Expert: Kevin Stohlmeyer - 3/17/2008

Question
I am trying to export an .ai document into a .jpg, but I am getting a message that there is insufficient memory. I have defragmented my computer and checked its available memory, but the problem seems to be with Illustrator's memory and not the computer's.

I have no other programs open at the time, and the image I am trying to export is not particularly complex. I saw on another post that it may be necessary to allocate additional memory to Adobe - could this be the solution? If so, how do I do that? Thank you.

Answer
Hi Elle,

What version of Illustrator are you using and on what platform?

Older versions do allow you to allocate memory to them, but CS2 and CS3 automatically grab memory as needed.

When you have your memory tracker turned on, watch what happens when you start up illustrator and then when you try to export. You may be surprised that you really may not have enough memory. On my mac, Illustrator can take almost a gig of memory at times depending on what I am doing.

Double check that when you run and see if you do run out of memory.

Another option  you can try is to lower the resolution when you export your jpg. (Effects>Document Effects Raster settings).

Thanks

Kevin