Hello! My Team utilizes Designers to assist us in map production. Our workflow typically includes the GIS Analyst having created and initially drafted a map product in Esri software, exporting either an AI (ArcMap export) or AIX (ArcPro export) for the Designers, and then they would take over to finalize the map for our Organization's reports/products. This workflow worked very well with ArcMap as AI file sizes were easy to export by the GIS Analysts, and easy to work with by the Designers. We're having a difficult time with our workflow currently though as AIX file sizes from ArcPro are exporting at such huge file sizes that the Designers are unable to work with them. From what our Program has seen, what once exported from ArcMap at less than approximately 3,000 to 25,000 KB now exports from ArcPro at greater than approximately 60,000 to 180,000 KB. AIX file sizes are oftentimes more than 4 times larger, at minimum, than what their file size export would be from ArcMap. The utilization of different export settings has not reduced file size. Although we don't want to manipulate data, we have tried generalizing large datasets to reduce file size exports as well, and that too does not reduce the file size enough, comparable to the file sizes that our Designers are used to working with from ArcMap.
My understanding from talking with Esri is that:
- the difference in export sizes between ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro is to be expected due to the fact that ArcMap is 32-bit and ArcGIS Pro is 64-bit. Therefore, ArcGIS Pro is exporting more detail with the data.Because AIX/ArcGIS Pro is much more complex than AI/ArcMap, it is expected that these are larger. The files are so large because there are so many graphic elements to export for use by Adobe Illustrator.
- Saving AIX layers in Adobe Illustrator as AI files and having larger output files is also expected behavior - due to how Adobe Illustrator functions/interprets. When exporting from ArcGIS Pro, multipart features that were grouped in ArcGIS Pro, are interpreted by Adobe Illustrator as separate entities (these features are "exploded out"). It was explained to me that, Adobe Illustrator might interpret a line feature from ArcGIS Pro, which has a black outline and a red fill, as 2 or 3 separate lines (like one black line below a thinner red line, perhaps).
Please let us know if anyone else is having a difficult time with AIX file size exports and/or if you have any tips to share for smaller file size exports. I have submitted this case to Esri, hoping that they will be able to assist with a potential enhancement in the future to further reduce AIX file size exports. Thank you in advance!
