10 steps to optimize Photoshop Performance Part 1

   RAM , Cache , scratch disk and GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) are main factors that affect your photoshop performance. We can optimize  photoshop peformance by doing some basic settings.In this article, we will cover various performance optimization technique.

1.Set RAM for Photoshop use
 go to menu Edit>Preferences>Performance.

 Here you will see 4 sections i.e Memory Usage, History & Cache , Scratch disk and GPU settings.
In memory usage section you can set how much memory photoshop can use.Setting this value to 70% means photoshop can use maximum 70% of total memory and remaining 30% will be used by other application.
                              
    It is best to set maximum memory usage to ideal range(55%-75%) only.Changes take effect when start photoshop next time.

2.Keep History States as Low as possible
  Undo and redo are very useful feature of photoshop. Undo redo states are stored in History panel .It stores additional copies of images on hard drive.So history states require memory. Hence it is better to set history states as low as possible.You can set History states in "History & Cache" panel.

3.Set Cache Level & Cache tile Size 

  Set Cache Levels and Cache Tile size according to your use.

• Cache Levels -  Cache level is used to improve histogram speed.Choose more cache level for large images with few layers. Choose low cache level for small images with many layers.
• Cache Tile Size-  means amount of data photoshop use for processing.Choose larger tile size for images with large pixels.Choose small tile size for images with small size and many layers.

In History & cache panel you will see three buttons 1.Tall and Thin 2.Default 3. Big and Flat.
1.Tall and Thin - Best for users working with small images & those who work with many enhancement layers.
2.Default- Average. For general use.
3.Big and flat - Best for users working with large images and few enhancement layers.

4.Scratch Disks
  When photoshop needs more virtual memory ,it uses from Scratch disks(hard disk). We can set which hard disk should photoshop use ,when virtual memory is full ."Scratch disk" panel show all hard disk of your computer.

  
For best performance you should set scratch disk to larger drive (which has more free memory) and not to your boot drive .change order of scratch disk using arrow buttons.Place large drive at top.Set the sequence of drive in descending order of their free space. 


5.64 bit photoshop - 64 bit OS
   To run photoshop in 64 bit mode ,your hardware and photoshop must support 64 bit photoshop.You will get better performance when you run 64 bit photoshop on 64 bit OS rather using it on 32 bit OS.64 bit OS supports better processing of while working on larger image or many images at a time.You can check your version of photoshop on start up screen.

Part2: 
10 steps to optimize Photoshop Performance Part 2

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