Publisher/Designer V2. Bitmap fill increases file size substantially

[LeeningLion]

Hi,

While making frames for a photo book in Publisher V2, I noticed that when I use bitmap fill to add interesting patterns, it increases my file size substantially. To make sure this was indeed the problem, I tested it on separate files (attached here). 

• When I create a simple rectangle and fill it with a gradient using the gradient tool, my file is 40 KB.
• When I create a simple rectangle and fill it with the bitmap fill tool, using an image that is 6 MB (Wood_texture.jpg attached), then, my file size jumps to 75.5 MB (59 MB when I test this in Designer). It is the same if I fill the rectangle or the stroke using bitmap fill. Moreover, if I remove the bitmap fill and replace it with a solid color instead, the file size remains at 75.5 MB (at least, for a little bit, I did not test that for longer).

My two questions are:

1. Is this a bug, a problem with my computer, or something normal?

2. If this is normal, is there an alternative to add interesting patterns to strokes without creating huge files? I am not yet skilled enough to make my own wooden texture brush, for example.

Thank you,

LeeningLion

Fill_bitmap_rectangle.afdesign Fill_bitmap_rectangle.afpub Fill_bitmap_stroke.afpub Fill_gradient_rectangle.afpub

[walt.farrell]

8 hours ago, LeeningLion said:

Moreover, if I remove the bitmap fill and replace it with a solid color instead, the file size remains at 75.5 MB (at least, for a little bit, I did not test that for longer).

The larger size will probably be maintained until you do a Save As and specify a new file name, or until you make some additional changes.

I'll need to play around with your files before I make further comments.

[Komatös]

I saved the wood texture jpg with XnView in uncompressed BMP format. This file is now almost 67 MB, which leads me to the conclusion that the Affinity programs save their own formats uncompressed.

The fact that the file remains so large even after deleting the rectangle layer and then "Save as" is probably due to the fact that the memory area used was not freed beforehand and the buffer memory for the Undo function is also saved.

[walt.farrell]

1 hour ago, Komatös said:

The fact that the file remains so large even after deleting the rectangle layer and then "Save as" is probably due to the fact that the memory area used was not freed beforehand and the buffer memory for the Undo function is also saved.

Sounds like you have Save History with Document enabled.

When I Save As, to a new name, with the 2.2 Beta, and Save History disabled, and a simple Blue Fill for that rectangle, I get a 10KB file:

On the other hand, Save As with the History inclcuded, does maintain the original size:

[LeeningLion]

Thank you walt.farrell and Komatös for looking into this.

I did not know of the Save History with Document setting, so I will look into it from now on.

Komatös, your investigation of the jump in file size is great and your explanation makes sense. I'll see if I can use already uncompressed images as texture in the future.

Thanks a lot to both of you! I really enjoy working with these program and seeing the support of its community makes it even better!

[AGluk]

Hey, everybody!

I'm facing the same problem. Save as does not help.
The thing is that in the file in the Swatches panel in the Recent section there is my bitmap, which I used for Gradient.
I deleted all objects with this gradient, but in Recent it is present, and I don't know how to delete it.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Komatös]

2 hours ago, AGluk said:

Any help would be appreciated.

This disappears, more or less by itself, as soon as you have selected and used more than 10 colors.

[AGluk]

17 minutes ago, Komatös said:

This disappears, more or less by itself, as soon as you have selected and used more than 10 colors.

Hi Komatös!

Indeed, by choosing other colors until bitmap was superseded by them, I managed to remove it from the recent ones.
The file size went down from 50MB to 16KB!
Thank you very much!

As one solution quite applicable, but not really convenient.
It would be nice to be able to remove bitmaps from recent at least.

Or be able to make bitmaps from linked images!

[Komatös]

@AGluk I think it is worth making a feature request from this. 👍

https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/forum/122-feedback-for-the-affinity-v2-suite-of-products/

[loukash]

1 hour ago, AGluk said:

Indeed, by choosing other colors until bitmap was superseded by them, I managed to remove it from the recent ones.
The file size went down from 50MB to 16KB!

55 minutes ago, Komatös said:

I think it is worth making a feature request from this.

To me it looks more like a bug.

[thomaso]

16 minutes ago, loukash said:

To me it looks more like a bug.

If …

1. recent swatches get saved with a document as a feature, and
2. bitmap fills may be swatches as a feature, then
-> 3. bitmap fills in "Recent" are a consequence of this features, aren't they?

(… regardless of usefulness, desire or expectation;)

[loukash]

2 hours ago, thomaso said:

regardless of usefulness, desire or expectation;)

Fair enough. There's apparently a reason why I never use "bitmap fills" though…