Handling HUGE (!) maps

[SteffenBrand]

Hey everyone! =)

I've been entrusted to make a map so large, I'm pretty sure I'm about to break my computer. The map will be 300dpi with about 168,2x237,8cm (that is about 66,2''x93,6'') in Photoshop CS6. I'll likely work very realistic by using techniques from the saderan_tutorial_v103 by Tear and some other techniques I developed myself, but I will have more than 15 layers, effects and hundreds of labeling / text layers - if I keep it simple.

How would you do it? I'm already about to buy a new computer (3,3GHz Quad-Core Intel i7, 16GB RAM and Intel Iris Pro Graphics 6200), but I will have to handle the enormous file anyway and somehow... and I fear this isn't enough.

I had two thoughts:
>[1]: Make 4 files and work on them separately, include Smart Objects on each side so you can manage the edges to the other files. But I think there will be a border visible if I put them together. It also makes blending very difficult on the edges. It also won't allow labelling across the different parts. But sadly this doesn't make the file smaller (due to smart-objects)...
>[2]: Make files with themes. So I would have a water-file, a mountain-file, a forest-file, a labelling-file, etc. and could include the others as smart-objects in each other file. But this won't make the files smaller...

I'm stuck here... I would be so glad about any suggestion, tips and tricks of you guys who have tackled something like this before. I know there are some of you out there who made enormous and truly impressive maps before - I need your advice!

Thank you so much for your help in advance! Feel free to link this thread to others who have already done something like this before. If you need any more information, please don't hesitate to ask =)

Best wishes,
Steffen Brand

[Carnifex]

Why do you need the map in 300 dpi? Is it going to be printed? If so you will maybe get away with 60-70 dpi or even lower.
Further try to work in separate documents and put them together only when finished.

[J.Edward]

That's pretty big but still doable. Slow, but doable.
1.56gb in size just to start, 19857x28076 pixels....
It isn't the largest file I've ever worked with but it is big.
You will benefit from the new system, for sure.
That was why I recently upgraded as well.

What I've done with files like this is this...
I do all of the actual drawing and painting. Save. Save another version of the file and name it next version.
Then I compress all layers and save. Then save a version as jpg at maybe 9-10 on PS's quality setting.
Then I open that jpg file and do my text on that.
People will comment about using some non-lossy format but the point is to get smaller so you can process the thing.
A file as large as that will survive just fine as a jpg with text over.
I've done that maybe twice before.

And once that is done, put all of your text into one folder.
Then if you want or need to bring the text into the original layered document, just drag that text folder over.
Then save quickly.

[Bogie]

Since DundJinni only makes maps that are 32 x 40 I frequently have to do this. What I do is make one half of the map, then copy a narrow strip from the side that will need to be joined. I then make a new workspace and paste that strip on the opposing side. I then start working out from there. When I need to stitch the 2 halves together I just overlap them enough so there is a perfect match.

[SteffenBrand]

Why do you need the map in 300 dpi? Is it going to be printed? If so you will maybe get away with 60-70 dpi or even lower.
Further try to work in separate documents and put them together only when finished.

Yes, this is going to get printed either as a map for a wall, on banners for fairs, etc. Yes, different documents, but how? The problem is that the edge will never align perfectly, since I can't work 'outside'. Hard to describe, but in essence this is about that two files will never align perfectly.

That's pretty big but still doable. Slow, but doable.
1.56gb in size just to start, 19857x28076 pixels....
It isn't the largest file I've ever worked with but it is big.
You will benefit from the new system, for sure.
That was why I recently upgraded as well.

Haha, nice to know I'm not the only one

What I've done with files like this is this...
I do all of the actual drawing and painting. Save. Save another version of the file and name it next version.
Then I compress all layers and save. Then save a version as jpg at maybe 9-10 on PS's quality setting.
Then I open that jpg file and do my text on that.
People will comment about using some non-lossy format but the point is to get smaller so you can process the thing.
A file as large as that will survive just fine as a jpg with text over.
I've done that maybe twice before.

Another good idea. Normally I don't like to work destructively (compressing layers, raster smart stuff, etc.) but in this case it's probably the only way. Maybe I should even export all masks.

Since DundJinni only makes maps that are 32 x 40 I frequently have to do this. What I do is make one half of the map, then copy a narrow strip from the side that will need to be joined. I then make a new workspace and paste that strip on the opposing side. I then start working out from there. When I need to stitch the 2 halves together I just overlap them enough so there is a perfect match.

Funny, I usually do a kind-of similar trick to do something like this. Sadly, the map won't be mirrored at all. It will be a world map.

Thanks so far all of you! Others feel free to answer, too! I have about a week to figure this out since I can't really start before I have my new computer. =)

Best wishes,
Steffen

[- Max -]

I would work in a simialr way J. already explained. Things that can slow your system while working in PS with a huge map is color, text labels and all digital effects ( especially layers effects like strokes, glows etc.) so I would first draw the map itself, save it, merge it and import it in a new file to then handle text layers.

[Jaxilon]

I'm thinking you misunderstood Bogie's comment. The strip is just the lineup portion so you can overlay the two halves of the map and have them match perfectly, not to create a mirror image. At least that's how I understood it.

I haven't done anything that big myself but before I upgraded my PC last time I did have some issues where I had to flatten stuff and use that as a new file to build layers upon going forward.

So say I have phase1-multilayered with a few layers and my machine got bogged down, I would save it, then create a flattened copy and call it say phase1Flattened. Then create phase2multilayered using phase1Flattened as the bottom layer and continue building until that starts to bog, repeat as phase3, etc. If you had to go back and make a change to something in phase1, open the original phase1multilayered file, change it, save it, recreate phase1flattened and replace the layer in phase2multilayered. I think you get the idea. It's a pain in the toockus and you want to be careful naming things, especially if it's late at night and your brain is muddled.

Basically, every so often you just flatten it and start building new layers on that but if you keep all your original multi layered files you can always recreate the base layer to the next one. Sorry, that sounds convoluted but hopefully you get what I'm saying.

[Chick]

One of the things you might try is working at a very high resolution, like 1200, and a smaller pixel size. I find I can get smaller files that way for working, and then at the end, change them to 300 resolution to get the large size, without any significant loss of quality.

[Carnifex]

I am pretty sure you can work in 150 dpi or lower. Maybe 75 dpi. I suggest you make some tests: print a piece of the map on a letter size paper in 150 and 75.dpi. Put it on the wall. Step back and see how it looks. I once made a 5x2 meter document and i looked very good at (i think) 50 dpi).

[darcycardinal]

Wow SteffenBrand, that's some serious mapping. My own advice would to suggest to upgrade to a better computer, which is what I am doing for my maps. Ram seems to be the big upgrade in my opinion, but others might disagree on that one. I do use CC for the editing, and found out the best thing to do from my own experience is to break up the map into sections. However, this has its own drawbacks, especially if you need to constantly view the entire map on a regular basis. What kind of setup do you have? I didn't notice it.

Darcy Cardinal