File size indication in Ps vs Finder

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

While doing some Photoshop file housekeeping, I’ve noticed that the file size for a multilayer psd as indicated in the bottom left of the Ps application frame is different (smaller by a factor of 2 or a bit more) from the file size indicated in the finder.

Any thoughts on this inconsistent file size indication?  It doesn't happen all the time:  I recall a recent file that was given as 1.94 GB in the application frame and in the finder.

Thanks.

[digitaldog]

Photoshop has never been 'accurate' or matched and further, it does some calculations based on the document's contests like Layers. Then there are the differing ways to save the file (TIFF with or without compression, etc?).

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

Thank you, Andrew.

For purposes of this thread (where I'm not talking about saving jpegs where compression is an issue), I save my .psds as psds all the time, so I gather that compression choices are not an issue for them.  Is that right?

If I understand your reply, for purposes of seeing which files are bloated -- e.g. I may have saved a lot of channels I don't need to keep because I have the corresponding layer masks and so could save the channels again if necessary, or maybe delete some no-longer-useful merged layers from intermediate steps -- I can pay attention to only the file size numbers in the finder.

[digitaldog]

Thank you, Andrew.

For purposes of this thread (where I'm not talking about saving jpegs where compression is an issue), I save my .psds as psds all the time, so I gather that compression choices are not an issue for them.  Is that right?

IMHO, correct, no issues. I never save .psd's but rather .tiff as it supports everything PSD does (expect duotone and some InDesign tricks with layers). Both are owned and controlled by Adobe. But TIFF is an openly documented file format and far more common to see supported elsewhere.

[Jeffrey Saldinger]

Thanks again, Andrew. 

To put this in context, some time ago I flattened and saved some psds as tiffs to send to a lab to do some printing for me.  Now I have a printer at home and work in my own “closed” system without the need to share layered files outside my own workflow.  I got into the habit of working with psds when I first became seduced by what Photoshop is and never thought about working with tiffs instead.