Need to clear Photoshop's memory

[DrJohnSmitherson]

Hey all,

I am trying to automate the cropping of thousands of photos. I create an action (which includes closing the image) but when Photoshop starts the Batch process, it sucks up all the memory.

I'm looking at the Resource Monitor on Win8 and it's the Working Set that seems to being going up the most, followed by Shareable and Commit. The Private memory isn't rising too much though. I have 7.6GB of free memory available but Photoshop will use it all after a few hundred photos.

Is there something I can add to the Action to free up this memory? Purge doesn't do anything, and I can only free the memory after restarting Photoshop.

Photoshop CS6

Win8

Core i7 3770

16GB ram (7.6GB free)

Nvidia 460GTX

Thanks! :D

[Marshall Veteran]

Navigate to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6\Adobe Photoshop CS6 Settings

and delete this file Adobe Photoshop CS6 Prefs.psp

Upon restarting photoshop it will create this file again for you.

Edit: I misread exactly what you were trying to accomplish. Disregard

[_neutrino Veteran]

I am not sure about being able to clear the cache of the app without closing it however, you can always try to allocate more ram to photoshop.

[hckngrtfakt]

Hey all,

I am trying to automate the cropping of thousands of photos. I create an action (which includes closing the image) but when Photoshop starts the Batch process, it sucks up all the memory.

I'm looking at the Resource Monitor on Win8 and it's the Working Set that seems to being going up the most, followed by Shareable and Commit. The Private memory isn't rising too much though. I have 7.6GB of free memory available but Photoshop will use it all after a few hundred photos.

Is there something I can add to the Action to free up this memory? Purge doesn't do anything, and I can only free the memory after restarting Photoshop.

Photoshop CS6

Win8

Core i7 3770

16GB ram (7.6GB free)

Nvidia 460GTX

Thanks! :D

Assuming your system is configured correctly for pro image editing (CS6 not installed on the main OS drive but on a secondary)

PS should not be using so much memory off a single automated script.

Go to "Preferences > Performance" and make sure your main HDD is not being used as a scratch disk, but only your secondary.

From there allocate about 75% of your total Ram.

No need to delete any files :)

Now, if PS is installed on your main HDD alongside the OS, plus this being the same one

the files are being read and saved onto .... well .... there's your problem :rolleyes:

[DrJohnSmitherson]

Navigate to C:\Users\YourUserName\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop CS6\Adobe Photoshop CS6 Settings

and delete this file Adobe Photoshop CS6 Prefs.psp

Upon restarting photoshop it will create this file again for you.

I did a quick test and see the memory usage rising again. What was this supposed to do?

I am not sure about being able to clear the cache of the app without closing it however, you can always try to allocate more ram to photoshop.

This might sound odd, but I don't think that will help. I already had it a little over 5GBs but it didn't care and sucked up the rest, all 7.6GB and my computer froze. I'm no memory expert but I think that effects the Private memory.

I think Photoshop isn't getting rid of the images in the memory. Some searching shows that it's designed like this on purpose, and that it should realize full memory and compensate, but it isn't. :(

Assuming your system is configured correctly for pro image editing (CS6 not installed on the main OS drive but on a secondary)

PS should not be using so much memory off a single automated script.

Go to "Preferences > Performance" and make sure your main HDD is not being used as a scratch disk, but only your secondary.

From there allocate about 75% of your total Ram.

No need to delete any files :)

Now, if PS is installed on your main HDD alongside the OS, plus this being the same one

the files are being read and saved onto .... well .... there's your problem :rolleyes:

EDIT:

PS installed on Maindrive

Scratch on secondary drive that also contains the files I am processing

[hckngrtfakt]

I did a quick test and see the memory usage rising again. What was this supposed to do?

This might sound odd, but I don't think that will help. I already had it a little over 5GBs but it didn't care and sucked up the rest, all 7.6GB and my computer froze. I'm no memory expert but I think that effects the Private memory.

I think Photoshop isn't getting rid of the images in the memory. Some searching shows that it's designed like this on purpose, and that it should realize full memory and compensate, but it isn't. :(

EDIT:

PS installed on Maindrive

Scratch on secondary drive that also contains the files I am processing

that is odd,... shouldn't be using so much RAM specially for typical 300dpi images :s

i guess the only solution is to allocate 100% of your ram, and let PS do its job, or if it locks up, separate into smaller batches :)

[DrJohnSmitherson]

that is odd,... shouldn't be using so much RAM specially for typical 300dpi images :s

i guess the only solution is to allocate 100% of your ram, and let PS do its job, or if it locks up, separate into smaller batches :)

I see. Smaller batches might have to be it, but that is just so wrong. I just wish photoshop would dump the memory. I have 16GBs but a sizeable ram disk. When comparing the current ram usage being used with the number of images it can get through, it will be a pain to have so many smaller batches. Arrrg

[hckngrtfakt]

I see. Smaller batches might have to be it, but that is just so wrong. I just wish photoshop would dump the memory. I have 16GBs but a sizeable ram disk. When comparing the current ram usage being used with the number of images it can get through, it will be a pain to have so many smaller batches. Arrrg

See the issue is that on script start up, PS grabs as much memory from the scratch disk as it thinks is going to use, but since it continues to re-calculate as the script is running, it moves on to the next available source, RAM, but since the script is still being executed, it continues to use more memory to recalculate while at the same time continuing with the script execution, and unfortunately wont release ram until script is completed (not to mention filter or plugin execution that usually needs more RAM allocation than what is already being used)

Very inefficient IMO but i guess is the only way :/

I actually had to figure this out the hard way by trying to open print-ready files (native AI format) which exceeded the 1.5gb limit

and editing dynamic layer filters .... :rolleyes: i've never seen photoshop crash so many times LOL

[DrJohnSmitherson]

See the issue is that on script start up, PS grabs as much memory from the scratch disk as it thinks is going to use, but since it continues to re-calculate as the script is running, it moves on to the next available source, RAM, but since the script is still being executed, it continues to use more memory to recalculate while at the same time continuing with the script execution, and unfortunately wont release ram until script is completed (not to mention filter or plugin execution that usually needs more RAM allocation than what is already being used)

Very inefficient IMO but i guess is the only way :/

I actually had to figure this out the hard way by trying to open print-ready files (native AI format) which exceeded the 1.5gb limit

and editing dynamic layer filters .... :rolleyes: i've never seen photoshop crash so many times LOL

Yeah that makes sense, this is extremely frustrating and I can't believe they have never changed this. I would have thought someone would have done this a lot and they would have improved!! I tried using a Ram Cleaner program (I have a feeling thats not a great idea, no one crucify me!) and that freed up the ram in the resrouce manager but it seemed to be like a superficial reading because Windows still popped up with a ram warning and crashed even with 7GBs free :/

[DrJohnSmitherson]

Photoshop ****es me off

[DrJohnSmitherson]

Made a Java program to do what I wanted. Forget photoshop! :D