More photoshop work - HUGE files?

I've been sticking to within Lightroom for a very long time for easier file management and workflow, but I'd like to (re)start doing more in photoshop for more creativity and fine-tuning.

I just recently loaded a 3-exposure panorama (9895x6492) on to layers but the saved TIF is 1.1GB - I obviously do want to maintain image quality as many of these will be used for prints/etc - but if my files are going to be 1GB each that's going to get really tough to work on and store real fast.

Is there a way to save more space? A compromise?

Use .PSD to save out your layered working files.

I stopped worrying about file size a while ago as it's not uncommon for me to hit the 4GB TIFF limit on my PS files. It is what it is. Do what you need to in order to get the image you want.

I personally like having the option of going back to my base layer(s) in PS so I don't tend to merge/flatten in PS. I weigh the convenience of being able to do that vs. the cost of storage. For me the equation tips in the favor of ease of future editing. If the equation for you tips in the favor of the cost of drive space, flatten/merge to save space, convert to 8 bit, delete alpha masks, etc.

Consider though that a 6 TB hard drive currently goes for around $180. If you were generating two1 GB files a day, every day, it would take you around 8 years to fill it. That's about $22/year for your storage. Even when you factor in the cost for the hard drives to back that up, it starts to seem like it costs more to worry about it than it does to get the HD space and just let it rip.

8-bit sRGB is the answer. It's likely that you're presently in 16-bit ProPhotoRGB, is that correct?

Damo77 wrote in post #18619183
8-bit sRGB is the answer. It's likely that you're presently in 16-bit ProPhotoRGB, is that correct?

Yeah - I haven't done enough printing to truly understand, but when printing how visibly different is 8 vs 16bit?

For printing you only need small files. In Photoshop, Level 9 (that's 9 of 12 levels) JPGs are all you need and they are 8 bit.

So your 1GB file only needs to be 10-20MB for printing.

kaitlyn2004 wrote in post #18619288
Yeah - I haven't done enough printing to truly understand, but when printing how visibly different is 8 vs 16bit?

Not visible at all, I promise.

Damo77 wrote in post #18619693
Not visible at all, I promise.

Would this also apply to screen as in posting images here for example. This is a bit off topic but I'm using both DXO PhotoLab and LR. Exporting back to LR takes a long time. I prefers LR's exporting process. I have options for 8 and 16 bit when sending a file back to LR.

digital paradise wrote in post #18619904
Would this also apply to screen as in posting images here for example. This is a bit off topic but I'm using both DXO PhotoLab and LR. Exporting back to LR takes a long time. I prefers LR's exporting process. I have options for 8 and 16 bit when sending a file back to LR.

If output is going to be a JPEG then it has to be in 8 bit, since that is part of the JPEG standard. My suggestion if you are having to send all images to DXO for processing would be to either have Lr set up so that you get back 8 bit TIFF files, using LZW compression, or if you start in DXO use that as your DXO output and then import the TIFFs to Lr. An 8 bit TIFF with LZW compression should be smaller in size on disk than a maximum quality JPEG file, but you get zero conversion artifacts. You can then have Lr to your final exporting, including the resizing and addition of Lr output sharpening. Just remember that if you are going with 8 bit you should also be using sRGB, unless you really have a need for something larger like AdobeRGB. Just make sure that you don't use ProPhotoRGB at all while you are working in 8 bit colour.

Alan

Thanks for the info. I don't send all my images to DXO. Only my hobby shots.