Best file compression utility?

What is the best file compression utility for the mac, and i mean the one that will compress the file the most.
I want to compress a disk image to make it smaller. I remember downloading a file one time that compressed a dmg even further, but can't remember it.

yeah i do realize a disk image (dmg) is already compressed, but i swore i found a dmg that was zipped into another format one time that compressed it even further.
Do you know if the new Stuffit 12 STANDARD does the same compression as DELUXE? i really don't need all the extras deluxe offers for $80....

Similar Messages

Best File Compression Software

What is the best file compression software on Mac OSX in terms of both user-friendliness and performance?

Stuffit Deluxe's native .sitx archives make the smallest files. You can even set the compression rate. Smaller will take more time, but of course, saves more space. It's all I and my client's use. It even compresses .jpg images quite a bit, whereas .zip does almost nothing to them.
There are drawbacks to all formats, though. Zip and Stuffit both do a lousy job on video files. RAR will usually cut the size down by at least half. But the only way to create RAR files on the Mac is through the Terminal. It astounds me that no one has come up with an OS X native application for this. Or that Stuffit hasn't added it to their choices. Stuffit can open RAR files, so they obviously know how the compression scheme works. Why not add the option to create them?
As far as someone opening the Stuffit files you create? All a person needs to do is download the free Expander if they don't own Stuffit Deluxe or Standard.

Hey All, what is the best file compression app to compress large video file on my Mac Book Pro?

Hey All, do you recommend compressor 4 or what is the best file compression app to compress large video file on my Mac Book Pro?

X,
Thanks for checking in. The anwser to your questions are below.
Where is the material coming from?
These are MP4 files from my Canon vixia HFR40
What software are you using to edit the material?
I am using iMOVIE 9.0.9
What do you want to do with the files after compression? I want to email I need to have the file be smaller than 100MB to send.
I am an actor and I video tape my auditions and send them to my agent so I need Highest Quality HD files that have small file sizes, no more than 100MB. The scenes are like 1-5 Mins long in most cases. Thanks for your help.

What is the best format to import images into iBA? How should I compress my images before importing? What is the best file format? PNG? Jpeg?

What is the best format to import images into iBA? How should I compress my images before importing? What is the best file format? PNG? Jpeg? I'm trying to figure out the best file format / compression for importing images into iBA. Also, does anyone know how iBA will compress the file? Are the assets attached (like a website) or flattened out? Does anyone know how iBA handles this? Many many thanks to anyone with insight into this.

This question is largely answered by the following thread...
https://discussions.apple.com/message/17805700#17805700

Best file type; JPEG, TIFF, PNG etc

I'm using Iphoto 5 (can't decide to buy 06 or buy new Imac - still thinking on that ...) and wonder what is the best file type to use. When importing pictures from my camera they are jpeg's (haven't tried raw setting yet)- from my scanner I use TIFF. It appears the TIFF files are a lot larger - 20 to 50mb compared to the jpegs 1 to 5mb. I've opened the TIFF files in preview and save as JPEG to reduce the size and also scanned using JPEG format - I don't see any advanatge to the larger tiff files and the smaller jpegs are easier manipulated - am I'm missing something?

Hi Arlington,
There is an important difference between JPG and TIFF:
JPG uses a lossy compression!!!
Just try to open a JPG and save it under a new name as JPG. Repeat this ten times and then compare the last picture (..the one that got saved and re-saved ten times as a JPG) with the original one you should see a difference, the quality of the last image should be a lot less than the original.
That's the difference - if you want to edit your pictures (e.g. in Photoshop) and quality is your first priority then go with TIFF. If you just download the pictures from your digital camera and store them then JPEG is your best choice.
HTH,
Koinseb

Best File Format For Online Line Art?

I thought the conventional wisdom was that all line art for the screen should be saved as GIFs, all photographic line art should be saved as JPEGs.
Then PNGs came along and offered an alternative to GIFs.
I've been exploring this because I've been having a problem when exporting line art from Illustrator 8 as a PNG and opening it in Fireworks MX, where it appears washed out.
I did a bit of research among comic strip artists -- the art I'm exporting from Illustrator is a comic strip -- and came up with conflicting results.
Dilbert seems to save black and white line art as GIFs, e.g. http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2008611230313.gif
... But its Sunday colored strips seem to be saved as JPEGs, e.g. http://dilbert.com/comics/dilbert/archive/images/dilbert2008040261966.jpg
Meanwhile Donnesbury seems to save colored comic strips as GIFs, e.g. http://images.ucomics.com/comics/db/2008/db080406.gif
Any thoughts, suggestions?
Thanks.

I assume your line art is drawn as vector art in Illustrator, correct?
As far as I'm concened, the "best file format for online line art" would be .swf, because it would retain its scaleable vector nature, and the Flash Player is most likely embedded in any reasonably recent computer's browser.
But a little simple experimentation would be in order regarding file size. SWF (as exported from Flash, not necessarily AI) is very efficient. But the complexity of the line art could still make a given image require more bandwidth as .swf than as a rasterized version.
The former conventional-wisdom regarding PNG is the old "not supported in older browsers" saw. I see even Firworks's online help still says:
> However, not all web browsers can view PNG graphics.
Personally, I think its way past time to stop cow-towing to outdated browsers and use PNGs anyway. So if it were me, and the nature of my line art required rasterization for online use, I would use PNG for its obvious advantages. But then, my livlihood is not affected by some minority of outdated web viewers not being able to view my PNGs.
I would think that whatever color problems you are having in getting your AI files exported to PNG can be worked out with a little investigation/experimentation. (PNG supports color management profiles, so that alone may be your problem, and may be easily fixed in your workflow.) GIF is by definition limited to a subset of colors. JPEG is by definition a lossy compression format. So there are certainly precise color-accuracy issues with those overused formats, too.
But again, that's just me. What little I do in web graphics that would involve this issue doesn't really affect my livelihood. Lowest-common-denominator compatibility may be more important to you.
> Gilbert seems to...
> Doonsbury seems to...
The two images are very close to the same size (132K & 125K). They both include contone grads. Between JPEG and GIF, I would expect JPEG to more consistently yield acceptable results. Since GIF is limited to an 8-bit lookup table, I would expect aberations such as unwanted banding to be more likely in GIF if the artwork contains many colors and alot of highly-rendered shading.
Since you specify
line art, though, that would rule out contone fills, and you could use GIF with a very small color table.
On the other hand, you do not specify whether you want to use transparency in your line art images. If you do, PNG would be far superior, because it supports true alpha transparency. In a GIF, if you can only make one particular color transparent. So even with line art, if the line art is antialiased at all, you'll have the ugly halos so commonly seen in GIFs when displayed on a wrong-colored background.
The only functional "advantage" that I see in GIF over PNG is its multi-image capability, for quick & dirty frame-by-frame animation. My personal animation efforts focus entirely on Flash/SWF, and use scripted animation whenever possible to avoid frame-by-frame. But I recognize the simplicity convenience of animated GIFs for web banners and those (often-annoying) moving icons and such.
JET

Best mp4 compression possible for 50" TV

Hi,
I need to compressed my project (24fps, 1080p from FCP) to mp4 which will be run on a 50' TV via a computer (not sure what software but I was told it needs to be in mp4 format). If size isn't a factor, what's the best possible compression to get a very good quality on mp4 format? Should I take the mpeg-4 setting and modify the bit rate to HIGH VBR?
Any help appreciated.

The High VBR should do a decent job. Whether it's the best you can do will require some testing on your end.
There was a recent thread on working from the H.264 presets and simply changing the extension to MP4 after encoding the file. I'm not sure whether that would work or not, but you could try. It certainly would give you comprehensive control over your quality.
Alternatively, you could use MPEG Streamclip, which offers pretty good control but will definitely put your file in an MP4 wrapper.
Russ

Ifweb60.exe crash when using file upload utility

Hello,
I have implemented the file upload utility in my own forms. When using the file upload for the first time in my forms session everything works fine. But when i try to start it again (within the same forms session) i get an ifweb60.exe crash on the server and a FRM-92101 error on the forms client
Did anybody have the same problem before and how can i solve this?
I am using iAS9i (release 1.0.2.1.0) with forms patch 10 (Jinitiator 1.3.1.9), Oracle server 8.1.7 on Windows NT 4.
I included the output of my java console
Thanks,
Gerton
Oracle JInitiator: Version 1.3.1.9
Using JRE version 1.3.1.9 Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM
User home directory = C:\WINNT\Profiles\382
Proxy Configuration: Manual Configuration
Proxy: MyProxy
Proxy Overrides: <local>
JAR cache enabled
Location: C:\WINNT\Profiles\382\Oracle Jar Cache
Maximum size: 50 MB
Compression level: 0
c: clear console window
f: finalize objects on finalization queue
g: garbage collect
h: display this help message
l: dump classloader list
m: print memory usage
q: hide console
s: dump system properties
t: dump thread list
x: clear classloader cache
0-5: set trace level to <n>
Loading http://80nte/forms60java/f60all_jinit.jar from JAR cache
Loading http://80nte/forms60java/UploadClient.jar.sig from JAR cache
Loading http://80nte/forms60java/ctb_icons.jar from JAR cache
connectMode=HTTP, native.
Forms Applet version is : 60819
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Opening connection to http://80nte:80/download/907.doc...
Copying resource (type: application/msword, modified on: Mon Aug 05 11:45:58 CEST 2002)...
35840 byte(s) copied...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Client OS is Windows NT
start RunCMD...: cmd.exe /C C:\TEMP\907.doc
Opening Word document...
Document has been released C:\TEMP\907.doc
FileUploader: LoadFile : Named File
FileUploader: 907.doc
FileUploader: Dir>C:\TEMP\
FileUploader: Named File = C:\TEMP\907.doc exists
FileUploader: <PERFORM UPLOAD>
FileUploader: Filesize 35840
FileUploader: Source file size before encoding 35840 Bytes; (Compressed to 8905 Bytes)
FileUploader: Size of encoded byte array : 12190 (3 Chunks)
FileUploader: numchunks is 2
FileUploader: Chunking : 0:4096
FileUploader: Dispatch Chunk 1
FileUploader: Chunking : 4096:8192
FileUploader: Dispatch Chunk 2
FileUploader: Chunking : 8192:12190
FileUploader: Dispatch Chunk 3
FileUploader: </PERFORM UPLOAD>
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Opening connection to http://80nte:80/download/907.doc...
Copying resource (type: application/msword, modified on: Mon Aug 05 11:46:41 CEST 2002)...
35840 byte(s) copied...
Start setProperty
Onbekende setProperty...
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Start setProperty
Client OS is Windows NT
start RunCMD...: cmd.exe /C C:\TEMP\907.doc
Opening Word document...
Opening Word document...
Document has been released C:\TEMP\907.doc
FileUploader: LoadFile : Named File
FileUploader: 907.doc
FileUploader: Dir>C:\TEMP\
FileUploader: Named File = C:\TEMP\907.doc exists
FileUploader: <PERFORM UPLOAD>
FileUploader: Filesize 35840
FileUploader: Source file size before encoding 35840 Bytes; (Compressed to 8917 Bytes)
FileUploader: Size of encoded byte array : 12206 (3 Chunks)
FileUploader: numchunks is 2
FileUploader: Chunking : 0:4096
FileUploader: Dispatch Chunk 1
FileUploader: Chunking : 4096:8192
FileUploader: Dispatch Chunk 2
FileUploader: Chunking : 8192:12206
FileUploader: Dispatch Chunk 3
FileUploader: </PERFORM UPLOAD>
oracle.forms.net.ConnectionException: Forms session <7> aborted: unable to communicate with runtime process.
     at oracle.forms.net.ConnectionException.createConnectionException(Unknown Source)
     at oracle.forms.net.HTTPNStream.getResponse(Unknown Source)
     at oracle.forms.net.HTTPNStream.doFlush(Unknown Source)
     at oracle.forms.net.HTTPNStream.flush(Unknown Source)
     at java.io.DataOutputStream.flush(Unknown Source)
     at oracle.forms.net.StreamMessageWriter.run(Unknown Source)

Problem is solved!

Need suggestion regarding File compression and splititng

Hi,
I want to split and compress the big files into small chucks. On later any standard zip utility i.e. winzip, 7z etc can merge(extract) all the chunks to generate the original file. I am looking for any java library which provide the split and compression functionality.
As Java also supports in built compression utility. Should I use those library or any other open source is available to do this? I welcome your suggestion regarding how can I start.
Thanks

If you're just looking for something to be used internally, it'd be pretty simple:
1. Open your source InputStream.
2. Create a standard read/write loop to pump the stream.
3. Add a counter that determines how much you've pushed into your current target. After you reach a certain value, close your current target, create a new target stream, and reset the counter.
4. Conclude by closing your source and your current target.
For compression, you can use the built-in GZIPOutputStream or a third-party library of your choice. I usually find GZIP sufficient for my needs.
Of course, if you want the output to be compatible with other programs like 7-Zip, you've got a lot more work on your hands complying with the file format spec. :)

What is the best lossless compression for video?

I have a large amount of captured video, which is saved in uncompressed format.
I want to archive this video and I need to figure out what the best compression choice is.
It's video only and I want the archived materials to be compressed as losslessly as possible and as small as possible. Losslessness is more important than size. The original material was captured in FCP from a video camera using Firewire. It is NTCS DV.
Multiple angles of this source material were edited in FCP and rendered to make the final, uncompressed files. Those are what I need to compress and archive.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

There is no such thing as lossless compression.
This is not really true. There are many ways to compress - just google "compression algorithms" and you'll find some. Two basic schemes are either lossless or lossy. Lossless seeks to remove redundant or repetitive information, this is like Run Length Encoding or LZW encoding. Lossy throws away information that is generally "not perceived". JPEG, MPEG, H.264, DV are examples of lossy compression.
YUV "lossless" is 4:2:2 and is considered uncompressed, yet it takes up less space than RGB 4:4:4 encoding. Simply zipping the file compresses it (uncompressed codecs squeeze better, but DV does compress, indicating redundant information) - a TIFF sequence might have run length encoding or LZW. Both are lossless.
To get back to the question, Patrick:Losslessness is more important than size.
H.264 is a fantastic compression - it is, however, FAR from lossless AND it is not directly editable. You'd need to convert it back to an editable format, ensuring even more loss. Not within the parameters of your desired solution...
Patrick

File Compression Questions/Help Needed

Question, I have just completed an audio presentation project (audio book on CD) for a client (681 mgs) which I now need to have replicated 1500 times over. The problem is my outsourced replicator will only press cd's up to 650 mgs. Therefore, I need to figure out how to compress the presentation just slightly (as to not lose tone quality) to get in onto the disc. (The CD Rom will be played in the car or computer Cd players)
I used the Soundtrack 1.2 to complete the project and also have Quicktime pro, however, I'm not sure what to do and how to change the settings to get the compression correct.
Thanks

Is it something you can simply save as an .aif file, then import it into iTunes and then compress it to mp3 at, say, 256 Kbps? That's pretty good... but if you're looking for better... perhaps an mp2? Not easy to find an mpeg1 layer 2 compression utility, but I use Sound Converter:
http://www.dekorte.com/projects/shareware/SoundConverter/
It's a start...
CP

File compression question

Question about using the file compression feature within Finder. I understand that when I select multiple files and compress them, it creates a ZIP file with the default name 'archive.zip.' I created a working folder on my desktop and put in about 16 alias of photos that are down in my iPhoto 'originals' folder. When I created the archive.zip, file it was only 2.1 MB (the jpg's varied in size from <1 MB to 3 MB).
I did this with the presumption that by using aliases in my working folder, the compression utility actually compressed the jpg's in the various folders but not the alias pointers.
So, since the archive.zip is only 2.1 MB, what conclusion can I draw? Can the compression really squeeze them down that much?

Dr. Livingstone wrote:
Question about using the file compression feature within Finder. I understand that when I select multiple files and compress them, it creates a ZIP file with the default name 'archive.zip.' I created a working folder on my desktop and put in about 16 alias of photos that are down in my iPhoto 'originals' folder. When I created the archive.zip, file it was only 2.1 MB (the jpg's varied in size from <1 MB to 3 MB).
I did this with the presumption that by using aliases in my working folder, the compression utility actually compressed the jpg's in the various folders but not the alias pointers.</div>
that's wrong. the compression utility compressed the aliases as it should have. if you want to compress the original images that's what you need to put in that folder, not aliases. but keep in mind that jpegs are already compressed so you'll hardly gain any space by compressing them further.
So, since the archive.zip is only 2.1 MB, what conclusion can I draw? Can the compression really squeeze them down that much?

File Compression Using ByteArrayInput/OutputStream

Hi,
I want to write a File compression program using ByteArrayInput/OutputStream. It should access multiple files and zip the contents of the files and give it in the ByteArrayOutputStream so the user can name that file and store it as zip. How to do this. I have done this with OutputStream. I want the code its very urgent!

u can use this code to compress and zipping the files
import java.util.zip.*;
public class Compress
public static void doit(String filein[], String filepath[], String fileout)
// Common Input streams for all the files that will be zipped
FileInputStream fis = null;
// Output stream for the ZIP file
FileOutputStream fos = null;
try
fos = new FileOutputStream(fileout);
// Initialize Zip output stream
ZipOutputStream zos = new ZipOutputStream(fos);
// Add entries to the ZIP file
ZipEntry ze = null;
// Initialize buffer for the output data
final int BUFSIZ = 4096;
byte inbuf[] = new byte[BUFSIZ];
int n;
for ( int i = 0; i < filein.length; i++)
fis = new FileInputStream(filein);
// Add entries into the ZIP file and give it the display name.
// Upon unzip the same directory structure as given in the filepath will be followed
// The file path is the complete path of the file including the file name.
ze = new ZipEntry(filepath[i]);
zos.putNextEntry(ze);
inbuf = new byte[BUFSIZ];
// write output to the out put stream
while ((n = fis.read(inbuf)) != -1)
zos.write(inbuf, 0, n);
fis.close();
fis = null;
zos.close();
fos = null;
catch (IOException e)
     System.err.println(e);
finally
     try
          if (fis != null)
               fis.close();
     if (fos != null)
     fos.close();
catch (IOException e)
     System.err.println("\nError Occured while Zipping the files: " + e.getMessage());
public static void main(String args[])
// Files to be Zipped
String filein[] = {"file1.txt", "file2.txt", "file3.txt",};
          // Display name that appears in Win ZIP or any other unzip utility
          String filepath[] = {"temp\\file1.txt", "temp\\file2.txt", "temp\\file3.txt",};
// Name of the Zip file
String fileout = "compress.zip";
// Zip it
doit(filein, filepath, fileout);

File Compression program in java

hello all,
any idea how to write a file compression program in java.
any help would be appreciated.
thanx

import java.io.*;
import java.util.zip.*;
import java.io.File;
import java.io.FileInputStream;
import java.util.zip.CRC32;
import java.util.zip.ZipEntry;
import java.util.zip.ZipOutputStream;
import java.util.Date;
import java.util.Vector ;
public class FileZip
     //Creating Constructor to pass the vector
     Vector v;
     public FileZip(Vector v, JavaUpload applet){
          this.v = v;
     //Creating Constructor to pass one file
     public FileZip(File file){
          v.addElement(file);
     //default constructor
     public FileZip(){
     public void addFile(File file){
          v.addElement(file);
     public void removeFile(File file){
          v.removeElement(file);
     ByteArrayOutputStream out;
     //This method helps to zip the files
     public ByteArrayOutputStream doJob(){
               try {
               out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
               ZipOutputStream zout = new ZipOutputStream(out);
               zout.setMethod(ZipOutputStream.DEFLATED);
                    for (int i=0; i < v.size(); i++){
                    File file = new File (((File)(v.elementAt(i))).getPath());
               byte [] rgb = new byte [1000];
               int n;
               FileInputStream fis;
          //Calculate the CRC-32 value.
               CRC32 crc32 = new CRC32();
               fis = new FileInputStream(file);
               while ((n = fis.read(rgb))>-1){
               crc32.update(rgb, 0, n);
               fis.close();
          //create a zip entry
               ZipEntry zipentry = new ZipEntry(file.getName());
               zipentry.setSize(file.length());
               zipentry.setTime(file.lastModified());
               zipentry.setCrc(crc32.getValue());
          //Add the zip entry and associated data
               zout.putNextEntry(zipentry);
               fis = new FileInputStream(file);
               while ((n= fis.read(rgb))>-1){
               zout.write(rgb,0,n);
               fis.close();
               zout.closeEntry();
               zout.close();
          }catch(ZipException ze){}
          catch(IOException ioe){}
          return out;

Best file format for archiving high def feature film clips?

Hey, all. This is a second question.
I got a part time job at a university assembling a database of feature film clips that have to do with wearable technology in popular culture. Basically my job is to go through feature film clips and assemble a database of clips like Iron Man testing his gear, Batman using his sonar in the Dark Knight, that sort of thing.
I'm not sure what the best file format to export my clips would be. They should be downloadable (and not huge) but still high definition. I tried making a clip where Iron Man tries flying for the first time, but the entire movie I downloaded was around 700 megs, and my two minute extracted clip was 150 megs, so I'm not doing something right.
Can anyone suggest a file format? It needs to be lossless (I think I'm using that term correctly) so that if students want to reference the clip they can pull high definition screenshots and whatnot from it.
Cheers,
DT

You might want to export twice, or maybe even three times for each clip. Once for the HD clip that is as high quality and visually perfect as possible, another for the compressed and relatively easily downloadable clip, and a third for the live thumbnail.
One example of how this is done can be found at one of my favorite sites, http://www.videoblocks.com - no advertising intended. I am sure almost everyone here gets plenty of ads for the site already. I just happened to suscribe when it was cheap.
In any case, you hover your mouse over a clip and it plays back in a small version. Then you have a choice of downloading the MP4 version designed to watch, or the MOV designed forediting.
That solves the problem for the students if the University has the storage space for multiple copies.
If you haven't seen VideoBlocks yet, sign up for the free 7 day trial and download so music, or AE templates, or something else you can use like transitions or lower thirds, or whatever. Then you can see how it works and why I think it might solve your particular problem. If you have a problem with signing up, let me know and I will record a screen capture for you.

Best file compression utility?

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