PDA

View Full Version : 100 meg plus file size



Sylvia Mossbrucker
01-12-2009, 4:51 PM
Im working with granite murals in the ball park of 5x7 feet which requires a large image to start with. Large Image means huge file size and im running into computer issues with those size of files, does anyone out there also work with extremely large files and if you do how do you allow for your computer to handle the file size??? I have 3+ gigs of memory and my computers are less than 2 years old and I just can't seem to find a computer to handle the projects im working with...Any advise???

Doug Griffith
01-12-2009, 4:58 PM
A Mac Pro can easily handle 100 meg files. Even 500 meg+. It will also run Windows. But I'm a Mac geek and they are expensive.

Years ago, there used to be software that would allow you to view a screen proxy and open just part of the file and work on it. Then when done editing, the part would be saved back to the original file. There might still be something out there for PCs.

Cheers,
Doug

Steve Clarkson
01-12-2009, 5:27 PM
Im working with granite murals in the ball park of 5x7 feet


I hope you post a pic for us when it's done!

Bill Lantry
01-12-2009, 5:40 PM
I have 3+ gigs of memory and my computers are less than 2 years old and I just can't seem to find a computer to handle the projects im working with...Any advise???

Sylvia,

If you've got a fast processor (you didn't give any specs) and plenty of memory, it's likely your issue is your graphics card. Are you just running the graphics setup that came with your computer? You may have a quick, and not too pricey (under $100) upgrade path available to you...

Thanks,

Bill

Darren Null
01-12-2009, 6:24 PM
3Gb ought to easily handle a 100Mb graphic file. I do regularly with 2. Could be you're coming up against inherent limitations in the file formats themselves. JPG, for example, get all soggy after about 25,000-30,000 pixels.

What program are you using? Coreldraw doesn't have a great deal of stamina when it comes to large files. Photoshop in the native PSD format can handle monsters (personal best is a 1.3Gb mother-of-panoramas photo...took a while to do anything to it though). The TIFF format can take a bit of bashing too.

Larry Bratton
01-12-2009, 8:08 PM
Yes, Darren is right. I print some big files and 2gb handles 100mb without a problem. I always print from Photoshop as my Canon printer has a plug-in that came with it that allows printing directly from Photoshop using RGB files. Graphics card might be an issue.

Jack Harper
01-12-2009, 10:50 PM
My largest mural was 8' x 12' completed in three 4'x8' panels of granite. The files were processed using dual, dual core processors with 16gb of ram on a 64 bit system (required to address that much memory) all in photoshop CS3. The problem you are about to have if you haven't already is Photograv. Photograv does not even begin to handle large files of this caliber. I have talked the company several times, but to no avail.

And no, that's not me in the photo.

Tim Bateson
01-12-2009, 11:13 PM
Wow Jack that is impressive! Did I say WOW!!!!

Steve Clarkson
01-13-2009, 12:02 AM
Niiiiiice Jack.....very nice!

Andrey Anfimov
01-13-2009, 3:08 AM
Jack it is really great!
What material you are using for that nice work?

Frank Corker
01-13-2009, 5:10 AM
Fabulous job Jack. Would look great on any wall.

Thomas Bank
01-13-2009, 8:47 AM
Working with large file sizes and large format printers for architectural drawings, an issue that we have run into is not in the computer but with the printer having enough memory to handle the large output file sizes. What sort of issues are you having with the files?

Dee Gallo
01-13-2009, 10:59 AM
Wow Jack that is impressive! Did I say WOW!!!!

My sentiments, exactly - Impressive, WOW!

Jack Harper
01-13-2009, 11:19 AM
Thanks everyone. The image was set in 8mm (-3/8) thick premium grade black granite. I buy the stone by the block and have it processed into the ultra thin slabs, about 50 per block, with fiberglass backing for added strength. The image was from 3Score, although I no longer market them heavily as I quickly realized everyone and their brother was going to market the same images. It is tough enough marketing a similar service without adding matching images. Like everyone says here, you have to be unique and customizable to appeal to the market. I now license my art directly and lock it up on exclusive for years at a time.

Dave Johnson29
01-13-2009, 11:41 AM
which requires a large image to start with. Large Image means huge file size

Hi Sylvia,

What do you mean by running into file problems? I doubt your computer is the problem as it has a paging file usually many Gig in size to supplement the on-board memory. Windows takes care of when and how to use that.

Can you be a little more specific with the problems. I suspect that the laser is not able to accept the file size and is having trouble with being fed data in lumps it can cope with.

Jack Harper
01-13-2009, 1:35 PM
Hi Sylvia,

What do you mean by running into file problems? I doubt your computer is the problem as it has a paging file usually many Gig in size to supplement the on-board memory. Windows takes care of when and how to use that.

Can you be a little more specific with the problems. I suspect that the laser is not able to accept the file size and is having trouble with being fed data in lumps it can cope with.


It is true that windows has a print size limit despite whatever software you are using. When I print to my wide format Epson 9600, I often have to get creative or do what Microsoft intended and use a print server. The problem is, I have yet to find a print server that does not cost thousands of dollars.

Darren Null
01-13-2009, 2:30 PM
Awesome muriel there Jack

My GCC has an appalling lack of memory, and the maximum full-fat image it can take is 600X200mm.

I go into photoshop with the final image and there's a bit in the masking tool (the rectangle of dotted lines on the toolbar) where you can specify exactly how much you can mask off, in mm, pixels or whatever.

So I cut and paste the chunks into separate layers, and save each layer into a separate (TIFF) file; suitably named to avoid confusion.

These files, I then reassemble in Coreldraw (easy enough, just snap the nodes together).

Delete everything but the chunk I want to print; print that; undo the delete; then delete everything but the next bit; print that. And so on.

Long-winded, but it works for me.

Failing that, here's a 'tiling in coreldraw' tut that I nicked from epilog's site (unzip and open tl_tiling.htm). I can't link directly because I don't know the URL, as it's on my HDD stash. somewhere on epiloglaser.com. Should also work, but I don't do it this way because I don't like Corel interfering with my print jobs.

Sylvia Mossbrucker
01-13-2009, 3:00 PM
Well first the lasers are not the issue at all.. they handle any file I send them..I use Corel Draw X3 to resample the images and that is most likely the problem, I then break the mural up in Paint, either 8x8 ceramic tile size or 12x12 marble/granite tile size and so the problem is only when im initially working with the entire mural file. After I've broken the mural it fine, and I dont sent anything to photograve unless its already broken up, because yes, as someone said photograve is weak, weak, ,weak, and cannot handle anything practically. In photograve the largest image is just 12x12 maybe 18x18 but I've only done 2 18x18 granite pieces thusfar, however the problem is that my computer is just not doing well with a file that is 5'x7' or larger when resampling it in coreldraw....im just not to familiar with photoshop and only have elements, so most of my resampling and cropping is done in CDx3 but it looks like that is probably the issue???

Dave Johnson29
01-14-2009, 2:17 PM
the problem is that my computer is just not doing well with a file that is 5'x7'

Hi Sylvia,

OK, sounds like the graphics card and possibly Corel is the log-jam. I can't say much about Corel as I am new to it, but you could call their tech support and maybe get some info on possible workarounds.

As I mentioned Windows will take care of paging stuff in and out of on-board memory and generally the only significant lag you should see is when panning across large stretches of the image at a time and Windows has to suddenly dump a whole bunch of stuff to disk and replace on-board with the image section.

With a 5' x 7' image I think you are probably going to swamp all but the highest end CAD system graphics cards.

You could try joining some architectural newsgroups and see what's what there. These professional engineering groups are going to be using stuff like Pro-Eng. Solid Works etc and honking big graphics oriented computers.

You could try something like this card...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121285
I favor NVidia and Asus but the things to look for are cooling fans, core CPU speed 600MHz and better. The cooling fan is no guarantee of power but if it does not have one then there is bound to be a lower limit on performance.

Your main computer board will need to have PCI-Express-2 slot but if not look for AGP 4/8 but they will be around half the speed of PCI-E-2.

If the card you decide on has extra memory slots, then fill it up with as much of the highest speed memory it will take.

The ideal setup for dealing with an image of that size would be an Intel Core 2 Extreme and the fastest Motherboard, graphics card, memory and Sata-II hard drive you an afford. You will also need XP-Pro64 and make sure 64 Bit drivers are available for all of the stuff before ordering any of the stuff.

This is going to cost some bucks but the trade off is how much time and frustration will it save? Only you can answer that one.

Finally maybe check out some of the offerings from Alienware.com. Four grand will get you some howling graphics power.

As always, just my opinion. :)

Robert Gauntt
02-16-2009, 6:14 PM
Hi Jack,
Nice work I to have used thin slab in the past but found there was no market for it here. It's a little pricey what does it break down to when you have it cut like that.
Jack did you hilite that piece any before you sealed it.

Jack Harper
02-16-2009, 10:33 PM
Hi Jack,
Nice work I to have used thin slab in the past but found there was no market for it here. It's a little pricey what does it break down to when you have it cut like that.
Jack did you hilite that piece any before you sealed it.

Robert - I am not sure what the price would be in the current market but my guess is you could still get it for under $15 psf. As for highlighting, I do not remember if we did anything to that piece. Some of our murals are whitened as needed depending on the image while others look better left natural. This bear mural was brightened with thinned Van Sons.

110406.

Steve Clarkson
02-16-2009, 11:32 PM
That is AWESOME Jack!

Bill Cunningham
02-17-2009, 9:25 PM
Robert - I am not sure what the price would be in the current market but my guess is you could still get it for under $15 psf. As for highlighting, I do not remember if we did anything to that piece. Some of our murals are whitened as needed depending on the image while others look better left natural. This bear mural was brightened with thinned Van Sons.

110406.

That look great!! It's one of those things that you would like to wheel up to the open flap of someones tent in the middle of the night, and then scream WAKE UP QUICK!!!! :D

Jack Harper
02-17-2009, 9:53 PM
That look great!! It's one of those things that you would like to wheel up to the open flap of someones tent in the middle of the night, and then scream WAKE UP QUICK!!!! :D

Actually, I wondered about color filling it with glow-in-the-dark paint. Imagine driving down the road at night and round a corner to that!

Bill Cunningham
02-17-2009, 10:42 PM
Actually, I wondered about color filling it with glow-in-the-dark paint. Imagine driving down the road at night and round a corner to that!


Ooooo Freaky!! A radioactive 3 mile island bear!:eek:

Frank Corker
02-18-2009, 7:08 AM
Ooooo Freaky!! A radioactive 3 mile island bear!:eek:

You're mad Bill Cunningham, barking mad.

Ray Uebner
02-18-2009, 7:42 PM
Nice work WOW WOW WOW oh you got the WOW factor down.