Publisher file size keeps growing – new problem in V2?

[JJGraphics]

When using AF Publisher 1 (on macOS) re-saving a file that had been worked on with File > Save as caused the file size to reduce dramatically compared with the file that had been worked on and routinely saved with File > Save. For example a book of 170 pages which I created with a very large number of photographs (linked, not embedded) when re-saved is a little over 75Mb.

I am working on a similar book in AF Publisher V2.0.4 and the working file has now grown to over 500Mb. Using File > Save as has no effect on the file size. I have also tried the trick of switching the image setting from Linked to Embedded and back again as suggested in one if the other forums but this has no effect.

I was advised to become a Beta tester and have accordingly downloaded the V2.1.0.1706 beta and can confirm that the problem with the large file size persists in that version.

As a new member of the Beta forums, I am posting here which is hopefully the right place.

JJ

[Ash]

Hi JJ and thanks for taking part in our beta program. Thanks for this report (and know you have also reported in main forum for the release build) - we are looking into it. It may help to get your file from you, but sure QA will be in contact if that's the case

[JJGraphics]

Many thanks.

[Sean P]

17 hours ago, JJGraphics said:

When using AF Publisher 1 (on macOS) re-saving a file that had been worked on with File > Save as caused the file size to reduce dramatically compared with the file that had been worked on and routinely saved with File > Save. For example a book of 170 pages which I created with a very large number of photographs (linked, not embedded) when re-saved is a little over 75Mb.

I am working on a similar book in AF Publisher V2.0.4 and the working file has now grown to over 500Mb. Using File > Save as has no effect on the file size. I have also tried the trick of switching the image setting from Linked to Embedded and back again as suggested in one if the other forums but this has no effect.

I was advised to become a Beta tester and have accordingly downloaded the V2.1.0.1706 beta and can confirm that the problem with the large file size persists in that version.

As a new member of the Beta forums, I am posting here which is hopefully the right place.

JJ

Hi JJGraphics,

I presume you don't have 'Save History with Document' enabled? If you follow the below steps do you find the following then reduces the size of your file?

1. Close and reopen Publisher V2
2. Open the file with an inflated file size
3. Draw a shape and then delete it to mark the document as modified
4. File > Save
5. Check the file size in Finder

We have been able to reproduce a simple recipe where linking a file, editing it and saving it is causing the document it is placed in to shoot from 100kb to 8mb when that is saved. Closing the app, reopening and then resaving the master document (containing the placed, linked file) is bringing the size back down.

[JJGraphics]

Hi Sean,

No, I don't have the Save History function enabled.

Just done the routine you suggested and the file has grown by an additional 7Mb.

JJ

[Sean P]

Thats a real shame!  

Would you be willing to send us a copy of your document and the related files you're using please?

The easiest way to do this I think would be to first to File > Save as Package and then zip up the contents of that folder. That should collate all the related linked files we require in a single operation.

If you could then also send the original file you're saving/loading as that ensures we're using the same document you're using (and not the modified one that is part of the package). 

I've created a Dropbox link below to allow you to upload them to our internal Dropbox account.
https://www.dropbox.com/request/0KgGoDjaIeaOEIa2QqtE

Thank you.

[JJGraphics]

Hi Sean,

Folder TEST.zip is uploading. Will take a while as its over 1Gb.

JJ

[JJGraphics]

Hi Sean,

We have just suffered an interruption to our broadband which has probably stopped the upload to Dropbox. I have re-started the upload as TEST2.zip

Apologies.

JJ

[JJGraphics]

Hi Sean,

Upload has completed.

JJ

[Sean P]

Hi JJGraphics,

Thank you very much for your file.

I've taken a look at it and it actually contains 10 pixel layers that are around 50-60cm on their long edge at 300dpi. When these images are removed, and the document is resaved the document shrinks to around 7mb.

If you look at the following pages you will see there is a pixel layer (Layer name in the brackets) on each one (identified by the checkerboard symbol on the Layers Panel)

• Page 15 (01314.JPG)
• Page 18 (02458.JPG)
• Page 24 (03533.JPG)
• Page 25 (04438.JPG)
• Page 26 (011.JPG)
• Page 27 (05900.JPG)
• Page 28 (04258.JPG)
• Page 29 (06254.JPG)
• Page 35 (854.JPG)
• Page 37 (05952.JPG)

Deleting these will reduce your file size right down, but I suspect you may want to replace them with linked copies. Unfortunately I'm unsure of the reason they were made pixel layers in the first place, but the size of them is causing the document's file size to be much larger than you would like. 

Currently I'm unaware of a simple way to resample these to be a bit smaller in file size, but it would be nice to have a way to do that!

[Sean P]

In fact, you could actually convert those Pixels to Embedded documents, and then use 'Make Linked' inside the Resource Manager. That way you won't lose any edits you would have made and then can resample them as you wish. 

I did that to the image on Page 15 (01314.jpg) and the resulting size was a 32.9mb JPG image so that would explain the large size of the document.

To do this

1. Select the Pixel Layer you want to do
2. Go to Layer > Convert To Image Resource
3. Go to Window > Resource Manager
4. Find the image in the Resource Manager - should be the only one marked as Embedded
5. Click on 'Make Linked'
6. Select the folder you want to save the file into

You should now be able to edit, resize or resample this file externally and it will go back to being linked and should bring your file size down.

[JJGraphics]

Hi Sean,

Thank you very much for taking the time to look into this problem for me and providing a solution. It is also a complete mystery to me how those pixel layers came to be created as I have never consciously done that and in fact was not really aware of them. I would not have spotted the chequerboard pattern icon in the palette as it is very small and at a glance is not that much different to a normal image icon.

Since I started using AF Publisher I have created many files including about a dozen photo book files like this one with many images in them and have never seen the huge file size problem appear before. Out of interest I spent some time checking back on several of them and have found no trace of the pixel layers.

I was able to quickly correct the problems in the file by selecting the pixel layer and using the Replace Image button to reintroduce the image file which left the crop as intended and retained the adjustment layers which I had used to make minor adjustments to the brightness and contrast.

Many thanks!

JJ

[Sean P]

You're welcome!

Glad you've managed to sort it out

[Salamander Publishing]

I have had this exact same problem for years while using Affinity Publisher. I recently changed laptops and reinstalled Affinity Publisher and not only is this a problem on my new machine, but the issue is much worse. The exact same document edited from a year ago saved to almost double the size when I first worked on it and with each "Save As" increases incrementally. I had the thought that it could be about the DPI of the document so I reduced it from 600dpi to 300dpi, "Saved As" and the document went from 24000kb to 30000kb. So I reverted back to 600dpi and it went up again to 31000kb, so I changed it back to 300dpi and then it went up to 32000kb. This is before I have even started to add images and I worry that as soon as I do, this document is going to become unusable because it's too large for the machine to handle. Even the addition of my very first image (linked, not embedded) crashes the program. Please give proper assistance or a real solution to this problem as opposed to fixing individual documents.

[Oufti]

Welcome to the Affinity forums! 

Would you please check first if you don't have 'Save History with Document' enabled in the File menu?

[stevenh]

While this is no longer a BETA issue-- I still have this issue today using 2.5.6!

A 68 mb file resaved following the steps outlined above is now 400mb. I have attached a video.

It is just a 33 page form letter with less than 8mb of graphics on the master page.

As a contrast, I have a 48 page Quark Xpress doc, with lots of placed files, and it is just 16mb

Any progress on this front? This seems like a real flaw. 

Curious to see what insight others may have...

Screen Recording 2024-09-24 at 12.51.29 PM.mov

Edited September 24, 2024 by stevenh
Added Version #

[JJGraphics]

Amongst other items, I produce one or two books each month using Affinity Publisher 2.5.5 which run to upwards of 170 A4 pages with large numbers of photographs and areas of text.

Since experiencing the original issue which was addressed by Sean P back in February 2023 I have not seen any further occurrences of the file size growing problem as you are experiencing. Have you checked all the items that were mentioned in that solution? I wonder if there is something about the .pdf file which you have incorporated in the document which is causing the problem?

JJ

[toniclife]

Hi! I had the same problem (in my case a simple 20-page presentation with some really small images and linked PDFs which afpub-file grew over 10MB).

The filesize first shrank by about 4MB when I changed the PDF-transfer-method on one file from transfer to interpret (which was no problem because the file was a scan).

Then it shrank by another 3 MB as I decreased the documents dimension by half since the presentation will never be shown in more than 1080*1920 and I can easily encrease the dimensions if I want to.

So I guess there are pretty large image previews embedded in the document that I just don't need. Maybe they are useful for other people.

My request is to implement a switch somewhere in the document settings that prevents publisher from embedding these huge previews or whatever from being stored in the file. Maybe these previews make working sometimes faster, but most time the files will be stored on my disk and maybe they are never touched again, so I would like to remove them permanently while keeping the afpub-file itself because of maybe.

Thank you!

[stevenh]

Well - I think I found the possible culprit - but it wont be a fix for everyone...

My "local" folder, where daily work is stored, in is part of a Microsoft OneDrive managed by our IT department. OneDrive has the "feature" of making incremental back-ups of every file it sees. This is fine for giving you "Version History" of an XLS file, as an example, but terrible for any non-Microsoft document. My thought is that these versions are responsible for the bloating.

While not definitive, saving the file to my local desktop first, deleting the original file, and then copying the local file to the drive reduced the size considerably. Simply Overwriting the existing file did not. File continued to grow.

I'll do some more observations on files that are ONLY kept on my internal drive and see what happens