Image Size Limit in Flare? Screenshot best practices?

[ryan]

I received the Internal error: "System.OutOfMemoryException" error message and my PDF failed to generate, also the images in my WebHelp output are not sized properly and the formatting is off.

I have seen in other posts stating that this may be caused by large image sizes in printed output (http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... =10&t=7881). However, this is not specific to print output. The images in the WebHelp are also not resized properly in the output.

Here is my process for capturing screenshot images:

Print screen > paste in Visio > create callouts/shapes, etc. > save as .PNG > insert in Flare > resize in Flare

The images run between 1-5MB depending on the level of callouts and shapes included.

Questions:

1. Is there an image size limitation in Flare? If so what is it and where is this stated?
2. What is the best tool and process to insert images in Flare? Is this listed in a "best practices" document somewhere?

Thanks

[ryan]

Wow no one knows the image file size limitation that throws this error?

I can't be the only one experiencing it....

[Andrew]

I doubt it is a file size limit for a specific single image; more likely, it is a result of lots of large images being processed during the build.

Basically, the error message you got means that Flare thinks it is out of memory (presumably virtual memory?), so it cannot continue and fails. That would mean it used up a lot of memory; image processing is one way that may happen, especially with a lot of very large images.

If you want to test the individual images, grab your largest image, stick it in its own file, and try to build that file into a PDF. If it works, you know it wasn't a limit on your image size.

[ryan]

Right -- it's not an individual file size limitation but a limitation on the total file size of the project, of which image files are the majority.

So I guess does anyone know the project size limitation? Is this published or stated anywhere? I would think this would be the crux of the determination in choosing Flare or another tool...

[Andrew]

What is the size of your project? I have projects that are nearly 500 MB with hundreds of screen captures.

While everything in computers eventually hits a limit in size, I'd be surprised if Flare has a practical limit to its project size.

[ryan]

What output are you generating? PDF, webhelp, etc.?

[Andrew]

PDF and WebHelp.

[LTinker68]

Another way you can test the image is to create a brand new test project and add just that image to it. If it gives you the error when you generate that test project, then you know there's something wrong with the image, although I'm less inclined to think it's the (image) file size but something else.

[rob hollinger]

Ryan,
Resizing the images is probably the problem here.
If you resize a 5mb image in Flare, its going to re-generate a new image from the original one. 5mb + 4mb = 9mb and thats a single image.
In the target on the advanced tab, there is an option for this in the Options section. The Help explains it also.

I dont know your requirements, but 1-5mb images is alot to ask when people download them in Web and PDF. Those are large images.

Best practice would be to size the picture accordingly in your image editing environment. If you dont resize them in Flare, they wont be touched by the compilers and simply passed through.
Tip:
Print images at 300dpi look great.
Web images work fine at 72dpi or greater.

Try setting the dpi of an image to 240 or 300. That should size it down considerably (L x W) but maintain its luster.

Again, I dont know your requirements, but in the web world - 800x600 is a good sized image at 72dpi or 300dpi but its probably much to wide for a PDF document who is limited on width by the page size.

Best practice would be somewhere in the middle.

[i-tietz]

Again, I dont know your requirements, but in the web world - 800x600 is a good sized image at 72dpi or 300dpi but its probably much to wide for a PDF document who is limited on width by the page size.

Example:
If a pic has a width of 800 px and resolution of 300 dpi it should print at a width of 2,666 inches (800/300).
If a pic has a width of 800 px and resolution of 96 dpi (that's standard at my compy) it should print at a width of 8,333 inches (800/96).

I cannot enter the resolution of each pic in Flare. So how is the pic generated in the PDF? What happens, if the pic with its own resoluiton is too big for the page format? Will the pic be resized and the resolution adapted to the size?

[rob hollinger]

Again, I dont know your requirements, but in the web world - 800x600 is a good sized image at 72dpi or 300dpi but its probably much to wide for a PDF document who is limited on width by the page size.

Example:
If a pic has a width of 800 px and resolution of 300 dpi it should print at a width of 2,666 inches (800/300).
If a pic has a width of 800 px and resolution of 96 dpi (that's standard at my compy) it should print at a width of 8,333 inches (800/96).

I cannot enter the resolution of each pic in Flare. So how is the pic generated in the PDF? What happens, if the pic with its own resoluiton is too big for the page format? Will the pic be resized and the resolution adapted to the size?

If the image is 800/96 and your pdf page is only 6.5" wide, its going to print off the page.
There are print options for images outlined in the Help where you can set a "Print" size when generating a Print target.
In this case, Flare will not alter the original image, It will use its algorithms to build a new resized image. Anytime images get resized, there can and usually will be loss.
Best practice if your images are important is to get the image(s) the correct size(s) prior to bringing them into Flare where they dont have to be resized.

[forfear]

Some workarounds
- Add more RAM
- Upgrade to 64 bit operating system and add more than 8 GB of RAM
- Restart the computer
- Clear Windows Temp folder (there is also a hidden temp subfolder somewhere in the C:/Users/ location for the user account)