Apologies for the length of this post, but I wanted to answer as many potential quesions in advance as possible.
I've been using CS3 for the past two years on Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6. There is a huge problem with memory not being freed up as files are closed, and I'm wondering if this has been addressed in CS4 or if the problem still exists. Here's essentially what happens:
1)Start Photoshop.
2)Open between 25-50 files of roughly 15 MB each.
3)Check individual files for color issues.
4)Run Automate Batch on all files using my own action which resizes images smaller, automatically adjusts contrast, adds copyright text, saves for web, resizes smaller again to make thumbnail, saves for web again, then closes original without re-saving.
5)When last file closes, repeat with next batch.
The problem I have is that the action hangs on every file for several seconds at some point. This doesn't appear to be caused by Automate Batch or the action itself, since when I run the action on each file it still occurs, and if I perform each step manually it still happens. I've used Activity Monitor to follow what's happening and the machine shows little to no processor or disk activity when this pause occurs; it's as though Photoshop just stops for a breather before resuming. Processor use rarely rises above 30% during the whole action.
What does show up is that as the files are opened at the start of the session, the RAM used by Photoshop grows until it maxes out at around 1.5-2 GB, but then does not recede as the files are finished and closed. Even if I leave Photoshop open for ten or fifteen minutes after the last file is finished and closed, this RAM is not freed up again unless I open a new batch of files, or quit the application. And when I open a new set of files, the problem just starts over again.
I used to use this same action set on a PowerPC Mac with CS1 without ever having the problem. The first few images take a moment to process, but as the files closed and memory freed up, it would go faster until the last ones fly through. Since switching to CS3 it's been a constant issue. And it's not a PowerPC vs. Intel issue, because when I switched to an Intel machine earlier this year it didn't go away; though now I can't switch back to CS1, because while it will work on my MBP it runs through Rosetta which bogs down the whole process just as much. Also not a Discreet vs. Integrated graphics issue, as switching that makes no difference. Having other applications in use doesn't make a difference either. AND, just to top things off, it randomly decides not to do this, usually once or twice a month, with no discernible cause.
It's kind of frustrating, because it stretches a job which should take ten or fifteen minutes out to an hour or more depending on how many photos I have to work on. And I can't just keep running batches on the older machine because I can't lug two machines along on every job.
If anyone has experience with CS4 and can make a suggestion, or if someone has found a fix for the bug, I'd appreciate the input. My machine specs are:
2009 MacBook Pro, 2.8Ghz C2D , 4GB RAM, GeForce 9600M Discreet, 320GB 7200 rpm HD with over 100GB free + External 7200 rpm Firewire HD with over 200GB free for scratch.
Thanks. |
