Xara fails with too many photos: observed limits

[a_tranter]

I've noted a few posts about Xara WD7 limits so here's my experience at failing to put my photo galleries from Picasa onto my web site (Picasa is blocked in school if you're wondering why!)

A 2GB ram PC (with 1.5GB disk cache and 50GB free disk space) fails when I get to 200 photos at 1000px resolution (all optimised) spread over about 10 pages. The site file is less than 40MB and expands to nearly 800MB in memory. All is fine until 'export' when I eventually get an 'Out of memory error' or 'access violation' fail.

Interestingly the limit is only slightly lower on my 1GB ram PC (1GB HD cache) - on this PC Xara manages the memory better and does not load all the images into memory all the time (using about 500MB when editing). During the export process the memory usage of Xara actually reduces to about 60-150MB as it seems to shuffles data in and out before suddenly failing after 3 minutes or so.

It seems that Xara can manage its own 'process memory' for editing (by shuffling data in and out) but always crashes during the export process because the total 'page-file' usage zooms up dramatically - any explanations Xara?

So if you're using a 2GB machine the limit is about 180 photos at about 1MP resolution (1000pixels) until Xara WD learns to manage its memory better during export.

[gwpriester]

Not too long ago, 2GB would have been extraordinary. These days its more like the minimum.

My advice. Post a link on your website to your Picasa photo gallery.

[covoxer]

No matter how much RAM you have, OS allows to allocate not more than about 2Gb in total for 32 bit applications. If there's not enough RAM, swap file is used. Unless you have not enough RAM+swap to fit all the opened processes and services, you'll get roughly the same result on both 1Gb and 2Gb RAM machines, except for the performance.
1MP image expands in memory to about 4Mb. 200 of them is 800Mb. On export the copy of the document is created in memory. So the images alone take about 1.6Gb. And overall memory use may be over 2Gb.

[a_tranter]

My advice. Post a link on your website to your Picasa photo gallery.

As I stated, Picasa galleries are blocked at school - I unblocked my Picasa home page at school only to find that the folders have a different web address not related to my Picasa home page (just a long number plus folder name). I could request that the numbered address is unblocked at school but I suspect that Picasa can rename/renumber my galleries as it sees fit.

[a_tranter]

Thanks for the replies - I agree with the maths.

No matter how much RAM you have, OS allows to allocate not more than about 2Gb in total for 32 bit applications. ...

Does that mean adding more RAM will not solve this problem and Xara has an absolute limit of around 180 1MP images?

[Guest]

No matter how much RAM you have, OS allows to allocate not more than about 2Gb in total for 32 bit applications. If there's not enough RAM, swap file is used. Unless you have not enough RAM+swap to fit all the opened processes and services, you'll get roughly the same result on both 1Gb and 2Gb RAM machines, except for the performance.
1MP image expands in memory to about 4Mb. 200 of them is 800Mb. On export the copy of the document is created in memory. So the images alone take about 1.6Gb. And overall memory use may be over 2Gb.

Would be a perfect reason to release a 64 Bit Version of the program, no?
Coming from a 3D background I am very surprised how few 2D-Graphics-Programs can use the power of modern machines to their full extend.
Currently to my knowledge it's only Photoshop which has a native 64Bit version.

[pauland]

Would be a perfect reason to release a 64 Bit Version of the program, no?
Coming from a 3D background I am very surprised how few 2D-Graphics-Programs can use the power of modern machines to their full extend.
Currently to my knowledge it's only Photoshop which has a native 64Bit version.

3D users are specialist power users with powerful machines for fast renders and manipulating millions of polygons. The 2D market is not so specialist and the uptake of 64bit operating systems isn't mainstream yet.

I know covoxer said there was a 2GB limit for 32-bit, but I think it's actually 3GB, though I haven't checked.

[Guest]

Hi Pauland,
I would agree if this was 2008. Today no more.
Nowadays nearly everything you buy will have 64 Bit and in most cases far more Ram Xara can use.
Here's a random offer of some German Dealer. Already the cheapest thing for just a little more than 300 bugs has 64Bit (any of the others too). Also have a look at the attached chart.

[pauland]

I know very few people running a 64bit OS - simply because most people only change their OS when they change their machine, and I would say that that is typical of the people using Xara. If your friends are all gamers or into gadgets the 64bit OS will be more prolific.

Your chart says very little. It says what the distribution of licences is but says nothing about the overall distribution of 64bit licences is in the community. I upgraded to windows 7 and didn't bother with the 64bit version. To get the most out of having a 64bit OS you need a machine with plenty of RAM. My laptop will handle 4GB, max (officially 2GB), but it's doing fine with 2GB and a 32bit OS and Xara Xtreme Pro 4.0.

64Bit OSs are the good, but for the vast majority they are the future and not the present. I'm sure Xara will make a 64bit port in due course.

[Guest]

Pauland,
I would understand if Representatives of Software-Makers say that 64 Bit is not yet required and needed too much work, would make the Product more expensive, and would prolong Development Cycles.
Trust me I've seen and heard all that and more also in the 3D Modeling Industry, 5 years ago. Sure enough, all these programs are of course 64 Bit now. Customers here consider 64bitness not a feature but a precondition to utilize the program at all.

As I said - I understand Software-Makers in an Industry which is a bit less resource-hungry being hesitant. I would even kind of understand that they'd try to move the desire for support of an OS Standard which is there for more than half a decade into the trivial "Gamer and Gadget-Corner".

But you are a fellow user right? What's your point then? I don't get it.

Thing is: Nobody had to split up large Documents any more, the problem of the Original Poster was immediately solved. The whole program would scale better. Currently I see no performance gain when I use Xara on my beefy Workstation - it runs with the same performance as on my old DualCore-Laptop. Vectors of course fly as they are wonderfully programmed but it nowadays simply should no more be the case that Software gets slow because you've loaded some dozens of medium Res-Images.