Focus stacking

[maloufn]

I wonder if anyone else experiences the problem I am having with PS CS4 and focus stacking. I seem to get all the way to edit/autoblend layers and half way I get a message saying sorry can not perform task as you have not enough RAM. Now I have a top of the line HP laptop with 4GB of RAM. Can anyone help me out please.

Nasseem

[rob marshall]

Colin is probably the best person to answer this. I use a 6GB desktop (new machine) with Windows 7. Even with that it gets RAM depleted at times, but never actually runs out. It used to run out on my old 4GB machine with Vista. You could try...

1. If you are doing a lot of work in PS, close the program and reload before you do a stack.

2. If you have System Mechanic, or other utility, you could try freeing up RAM

3. Try allocating more RAM to PS (CTRL/K options) But you want to leave enough for other things. It might make things worse. But no harm trying.

Mine works fine with my set-up, unless I am doing a great deal of processing (several stitches and blends in a session), but as I said, it never actually runs out - just slows down a bit.

[maloufn]

Colin is probably the best person to answer this. I use a 6GB desktop (new machine) with Windows 7. Even with that it gets RAM depleted at times, but never actually runs out. It used to run out on my old 4GB machine with Vista. You could try...

1. If you are doing a lot of work in PS, close the program and reload before you do a stack.

2. If you have System Mechanic, or other utility, you could try freeing up RAM



3. Try allocating more RAM to PS (CTRL/K options) But you want to leave enough for other things. It might make things worse. But no harm trying.

Mine works fine with my set-up, unless I am doing a great deal of processing (several stitches and blends in a session), but as I said, it never actually runs out - just slows down a bit.

Rob I have Vista and CS4 with 4GB of RAM. Do the size of files/no of layers matter or is that obvious? I am not even shooting large raw files at this stage and I am having problems.

I have just allocated more RAM 90% to PS and it worked. You are a gem.

Thanks

Nasseem

[rob marshall]

Rob I have Vista and CS4 with 4GB of RAM. Ill try closing CS4 before stacking to free up RAM. I dont think that is going to help. Rob do the size of files/no of layers matter or is that obvious? I am not even shooting large raw files at this stage and I am having problems. I might see if I can allocate more RAM to PS. Can you tell me how to do that step by step.

Nasseem

In PS do CTRL/K, then select performance. The RAM figure is in MB. Mine is set to 4000 (4GB) which is 75% of my memory (6GB). Try yours with different figures.

When I stack I always do it from RAW files. Even with the 5DMK2 (21MP) I can easily load about eight RAWS in RAW editor, select them all, make changes, synchronize them, then load them all (together to CS5) as 16bit files. I then do the stacking, and as I said before, it may sometimes slow down a bit, but I never run out of RAM. I find it can slow down if I have previuosly been doing a lot of other processing. I don't see why that should happen, as I would have thought any memory used would get freed up. But maybe it doesn't. I went for a 14 mile hike yesterday, and after a good night's sleep I should be refreshed. I'm not.

[maloufn]

In PS do CTRL/K, then select performance. The RAM figure is in MB. Mine is set to 4000 (4GB) which is 75% of my memory (6GB). Try yours with different figures.

When I stack I always do it from RAW files. Even with the 5DMK2 (21MP) I can easily load about eight RAWS in RAW editor, select them all, make changes, synchronize them, then load them all (together to CS5) as 16bit files. I then do the stacking, and as I said before, it may sometimes slow down a bit, but I never run out of RAM. I find it can slow down if I have previuosly been doing a lot of other processing. I don't see why that should happen, as I would have thought any memory used would get freed up. But maybe it doesn't. I went for a 14 mile hike yesterday, and after a good night's sleep I should be refreshed. I'm not.

Ive allocated 90% of my 4GB to PS and it has worked. Thats my workflow exactly except I am not using RAW files as I thought that might exacerabte my RAM problem. So you do not use any other Focus Stacking software eg Helicon Focus etc.?? Gee you must be feeling good after that hike!! may be after recovery!! I am going Clay Target Shooting tomorrow. Not exactly aerobic activity. Enjoy.

Nasseem

[rob marshall]

Ive allocated 90% of my 4GB to PS and it has worked. Thats my workflow exactly except I am not using RAW files as I thought that might exacerabte my RAM problem. So you do not use any other Focus Stacking software eg Helicon Focus etc.?? Gee you must be feeling good after that hike!! may be after recovery!! I am going Clay Target Shooting tomorrow. Not exactly aerobic activity. Enjoy.

Nasseem

I use Helicon as well, but I find CS5 easier as it's part of the same overall workflow.

[maloufn]

I use Helicon as well, but I find CS5 easier as it's part of the same overall workflow.

Rob. So there is no advantage of Helicon over CS5??

Nasseem