'Maximize Compatibility' Notice

You mean you didn't WANT notice?

Photoshop has many features which some people look on as having questionable importance, and the Maximize Compatibility option is generally accepted as one of these. The reason for this is that most users will never require it.

Of course there's no problem at all with including features which not everyone will use, because those who don't require them can simply ignore their existence. At least that's how it used to be, but recent versions of Photoshop and Photoshop Elements have denied you that privilege in some cases.

Apart from the 'Maximize Compatibility' notice which appears every time you save a file, another good example is the Photoshop Elements Welcome Screen. If that is something else you would be interested to learn about, I have another article on disabling the welcome screen.

Disable the Dialog Box

If you just want the quick version, how to disable the dialog box, then here's your answer. If you want to learn more afterwards, read on below to find out more about maximizing compatibility.

We change the option in a subsection of the Preferences dialog box. You can find the Preferences section via the Edit menu.

Edit - Preferences - Saving Files...

When the dialog appears, look down to the frame titled 'File Compatibility'. The box labelled 'Maximize PSD File Compatibility' will be set to 'Ask'. To stop the dialog box appearing every time you save a file, set the value either to 'Always' or 'Never'.

To find out the advantages and disadvantages of each of these options, just follow on below.

When to Maximize Compatibility

There are some very simple things that can help you decide whether to always maximize compatibility, or never to. In previous versions of Photoshop the option was set to 'Always' by default, which is why most people never even noticed it.

What maximizing compatibility actually does is save a composite image along with all of your layers to make sure the file can be read by earlier versions. This can increase the file size quite dramatically depending on the image.

My general guidance is that the option is best left set to 'Always', unless you have a particular reason not to. Reasons to never use compatibility mode include:

File Size - A small hard disk or storage space means that it is important the files are small. This may also apply if you intend to transport them on some kind of removable media.

Usefulness - If you don't own any other versions of Photoshop, and are sure you won't want to open your files in any previous versions, then you can turn of compatibility mode. Beware if you open files on other machines however, as any other computers you use may have different Photoshop versions.

Take care with your decision, but remember that if you ever change your mind and want to edit your choice again, you can come right back and change the option.

I Miss My Dialog Box!

If you do decide that you want to bring back the Maximize Compatibility dialog box, then it's ever so simple. Just return to the preferences section via the menu, Edit - Preferences - Saving Files, and reselect 'Ask' for the compatibility option.

Kind Regards

Robert Redwood Robert Redwood - Bio
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