD and Intel processors would cause a problem that offers the appearance of a memory leak. A performance difference or an occasional hang or crash would be much more plausible.
Michael, Thanks – the problem is that when I have many hundreds to process, working on smaller batches becomes more labor intensive. Specifically, I cannot simply start the process, go to bed, and have it finished in the morning. Further, if a memory leak expresses itself in this case, it may also impact a long interactive session.
Lawrence, Me too, until recently. 😉
Daryl, I thought I’d heard about some memory issues, too, but looked around a bit and didn’t find them. Adobe may not have qualified their software with my processor, but I be they didn’t qualify with my memory or my motherboard, either. 😉
All, For what it’s worth – when I built this system, I chose AMD because the AMD 64 X2 processors ran faster and cooler than Intel’s processors. Today, Intel has the lead, with the Core 2 Duo. If I were building today, I’d probably use an Intel processor.
The compilers that software developers use are significant, too. One of the best compilers for generating efficient code for the x86 architecture is the Intel compiler. Unfortunately, Intel has chosen to make it more and more dedicated to Intel hardare, disabling optimizations when it detects non-Intel hardware. While unfortunate for AMD and owners of AMD processors, this strikes me as a reasonable and probably successful business tactic.
Does anyone know what compiler(s) Adobe uses to build Photoshop?
There would have to be a fault wit AMD’s memory handling which would effect ALL programs not just Adobe’s for the processor to be causing the problem.
By the sounds of it it could be the JPG optimisation causing a problem, it might be trying to store the data between pics to increase the optimisation. Did using theh baseline settings when saving te JPg’s make any difference?
Did you ever find the answer to your problem? I have what appears to be a memory leak problem as well.
I process hundreds of photos, 3 at a time. When I first start working I will see about .8GB of memory is being used. After a while it will be up to 1.3GB and soon it will be over 1.6GB.
All the files are essentially the same size. They are all PSD’s exported from Lightroom. The only difference between when I’m using .8GB and 1.6GB is that I’ve processed more files since I started Photoshop. I have to shut down Photoshop and start it again to reduce the memory load, but it builds right back up again after processing a lot of photos. I sometimes create some very large files while processing, and after creating a large file I have the same problem; after saving the file and closing it, the memory usage stays high.
I have had this problem on 2 different computers running CS3. And for all those trying to blame AMD, both of these computers are Intel processors. One computer is a E6600 Core2Duo with 2GB of RAM and the other is a Quad Core running 4GB RAM. Both machines have a dedicated scratch disk, and very little other software. I only run software to process photographs on both machines, and both run under XP Pro.
Last night I actually hit a new record of 2.3GB of memory being used and eventually got an error message that there was insufficient memory to run photoshop, although, as I recall, there were no photos currently open in photoshop (I could be wrong about that, don’t remember for sure).
I think it’s a memory leak. And if it is, there must be a fix for it.
Please contact me directly. I’d like to see if I can reproduce this on my systems (I have both a E6600 and a Quad with the same amounts of RAM). If it is indeed a leak, I’d really like to see it fixed.
Thanks for posting the information. I’ll have try running a large set of 5D files through a few systems and see if CS3 runs out of RAM. As soon as we have a reproducible case, we’ll look into debugging it.
I’m working on trying to reproduce this, and I’d like you to send me your action if you could. My email address is posted above.
-Adam
I understand that no one will want to fix CS2 at this point, but I have seen a similar memory leak in CS2 as well for as long as I can remember. I’ve tried to research it but with no luck. Closing and re-opening the program temporarily solves the problem.
I’m batch processing about 230 TIFF images at a time and am having similar probs. I’m adjusting curves, reducing noise with CS3’s tools, re sizing, and saving as JPEG. I’m using an 8-core Mac with 16GB of RAM. This looks like a memory leak to me.
I’ve tried RAM settings in PS at 1.2 up to 1.8 GB on my 4GB machine. Doesn’t stop the "memory leak".
I’ve been watching more lately and always have the Task Manager window open. I notice that the memory doesn’t drop after closing files, not significantly anyway. And if I reopen the same files the memory usage doesn’t go up. It goes up with new files but will stay the same if I reopen the previous files.
I read something about a problem with corrupt fonts causing a "memory leak" in PS when font preview was on, so I shut off the font preview setting to see if that helped. Nope, didn’t make any difference.
I’ve observed this problem using normal sized PSD’s (24MB aprox) and very large files (500+ MB), and everything in between. It happens when I’m just opening them and applying simple retouching, and it happens when I do a large amount of work, apply 20+ layers and complex filters and create very large files. It happens all the time, 100%, always. I haven’t observed that PS ever goes back to the previous memory usage after working on a file.
Brian Mealey (post#9 above, and I emailed you previously as well)
I notice that the memory doesn’t drop after closing files<<
No, it won’t. It is not designed to.
Once Photoshop has allocated memory it will hang on to it until the application is closed. This is quicker than continually allocating and de-allocating memory.
However, it WILL release currently allocated but unused memory to other applications should they require it.
You would have to ask one of the Photoshop programmers to get an answer to that question, David, but that is what Chris Cox has stated here in the forums.
Despite what the link states, rather incorrectly, PS can only make a request to the OS to have that amount of RAM set aside.
The OS controls RAM allocation not the application. Just imagine if all apps had the ability to set aside RAM when they are opened. The system would fail miserably.
I was watching raw memory usage through the Intel control centre. I watched the memory usage rise when I opened PS but not to the extent that I had set in PS memory usage. While I continued to use PS the memory usage continued to rise over the request I had set in PS and when I closed the file, the memory usage dropped dramatically, but not to original levels of when I started PS.
This whole ‘memory allocation’ thing is a myth using current OSs, it is a hold-over from the ‘olden days’ when memory allocation was not handled so well by the OS.
I think I’ll scream to next time someone refers to the /3GB switch as the ‘Photoshop switch’, the switch applies to any foreground application.
You guys worry way too much! Just calm down, have a good stiff drink and forget about memory allocation. Just don’t spill any on the computer.
Thanks for the link on PS memory allocation. It sounds like a reasonable modern large-memory application (except that it is only 32-bit, even in a 64-bit environment).
However, the article does not address the issue of how it could discover that other applications need more memory. Usually, dealing with contention for resources such as this is purely the domain of the operating system.
Perhaps the apparent release of unused but allocated memory is really just demand paging. This is a service provided by most modern operating systems, that swaps memory out to disk if it hasn’t been accessed in a while, and transparently swaps it back in if it’s accessed.
I have noticed this from day one. My solution is simply to close CS3, and then re-open. Of course it always re-opens a LOT faster than the original opening so not a lot of time is lost. Whether it is memory leak or paging, it does happen – always. So, my work flow is to routinely close and then re-open PS CS3. Now here’s the kicker. Open PS CS3 and let the computer set there for 8 hours without using it. Same thing happens!
Can you post please post your system and OS information? Also are you using any other programs when Photoshop is running? I’d really like to know why the app is slowing down after being idle for 8 hours.
If you want to contact me directly, email me at travlin_adam at yahoo dot com.
I guess I’m lucky, I am currently able to batch almost 8000 images at a time. I use 2 machines, both are mac pros with 6gb and 8gb of ram. I tried batching double that amount but cs3 would slow to a crawl occasionally resulting in kernal panic. Each master image is cmyk, 2.8 inches square at 300dpi with each having well over 30 layers. They get batched out to flat tifs and gifs at the same time with the largest image being under 500k.
Activity monitor shows ps gradually uses more and more ram until there is just none left. At that point it becomes impossible to close ps, or even force quit. This is truly a pin in the as$!
Sadly this has nothing to do with the processor. Large file usage with continual cutting and pasting, even if the file is flattened or rendered down will bring your PC to it’s knees.
I just ‘discovered’ this recently as my machine was coming up with ram warning and then crashing when using PS on files that were very large.
My work around is when moving large data chunks in and out of PS and Illust. to just close every once in a while, (watch your RAM meter clear) and reopen the file. In every case (for me at least) the same file that JUST had the machine full, will be completely manageable with a healthy machine.
Another 30 minutes and PS will fill the machine up again. I’m sure they’re on it, so just work in smaller file chunks until they get it ironed out.
