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Save History in PSD File


Unfortunately it is not possible. The fiel size would be huge anyway if it were possible.
 
Time to go back to school guys. Yes, it's possible:
History states are not normally saved with the files, but you can turn this option on in the General Preferences, in the History Log section. I'm sure the Help files can enlighten you on what the different options do.


Wil Wells
rianflynn.com
 
Thanks for pointing that out Wil... the history log will allow you to save a text output of each history state, if that's what you were looking for.

It's not possible to save the history states though, so that you could revert any of the changes... at least as far as I know.
 
The log saves detailed account of every history state and the edit that was made to change the state. If that isn't what you're looking for, I'd recommend saving versions of your comp as you go.
 
The most practical way to save your history states is to create a new duplicate layer at each major edit point. While it does increase the file size, you can easily "undo" an edit by turning off the visibility of a layer. Some of my PSD files have as many as 8-10 layer states like this because sometimes in retrospect I change my mind about an edit when I revisit a photo.
 
Gaussian said:
Unfortunately it is not possible. The fiel size would be huge anyway if it were possible.
Click to expand...

Actually it would not have to be that much larger.
The saved file would be the INITIAL state of the document and then everything done to it, saving lots of space there. It wouldnt be as light as Illustrator history of course with nice clean vectors, but unless you have a huge amount of layers with rasterized images it could work.
That being said...
If it could at least save 10 or 20 states I dont think it would be much larger per file, and of course it could be a save option not an automatic thing. Then you could save a series of psds and it could represent a whole project from start to finish, how valuable could that be? I work with a screen cap device and it would make dealing with clients who cant make up their mind much easier!
At least someone tell me why they cant do this with AI? Infinite undos, cmon adobe
 
At least someone tell me why they cant do this with AI? Infinite undos, cmon adobe


​Raster vs vector files...I suspect due to the mathematical formulas...Adobe is that good...I'm not. I save the layers that work for me.I am not sure why a step by step could be needed...
 
There are a lot of ways to save stages while a document is open ("saving stages" itself is an option). As was suggested earlier, make major saves and reorganizations at various stages. It's not out of the question to duplicate the file with the same name and number it x_file_1.psd, x_file_2.psd, etc. I have done this. Then even after you close, you may not have the history palette but you have the work in its simplest form at every major point. Another thing which helps me is to make very descriptive layers so I know what is hidden in a layer, ie: a filter applied.

I use smart objects so the filters and other changes are non-destructive. Adobe has given us a lot of options and smart objects are one of the best new tools for saving history states so to speak. I work non-destructively whenever possible, using layer adjustments rather than just applying an adjustment directly to a layer/object. When I am satisfied with an object I've been working on, rather than merge the layers, I copy-merge them, turn off the originals and group them, then move them out of the way.

That would be a point to decide if it's time to duplicate the file or not. Once duplicated, get rid of all excess layers and memory consuming effects. I would have absolutely no use for 4 hours of history on some of my works. There might be 100 steps on one mask alone painting in and painting out. The only time I have ever really wished I could go back was when I decreased an image size, forgot to reverse that, and closed the document. Now how would Adobe know I hadn't meant to do that? I'll tell you how. They can't know. But if most of the layers are smart objects, you've lost very little more than some time. Finally, when you're satisfied that it's done, you have the option of deleting all your stage 1,2, 3 files. IOr not.

So my advice is to take your most time-consuming layers and make them smart objects so you can work smart, not hard.
 
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