I know this is for Photoshop, but I work mostly in Illustrator and save things when its done in Photoshop when needed. the Design work is flexable Illustrator.

My problem is I have a large complex map I am working on with 5 overlays in Illustrator. it is about 1 gig of info within it. the map size is 24"x18". I want it to have good resolution (not rasor sharp but easy readable.)

I am using web colors to cut down on Ram and HD space.
I have 22 gigs of hard drive space to work with, with 512 of Ram. using widows XP. now that I have completed The map, I can't save the final product. I have only part of the map that is saved. I had planed on opening it up in Photoshop and save it as a JPEG to cut down on file size.

When I try to save it I get a message of haveing problems with PDF file. it won't save it. I try to save it Adobe Illustrator file, it says not enough memory. I try to save it as an EPS file, I can't remember the result is says but it won't save it. probably the same answer.

I have enouth HD space. I would think that 512 Ram would be significent to do the jop. I don't want to loose all this work. I'm not on any deadline with it at all, (Personal Project). Any suggestions what I can do. I looked under Preferences to see if It had a place to open up more HD alocation within Illustrator. I couldn't find any. I thought maybe Illustrator might have only a standard amount of HD allowance that could be adjusted?

When I try to export the map into Photoshop I only get a one overlay. I had already flattend the overlays hopeing everything I could save would help. HELP!

Looks like you don't have enough real ram to work on that size file. You might try to "purge all" (history, undo etc) & that may free up some space in memory & try to save again from Photoshop. Note, it's not the file size that 's a problem, it's your ram. In Illustrator, try saving to version 5, that will delete any metadata that may be in the file (providing of course you don't need it). I.E., if you are working with mid/mif files all the names, zips, point data etc will be in the file.

512 RAM is obviously not enough to handle a 1 Gb Illustrator file. But I can't image how to create such an humongous ai file. Maybe there is a way to make the material 'lighter' to haven an file that you can handle easier. What exactly are those 'overlays' you are talking about? Are they pixel-files? Like Photoshop? You can link to them in Illustrator, without closing them in the file. This would keep your filesize lower...

you can use illustrators file - export and save as bitmap directly, without having to go to photoshop. i also wonder how you get such a big file, maybe you can reconsider your techniques.

I could assume asume that the original map is a scan -being traced as new vector info. unless the map has photo's - trace and delete all map info scanned / imported / embedded into it. then I must ask - How do you attach "pixel-files" to illustrator with out embedding them. .. I assume they are because of the file size.

Well I figured this out, at least with my needs. I first scanned a map. then made cropmarks for positioning. From there I copied and pasted each overlay on another master document. I worked with RGB colors to save space. I ended up with seven overlays. When completed I flattened the artwork after checking over the map 3 or 4 times to make sure everything is correct. I got rid of the Original map that I used as a guide at that point. After flatting the overlays, I then Grouped everything and locked the Map on the first overlay again. I am using the second overlay so I can make it interactive with the map below. When I was working with the map when I asked for help, I was saving everything. I'm still not sure why such a big file the first time, unless it was because I was using the scanned map, and overlays, which caused large file. (crossing a RGB and 4 color map canceled out what I was trying to cut down on?) Well everything on this map is done and looks really good. I cut my old file of 235 MB before it wouldn't let me save anymore, down to 1.39 MB. with a lot more info that when the old map wouldn't take anymore. Now I have one more map to do the same way. It's a little smaller map but I know how to go about it. I might be missing out on some stuff. I haven't worked with embedding and linking files. Hey if anyone knows something that I just discribed that can be done a better way, I'm all ears.

This sounds reasonable. I would do it the same way. Maybe you scanned the first map at, like, 1400 dpi or something, to get a REALLY large file. (you can just 'place' a file in Ilustrator, and in a pallette with links you can embed it, when you embed it, it becomes disconnected from its parent, otherwise changes in the original document will be updated). But I realized I once did something that made a huge Illustrator file. In a lot of programs alt-pressing the cursor keys makes an object move in small steps ('nudging'), but in Illustrator, it makes a copy, everytime you do that. That is how I inflated a file once... But I think you should continue with how you are doing it, learning along the way. Good luck!

as long as when flattened it's not pixilated (within illustrator). overlay sounds like layers of vector info to me, which should be small in meg size. I often wondered if you could make an all vector file that;s bigger than it's exported .jpg.

Well I'm done with the Big Map, if I ever would need it again I could re-scan it again, but why waist the space. The problem I now have is when I try to delete it out of the Recycle Ben it says Cannot delete, it's being used by another person or program. Close any program that might be using it and try again. I havd no programs on right know. I'm starting to get a big file of items I can't delete. anyone run into that problem, what's the answer? I can't figure it out.

Unless you're on a Mac I can not help with that... Good luck!!