Same file, double file size (.afpub)

[IllusionStudio]

At first look I love the whole v2 suite. And I´m a exited user of affinity apps for years. Small mistakes or compromises can be gotten over with the unbeatable price-performance ratio of the apps.

Unfortunately, Serif had never focused on file size (whether pdf or own data formats), this also continues in version 2.

I opened a Publisher 1 document in Publisher 2.
I don´t change anything and saved a copy.
The file size increase near the double for the same document.

270MB to 565MB, with only linked objects and no one is embedded. That is really much for a magazine with 116 pages.

But that´s moaning on a high level. I realy like this products and will use them daily but I wish there will be an end of file increasing.

 

[MikeTO]

That sounds huge for what you're doing.

Could you open your document, choose File > Save As, and save under a new name? Any difference?

Could you open your document, choose Window > Resource Manager, select all the images, choose Embed (wait a bit), choose Make Linked (wait some more), and then choose File > Save As. Any difference?

[EmT]

Hi @IllusionStudio

Do you have a copy of the file in v1 and v2 that you could pass on to us to investigate?

Even if you only have the one version, could you upload it as a package to the link below.

https://www.dropbox.com/request/V2uLwXnd7ZT2VdS9lkto 

Could you also advise if you have Save History with file enabled?

[Nebulosa]

I'm having the same problem with Publisher 2. I'm using an iMac M1 under Mac OS Monterey v 12.6.

Under Publisher v 1.10.5 I had problems with the size growing larger when saving document. I solved it by following your recommendation of going to Resource Manager, embedding the largest 5-6 files and then linking them, and 'Save as' afterwards, and the document would reduce its size. No problem there!

However, under Publisher 2 I open the exact same file I had under V1 that weighs 11.9 MB, and open it on V2 and when I save it it goes up to 224.2 MB. I followed all the steps under Resource Manager on version 2, and the file still weighs 100 times more than it should under V1. It's still at 222.2 MB, and there's nothing I can do about. I tried embedding every file (more than 100 images), and then linking them back, no change. The document is still extremely heavy, when it shouldn't weigh more than 20MB.

In other words, I had to go back to Version 1, and discard Version 2 which I bought recently. So the above solution doesn't work on V2.

Document under Publisher 1:

Now the same document I had under Publisher 1, I opened and saved in Publisher 2. At one point it was at 10.1 MB. I made some corrections on the text, and saved again, and it went up to 224.2. I'm using exactly the same font that I use on version 1 (which is included in the software and computer), so it wasn't because I added a new font that doesn't exist. I checked the preflight, and there's no problem with the document. I went under Resource Manager and embedded the heaviest images and then linked them. No change, it's still too heavy. I even embedded and linked all the images, saved file under different names, and still the same result. It won't go under 224 MB as can be seen on image below.

Any solutions besides the one I cited above?

 

[MikeTO]

What format are the linked resources? I haven't experienced this issue but mine are all TIFF files. I wonder if the format is a factor.

[EmT]

Hi @Nebulosa
Could you send over a copy of the file, you should be able to use the dropbox link in the previous post.

Could you also advise if you have Save History with file enabled?

[Nebulosa]

I've used both tiff and jpegs. It has never been a problem with V1 before. 

And I can't send the file because there are too many images and it's all copyrighted, so I can't share them online.

This seems to be a general problem with Publisher 2, and was on version 1 using an M1 Mac. But the problem was resolved on version 1 by working with the Resource Manager and embedding and linking images.

So it's either still a problem with a Mac M1, or it's something else with V2. I haven't upgraded to Ventura because I believe it will be even worse.

 

[EmT]

The Dropbox link provided is only accessible by Serif staff, but if you cannot provide the file, it does unfortunately limit what I can investigate. 

On one document using v2, could you try making a minor change, save and note the file size, then repeat this a few times and let me know the results. 
Could you also let me know if it is taking a while to save each time?

[Nebulosa]

I changed part of the text and saved, and it immediately grew from 3.2MB to 219.6MB. Then opened again, did a minor change on text, went to 215.9MB, and saved under different name and it went to 215.1MB. All I'm doing is changing a word or two, It shouldn't grow up so much.

So it's not the images in the document, as I haven't touched them.

Somehow when I make a change and save again, it grows potentially.

Maybe it's something to do with the history of the file, that keeps adding up, although I always click on 'Save as' when I make a change.

 

 

[Nebulosa]

It doesn't take long to save a file.

[EmT]

Is Save with History enabled? Turning off that setting should decrease the size. 
Are you only getting this issue with that particular file or can you recreate it on a new file? 

[Nebulosa]

As far as I can see it's not on. How can I turn it off? I never use that.

And I get the size increase with every file I open in V2.

[EmT]

You can find the option under the File menu, if you've never enabled it then its unlikely to be the issue. 

Thank you for providing the extra information, its sounds like an issue we are already aware of with M1 Macs, where the size of v2 files bloat after saving. I have passed over your example to the devs to help with their investigation. 

[Cube]

The same issue here, I’m working with a Mac M1 and Publisher V2.

A Publisher file with approx. 100 tiff’s and jpg’s initially takes up 65 MB.
Having saved text modifications a few times it increases to an 500 - 600 MB file.

The workaround in resource manager - first embedding than linking the images -
reduces file size to the original 65 MB. If saving minor text modifications the file size
increases again tenfold.

Applying the workaround after every time saving the file is not working for me, since its massively time consuming and expensive.

I would appreciate if you are able to fix this issue in the next service update.

Apart from this the version 2 is a great and perfect improvement!!

[Terentyev Publisher]

Same here. V1 file size 5MB opened in V2, a few words changed in existing text box, saved, and the file size went to 168MB.

All sources linked: mostly .afdesign files, but one .tiff as well. (No change in size happened to another file, which has no linked sources, and consist only of pages with text boxes.)

Taking into consideration I have a few dozens of .afbub files which I regularly use, does it mean I need to purchase a separate drive now that I switched to V2?

Please, solve the issue asap.

[MikeTO]

2 hours ago, Terentyev Publisher said:

Same here. V1 file size 5MB opened in V2, a few words changed in existing text box, saved, and the file size went to 168MB.

All sources linked: mostly .afdesign files, but one .tiff as well. (No change in size happened to another file, which has no linked sources, and consist only of pages with text boxes.)

Taking into consideration I have a few dozens of .afbub files which I regularly use, does it mean I need to purchase a separate drive now that I switched to V2?

Please, solve the issue asap.

What happens if you choose File > Save As, does it get smaller?

What happens if you use the Resource Manager and toggle all images to embedded and then back to linked before choosing File > Save?

[Nebulosa]

Has this problem been fixed yet? Every time I make a change on the document, whether it's moving an image around, or adding text, the document size increases ten-fold.

I've tried everything: 'save as' under different name every time I make a change, going to the Resource Manager and embedding and then linking images.

A file that began at 830 MB now weighs 3.2 GB, after adding some text and moving some images around.

[EmT]

Hi @Nebulosa

This issue is still being investigated by the devs. 
Could you open the My Account window and let me know which version is shown there in the top right corner. 

[Nebulosa]

I don't understand what you mean. I see my name and when I click on it 'content' and 'settings'.

Anyway, I have a Mac M1 computer running MacOS 12.6 Monterey.

I stopped using Affinity Pub V2 because of above problems and switched back to AFPub V1 1.10.5.

I produce a quarterly magazine, 96 pages, 8.5" x 11", full colour Hi-res images, print.

As of last Summer an issue would weigh 9 MB in AffinityPub.

Fall issue last year, same page count, different images, but generally the same, weighed 49 MB.

Early this year, new issue, same page count, weighed 73 MB.

This year, a month ago, new issue, same page count, weighs 320 MB!

Yesterday, prepared newer issue for this Fall, weighed 830 MB!! Made some corrections this morning, changed some images, corrected text, weighed 1.7 GB. Further corrections, the embed, link thingamajig, and now it weighs 3 GB!!!

I've done the embed, link, and save as, again, but it slightly reduces size. Now 2.7 GB!

However, files keep weighing more with each passing month!

It can't go from 9- 10 MB it weighed back in the day, to 3 GB nowadays!

Either there's something wrong with Mac computers (although I haven't changed anything since last year, not even upgraded to Ventura because it's even worse) or there's something very wrong with Affinity. It just keeps getting worse all the time.

A colleague of mine has had his documents bloat up to 50 GB, making it impossible to work on a computer.

Somehow AFP either keeps uploading the images to the content even though they are only linked, or there's another sort of bug. 

I don't use Cloud or anything like that. Copy content to exterior hard disks in case I can't open documents anymore. Do 'save as' every time, and now I have a load of files getting heavier all the time.

The embed, link thing doesn't work anymore.

PLEASE, NEED YOUR HELP!!!!!

[MikeTO]

@Nebulosa

1. Ensure that File > Save History with Document is not checked. Checking this option will lead to increasingly large file sizes.
2. If you're using linked images, open the Resource Manager, select all images, and click Embed. This may take a minute. When it's done click Make Linked. Close the Resource Manager and choose File > Save As. This is the workaround for a known issue with v1 but I thought it was fixed in v2.

Good luck

[Nebulosa]

Thanks, seems to work!

I wasn't embedding all the images, just some of the heaviest.

So must embed all images and then link them, and 'save as' !!!