Your computer dedicates some hard disk space where temporary files are stored. This space is useful when you are working with heavy design programs. Software such as Photoshop has a lot of features that demand large storage. The computer sets the temporary storage area in the same place where you save your design files. In this space, you can find images, videos, and many fragments of your Photoshop files that cannot fit in RAM. This space fills up fast as you work on more projects. Different strategies can help you optimize the scratch disk store.
To help you understand the scratch disk, look at it as a workspace that you need. In the computer, your workspace is the area where you store your files. They can either be stored temporarily or permanently. Mainly, the temporary storage is the RAM. When the files are too large and cannot be temporarily saved in RAM, they are saved on the hard disk.
Photoshop is one of the programs that work with large files. Since they cannot fit in RAM, they are stored in the scratch disk. It is temporary storage that complements RAM. It makes it easier to readily access the files you are currently working on instead of retrieving them from permanent storage.
Photoshop automatically saves temporary project files in the scratch disk. This space can get full as you work on new projects. When this happens, your computer displays the Photoshop scratch disk full error. Once you see this message, now it’s time to clear scratch disk Photoshop. Since they are temporary files, you cannot lose your main files by clearing them. The process is simple and you can do it in a matter of minutes. If you are uncertain how you can do this, you can follow this instruction to Photoshop free Mac and create space for saving new projects.
How to save scratch project on your computer?
Your scratch project is saved in the disk store automatically now and then. However, you can save it under a different name. You might do this because you want to share the project in its design phase. How to save the project is easy.
● Open your scratch file. You can easily find the files by checking the top left side of your screen. Open the File icon. You will see a drop-down menu open.
● Under the menu, choose the Save icon and open it. A dialogue box will open allowing you to name your file.
● Name your file and include the extension .sb to show it’s a temporary file.
● Select the Save to My Computer option and you will be done.
Optimizing your scratch disk workflow
The scratch disk is an essential component of your computer. It can hold large files that might make your computer run slow. Photoshop requires more space to run smoothly. If the space is limited, it might begin to hang. You may experience problems such as a spinning cursor and sudden shutdowns. Your open apps might begin to freeze making it impossible to work on your projects. You need to optimize your scratch disk to optimize your workflow.
Check which files are occupying more space
Your scratch disk might be lacking space because there are other large files stored elsewhere on the hard disk. You need to identify them and store them elsewhere. If you are using a MacBook, the Finder tool can help you identify them. Open Finder and select the File Size option to display the largest files first. Once you identify them, you can move them to a different computer or store them in the cloud.
Close apps
The scratch disk keeps saving new temporary files now and then. The apps running in the background and those you’ve opened could be using the same temporary space. They could deny scratch disk space to store fresh data. You can create space for it by closing the other apps. This will leave you with Photoshop only so that your workflow can run smoothly once more.
Clean your disk
It is not just Photoshop that stores temporary files. Every other app or document in your computer leaves some junk files on the disk. You might keep worrying about why your programs are running slow. The simple solution could be to clear your computer junk and get performance restored.
Remove programs and files
Once you clean up your disk, you might realize you are still experiencing speed issues. The next option you can try is to remove some programs and files. Unless you have created an external storage, everything in your computer is stored in the hard disk.
This includes all programs and files. Check the programs installed and decide if you need them all. Remove those you don’t need at the moment. Also, check the files that you can remove. This action will help create extra space for the scratch disk to perform better.
Conclusion
Scratch disk storage is important when you are working on design software such as Photoshop. It temporarily stores files that cannot fit on RAM. The space fills up fast due to an increase in projects or running apps. You can free up disk space by cleaning storage. You may add space by closing apps or removing them from the computer. Check which files are using space and move them to an external storage. These actions allow more space for the scratch disk to store more and your software to perform better.
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