What are some tips to make my files smaller?

[John Fisher]

I have a client that says my files are too large. What can I do to make them smaller in Total 2013? Or, maybe the better question is, what am I possibly doing that is making them so large?

 

[JTip]

Reduce pictures and all attachments (pdf, jpeg) like flood, aerial and plat maps.

Doesn't Total do that?

 

[Metamorphic]

Check your work file tab. I had accidentally checked some box where whenever I merged a report it grabbed all the work file data from the source report and put it in the work file of the new report. Since I typical clone from the newest report my work file was growing exponentially to the point it was crashing my machine.

If your work file is not cluttered you will need to look next at the optimization of your pictures and graphics.

 

[John Fisher]

I might need to call tech support. I just opened the same report in Aurora, and when I saved it to XML and PDF, they were both less than half the size than when I did it with Total 2013.

 

[Pilgrum]

Don't be so verbose.

 

[John Fisher]

I talked to tech support and they weren't really able to give me any tips. Even after making the pictures and maps significantly smaller, it didn't really decrease the size of the XML or PDF.

I opened the same report with Aurora, and they came out less than half the size, without changing anything. Tech support said that Aurora had a different engine. I'm just adding this in case anyone runs into a similar problem with Total 2013 and needs to make their XML or PDF smaller.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Pictures are a biggie and the resizer is the best solution. But in Win 7, MS doesn't have a resizer like XP could download from power tools. So you can download one at considerable risk of downloading adware to boot. It's a choice.Resizer allowed you to highlight all pictures then resize en masse, and therefore was much faster than using other programs to reduce size. Clickforms has a resizer that worked well.
Otherwise, if you have the full pdf Adobe Acrobat, you can resize the files by save as > reduced file size.

 

[John Fisher]

I already reduce them down quite a bit with Total's built in resizer (from about 2 MB to under 200kb), but this client wanted the XML under 8MB. I couldn't get it smaller than 10.5 with Total 2013, even with ratcheting them down to 50% quality. I opened the same report with Aurora and didn't change anything, and the XML was 5.1 MB.

 

[DJBanas]

Maybe the issue is on your client's side? Why do they have such a low size restriction? You are mandated by USPAP to provide a non-misleading report by meeting all USPAP and client requirements. If you need more than 8.0 mb to do that they need to figure a way to get it into their system.

I had this issue once where I had a ton of pictures, 9 comps, 4 listings and 33 photos of the interior and exterior of the subject (I told 92 of the subject and only used the most relevant ones!). Got it down to 10 mb and told them that was the best I could do. After several back-and-forths they finally asked me to submit just the .pdf.

 

[Rick Stillman]

Maybe the issue is on your client's side? Why do they have such a low size restriction? You are mandated by USPAP to provide a non-misleading report by meeting all USPAP and client requirements. If you need more than 8.0 mb to do that they need to figure a way to get it into their system.

I had this issue once where I had a ton of pictures, 9 comps, 4 listings and 33 photos of the interior and exterior of the subject (I told 92 of the subject and only used the most relevant ones!). Got it down to 10 mb and told them that was the best I could do. After several back-and-forths they finally asked me to submit just the .pdf.

I've had this issue many times. It is very easy to solve.

Complete your report as you normally would. Pour a Bacardi select rum and coke - use select, as it is much better than gold or silver, as it has no edge to it. Use lots of ice. Surf the internet to keep up on relevant issues, while you enjoy your rum and coke. Close your report, and have another rum and coke.

Send the report in mid-morning on the date it is due. Because of the last minute rush, they will not nit-pick file size with you. After you send it in, make sure that you have an extra bottle of Bacardi Select rum for the next time this client orders an appraisal. Take the rest of the day off.

This is why managers get paid the big bucks - they know, instinctively, how to manage issues. You either have it, or you don't.