Reducing pdf file. Tried literally everything. I am desperate

So I have saved an Illustrator file into PDF. I need to send the pdf via email so these are the various attempts I have accomplished:

Smallest File Size
I chose the option Smallest File Size in Illustrator. Unfortunately this decreases the quality of the images too much so I decided to abandon this option.

Customizing the compression:
On the Pdf saving options I have customized the compression options in many different ways. Mostly I chose the options of downsampling all images above 250 ppi to 150 ppi and played around these values with no luck.

Saving in High Quality Print
I have saved the file in high quality print. The images were perfect. Too bad it weighed 50 MB.

Reducing File Size on Preview
I have opened the 50MB file in preview and tried saving it in pdf again. In the quartz filter menu I have chosen Reduce File Size. All of my images turned green. Almost as a negative color effect. I have checked in various forums what could be the reason behind this change in the images, but it seems like I am the only one in the world getting this problem.

Changing Color Utility Options
I decided to make a custom made color utility option. Gave it various different values to decrease the file size with a custom made option. No luck. either images turned green again, or way too low quality.

Post Script Saving
I have opened the file again on preview. Went to File-Print-Pdf drop down menu-save as post script. Opened the post script file and saved it again. This reduced the file size significantly without altering the quality. Seemed like I was really close to the solution. The file now weighed 8 MB. I was happy with the improvement, but it was still too big. I need something between 1MB-3MB.

I have downloaded several PDF converting programs but none of them worked. Looks like Acrobat Pro has an option that could help me out, but Im Acrobat Pro free and I would like to find an alternative. I found myself in a similar situation a couple of years ago and ended up solving the problem. Too bad I have no recollection of what I did.

Can someone help me out please? I would be forever grateful considering I spent a whole day on this thing...

Have you tried placing it into a zip file to reduce the size aswell?

- Simon

Yes I have but the file is still too big. You see I need the best quality I can get. I am working on a very big file: 50 MB. I managed to get it down to 8MB by post scripting it without altering the quality but I sure I can get it even lower. If I can get to 8MB from 50MB without altering the quality, I am sure I can do better. I would be up to losing some of the quality but not excessively.

What really bugs me and what I don't understand is why the images turn in negative color/green when I reduce file size in the preview default options.

Reducing the file size in Preview requires that compromises be made. You can't have the exact same document with the exact same quality and it be a smaller size (or at least significantly so).

Might I suggest that you find another way of sending the document? Why not try something like Dropbox?

I totally understand that I need to come to some compromises. What I don't understand is why the images turn in a negative colour. You know, black becomes white and white becomes black, and on top of that I get a weird green background. All the rest stays perfectly the same. That's what's weird.

I know I can use Dropbox or Yousend it or Megaupload, but it is similar to an advertising page so it must go in email.

Thank for the help btw

Why do you need the images to be that large? Is this for print or just to be viewed on the computer screen?

If it is just to be viewed on the screen then your images don't need to be anything larger than 72 dpi.

For print 300 to 150 dpi is enough.

image quality is way too low at 72 ppi.

xueref said:

image quality is way too low at 72 ppi.

Click to expand...

That's the standard for things that are viewed on a computer screen. You never answer my question if it was for print or just viewing on screen.

well initially for viewing on screen. if someone wants to print it he should be able to do it. It's a 5 pages document in A4.

I tried saving right now in pdf at 72ppi with illustrator custom pdf. text and presentation of the document is perfect. Images are all blurred out.
I am always getting a problem with the images and not with the rest of the document.
This happens also when i reduce file size in preview. It's only the images which get altered.

A answer from another thread

TattooedMac said:

If you really really want to send it as a email, open the PDF in preview then save as a jpeg. I just did this to a 120pge PDF and using the **least quality** option i got the page down to 70kb. It will only save a page at a time as well but if you use keyboard shortcuts then it is quite quick . . . .
So multiply that by 25 and you have a 1.75MB worth of data. Put all these in 1 folder correctly numbered and its as good as a PDF. At the other end if they open it in preview then it can be read easily enough as well ???

Just a thought if you NEED to email now or the future

Cheers

Click to expand...

Forget the email part but this is what i found last time someone asked the question. Read the whole thread if need be.

HTH

Cheers

EDIT : PDFshrink $35 if you dont mind spending a couple of dollars. Sometimes out there, there just isnt good enough free version.

Yeah I had thought of that but it pixellates te document significantly.

After all these things I am starting to think that there might be some weird values on the photographs I have put in the document.

Whatever I try to reduce the file, everything else stays neat and clear and the only thing that changes are the pictures.

Can someone also explain why I get negative colour photographs when I reduce file size in preview? Again that is the only thing that gets altered. The entire document is clear except for the photos.

So I seemed to have solved the problem.

I have saved the pdf in High quality print. 50 MB
I have opened it in preview selected a page one by one by doing file, open in new from clipboard
Saved each page one by one.

I have opened the first page in photoshop and saved it for web in jpg.
I did this operation for every single page.
I ended up with 5 jpgs weighing less than 500kb each with quality of the pictures just as good as the 50MB pdf I had previously.

I then reopened the 50MB pdf in preview. Copied all the new 5jpg pages on the dock on the side in the same document. I then deleted the initial 5 pages that made the pdf 50MB big. I then saved the document which now had 5 new pages and BINGO!
I got a 5pg pdf document weighing 2MB with the same quality as illustrator's high quality print.

Thanks for all of your help anyways guys.

Nice. Glad you found a solution and thanks for posting it back. Will be sure to bookmark this page now for a full solution.

Cheers