How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
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- Posts: 26
- Joined: November 24 2004
- Affiliation: SAAO/UCT
How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
Hi,
I often use photoshop/illustrator etc... to enhance standard ps figures. However, the output ps/eps files are then huge.
The standard answer to this (see e.g. the help pages on the arXiv) is
to save the output as a jpeg and then use binary compression in ps via a utility such as jpeg2ps. The figures can then be included in latex as usual.
However, I have found that the resulting figures sometimes look really bad when viewed in ghostview (i.e at low resolution), but OK in pdf at higher resolution (see e.g. figures in astro-ph/0409207). The low quality does not depend strongly on the initial jpeg quality but appears to occur in the transition to ps (or perhaps in the displaying by ghostview).
Does someone understand the origin of
this or have an alternative way of compressing large ps files which look better viewed at low resolution?
Thanks!
Bruce
I often use photoshop/illustrator etc... to enhance standard ps figures. However, the output ps/eps files are then huge.
The standard answer to this (see e.g. the help pages on the arXiv) is
to save the output as a jpeg and then use binary compression in ps via a utility such as jpeg2ps. The figures can then be included in latex as usual.
However, I have found that the resulting figures sometimes look really bad when viewed in ghostview (i.e at low resolution), but OK in pdf at higher resolution (see e.g. figures in astro-ph/0409207). The low quality does not depend strongly on the initial jpeg quality but appears to occur in the transition to ps (or perhaps in the displaying by ghostview).
Does someone understand the origin of
this or have an alternative way of compressing large ps files which look better viewed at low resolution?
Thanks!
Bruce
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- Posts: 41
- Joined: November 22 2004
- Affiliation: ITP Heidelberg
- Contact:
How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
Hi Bruce,
one guess (in linux) is the ps2ps (or eps2eps) command which runs ghostscript and "distilles" the file.
Maybe it's smaller then. Another possibility might be gimp (but then it's pixelized, I guess). Because gimp produces the smallest ps files I know...
Michael
one guess (in linux) is the ps2ps (or eps2eps) command which runs ghostscript and "distilles" the file.
Maybe it's smaller then. Another possibility might be gimp (but then it's pixelized, I guess). Because gimp produces the smallest ps files I know...
Michael
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- Posts: 26
- Joined: November 24 2004
- Affiliation: SAAO/UCT
How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
Hi Michael,
Thanks. I did try ps2ps but on the already jpeg2ps'd files which didnt make them smaller. I will try without the jpeg step in between...
Cheers
Bruce
Thanks. I did try ps2ps but on the already jpeg2ps'd files which didnt make them smaller. I will try without the jpeg step in between...
Cheers
Bruce
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- Posts: 18
- Joined: September 27 2004
- Affiliation: Imperial College London
- Contact:
How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
Hi Bruce,
I sometimes use "convert file.ps file.jpg", then xv to get the .ps back.
To get maximum compression, in xv I set it to 8 bit mode, for the ps options remember to use "reduced colors" and in the last screen to tick the "compress" option. This gives usually dramatic compression (from MB's down to a few KB's) wihtout too much loss of quality.
I sometimes use "convert file.ps file.jpg", then xv to get the .ps back.
To get maximum compression, in xv I set it to 8 bit mode, for the ps options remember to use "reduced colors" and in the last screen to tick the "compress" option. This gives usually dramatic compression (from MB's down to a few KB's) wihtout too much loss of quality.
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- Posts: 129
- Joined: September 24 2004
- Affiliation: University of Rome
- Contact:
How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
I found that if you first convert the .ps to .pdf with http://www.ps2pdf.com/convert/convert.htm
and then you print the .pdf as .ps you have a much smaller file with good
quality.
(I am sure that there is an easier solution...)
and then you print the .pdf as .ps you have a much smaller file with good
quality.
(I am sure that there is an easier solution...)
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- Posts: 26
- Joined: November 24 2004
- Affiliation: SAAO/UCT
How to produce small postscript files from photoshop etc...?
Thanks for the suggestions!
bruce
bruce