The image exceeds the size Save for Web & Devices was designed for

[snorkeler]

I just upgraded from CS3 to CS5. I assumed that Save for Web & Devices would have been redesigned so that it would not complain with modern large photos that they were just too big!

However, it still does. I just don't get this. Photoshop in general now is editing very large images. It should be able to handle them also in this feature.

Is this just a legacy message, or is it really true that this feature can only handle small images?

[Chris Cox]

Save For Web is not intended to resize images, just to take the appropriately sized image and optimize if for the web (reduce number of colors, reduce quality, strip metadata, etc.).

The warning is there for a reason, and it is a valid and true warning.

[snorkeler]

Thanks for the clarification, Chris. I did a search of Help to see if I could find where Adobe told us this about this menu command, and found nothing useful. Where is this menu command (its purpose, and limitations) explained?

Perhaps then you can explain the best way to take a fully edited, cropped, photo, very large, and resize it prior to applying Save for Web and Devices.

Save as doesn't let you change sizes, so that can't be it. Do you really have to first use 'resize', then Save for Web? That seems cumbersome if you have hundreds of pictures to process.

Is there really no way to go straight from a full size picture to a certain size/type/quality level in one step? Say taking a 2400x1600 pixel PSD image, and creating a 480x320 .jpg quality level 10 version? And then doing this as a batch operation on a folder of images?

[charles badland]

snorkeler wrote:

Is there really no way to go straight from a full size picture to a certain size/type/quality level in one step? Say taking a 2400x1600 pixel PSD image, and creating a 480x320 .jpg quality level 10 version? And then doing this as a batch operation on a folder of images?

Of couse there is...

Look up Batch Process and Photoshop Actions in the Help file.

[Chris Cox]

No, there is, by default, no direct way to resize and save.

You can resize, then save.

You can write an action to resize, save, undo the resize, etc.

[Scott Falkner]

Chris Cox wrote:

Save For Web is not intended to resize images…

What an absurd statement. Of course it is intended to resize images. That’s why there is an Image Size tab in the interface. Of course people will use it to save images at multiple resolutions, such as logos, program icons, and web page widgets. Of course someone exporting an image that’s 3,000 pixels wide will want to resize it. The warning serves only to get in the user’s way and slow things down. If Adobe wants to add features to get in the user’s way and slow things down then they should be… well, I guess they’re doing fine by that already.

[Tai_Lao]

It turns out that the Creative Suite's Help files support Mr. Falkner's position:

[Gyno-jiz]

I'm afraid to look at the help files in reference to the crop tool.

[Guest]

Scott Falkner wrote:

Chris Cox wrote:

Save For Web is not intended to resize images…

What an absurd statement...

I suspect Chris meant to write:

Chris Cox wrote:

Save For Web is not intended to resize [huge] images…

I would not argue with an Adobe developer when they state what they intended with a function. We customers cannot read their minds and know their motivations.

As a web designer, it is pretty easy to assume Adobe's intent with SFW.

While there is certainly an ability to resize an image in the SFW dialog, resizing huge images was not likely Adobe's core intent of this SFW function. SFW is primarily intended for previewing temporarily saved variations of an image to obtain the smallest file size. We're talking about shaving bytes off of an image - - not megabytes. Web and UI artists work at 100% view. Every pixel counts and cannot be resampled. Even though there is an ability to do so, they are not likely resizing a design arbitrarily within the SFW dialog.

[Sheldon McLean]

any update on this?

I don't care about the intent of the warning, or the best time to resize, sharpen.

I just don't want to have to see the warning again, ever.

Any way to get rid of it?

Thanks, Sheldon.

[Guest]

As this thread started with a user's experience with a newly released CS5, you would need to install any CS5 update that has been issued since then.

Supposing that you do not see any change after applying all relevant updates, you should probably try the easy workarounds suggested previously.

[Sheldon McLean]

thanks for your response Marian.

I am running the the most up-to-date CS5, but this warning has been there for years (in older CS versions).

I skimmed the thread, but I don't see any easy workarounds. Can you point me in the right direction?

--Sheldon.

[Guest]

Post #27 has steps you can record in an action.

[Sheldon McLean]

I see you are trying to help, so thank you.

I'm not re-sizing my images, I'm saving out large (by large, I mean full-res) jpegs that get used on client-review website so my clients can view before and after work (retouching) at full res. My website at www.shiftstudio.ca gives the idea, except on the review site the image are even bigger (full-res)

I use SFW because it has more of the features I need than a regular save as does. I just don't want to see the warning any longer. I have to click past it 5-50 times per day.

make sense?

--Sheldon.

www.shiftstudio.ca

[Guest]

If you are using SFW to convert CMYK->RGB or embed/convert/remove color profile data, you might craft an action so that you can use the regular 'Save As'.

If you are using SFW to strip meta data, there are a few googleable utilities that can process a folder full of files in a couple seconds.

Keep in mind that you are not being held up by just this 'image exceeds...' prompt in SFW. SFW is also taking time to render the previews of the optimized versions of your image. You will likely find more speed with a custom action that does a plain save.

[LavaSlider]

This 'warning' appears in both Photoshop and Illustrator... my problem is in Illustrator. I have a very simple, 100 pixel square RGB graphic that I am trying to use SFW with and get the warning. I am sure there is something I am missing but I just wanted to use SFW to make a 25x25 pixel PNG version of my 100x100 pixel original and not only get the memory warning, if I say that I want to continue, it actually does run out of memory and fails! Any suggestions on a work around for me?  Thanks.

[Chris Cox]

Check your size and resolution info -- you wouldn't get that warning if the image were only 100 pixels on a side.

[LavaSlider]

I know it is hard to believe but I've run into this multiple times with small 50x50 pixel or 100x100 pixel drawings.

To reproduce:

     1. Open Adobe Illustrator

     2. From file menu, select New...

     3. Settings on panel:

             New document profile: Custom

             Number of artboards: 1

             Size: Custom

             Width: 100 px     Units: Pixels

             Height: 100 px

             Bleed: 0/0/0/0

             Color mode: RGB

             Raster effects: Screen (72 ppi)

             Transparency grid: Medium

             Preview mode: Default

     4. Select the Line segment tool (\)

     5. Draw a line segment

     6. Change its weight to 6 pt

     7. Change end caps to round

     8. From edit menu, select Copy

     9. From Edit menu, select Paste in Front

     10. From Object menu, select Transform/Rotate...

     11. Choose 38 degrees, and OK

     12. Select the Selection Tool (V)

     13. Select the first line segment drawn and drag it to the right a little

     14. Select the other line segment and drag it a little

     15. Click outside, someplace away from the line segments, to deselect them all

     16. From File menu, select Save for Web and Devices

     17. May get memory warning... or you may get Save for Web and Devices dialogue

             If no memory warning, repeat steps 13-15.

             It is somewhat random, sometimes after fiddling around I get the warning,

                 sometimes I don't, I can't figure out what triggers and how to get it to

                 stop.

So, as far as anything I can figure out (but I am a real novice with Illustrator), the image is really only 100 px on a side, and has nothing other than simple geometries in it, yet I get this error. As I am generating a bunch of simple arrows, pointers, etc., icons for an application I have been seeing this warning a lot.

[Chris Cox]

Again, SaveForWeb will not, can not, give that warning for an image that small.  That means that the image given to SaveForWeb is actually much larger.

But you might get more answers in the Illustrator forum - they probably have a better idea why Illustrator is feeding SaveForWeb a larger image than the document you specified.

[LavaSlider]

I know you firmly believe that it "will not, can not, give that warning for an image that small". I also have seen it over and over with drawings that small. I think that maybe "it should not give that warning for an image that small" is far more accurate, unless there is a bug in the program or unless, as you assert, my drawing is actually much larger. I do not know how to see if the image is actually larger but, as I described, I have only asked for a 100x100 pixel RGB image at 72 ppi. Telling customers they must be crazy because what they are seeing is impossible is poor customer service. Did you bother to open Illustrator to see?

I searched the Illustrator forum and there is no thread having to do with SaveForWeb and the image exceeds the size save for web... I had hoped since people on this forum were familiar with the issue they could point out what I am doing wrong or why Illustrator thinks my drawing is far larger than it is.

I did manage to get it to generate the error every time, without fail. If you want proof that it will and can give that error for an image that small you should take the 30 seconds it would take to test it. Create a document, set it to 100x100 pixels, select the Line Segment Tool (\), draw a line segment, select the Selection Tool (V), click to the left of the rulers so the line segment is no longer selected and the rulers disappear, select Save for Web & Devices... from the menu. Bang! Warning! Every time!

[charles badland]

Telling customers they must be crazy because what they are seeing is impossible is poor customer service. Did you bother to open Illustrator to see?

Chris is a Photoshop Engineer. From what I can tell...  very separate departments at Adobe. And he is NOT a customer service rep, so drop the attitude.

His response to you was in no way insulting or dismissive. He suggested you post in the AI forum, which I gather you did not. Search in these fora is spotty at best.

Can you repeat this in Photoshop?

If this were a bug, I'm sure we would see many others having this exact problem.

I can't reproduce it.

Have you tried resetting your AI Preferences?

Have you tried trashing your AI Save for Web Preferences? (home>Library>Preferences>Adobe Save For Web AI X.xx)

It would also be helpful to include details like OS version, PS and AI versions, and make sure they are all up to date.

[Chris Cox]

Did you bother to open Illustrator to see?

Yes, I did.  No warning, no problems.

I also opened the source code for Save For Web and double checked the conditions for that warning before making my post.

Save For Web gives the warning, because the image it was given by Illustrator is larger than expected.

For some reason, Illustrator is creating a much larger image than you specified.

Unfortunately, there are multiple controls in Illustrator that could cause that.

[LavaSlider]

Thanks, Chris. I was trying to figure out what those other controls might be. I did not know you had tried it or looked at the code.

I still don't think I'm hallucinating, so it is not impossible. I just need to figure out what I'm doing wrong to cause it.

[Tai_Lao]

LavaSlider,

I'm with guru Cox on this one too.

Perhaps your Illustrator installation or its preferences are corrupted and the application is actually using different units than what it's showing.  I would, for instance, definitely expect a 100 m x 100 m image @72 ppi to throw that error message at you.  But this is a question for the experts at the Illustrator forum.  I can't remotely help you, because my Illustrator needs are very, very modest and I make do with version 10.0.3, which does a heck of a lot more than I'll ever need—just as Photoshop 11.0.2 ("CS4") does.

____________

Wo Tai Lao Le

我太老了

[Guest]

LavaSlider wrote:

...Telling customers they must be crazy because what they are seeing is impossible is poor customer service....

I'm not seeing where Chris said that you were crazy.

Based on your whacked perception of what Chris typed, it seems difficult to deny that you are crazy. 

[LavaSlider]

If Chris says it is impossible and I am saying I see it, then the

implication is that I must be hallucinating, since, if it is impossible,

it can't be there. Only crazy people hallucinate, right?