So you want to make your Photoshop CS3 program go just a bit faster? That’s an easy one, all you have to do is spend $500 for a new desktop, and you’re all set. It’s just that easy. Mainly because the program’s speed is affected most by how much RAM you have and how much computer processor speed you have. But rest assured, those aren’t the only things that will affect of how fast CS3 runs on your system. Your operating system, your workflow, and other hardware configurations will severely affect your performance. Adjusting these items will not only improve the performance of Photoshop will also improve the performance of all your other applications on your computer system.

So you don’t want to spend $500 on a new computer system? The options you select in Photoshop as well as the loaded plug-ins will dramatically impact how fast your computer runs. Try these basic tips.

Change your scratch disk settings. You might ask yourself what is a scratch disk. Well a scratch disk is a hard drive that will act as temporary RAM memory for your computer operating system. If Photoshop needs five gigs memory, and you only have one gig of RAM, it will look to your scratch disk hard drive to make up for the needed discrepancy of memory.

Your cache levels. Photoshop uses in a unique way of caching your images for faster on-screen presentation. To adjust your levels options, tell Photoshop you would like to use low resolution version to store in your cache. The lower the number, the faster it goes. The more Photoshop has to remember in a session, the slower it will go. The default setting is usually around six but if you choose a lower number, say two or three you may notice an increase in speed from Photoshop CS3.

Thumbnails. Photoshop uses a lot of memory to show previews of thumbnails in any player. So, the more thumbnail previews that Photoshop displays, the bigger the size, and the more RAM required to work it. You’ll want to minimize these previews, so click on the options palette from the pop-up menu. You will then want to select the smallest size that you can handle, if possible you may not want to use a thumbnail altogether.

Dropping in dragging. Photoshop CS three allows you to drop and drag layers. This is very powerful and allows your memory to be free from copying and pasting to the clipboard. It makes the date of transfer much easier, and streamlines your workflow.

When you use Photoshop, use Photoshop. Make Photoshop, your only concern. The more applications you have running, the more computer resources, and the more random access memory needed to compute those resources. Make sure that the only program that you have going is Photoshop CS3. You are not going to do yourself any justice if you have 10 other programs running at the same time. This includes all those little program icons that are on the bottom of your computer screen next to the clock. Right click the unneeded icons and shut them down. You should notice an immediate increase in your computer’s performance.

Customizing your system will assist Photoshop CS3 run better. If you can’t afford a whole new computer system, try one of the above techniques to speed up the software. Not only will this assist speed up Photoshop. It should make your computer happier.