Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 performance0 pages

Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended White Paper

Adobe® Photoshop® CS5 performance
Promoting a faster Photoshop experience for all users
Table of contents
1:tEssential hardware
5:tKey steps to optimize
Photoshop CS5
performance

The depth and spread of tools and features in Adobe Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop CS5 Extended software
make the two editions applicable to a variety of work environments and suitable for a wide range of tasks by
image-makers of all skill levels, from enthusiasts to professionals. In some environments, Photoshop is
employed in a dedicated, standalone fashion, while in others, it is a pivotal part of a larger suite of programs.
Making sure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements is an essential first step in ensuring
that all features function correctly. Optimizing your Photoshop CS5 setup to suit your work environment and
the tasks you regularly perform is the next step. All users will benefit from such optimization, but those who
work with video, 3D content, or other large files—or those who process multiple files at once—will see the
greatest performance gains. This paper provides guidance on best practices to optimize Photoshop CS5
performance with a combination of careful hardware selection and informed program setup.
What type of Photoshop user are you?
Determining how you typically use Photoshop will help you make more informed decisions about the best ways to
optimize your setup. For instance, the photographer who regularly processes high-resolution images will greatly benefit
from increasing the amount of system RAM available to Photoshop, whereas the designer who works with 3D models
will obtain far better performance by installing a faster video card containing more video RAM. So, itemize the tasks that
you regularly perform in Photoshop and then use the recommended setup details contained in this paper as the basis for
optimizing your system.

Essential hardware
Computers are built with a variety of components. Each performs a different function, and together they affect
the overall performance of Photoshop. The following sections describe system components and the roles they
play in the image-editing and enhancement process.

64-bit architecture
Photoshop CS5 provides 64-bit support on both Mac and Windows® systems. Substantial performance gains
can be achieved by switching from running Photoshop in 32 bit to the 64-bit version of the program, especially
when working with large or complex files or when processing multiple images at a time. The 64-bit
architecture supports management of larger amounts of RAM and better processing of larger amounts of
imaging data. Note that to run Photoshop CS5 in 64-bit mode, your hardware and operating system must both
be 64-bit compatible.