Expert: Amy - 1/5/2007

Question
Sorry I forgot to include this in my previous question. I did actually try to open it in photoshop 7 but the file is also too big. I have gotten the pdf open in illustrator 9 and exporting the image as a tiff but i get this image is too complex. I have also tried saving it as an EPS and opening it in PS but i still get en error message. I have also tried exporting it as a PS psd  but i still get an error message of this file is too big. I was wrong about what it was created in as well it was a GIS file which is a shape file. Let me know if you think there is anything else I can try. Thanks.
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I was sent a disk with I'm going to assume an adobe map file because there are layers and only a few come up in cs2 with a pixel preview. The map is 44inches by 34inches. The file was saved as a pdf. When i try to open the file my cs2 says i do not have enough memory to read the file. However i can open the file in adobe reader. What i really need is to open the file so i can convert it to tiff image in order to import it into quark. What is the best way and best quality in order to import my image into quark.
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Hi Dara,

I know this sounds dumb but to me it doesn't sound like a memory error - sounds like a compatibility issue.  If you have PhotoShop, just open the file directly in PhotoShop and save it as a TIFF. If you don't need to modify the content, that is.

Open the file in PS and you'll be prompted for a file size and color mode. If you need to keep the dimensions 34 x 44, you're going to have a HUGE file on your hands. But first, to see if it will even look right once open, you can start by opening (parsing) it with 72 dpi resolution.

If all looks fine, close it and open again, this time with a realistic resolution (300dpi? greater? Grayscale?) based on the map's final print size in Quark and the color mode and content of the map. If you give me that information I can get back to you with a decent resolution suggestion.

-Amy

-Amy

Answer
So how big is this file? Think I could open it? Do you have access to web space so we could share it that way - I'd hate to e-mail a file like that. Don't think Yahoo will let me receive a really big file, anyway.

What kind of machine and how much RAM are you dealing with?

If you're on a Mac, have you tried adjusting PhotoShop's memory, quitting everything else, making sure your scratch disk has a ton of space available, etc.

If you're on a PC, quit out of everything else of course, and the virtual memory paging file could be adjusted, maybe... BUT

Now that you mentioned the GIS file, I'm even more apt to think it may very well not be a true lack of memory issue but some sort of roadblock in the file that's causing the memory error.

What's the final product here? A letter/brochure with a map on it?  You could always print the PDF file at a Kinko's larger than you need it and scan it (worst solution, probably). You could also view the PDF very close up and take screen shots of it, then put the screen shots together like a puzzle in PhotoShop.  I hate to admit it but I've done both those things. Neither is fun but sometimes there are no other options.

I would gladly look into trying to open the file for you, if you want to try to get it to me.

--Amy