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Photshop Maximize Compatability

I just noticed this warning when I saved a file:

So lets see. You are asking the user a question. Unchecking the checkbox above has no clear benefit to me. However, if I do uncheck it my file may not be compatible with future versions of Photoshop or other applications.

Not I undestand it may not be compatible with other applications, but not with future versions of Photoshop?

So lets see. Here is what I know:

  • Unchecking Maximize compatibility has no clear benefits
  • Unchecking Maximize compatability may render this file unusable in other applications
  • Unchecking Maximize compatability may render this file unusable in the next version of Photoshop

HELLO! Adobe? What is the point of asking me this when I save a PSD file? If I were the PM for this feature, I would have cut the thing entirely.

Comments

  • Anonymous
    April 15, 2005
    I'd imagine there is valui in unchecking it, but they did not make it clear. For example, files might be bigger with Maximize Compatibility. Here is what I got from a knowledge base article:

    The maximize PSD compatibility option in Edit > Preferences > File Handling allows you to save a composite version of your file with the layered version. Although saving the composite allows the most compatibility with your PSD images and previous versions of Photoshop or other applications that can open a PSD file, it also significantly increases the file size of the image. You can set this preference to Never save the composite, Always save it, or to ask to save it each time you save in the PSD format.

    The only benefit of uncheck it appears to be smaller file size. Given that I doubt there would be a graphics designer low enough on disk space to make this worthwhile, I also agree that it should have been cut with Maximize compatibility left in effect.