So apparently Photoshop takes up a lot of RAM in addition to my comp not having much (2GB) I am very limited on how much I can edit at a time and how long each edit takes...
I am in the market for a new comp and am really interested in the Macbook, however to upgrade to 8GB of RAM is an additional $500...
Do you think 4GB would be enough to do what I am looking for or should I spend the extra $500?
It really depends on what kind of editing you are doing. If you are editing large files with lots of layers, even 8GB isn't much. My current (old) system has 8GB and it sometimes really chugs, even with Windows 7 (and a bare-bones install of it at that). Hasselblad H3D raw files just about crash it if I try to do too much too fast. I've been getting quotes for 32GB systems, but anything over 16GB is big dollars.
Koshi's system has 4GB and, for what she does, it works fine for the most part. But her files are smaller (400D as opposed to my 5D Mark II), and she doesn't tend to run out to 30 or more layers like I do, and doesn't use all the plugins that I use.
Try optimising your Photoshop settings before you do anything else. It varies depending on your version of PS and what OS you are running, but here's a good place to start: http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404439.html
Of all the things I've done to make PS run more smoothly, the Use Bigger Tiles, reduced history settings, and designation of RAM have helped the most. Also, hiding your histogram is another way to speed things up, because every single time you change something your histogram will change and use more RAM while it recalculates - toggle it on just when you actually need it, if you need it.
I don't know about any of that stuff, but my dad does computer stuff for a living, so I'll ask him and see what he says and let you know. But he's also busy and I might not get to talk to him about it for a while, but I'll let you know. Anyway, that person looks like they had a lot to say, but I'm too tired to read anything big.
Jinx brings up an interesting point. If you shoot RAW, you will most certainly need more RAM. However, 4 gigs should be enough if you are shooting JPGs and only working with a few documents at a time. It all depends on your work flow. I'm currently using a machine with 4 gigs and its fine for my needs (admittedly my style isn't professional). What might also help, is if you have multiple hard drives. You can set the "scratch disk" to the alternate hard drive. If you keep this set to a drive other than your boot drive this should boost performance.
As Jinx mentioned, play around with some of the settings. There is a button to return to default that is in the Preferences section.
What OS are you running?
*Funny how far computers have come in the last 10 years.
@crappysailor I second the scratch disk drive! I installed a fast, SATA internal drive and set it to be nothing more than a Photoshop scratch disk. Photoshop will use 200GB as a scratch, so if you are able, partition a drive to 220GB or so (to allow for sector failures) at the front of the drive (this is faster than at the back), and never put anything on it other than the scratch disk. I cannot possibly impress upon you how much time this has saved me.
@jinximages - to be honest, that is really the only performance tweak I use. Originally (about 10 years ago) I went to university for computer animation. The work flow was pretty resource intensive, at least for the time (PS6 and Maya 2 - to give you an idea). A GIG of RAM was huge! haha. But adjusting the scratch disk ALWAYS proved to really help.
@crappysailor Crikey! I've seen Maya renders take half a day! Makes PS look like a toy in some ways. Standard PS settings are, though, very poor for performance, and I've had extraordinary results by fixing some of those. But yes, even without those, I don't dispute the difference just fixing the scratch disk can make.
@jinximages - haha, yeah, they can take some time. Ive been out of it for awhile. So the technology has really passed me by (video cards with 1 gig+?!?) Thanks for the PS link. I'll try some of the other options for performance adjusting.
@Jinximages @crappysailor Thank you both very much... while I can't profess to know much of what you both said, I can print this out and get my computer genius friend to help me out ;) I do shoot RAW exclusively however I don't use anywhere near 30 layers! (wow!) I think part of my problem is that my computer is dying anyway...
And @Jinx, thank you for the link! I will definitely check that out.
@sudweeks I don't know, but it is CS5 so I would assume so?
Re: 64 bit, CS4 and CS5 come in both versions, and generally people install the one most suitable for their OS. If you're using a 64-bit OS, you most likely have 64-bit PS installed. Some people do install 32-bit PS on a 64-bit OS, but usually that is just so they can keep using old 32-bit-only plugins. So, check your OS, and if you are using a 64-bit Vista or 7, you should be fine. If you're using Mac, well, things can get tricky...
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Koshi's system has 4GB and, for what she does, it works fine for the most part. But her files are smaller (400D as opposed to my 5D Mark II), and she doesn't tend to run out to 30 or more layers like I do, and doesn't use all the plugins that I use.
Try optimising your Photoshop settings before you do anything else. It varies depending on your version of PS and what OS you are running, but here's a good place to start:
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404439.html
Of all the things I've done to make PS run more smoothly, the Use Bigger Tiles, reduced history settings, and designation of RAM have helped the most. Also, hiding your histogram is another way to speed things up, because every single time you change something your histogram will change and use more RAM while it recalculates - toggle it on just when you actually need it, if you need it.
Jinx brings up an interesting point. If you shoot RAW, you will most certainly need more RAM. However, 4 gigs should be enough if you are shooting JPGs and only working with a few documents at a time. It all depends on your work flow. I'm currently using a machine with 4 gigs and its fine for my needs (admittedly my style isn't professional). What might also help, is if you have multiple hard drives. You can set the "scratch disk" to the alternate hard drive. If you keep this set to a drive other than your boot drive this should boost performance.
As Jinx mentioned, play around with some of the settings. There is a button to return to default that is in the Preferences section.
What OS are you running?
*Funny how far computers have come in the last 10 years.
@Jinximages @crappysailor Thank you both very much... while I can't profess to know much of what you both said, I can print this out and get my computer genius friend to help me out ;) I do shoot RAW exclusively however I don't use anywhere near 30 layers! (wow!) I think part of my problem is that my computer is dying anyway...
And @Jinx, thank you for the link! I will definitely check that out.
@sudweeks I don't know, but it is CS5 so I would assume so?
Re: 64 bit, CS4 and CS5 come in both versions, and generally people install the one most suitable for their OS. If you're using a 64-bit OS, you most likely have 64-bit PS installed. Some people do install 32-bit PS on a 64-bit OS, but usually that is just so they can keep using old 32-bit-only plugins. So, check your OS, and if you are using a 64-bit Vista or 7, you should be fine. If you're using Mac, well, things can get tricky...