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S
sPretzel
Inspiring
February 16, 2020
Question

File size increase

  • February 16, 2020
  • 1 reply
  • 1825 views

Hi,

Create an Illustrator file, put a square on layer 1. Create another layer, layer 2, put a line on it. Save. Make a note of the file size.

Open the same file, hide layer 2, then unhide it, save. Make a note of the file size.

In my case, I ended up with the file size being a little larger the second time around. What is going on? I was expecting the same file size. Does Illustrator keep track of actions, objects that are created/deleted, logs, or other things within the .ai file?

This is for CS4.

    1 reply

    Monika Gause
    Community Expert
    Monika GauseCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 16, 2020

    That's usual for "Save" operations. They always just add to the existing file.

    S
    sPretzelAuthor
    Inspiring
    February 16, 2020

    Hi Monika,

    Thanks for your reply. I assume this behaviour is identical in CC. Do you know what is added to the file by Illustrator? I have some files that have become significantly larger, partially due to this, and if I simply open the file, do nothing, and Save As in Illustrator under a different name, the file size goes down a lot (unlike the example in the original post where I saved under the same file name).

    It would be interesting to understand what information Illustrator is adding and if it's worth "purging" the file at some point.

    Larry G. Schneider
    Community Expert
    Larry G. SchneiderCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    February 16, 2020

    If the file has PDF compatible enables, then it is the hidden history part of the PDF that is getting added. It will include previews of images which can add a lot of bulk. Saving As and overwriting the file will release all the extraneous stuff.

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