File size with graphics

[Ronan]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me how to avoid huge file sizes the minute you insert
even a small jpeg or gif into a Visio Drawing? File size can jump
from 5mb to 40mb by inserting a 200k graphic...

Thanks for any pointers

Ronan

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

What version of Visio are you using? Visio 2002 converts images to bitmaps
for storage, which might explain the file bloat. Visio 2003 should leave
the images in their native format, and it also offers compression of images.

 

[r.royer]

Hi Mark,

Thanks for your response. I'm using Visio 2002, which would explain the
file bloat, as you put it.
You write Visio 2003 SHOULD leave images in their native format. I'd
like to know for sure before I consider an upgrade...

Thanks for any pointers.

Ronan

 

[Mark Nelson [MS]]

It does. I should have been more definitive. Here is the basic test I ran:

Import a 60K JPEG into a Visio 2003 document and save. Total file size is
about 100K. Then I saved that same document as Visio 2002 file format. The
new file size is about 1020K. I reopened the file in Visio 2003, went to
Format Picture and told it to compress the image. Then I saved the document
as a Visio 2003 file. The new file size is 150K.

Once the document was saved as Visio 2002, the image got converted to a
bitmap. The original JPEG data is gone. When I later compressed the bitmap
image, Visio created a new compressed bit stream. Format Picture gives you
control over the level of compression. You can trade off high fidelity for
high compression. I used the default level (95%) in the example above.

 

[Ronan]

Hi Mark,.

Thanks for your clear explanation.
Seems I have to live with large file sizes until I upgrade.

Regards

Ronan